Chapter 119 The Cooking Academy Opening Ceremony and Class Placement Exam

Lin Cheng looked at the person in front of him, and the image of his father gradually overlapped with his memory.

"Father?" His voice was hesitant and uncertain.

Lin Changkang had planned to rest today and go to town to look for his child tomorrow, but he never expected to run into him in the prefectural city.

His gaze fell on Lin Cheng's face, then shifted to Lin Song behind him, who was holding a candied hawthorn and looked completely bewildered.

“Cheng-ge’er.” His voice was hoarse, with a hint of sob, “Father is back.”

Lin Cheng could no longer hold back. He grabbed his younger brother and hugged his father, and the grown man burst into tears, crying, "Dad! You're back!"

Lin Cheng's pent-up sorrow over the years welled up with tears. "Father, Mother, Mother is gone. Mother caught a cold, and I had no money. Grandfather wouldn't give me money for treatment either. Mother didn't make it through."

Although Lin Changkang already knew about his wife's death, hearing it from his son's mouth still caused his heart to clench with pain. "It's all my fault! I came back too late and couldn't protect you!"

Although Lin Song did not recognize the man in front of him, perhaps because of their blood ties, or perhaps because he was affected by his brother's emotions, his face also showed signs of tears.

The rough hand patted Lin Cheng's shoulder, which was level with his own, and gently wiped away Lin Song's tears. "It's your father who has wronged you. Your father will never leave again."

Many people's eyes quietly fell on the father and his two sons.

Some people see sadness, while others see envy.

The shopkeeper picked up a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. His youngest son had died on the battlefield in the north, and to this day, his remains had not been found.

At the table by the window, a man in a coarse cloth jacket was holding a teacup, the steam blurring his features.

He was separated from his wife and children and was now all alone. Looking at Lin Changkang holding the two children in his arms, he felt a tightness in his throat. He took a sip of tea, but could not suppress the envy in his eyes.

Lin Changkang led the two children upstairs. "Come on, tell your father what you've done all these years."

The father and son hadn't seen each other for many years, so they had a lot to talk about. They talked all night and slept in until late the next day.

Meanwhile, in Qingquan Town, Lin Yao had already gotten up.

Today is the official opening day of the cook's school. She changed into a clean blue cloth dress, simply tied her hair into a bun, and secured it with a plain silver hairpin, looking neat and energetic.

She led Su Niang and Wang Xiaoyu toward the school. Before they even reached the school gate, they could see many figures standing outside the courtyard wall, talking in twos and threes, their faces full of anticipation and trepidation.

Upon seeing Lin Yao and her entourage arrive, the crowd quieted down, and someone was the first to bow and greet them: "Good morning, Manager Lin!"

Lin Yao smiled and nodded in response, then took out a key from her sleeve and opened the courtyard gate: "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. Please come in."

The crowd filed in, and as soon as they stepped into the front yard, they all exclaimed in admiration, their eyes filled with surprise.

The original ordinary courtyard has been transformed into an open kitchen, with eight large stoves neatly arranged along the courtyard wall. In front of each stove are brand-new iron pots, shovels and cutting boards, and basic ingredients such as washed scallions, ginger and garlic.

"This courtyard has been renovated so grandly!" a boy in a coarse cloth jacket couldn't help but exclaim.

After everyone had watched for a while, Lin Yao clapped her hands to attract attention: "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment and divide into groups. Those who have never cooked before, or even chopped vegetables, should stand on the left. Those who have cooked home-style dishes and have some cooking experience should stand on the right."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to move.

Most of the children who came to learn were from Linjia Village and nearby villages. Children from poor families learn to be independent early and have to do all kinds of work from a young age. They have more or less experience and quickly lined up in the queue.

Only two well-dressed girls from town slowly moved to the left.

They were the daughters of small merchants in town. They had accumulated considerable wealth during the war, and their families never allowed them to cook, so they naturally had no experience.

Lin Yao glanced at the neatly arranged line and nodded in satisfaction: "It's very well organized."

She turned to the two girls on her left and said, "You two follow Su Niang to the back room to rest and have some hot tea. After the preliminary assessment here is over, I will teach you the basic techniques separately."

The two girls quickly thanked her and followed Su Niang to the backyard.

Then Lin Yao looked at the group on the right and pointed to the stove in the courtyard: "The rest of you, each stove corresponds to a set of ingredients. Each of you choose a stove and use the available ingredients to make your best dish. No need to mix and match, just a simple home-style dish. I want to see how well you all know what you're capable of."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sprang into action, each choosing a stove and rolling up their sleeves to get to work.

The difference in skill level became immediately apparent upon first encounter.

Some people look experienced and move quickly, deftly chopping vegetables with a cleaver.

Some people, whose skills are a bit clumsy, hold the knife and slowly sharpen it, resulting in unevenly sized cuts of vegetables, and they also keep glancing at the actions of the people next to them.

Lin Yao walked around the kitchen, observing the apprentices' movements, while Wang Xiaoyu helped Lin Yao write down each person's strengths and weaknesses.

The apprentices brought the prepared dishes to the long table in the center of the courtyard one after another. The dishes were neatly arranged, but their appearance varied.

Lin Yao started tasting from the first dish, taking only one bite from each dish, savoring each bite carefully, and then making a note on the paper.

After a busy morning, tasting more than thirty dishes, even if she only tasted a bite of each dish, Lin Yao still ate until she was stuffed.

