What are the rules?
Jian Jianan made up his mind to go to the hospital to visit old man Ma Zhiping. After all, as the leader of the team, he was sick and hospitalized, so Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping should also go to the hospital to visit him.
Jian Jianan said to his mother, "Mom, are you busy tomorrow? Let me take your place and go to the hospital with Dad to visit the old man!"
Jian Jianan volunteered to take on this task, and Su Qinxuan was naturally happy to see it happen.
She instructed Jian Jianan: "Buy some fruits and supplements. When you see the elderly, don't say anything sharp. Try to choose words that the elderly will like to hear. Okay?"
Jian Jianan really disliked some of the performances of the Jinhuiju team, and sometimes he was outspoken to Ma Zhiping. Compared with his well-behaved appearance in front of Zhang Dezheng, it was far worse. Especially at this time, the old man was sick. There was no need to specifically anger the old man, right?
Jian Jianan smiled: "I know, of course I know, don't worry, Mom!"
She and Ma Zhiping had only had ideological differences before, and there was no need to target him specifically. What on earth is her mother worried about?
Su Qinxuan looked at her daughter who agreed readily, but she was not very reassured.
"You better be careful with your words, okay? The old man's been having a lot of troubles these days. I keep thinking his illness and hospitalization today is related to his bad mood lately. Hey, for a person, the most important thing is his mental strength. If he loses that mental strength, he'll collapse in an instant."
Jian Jianan nodded repeatedly, and after a while he asked curiously, "What is Grandpa Ma Zhiping worried about?"
Could it be what she thought?
Su Qinxuan waved his hand. "What else could it be? The old man is old. His hands, which were usually so steady when holding a frying pan, are gradually becoming unsteady. So what if he refuses to accept his age? He still needs to find a successor to pass on his skills. But, it's easy to find an apprentice, but it's hard to find a successor. This is a difficult matter!"
Jian Jianan nodded thoughtfully. So that's how it was. Then what she was planning just happened to coincide with the old man's plan. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone and solve the old man's troubles!
Looking at her daughter's obviously unmoved look, Su Qinxuan let out a long sigh after a long time. Oh, she was tired. Whatever. She still believed that her daughter knew her limits.
Jian Jianan woke up from a nap and got up early the next day. He picked up the ginseng and other supplements that others had given him, and went to the fruit store to buy a special fruit basket for visiting patients. After thinking about it, he went back and asked the owner.
"Do you have flowers for visiting patients?"
After getting a positive answer, Jian Jianan carried a lot of bags and walked towards Mr. Ma's ward with cheerful steps.
After finding out where Ma Zhiping lived and registering the name of the visiting guest, Jian Jianan finally pushed open the door and entered Ma Zhiping's ward.
Although Mr. Ma had a rough childhood and experienced many vicissitudes of life, his luck turned around in his later years. After coming to Jinhuiju, his income soared to a new high. Even in Shenzhen, he can be said to be among the top earners.
Therefore, it was not surprising for Jian Jianan to see him living alone in a single room.
"Grandpa Ma! I'm here to see you!"
Jian Jianan smiled and greeted Ma Zhiping, who was lying in a daze on the hospital bed. He placed the lilies he had just bought on the head of his bed, and then took the fruit basket and sea cucumber supplements to the cabinet at the foot of the bed and placed them there.
After she finished the above movements, she turned around to face Ma Zhiping and said with a smile, "Grandpa Ma, how do you feel now?"
As soon as Jian Jianan came in, he performed the above actions with ease and grace. His movements were so smooth that Ma Zhiping was stunned.
Seeing Ma Zhiping's curious eyes fall on the things he brought, Jian Jianan explained to him: "Grandpa Ma, my parents and I were very anxious and worried when we knew you were sick and hospitalized. But they have to look for a new store location today, which is a big deal. The date has been set long ago, so we can't take time off to see you, so I volunteered to take this task."
