To everyone's surprise, Xu Milu refused almost without hesitation:
"Grandpa Cui, it is my honor that you have chosen me. However, I am used to being unruly and may have to disappoint you."
"Young boss, do you know who my grandfather is? He hasn't taken on any apprentices in a long time. Back when the state banquet was held to entertain foreign guests, my grandfather was the head chef! You... do you know what you're saying?"
Cui Mingyue was somewhat incredulous, her astonishment barely concealed, as if she hadn't expected Xu Milu to refuse.
It is said that chefs were "cheap in ancient times but expensive now." The Cui family has been running the business for generations. By the time of her father's generation, the Cui Family Restaurant was not only famous, but also well-known in the capital.
Her grandfather had taken on seven disciples in his lifetime, and his students and grand-disciples were all over the world. In the Chinese culinary world, the old man was a grandmaster. Who would have thought that in this small city of Ning, the old man would take the initiative to take on a disciple for the first time, and be politely refused?
Cui Mingyue's expression began to falter, and Zhao Jin, standing to the side, chuckled and tried to smooth things over:
"The fate of a master and apprentice depends on timing. It seems we're out of luck today. Don't be angry, old man. My sister is clever. If you're pleased with her talent, please give her some pointers!"
Cui Shengguo, though rebuffed, wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled at Old Liu and said:
"Alright, alright, brother, your granddaughter already has you as her master to take care of her, I really shouldn't have said that, haha, eat your food, eat your food."
The dishes on the table had gone cold. Xu Milu told Xiao Tao to order another sweet soup, and simply ate with him, without mentioning a word about Cui Shengguo's earlier talk of becoming an apprentice.
With that topic concluded, the meal was naturally enjoyed by all the guests.
...
...
After seeing Zhao Jin and the Cui family grandfather and granddaughter off, Old Man Liu glared at his granddaughter with a hint of disappointment:
"You're just like your mother, your mouth is faster than your brain. Even if you don't want to become an apprentice, you should think about it first. He's a former state banquet chef. Whether you can learn anything from him is another matter, but just the title of state banquet chef is enough for you to live off for a long time!"
Xu Milu stuck out her tongue. She hadn't expected Cui Shengguo to be so powerful, but she didn't feel any regret afterward.
She knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Cui Shengguo wanted to take her as his apprentice, and this Silver Winged Flying Fish was a big part of the reason.
Master and apprentice, a teacher for a day is a father for life. Since the other party cares about these ingredients, it is impossible for him not to care. Xu Milu is not confident that she can hide the source of those top ingredients under the nose of the shrewd and experienced Cui Shengguo.
She dared not test people's hearts with such enormous benefits.
"Grandpa, it's already an extraordinary exception that someone passed on the Cui family's knife skills to me. Besides, this apprenticeship is not properly established. It's enough for me to learn cooking from you!"
Xu Milu said with a grin, "Besides, you want to take me as your apprentice after only meeting me for the first time? Aren't you afraid you're selling me out?"
"Alright, you're as cunning as a monkey, who would sell you out now?" Old Liu said angrily.
“You’re right. You’re not surnamed Cui. Don’t be fooled by how polite they are to you now. Once you become their apprentice, you’ll be their grandson. You can’t do the opposite of what your master says. If your master hits you, that’s called discipline. We’re not short of money now. Why would we make you suffer like that? Back when we were young, we didn’t get paid when we were apprentices. We had to endure our master’s beatings and scoldings…”
Seeing that Old Liu was about to reminisce about the past, Xu Milu quickly interrupted and changed the subject:
"Grandpa, this is a new era now. What you're talking about is dross. To be honest, I was too embarrassed to say it in front of the Cui family, but I think I've mastered the Cui family's fish sashimi technique."
"That's good. If you've learned it, then this fish hasn't been wasted..."
Old Liu said smugly, then suddenly realized what Xu Milu had said, and his face turned astonished:
"You've got it? You think you can understand it after watching it once?!"
Xu Milu nodded: "Although I'm not as skilled as Grandpa Cui, I've memorized the steps pretty well."
Old Liu, still somewhat skeptical, took his granddaughter to the back kitchen to test it. Xu Milu, not holding back, scooped a small silver-winged flying fish from the tank and placed it on the cutting board.
Stun, bleed, and slice live in one smooth motion, a peony slowly blooming on the plate. Although the technique was slightly immature, the slicing method was exactly the same as Cui Shengguo's sashimi technique.
"..."
Old Liu picked up a slice of fish, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly. It was still the familiar crisp and tender texture, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Could it be that his granddaughter is a hidden culinary genius?!
But this is just too amazing!
Could he be the reincarnation of the God of Literature?
This major isn't even relevant to my job!
Old Liu's hands trembled as he held the chopsticks. He stared at his granddaughter with suspicion and uncertainty for a long time, his lips quivering.
"Dami, tell me honestly, did you really only watch it once?"
Xu Milu nodded, but what she didn't say was that since integrating the genes from the dimensional jumper, her physique had gradually become different from that of Earthlings.
To her, Cui Shengguo's smooth and fluid movements just now were like a teaching video played at three times slow speed; it would be hard not to remember them.
Xu Milu pretended to be naive and said, "Grandpa, I can learn it after watching it once. Isn't that how you are? I think it's because our Liu family has good genes! Maybe Grandpa Cui is right, I was born to be a chef!"
Old Liu couldn't help but question the meaning of life, but seeing his granddaughter's adoring gaze, he subconsciously straightened his chest, coughed twice to salvage his dignity:
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