Chapter 121 Master, can you teach me how to cook too? Huh? ...
"You, you, you..."
Zhao Lin stared at Xu San Nian, stammering "you" for a long time without knowing what to say. He glanced at An Fusheng, who looked like he really wanted to laugh, and instantly turned his attention to An Fusheng: "Who are you?"
An Fusheng politely said, "Hello, my name is An Fusheng."
An Fusheng? Zhao Lin racked his brain for names of people with the surname An that he knew, but couldn't find anyone named An Fusheng. He then asked, "What's your relationship with Xu San Nian?"
Before An Fusheng could answer, Xu Sannian said, "He's my master, so what?"
Zhaolin: "What master? A master who teaches Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)?"
Zhao Lin observed the man opposite him. He was wearing a black casual suit. The fabric and tailoring were very ordinary, and it looked like it was made on an assembly line. However, he was tall and upright, and the casual suit was loose and made him look slimmer. He looked rather refined and not like someone who had practiced Sanda for many years. But you can't judge a book by its cover. Didn't Xu San Nian look soft and cute when he was fighting?
Zhao Lin recalled how easily Xu San Nian used to catch him, his grip was incredibly strong, often causing him to cry out in pain. Zhao Lin couldn't help but take two steps back when he saw An Fusheng.
Although Xu Sannian called An Fusheng "Master, Master" every day, An Fusheng felt that he hadn't taught Xu Sannian anything. Although his cooking skills were good, they weren't good enough to be a master. He quickly waved his hand and said, "No, I only taught her to cook for a while, just like an older brother teaching his younger sister. I can't be considered a master."
Zhaolin: "Teach Xu Sannian to cook?"
An Fusheng: "Mm."
Zhaolin: "Did you teach Xu Sannian to cook?"
Are there differences between these two questions? An Fusheng replied, "I suppose so."
Zhaolin stepped forward, grabbed An Fusheng's arm, and asked eagerly, "Master, can you teach me how to cook too?"
Things changed so fast that An Fusheng couldn't react for a moment. "Huh?"
Zhaolin: "Is it alright, Master?"
An Fusheng: "You want to learn to cook?"
Zhaolin: "Mmm!"
"Why did you learn to cook?" An Fusheng didn't know what he was asking. He just didn't know what to say, yet he wanted to say something.
Zhaolin: "I like cooking."
Well, you only learn something if you like it, An Fusheng thought, realizing he had asked a pointless question.
In fact, An Fusheng just couldn't understand why all these young masters and ladies came to him to learn how to cook. Xu Sannian had at least tasted his cooking before coming to learn, but this person in front of him was so blind, it didn't seem like he was after his cooking skills.
An Fusheng asked, "Do you know how good I am at cooking?"
Zhaolin: "As for cooking skills, a little is enough, and being able to teach others is sufficient."
An Fusheng: Such low requirements?
Zhaolin rubbed his nose and said, "My mother went to visit Xu's mother last time, and when she came back she kept praising Xu Sannian's cooking. Since you taught her how to cook, I think your cooking skills must be pretty good."
An Fusheng: I see.
Actually, Zhaolin wanted to learn to cook from An Fusheng because his mother said that Xu Sannian was a good cook. He realized that Xu Sannian could actually cook, so how could he not know how? He secretly went to find a chef to learn to cook. However, the chef made him help wash and chop vegetables every day, and kept telling him that he couldn't do this or that. In the end, when the chef taught him to cook two dishes, he said every step of the way, "This is very simple. Anyone can do it, so I won't explain it." In the end, every dish he cooked was "something anyone can do," so he just gave up on learning.
Zhaolin studied under that chef for a month, and when he got back, he spent half a day carefully preparing a meal. However, his grandfather, who had always advocated thrift and never threw away leftovers, took a bite and said, "Maybe we should just throw it away." Zhaolin was deeply disappointed.
Xu Sannian was also a complete beginner, just like him. She learned from An Fusheng, so he was sure he could too. He couldn't afford to lose to Xu Sannian in anything except fighting!
Xu Sannian watched helplessly as his master was snatched away right before his eyes.
"Master, which one would you like to eat? I'll get it for you." Zhaolin asked enthusiastically.
An Fusheng was a little unaccustomed to people being so enthusiastic towards him: "I can take it myself, you don't need to worry about me."
Zhaolin: "It's okay, I don't like sweets."
An Fusheng: "I don't really like it either, I just wanted to try it out."
Zhaolin: "Oh, then you should try them all."
An Fusheng looked at the dozens of desserts on the long table in front of him: "...No need."
...
Attending such banquets is mostly for socializing, but that's for adults; the children are just responsible for eating.
He Xi attended the banquet with her family. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, her parents and brother were pulled away by their business partners. She disliked the insincere social interactions and strolled alone to the food area. Unexpectedly, she saw Xu San Nian: "Niannian!"
Xu San Nian was bored after his master was taken away, when unexpectedly, a companion appeared: "Sister He Xi!"
"My dad told me that your father came to the banquet alone today. I thought you weren't here," He Xi said, feeling pleasantly surprised to see Xu San Nian.