She pointed to the lilies blooming by the bed. "My brother and I brought a bouquet of flowers to wish you good health and a speedy recovery. The fruit basket and sea cucumbers are from Mom and Dad. The fruits inside are suitable for patients. After your illness, your body will go through a period of weakness and exhaustion. Taking some tonics like ginseng is most suitable."
The four members of the family each have their own thoughts and are so thoughtful. Even the most picky person probably wouldn’t be able to find any faults, right?
Ma Zhiping felt relieved. He had been angry because the Jian family didn't come to see him yesterday, thinking that they looked down on him, but now he felt relieved at once.
He raised his head, calmed his expression, and coughed softly: "Cough, cough, cough, it's Nan Nan. She felt a little uncomfortable yesterday, but is much better today. However, she still has a little chest tightness and shortness of breath, and feels like she can't breathe."
Jian Jianan asked with concern: "Really? Do you still feel uncomfortable somewhere? What did the doctor say?"
Ma Zhiping waved his hand: "Hey, isn't it? What else can the doctor say? He just told me to rest well, recuperate and not overwork myself. But in my current situation, do you think I can rest? Jinhuiju has such a heavy burden on me. If I rest for a day, everything will be a mess. I won't rest unless it is necessary. I am an old man with old bones but not old at heart. I used to refuse to admit my age and always felt that I could fight for another ten years! But I was hospitalized yesterday. Lying on the hospital bed, I vaguely felt that the end was approaching. As a person, you still have to know yourself and accept your age!"
Jian Jianan knew that the old man at this time was like a child, not to mention that he was still sick and weak, and was prone to delusions. He absolutely could not agree with what he said.
She didn't follow up on this topic with Ma Zhiping, but brought up another matter, "Grandpa Ma, you're right, Jinhuiju really can't do without you."
Ma Zhiping suddenly perked up. "Hmm? How do you say that?"
Jian Jianan told him everything that happened yesterday, and said, "You don't know, yesterday..."
"...Hahaha, that's it. You weren't there so you didn't see it. Everyone was so busy running around like ants on a hot pan. No one could make your signature dish. Either the filling wasn't right, or the whole shape wasn't right. There were pieces missing here and there, and all of them were defective products that had to be immediately returned to customers. If you were there, you would definitely scold them and scold them for bringing shame to you one by one."
Ma Zhiping burst into laughter. Jian Jianan's description of the scene was so amusing and funny that even this usually serious old man burst into laughter.
Ma Zhiping continued to ask with a trembling voice left over from his laughter: "And then what, and then what?" Jian Jianan is really a good storyteller. He knows how to set hooks and whet people's appetite, making the audience involuntarily keep asking "And then what, and then what." They have to know the final ending to feel at ease.
He was not in a hurry, even though Jian Jianan's previous description was thrilling and the adjectives he used made it seem as if the durian pastry could not be made without him, and Jinhuiju was about to go bankrupt due to complaints from customers.
But Jian Jianan had time to visit him today and even came with a smile on his face. Ma Zhiping knew that the matter must have been resolved satisfactorily, but he didn't know who came forward to resolve it.
Could it be Lu Zude?
No, no, no, although this kid is respected as the eldest brother in the Ma family, only Ma Zhiping knows that this kid's cooking skills are really not good, and are far worse than his other junior brothers.
It was just that he took advantage of being the first to join the Ma Clan, which is why he was called "Big Brother" which might be sincere or fake.
Is that the little one?
He was the last person to join the Ma family team, so he was the youngest and also the most talented one. But it was not very likely. Although the youngest was quite talented and was one of the candidates for successor, he was still young and had not been learning cooking for a long time. I had never let him see how to make Swan Durian Pastry. How could he learn it?
Every time Ma Zhiping asked a name, Jian Jianan shook his head and denied it. In the end, Ma Zhiping had been denied so many times that he just played dirty and said, "I'm not playing around anymore. Little Jian, just tell me, who made this?" He was really curious. Who was so talented as to make this durian pastry?
He must include this person in the observation list, maybe he will pass on his mantle to him in the future!
Seeing Ma Zhiping getting anxious, Jian Jianan didn't keep him in suspense and immediately gave the answer: "It's Sister Xiu Li!"
