After the family finished eating and chatted about a few recent interesting things, Ma Hua hurried back to his room. It wasn't really his room, but rather a room he shared with his nephew; there weren't enough rooms for everyone.
They could only squeeze together, which was still considered good; thankfully, my older brother and sister-in-law only had two children, otherwise it would have been even worse. The children are at their maternal grandparents' house now, so I haven't seen them.
It wasn't even a proper side room; it was less than ten square meters. The first thing you saw upon entering was a bunk bed.
It was made of wooden planks. Next to it was a small desk, sparsely covered with various small items: small sticks, pebbles, and all sorts of corner pieces.
Ma Hua glanced at the desk with a hint of regret. In his memory, it was a reward his parents gave to his eldest brother to encourage him to study hard. It was to be passed down to him after his brother finished using it, and now he had passed it on to his nephew. One desk passed down two generations, each generation neglecting their studies.
Unfortunately, I was too playful back then, and not very bright. I also loved cooking, and it just so happened that the three years of famine struck. Ma Hua had just graduated from junior high school when she pleaded vehemently, so I had no choice but to send her to learn cooking.
Just as MCA was deep in thought, there was a knock at the door: "Knock, knock, knock."
“Here you are,” Ma Hua said as she opened the door and saw her father. “Dad, what brings you here?”
“Why can’t I come? I’m your father. This is my home. You little brat, you’ve got too much to do.” Ma Hua’s father, Ma Jianguo, cursed angrily.
Once inside, Ma Jianguo immediately asked, "I tasted the dishes you cooked today. They were so-so, but you've reached a level where you're ready to graduate. Tell me, how did your master arrange your graduation banquet?" Although Ma Hua's cooking was terrible, Ma Jianguo couldn't suppress a hint of pride in his eyes.
“I… Dad, there’s something I don’t know if I should tell you,” Ma Hua hesitated, unsure how to begin. When Ma Jianguo saw Ma Hua stammering and unable to speak, he immediately sensed something was wrong, but he didn’t urge him. He trusted his son.
Finally, Ma Hua mustered her courage, her eyes no longer hesitant, and stared directly at her father: "Dad, please listen to me first. Don't be angry. If you hit me after I'm done, I'll accept it, okay?"
Seeing his son's pleading gaze, Ma Jianguo immediately became anxious. Could it be that his son had secretly learned something from someone else? Had he switched allegiance to another school? No way, although his son had been a bit mischievous since childhood, he still nodded expressionlessly, indicating his agreement.
Seeing his father agree, Ma Hua breathed a sigh of relief. He truly cherished this family bond; in his previous life, he had died alone. Remembering the original owner's experiences over the past few years, Ma Hua decided to be direct.
“Dad, I’m severing my master-disciple relationship with He Yuzhu today.” As soon as Ma Hua finished speaking, he saw the veins on his father’s face throbbing. His face also flushed red instantly, as if he was on the verge of exploding, but Ma Jianguo still suppressed his inner impulse and said coldly, “Go on.”
"Dad, I'm just really angry with you, but I can't do anything about it. I've been with He Yuzhu for almost four years now, and you know how I've treated him these past few years. I've never missed a single holiday or birthday celebration, as long as our family has something special..."
"Just let me deliver one to him. I always treat him with the utmost respect at the factory, afraid of doing anything to displease him. Not to mention getting up early every morning to brew him tea and bring it to him. I know it's what I, as his apprentice, should do."
“Dad, do you remember that time I brought my lunchbox home and you made me kneel on the ground, saying that a cook should never steal anything, even if he starves to death, and that a cook can only eat, not take anything away?”
"But... Dad asked me to take the blame for him today. He Yuzhu steals things from the cafeteria every day. Yesterday, the security guard caught him after get off work, but He Yuzhu denied it. He was afraid it would affect him, so he asked me to take the blame for him."
After hearing what Ma Hua said, Ma Jianguo's expression softened slightly, but he still kept a straight face: "Anything else?"
"Dad, since we've come this far, I'll be frank with you. In the past few years, I haven't actually learned anything. It's not that I didn't want to learn, it's that my master, He Yuzhu, wouldn't teach me. When I first became his apprentice, he just had me clean, wash vegetables, scrub pots, and sweep the floor. He didn't teach me anything about cooking."
“Dad, do you remember that time when I was chopping vegetables, you scolded me for being stupid? You said that I had been learning for so long and I still didn’t know how to hold a knife. Later, it was Mom who taught me, and I gradually improved. That’s because he didn’t teach me at all. He just gave me the knife and vegetables and told me to chop them.”
"Every time He Yuzhu cooks, I can only watch from afar. He never tells me when to add the heat, when to add the seasonings, or when to add the side dishes. He just scolds me for being stupid and clueless. I couldn't take it anymore, so I had to break off all ties with him."
"You," Ma Jianguo felt a pang of sadness seeing his child's aggrieved expression. How could he have done that? How could he have done that? But then he remembered how well Ma Hua had cooked today.
"So you switched to another school before you even broke away from your master?" Ma Jianguo's tone was somewhat cold, hoping this foolish boy wouldn't do such a thing; it was too taboo.
“No,” Ma Hua firmly shook his head.
"So how did you acquire your skills?"
"I learned all of that from a book. And during my breaks, you always said I was running around and never home. I was just helping out at other people's places, not like what you think. I was part of a group that organized banquets."
Through the original owner's memories, Ma Hua learned that every week he would run around with a group of people who organized banquets. Originally, the people were unwilling to share the money with another person, but Ma Hua said that he would help for free and that's why they took him in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