Lin Yao then divided the remaining people into three groups based on their cooking skills: one group with skilled cooking abilities, one group with moderately skilled abilities, and one group with no experience. She planned to teach different levels of difficulty of cooking to each group.

"Everyone, take a break and have some water."

Lin Yao asked Wang Xiaoyu to distribute the water bottles to everyone, while she took the record sheet and walked to the long table. She cleared her throat and said, "I have tasted everyone's dishes just now. The skills vary. We will divide you into three groups according to your skill level for more targeted instruction."

Everyone quieted down, all eyes fixed on her. Lin Yao called out three names: "Zhang Dashun, Li Tian, ​​and Wang Hu, you'll be in the first batch, learning more difficult dishes." The three whose names were called looked delighted and quickly nodded in agreement.

Then she read out more than a dozen names: "Your dishes are decent, and you have a basic understanding of knife skills and cooking techniques, but the seasoning is either too bland or too salty. You'll be grouped into the second batch. Solidify your basics before learning anything else."

The remaining few seemed a bit uneasy. Lin Yao said, "The remaining few still need to practice their knife skills, and their stir-frying is a bit raw. Let's divide them into three groups and start by practicing the basics like chopping vegetables and tossing the wok. We'll take it one step at a time, no rush."

These people were initially a bit dejected, but after hearing what Lin Yao said, they felt relieved.

In the end, only the two women who had never cooked before were left.

After the group assignments were completed, Lin Yao posted the group list on the courtyard wall: "Starting tomorrow, the first group will have class at 5:00 AM to learn how to prepare signature dishes. The third group will have class at 7:00 AM to practice seasoning home-style signature dishes. The third group will have class at 9:00 AM to practice knife skills for an hour."

She added, "I will prepare the ingredients every day, so everyone just needs to focus on learning. Once you've mastered the skills, whether you come with me to a restaurant in Lin'an Prefecture or open your own small stall, you'll be able to make a living."

Everyone listened with great enthusiasm.

After arranging the three groups of apprentices, Lin Yao called out to the backyard, "Su Niang, please invite the two young ladies over."

Before long, Su Niang led the two girls dressed in decent clothes over. The two girls stood at the edge of the crowd, looking somewhat reserved.

Lin Yao: "I have a lot of beverage recipes, such as sour plum drink, osmanthus wine, mint honey water, honeysuckle drink for clearing heat, and snow pear drink for moisturizing the lungs. These are all popular nowadays. If I learn them, I can open a decent beverage shop."

Lin Yao looked at the two of them and said, "I'll give you two choices. One is to learn the basics of cooking from the third batch of students, and the other is for me to teach you how to make drinks on your own. After you finish learning, you can open your own shop and make a living. Which one do you choose?"

The two were of different heights; the shorter girl was named Liu Min, and she was the daughter of the former Liu family bookstore owner.

Liu Min's eyes lit up first. She had a round and pleasing appearance, and two small dimples when she smiled: "I'll learn Yinzi!" She nodded vigorously as she spoke, which was very cute.

The other girl was slimmer and her name was Shen Juan.

She was the daughter of a fur merchant in town. When her family's business was good, she never had to lift a finger. After the war, furs from the north could not be transported in, and no one in the capital bought furs. Her family was about to run out of money, so they sent her here to learn the trade.

She already hated the fumes from the kitchen, and if her father hadn't threatened her with her dowry, she wouldn't have wanted to suffer like this.

Hearing that there was another option, Shen Juan's eyes darted around: "I'll learn to make drinks too! Stir-frying requires tending the fire and tossing the wok, which I really can't do. Drinks look clean and elegant, which suits me just right."

The atmosphere in the courtyard froze for a moment after those words were spoken.

Lin Yao's smile faded slightly.

Everyone could hear the disdain in her words, but today was the first day of school, and no one wanted to clash with someone on the first day of school. They all just secretly glanced at Chen Juan with dissatisfied eyes.

Lin Yao quickly composed herself: "Miss Chen's words are biased. Drinks have their own elegance, and cooking has its own methods. Although there is oil and smoke in the kitchen, it is the foundation for making a living and the means to survive, so it cannot be said to be unclean."

Shen Juan blushed at what she was told, and she hurriedly lowered her head to hide the embarrassment and resentment in her eyes.

Lin Yao wasn't one to hold a grudge, so she softened her tone: "But since you've all chosen to learn how to make drinks, then learn properly. Come to the backyard of the school at dawn tomorrow, and I'll teach you how to select ingredients, cook, and season."

Liu Min, oblivious to the subtle atmosphere, happily agreed when Lin Yao stopped pursuing the matter, saying, "Thank you, Manager Lin! We will definitely study hard and live up to your expectations!"

Following Liu Min's lead, Shen Juan mumbled, "Yes, I must study hard." Her voice was barely audible, and she dared not look into Lin Yao's or the other apprentices' eyes.

The two walked out of the school side by side. As soon as they turned the corner and were out of sight of the crowd, Shen Juan glanced at Liu Min and said in a sharp tone, "You're quite good at pretending to be nice. The way you fawned over Lin Yao was just like a lackey!"

Liu Min was stunned by the sudden accusation and scolding. Her face was full of astonishment. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Shen Juan did not look at her at all. She turned around and walked towards the east of the town without looking back, leaving Liu Min standing there in a daze.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Writing is hard work, please add this to your favorites! [Please][Please]