What? Who was that? What is this "reformed understanding"?
The moment he heard the answer, Ma Zhiping was puzzled at first. When he heard the three words "Sister Xiuli", he was still wondering who it was. He vaguely remembered that there seemed to be no one with this name in his team.
A second later, he realized that it was not "Xiu Lijie" but "Sister Xiuli". The person who came forward to save the situation mentioned by Jian Jianan was his own daughter - Ma Xiuli!
His face darkened in an instant.
Jian Jianan was the best at observing people's expressions. She clearly saw Ma Zhiping's strange reaction when he heard her daughter's name, but she pretended not to see it and continued to talk enthusiastically.
"Sister Xiu Li really is the type to make a splash when she does. The situation was urgent, and every customer was pushing for more. It's no exaggeration to say that if the food had been served any later, someone would have definitely started a commotion!"
"When everyone was at a loss, not knowing what to do, Sister Xiu Li suddenly appeared and captivated the picky diners with her perfect swan durian pastries, perfectly dissolving the crisis without anyone noticing."
Jian Jianan boasted in front of Ma Zhiping, and the main purpose was to express his yearning and appreciation for Ma Xiuli's craftsmanship.
Finally, she said this: "Sister Xiu Li's skills are really good, and they are top-notch in the entire team, but her presence in the Ma family team was too low in the past. If I had known there was such a master like her earlier, I would have solved the problem earlier."
After saying that, she looked at Ma Zhiping and said, "Grandpa Ma, you're right, right? Then why didn't you tell us about Sister Xiuli's ambition before? We almost buried such a promising young talent. What a pearl in the dust!"
Jian Jianan's purpose in saying this was very clear. She knew from her mother's words and field investigations that Ma Zhiping was now struggling with the choice of successor to the Ma Clan. Respecting the elderly and loving the young was a good quality of Jian Jianan's elementary school classmate. She loved answering questions and doubts for elders in trouble the most!
Therefore, she would praise Ma Xiu Li's wisdom and bravery in front of Ma Zhiping to leave a good impression on him and constantly remind Ma Zhiping that you see, you are not desperate and have no choice. There is a most suitable candidate in front of you, that is, your biological daughter Ma Xiu Li, who has an inseparable blood relationship with you.
Ma Zhiping was silent for a while, then he sighed deeply, "Alas..."
Thousands of words were revealed in this sentence. Ma Zhiping had tens of millions of unspeakable secrets hidden in his heart. In order to maintain the dignity of the head of the Ma family and the face of the head chef of Jinhuiju, Ma Zhiping always worked with a stern face and trembling, and there was no one he could talk to. But now, facing Jian Jianan's innocent expression with a face full of genuine worry, he still said it out.
"My daughter has worked so hard with me since she was little. She grew up by the stove. The first time she entered the kitchen, she was choked by the smoke and fire. I don't know how many marks and scars are all over her body from burns or scalds. Who wouldn't feel sad when seeing this?"
"Before, our family didn't have the financial resources, so she had to work hard to accompany a useless dad like me to cook. But now that we have better financial resources, she can relax a little, so why not? I just don't want her to be so tired, so I asked her to stay home and not go to Jinhuiju anymore."
"But I didn't expect that my daughter, who used to be obedient and sensible, would become so rebellious. She even ignored my words. I told her not to go to Jinhuiju anymore, but she insisted on going there. I told her to stay away from the kitchen, stay away from the fumes, and to change from her chef's uniform into various dresses to go out for socializing, but she refused to do so."
"I don't know what's gotten into her, but she's actually still thinking about becoming a chef. Even though she has some talent, being a chef is such hard work. I've been in this industry for decades and have learned a lot. Sometimes I even want to quit. Is it necessary for a little girl like her to suffer all this?"
Ma Zhiping was pouring out his grievances. He really hoped that Jian Jianan in front of him was a judge who could help him persuade his stubborn daughter, who could not be persuaded even by ten oxen, to return to the right path.
"But..." Jian Jianan finally spoke, and Ma Zhiping quickly looked at her expectantly.