"I had nothing better to do, so I brought my master along to freeload a meal, hehe," Xu Sannian said with a smile.
He Xi only noticed An Fusheng when she saw him from afar. She had thought he was some young master from a wealthy family. "Hello, we meet again," He Xi greeted An Fusheng.
An Fusheng responded, "Hello."
Xu Sannian then introduced Zhaolin to He Xi: "This is my classmate, Zhaolin."
He Xi and Zhao Lin greeted each other.
"You know my master?" Xu Sannian asked He Xi.
He Xi: "Yes, I'm a fan of his cooking."
Xu Sannian: "Huh? There's this kind of powder?"
He Xi: "We can have any kind of fandom when it comes to the two-dimensional genre."
Xu Sannian felt proud: "He is my master, hehe."
He Xi: "I know."
Xu Sannian: You know that?
He Xi: "I know you were interning at Xingchen Restaurant and learning to cook. My brother even ordered takeout from your restaurant on the first day it opened. Later, I met Mr. An, who said he was a chef at Xingchen Restaurant. I figured that was all."
Speaking of which, Xu Sannian suddenly became nervous: "Did your brother come today?"
He Xi: "Really? Why are you asking him?"
Xu Sannian stammered, "It's nothing, I was just asking. He's probably very busy."
He Xi: "Yes, I was pulled away as soon as I entered the door."
Xu Sannian was relieved: "That's good, that's good."
...
As the group chatted, someone suddenly called them inside to sit down and eat.
An Fusheng followed the group inside and discovered there was another large hall inside, which looked like a wedding banquet. "How come there's another one inside?" Although An Fusheng had never attended such a banquet before, he had seen them on TV. Usually, they were either the kind of business banquets outside, with a large hall filled with various food, drinks, and alcohol, where people casually strolled around with their glasses in hand, or they were like this kind of banquet, mostly for happy occasions in the family, where everyone sat down to eat. He never imagined that these two situations could appear at the same banquet. It felt a bit disjointed, yet also somewhat down-to-earth.
He Xi laughed and said, "Grandpa Lin is like that, easygoing. He often says that the older generation likes to sit down and have a lively banquet, but nowadays young people have a hard time doing business and also need a place to socialize. So he often arranges two venues, where everyone socializes outside and then comes in to eat. Grandpa Lin says that you can't go home hungry after attending his banquet. I quite like attending banquets hosted by Grandpa Lin because you don't need to wear fussy formal attire, and you can sit casually while eating without being too particular."
As expected, An Fusheng did not see any set menu on the table. Since everyone was chatting together, they found a table and sat down to continue their conversation. It felt a bit like a banquet in Fushan Village.
Xu Sannian pulled He Xi: "Come on, let's sit at the kids' table."
Then they actually led the group to the table where three children were already seated.
An Fusheng: Where did this kid suddenly appear from? I didn't see him when we were eating dessert.
The three children also looked up at them.
One of the little girls, who was about seven or eight years old, greeted them very politely: "Hello, brothers and sisters."
Another boy and a girl, who looked about the same age as An Shisi and Wen Xingmou, around three or four years old, heard their older sister greeting people and also greeted them in their childish voices: "Hello, brothers and sisters."
Xu Sannian had no resistance to cute kids: "Oh my, hello there! Can we sit at your table?"
The three children nodded in unison: "Yes, big sister."
Xu Sannian couldn't resist pinching each of their faces, but the children weren't angry at all. Instead, they chatted happily with Xu Sannian.
Zhao Lin watched as Xu San Nian pulled at others, then touched his own face and thought, "I've finally made it through."
An Fusheng asked, "Weren't we here for a birthday party? Where is the birthday person?"
Xu Sannian: "When we came in just now, wasn't she at the gift-giving area? She even greeted us, but there were a lot of people there, so you probably didn't notice."
An Fusheng: I really didn't notice.
An Fusheng thought to himself, "This Grandpa Lin is really casual. When other people hold such a big banquet for their birthdays, wouldn't they at least bring out the birthday person to introduce them, give a speech, and accept everyone's blessings? But he just comes and eats, one meal after another. He's really treating everyone to a meal."
After we were seated, waiters came one after another to refill our tea and serve our dishes.
A waiter came over and asked if they wanted more wine. The wine was a treasure from eighteen years ago when Master Lin's granddaughter was born. Xu San Nian and He Xi were eager to try it, so the waiter poured a glass for each of the four of them.
Then, rows of waitresses dressed in cheongsams walked towards them, carrying various dishes in neat rows.
Zhaolin can't cook, but he knows how to eat. Every time a dish is served, he introduces it to An Fusheng.
"This is rock sugar bird's nest."
"This is a combination of bluefin tuna and salmon. Wow, the color of this tuna is so beautiful, like a ruby. It looks very fresh."
"That's an Alaskan king crab, it's huge!"
Wow, steamed lobster, my favorite!
...
After the dishes were served, An Fusheng finally saw the legendary Master Lin, though from a distance. Master Lin stood at the front, holding a glass of wine and saying a few words before toasting everyone. Because of the distance, An Fusheng couldn't hear what he was saying clearly, but seeing everyone drinking, he followed suit.
