"Really? Then my dad must have eaten a lot of bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat when he was a kid." Ma Hua chuckled. His father was usually stern and never smiled. He never expected his father to be like this before.
"Yes, your grandfather became famous at a young age and was very skilled. He was young and impetuous, and had a terrible temper. Back then, being a cook was considered a lowly profession. People used to say that it was just a waiter or servant."
Your grandfather, unwilling to spend his life as a lowly cook, conspired with your maternal grandfather and others to commit petty theft and other unsavory acts at the restaurant, doing a number of disgraceful things. Luckily, the manager was kind; otherwise, your grandfather and maternal grandfather would have been beaten to death long ago.
"If the cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be plentiful, but even in a famine, the cook won't starve." Xiao Hua, this is a derogatory saying about cooks, so you'd better remember it well. Cooks can taste and eat, but stealing is absolutely forbidden! The pay you receive...
"You can take it, but you can't touch anything that's not yours, right?" The mother's voice was stern, her eyes red as she looked at Ma Hua. Seeing Ma Hua nod, she continued...
"Later, your grandfather made a solemn oath that if any of his descendants were to commit such ungrateful, petty, or despicable acts, they would be beaten to death with sticks."
Your grandfather used to work at Fengzeyuan Restaurant. Back then, he was the head chef there, a renowned chef in all of Beijing. Unfortunately, when the authorities came, he refused to hand over his cooking secrets and was cruelly murdered by them.”
As the mother spoke, she could no longer hold back her tears. That era was too bitter, and even though many years have passed, she still felt heartache and resentment.
"Xiaohua, don't resent us for making you learn to be a cook. You know what the situation was like back then. There was a real shortage of food at home. Your older brother fainted from hunger countless times trying to save food for you and Ziming. I think you remember that too. Now that you've chosen to be a cook, you have to do a good job!"
Being a cook requires hard work, but diligence alone isn't enough; you also need to diligently learn culinary skills. We earn our living through our skills, not by stealing. Don't dream of getting rich overnight; let's be down-to-earth.
Earn money diligently, you know? This is a new society now; everyone is equal, and you earn your living with your skills. Xiaohua, you're still young, you absolutely mustn't go down the wrong path. Once your cooking skills improve, your salary will naturally increase, understand?
"Okay, Mom, I'll remember. I'll definitely learn the trade well and earn a living with my skills." Ma Hua's eyes were slightly red. Damn this life. Why doesn't this bastard system give me some big fireworks? I want to give that son of a bitch a good pounding.
"Mom, what about my grandpa?" Ma Hua bit her lip, secretly glancing at her mother's expression, and asked in a low voice.
"Oh, your maternal grandfather, he was a wicked man. He used to come from a wealthy family and had studied at a private school for a few years, so he was quite learned. But after he squandered his fortune, he found a job as an accountant in a restaurant, and he and your grandfather colluded in their evil deeds."
Fortunately, the innkeeper was kind and let them go. After the incident, your grandfather, who prided himself on being a scholar, left the restaurant out of shame. Later, he offended the lackeys of the local gentry and was also murdered.”
The mother sighed deeply and began to recount the past to Ma Hua. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, as if she were reminiscing and feeling sorrow.
"Um, so how did you and my dad meet?" Ma Hua asked, somewhat surprised. Were her grandparents' generation really that bad? No wonder she had no memory of that; her mother never argued with her about it when she was a child.
“After your maternal grandfather passed away, I was the only one left in the family, and your paternal grandfather was so kind as to adopt me!” The mother’s eyes finally lit up as she said this.
"Ah, then," Ma Hua said with some surprise, "Grandpa found a child bride for my father."
"Why do you think your grandfather and maternal grandfather colluded? It's because your father and I are in love and have secretly pledged our lives to each other." The mother said, her pretty face slightly red, as if she was a little embarrassed.
"Ah, Mom, you're such a modern woman! So you and Dad had a love marriage. No wonder you've got him completely under your thumb." Ma Hua clicked her tongue. Goodness, there's so much going on behind the scenes.
Hearing Ma Hua's words, the mother scoffed inwardly. "Free love," she thought, "it's all just youthful fooling from your father. If it weren't for my own abilities, your father would have been seduced by that vixen long ago."
"Alright, let's not talk about our past anymore. It's all in the past. Your father and I were lucky. We were born after the liberation, and we worked hard and earned an income, which is how you came to be," the mother sighed deeply, seemingly lamenting her fate.
“Oh,” Ma Hua nodded, realizing that there were so many things going on in his family before.
"By the way, Xiaohua, I see you don't have a master right now. How about we find some time next week for you to become Wang Defa's apprentice?" The mother wiped away her tears and looked at the silent Ma Hua.
Ma Hua was also struggling with this. To be honest, his skills were better than Sha Zhu's, but he was far behind the top ones. He was now relying entirely on the "technology and ruthless skills" of later generations to maintain his reputation.
Originally, I wanted to increase the resources produced by the system's courtyard and practice my cooking skills there, even if it meant becoming an apprentice.
The mother seemed to sense Ma Hua's confusion: "Xiao Hua, you need to understand that the culinary profession still emphasizes lineage and seniority. If you're content with the status quo and can work your way up on your own, that's fine. But finding a renowned master will greatly benefit your future development."
Regardless of the era, the inheritance of reputation and the lineage of masters are unavoidable, just like in later generations. Whether you come from the East, the Tiger Formation, or the Blue Box, there are specific interpretations.
This was true not only at school, but even more so within a teacher's circle, Ma Hua pondered to himself.
“Xiao Hua, I know your previous teacher wasn’t very good, but I still hope you can find a good teacher. Do you know how precious it was that you were able to take the exam at Fengzeyuan last time?” Seeing Ma Hua’s puzzled look, his mother carefully explained.
"You really think you can get into Fengzeyuan just by passing a casual chef exam? And that they can just issue you a Level 6 chef certificate? You're wrong. The place you went to last time was only for the chefs' own people. Do you understand?"
Otherwise, do you think exams are that easy? Xiaohua, this society isn't just about fighting and killing; it also involves interpersonal relationships and social interactions. That's just how society is; you have to understand and adapt to it.
The mother carefully explained to Ma Hua that it was all her fault for being careless before and not realizing how terrible Ma Hua's previous mentor was, which had left a shadow on Ma Hua.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll listen to you,” Ma Hua thought for a moment and decided to agree. She was passionate about the culinary industry and it wouldn’t hurt to learn more.
When the mother saw Ma Hua nod in agreement, she finally felt relieved. However, she also secretly complained to herself about Ma Hua's grandfather, wondering why he had burned all the recipes and left nothing behind.
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