"But my mom used to be a chef too. She was a great cook!"
Jian Jianan's face was full of disapproval, but she was born with a cute and kind round face. She looked innocent, romantic and cute no matter how you looked at her. Even if she said something unpleasant, people would not have the heart to criticize her.
Jian Jianan had a hurt expression on his face, "Grandpa Ma, do you look down on my mother?"
Ma Zhiping immediately reacted by shaking his head: "No, no, Boss Su is different from my daughter. Your mother is a big shot. Besides, she doesn't cook in the kitchen anymore. Instead, she does more challenging management work and directs others. How can my daughter compare with her?" He waved his hands with a look of disapproval.
Jian Jianan really wanted to say, "But my mother also started out as a small chef. Moreover, the conditions were not good at that time, so my mother had to take care of all the work. It was very hard, and she didn't have the fame and fortune like you do today."
But seeing the disapproving expression on Ma Zhiping's face, Jian Jianan still didn't say this.
Ma Zhiping must have finally found an audience. Even though Jian Jianan didn't react, he kept nagging, "My plan for our Xiaoli is that she marry into a good family, take care of the family, and have a few children for me and her mother to raise. We can enjoy the happiness of family life together. Isn't that great..."
Jian Jianan didn't feel good at all. She thought to herself that Ma Xiuli was obviously a very talented person and had good cooking skills since she was a child. However, because of her gender, this seemingly small but indestructible factor in the eyes of others, Ma Xiuli was blocked from the kitchen.
He said to Ma Zhiping, "I don't know why you agree with others, but in my eyes, Sister Xiu Li is radiant. She can make dishes that others can't, and she does it so well and perfectly. Master, do you know that when a customer tasted the durian pastry made by Sister Xiu Li, he was very surprised and asked if we had anyone to take over."
Just as chefs are divided into top and bottom tier, diners naturally also have different levels.
Top foodies have been tasting delicious food for a long time and can easily tell what is delicious and what is not.
Among those who ordered durian pastries that day, there was one who was a well-known food critic in the neighborhood. He called himself a foodie and was an elderly man who had a very high pursuit of food.
As soon as he took a bite, he could easily tell that the durian pastry in front of him was different from the usual durian pastries. Helplessly, the foreman could only tell the old man that the head chef of today's dim sum had been replaced.
Who would have thought that the old man didn't get angry after hearing this. Instead, he gave a thumbs-up and praised it all the time: "This is very good, not inferior to the previous one at all. I wonder who the dim sum chef is. It would be great if I could meet him in the future. I think Old Ma doesn't need to worry about this matter for the time being. He has a successor!"
After hearing this little story, Ma Zhiping couldn't help but slap his thigh, which he had accidentally twisted, on the hospital bed. The sound was very loud, "pop", without caring at all that he was still sick.
"Are you serious? Did Old Li really say that?" From Jian Jianan's narration, Ma Zhiping could easily tell that the man who said that there was a successor was an old friend of his. Ma Zhiping would come out to patrol the store when he was not so busy, and that was how he got to know this old man.
The two elderly people had the same hobbies, so they naturally became familiar with each other quickly. Ma Zhi would often tell his good friend about his troubles from time to time, including the matter of finding a successor to the Ma family troupe.
Jian Jianan nodded seriously, and the expression on her face couldn't be more serious.
Ma Zhiping was deeply touched after listening to this. He leaned forward and gradually lay back down on the soft pillow adjusted to a comfortable angle, with an expression of great shock.
Jian Jianan observed Ma Zhiping's expression and knew that he was also touched. People would not believe what she said as a child, but how could Ma Zhiping not take it into consideration if she was a well-known top gourmet in Jinhuiju!
"Yes, that's what they said. Why would a little girl like me lie to you about this matter? There's nothing good in lying to you. Besides, there were so many people at Jinhuiju at the time. If you have any doubts, you can go back and ask them and you'll know everything. There's no need for me to distort the facts."