This was An Fusheng's second time drinking alcohol. The first time was during the Chinese New Year, when he drank red wine, which he thought was quite delicious and seemed to have little alcohol content. This time, it was also red wine, which smelled sweet, and An Fusheng took a big gulp of it.
Xu Sannian: "Master, slow down, this wine has a strong aftereffect."
After finishing their drinks, everyone sat down and started eating.
He Xi and Xu Sannian ate while playing with the child.
On the first day Zhaolin had a master, his heart and eyes were filled with his master. He was very filial to his master. He would watch the lazy Susan on the table and put a piece of everything on An Fusheng's plate whenever it turned around.
An Fusheng: "I can do it myself."
Zhaolin: "Master, try this tuna and this salmon, they're so fresh."
An Fusheng didn't like eating raw food, especially fish. He couldn't imagine how fishy it would be, but the food was already in his bowl, so he couldn't refuse. He picked up a piece of salmon and put it in his mouth. Hmm? Why isn't it tough at all? It's cool and refreshing like ice cream! And not fishy at all!
"It's delicious, isn't it? It looks very oily," Zhaolin said proudly.
Then An Fusheng ate king crab. It was the first time he had ever seen a crab leg with meat as thick as a finger. The king crab was steamed. Recently, his grandmother had been teaching An Fusheng how to steam various dishes. Steaming is the best way to preserve the original freshness of the ingredients. Sure enough, when he put the crab leg meat in his mouth, his mouth was full of sweet and fresh taste.
Later, An Fusheng also got to eat fish maw, sea cucumber, lobster, grouper and other things he often heard about on TV. Every single one of them was delicious. No wonder those rich people on TV were always talking about eating delicacies.
An Fusheng was enjoying the delicious food when someone bumped into him. He looked down and saw it was Xu Sannian: "What's wrong?"
Xu Sannian: "More than that, more than that!"
An Fusheng looked up and saw He Zhi standing opposite them, holding a nearly empty wine glass in one hand and casually tucked the other hand into his suit trouser pocket, looking down at them.
An Fusheng patted Xu Sannian's head, which he was about to bury in his arms, and said, "He saw you."
Xu Sannian slowly pulled his head out from under the table, and said with an awkward but polite smile, "Hehe, are you eating at the children's table too?"
More than just: "Yes."
There were eight people at the table. Their table had four adults and three children, making seven people in total. There was one empty seat, so He Zhi pulled out the empty chair and sat down. The waiter immediately put the bowls and chopsticks that had just been cleared away back to him.
Zhaolin leaned closer to An Fusheng: "Why do they seem so strange together?"
An Fusheng: "Mm."
Zhaolin: "Do you know why?"
An Fusheng remained profoundly silent.
He Xi also found it a bit strange, but she was even more surprised that her brother had come to sit at the children's table. "What are you doing here?"
More than just: "Eating."
He Xi: "You didn't come here because those big men over there ate too much and finished all the food, so you're trying to take food from our kids' table, did you? Let me tell you, kids need to eat a lot to grow. There's still a lot of food on our table because they're short-armed and eat slowly. It's not really enough, is it?"
The children had already formed a deep friendship with He Xi and Xu San Nian. "That's right."
He Zhi put down the chopsticks he had picked up. "It's not like Grandpa Lin didn't let you eat your fill. Xu San Nian, are you full?"
Xu Sannian hadn't expected that the conversation would not only go that way but also bring up himself. Startled, he answered very honestly, "I'm full."
More than just: "Go for a walk to digest your food after you've eaten."
Xu Sannian: "..."
Xu Sannian gripped An Fusheng's arm tightly: "Master, I'm not full yet."
An Fusheng: Why are you telling me this?
However, he still conveyed Xu Sannian's second wish: "She said she wasn't full yet."
He not only stopped talking, but just sat there watching Xu Sannian, making Xu Sannian's hair stand on end. To prove that he hadn't eaten enough, he started eating again in silence.
He Xi finally realized something was wrong: "Are you two having an affair?"
Xu Sannian reacted strongly: "No, absolutely not, we are just friends."
He Zhi: "That's right, it really is a friendship based on shared lips."
He not only sat for a short while but also got up and left, saying before he left, "If you're full, don't force yourself to eat more."
It was clearly said to Xu Sannian.
Zhaolin: "Those two are really acting strange!"
He Xi: "I think so too."
An Fusheng: "..."
A short while later, the waiter brought out fruit: wax apples and strawberries. The wax apples were refreshing, and the strawberries were sweet, which helped to cut through the richness of the food, making the meal exceptionally satisfying.
After dinner, the banquet ended, and everyone bid farewell to Master Lin and left the table.
The three children were taken away by their parents. He Xi also went to find her parents. Xu's father called and asked Xu San Nian and An Fusheng to come home.
Zhaolin grabbed An Fusheng and asked, "Don't you think there's something strange about the two of them?"
An Fusheng: Why are you so fixated on them?
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