"Sister Ma Xiu Li is really talented. I've been to the kitchen a few times, but I've never seen Sister Xiu Li before. I just met her yesterday, and it was like we were old friends at first sight. I regret not meeting her earlier."
"This shows that Sister Xiu Li had only been doing odd jobs in the kitchen before, never truly engaging in the core cooking process. However, even so, she relied on her daily observations and diligent private practice to save the day at a crucial moment, proving her strength. Can you deny her talent?"
It has to be said that Jian Jianan's words were indeed effective, and Ma Zhiping was visibly shaken.
Jian Jianan struck while the iron was hot, "So, no matter how you look at it, Sister Xiuli is the most suitable candidate to inherit the family. So, what on earth have you been worrying about all this time, Grandpa Ma? The most suitable heir is right here, right before your eyes. You don't need to worry at all!"
Ma Zhiping laughed bitterly, "How can it be that simple? If it were that simple, wouldn't I be more perceptive than you, a little girl? Why would you let my own daughter just be a kitchen helper?"
Jian Jianan was anxious, "Then what is the reason? Just tell me!"
Ma Zhiping changed his tone and said seriously, "Since ancient times, the kitchen has been a key area, and women have never been allowed to enter. Furthermore, when my ancestors passed down this ancestral recipe book to me, they also established many rules, one of which was 'pass it down to sons, not daughters.' My Ma family has passed it down for so many generations, and I cannot be the one to blame."
Ma Xiuli is Ma Zhiping's only daughter. Ma Zhiping certainly loves his daughter very much because she has been with him through hardships since she was a child and has always been hardworking and persevering. However, in his heart, no matter how much he loves her, it cannot compare to this ancestral recipe book passed down by his ancestors.
Jian Jianan's jaw almost dropped to the floor, "What? Is this the reason you don't let Sister Xiuli enter the kitchen?"
Ma Zhiping was a little angry: "What do you mean by just this reason? Do you know how great our inherited recipes are..."
Jian Jianan thought all this was absurd. "I don't know where you got this rule from, but I've heard the saying 'Women hold up half the sky' since I was a kid. Besides, after the founding of New China, equality for all, including men and women, has been a basic national policy. Don't you know that?"
Ma Zhiping became even more upset: "You little girl! I'm telling you all this out of kindness, not just to get you to talk back at me..."
But before he could finish his words, the door was slammed open.
"Dad, Nannan is right. After the founding of New China, the idea of male superiority and female inferiority has long been abandoned. They also say that feudal society has ended. I think our Ma family is the place with the most serious feudal atmosphere!"
It turned out to be Ma Xiuli. She had rushed here to take care of her seriously ill father after work. She had not met Jian Jianan when he came just now because she went to talk to the doctor. As soon as she walked to the door of the ward, she heard two different voices arguing fiercely in the room. For some reason, she did not go forward to disturb them, but chose to listen outside the door.
When Ma Xiuli heard Jian Jianan say "Where did this rule come from", she finally couldn't help it. Her heart was filled with emotions and she immediately opened the door of the room according to her own will. She had thousands of words in her heart that she needed to tell someone urgently.
Now that’s what’s happening. Just now it was a one-on-one fight, and Ma Zhiping couldn’t win against Jian Jianan; now that Ma Xiuli is here, it becomes a one-on-two fight, and Ma Zhiping is even more defeated.
What Master Ma Zhiping has to deal with now is not only the sharp-tongued Jian Jianan, but also his heartbroken daughter with tears on her face.
Ma Xiuli said in a trembling voice, "Dad, do you know that our Ma family troupe was on the verge of bankruptcy and disbanding the night before President Su came? I heard that our eldest brother Lu Zude said that he would leave this damn place tomorrow and find another place to go."
"But the next day, Boss Su came, and he didn't leave either."
Ma Zhiping shuddered. He didn't know about this yet. He couldn't believe that the eldest disciple whom he had always loved would do such a thing.
Ma Xiuli ignored her old father's reaction and continued to talk on her own. "You don't know yet, but the Ma family used to have two people. You and I helped him to start up. Later, when the eldest brother came, it became three people. I originally thought that having more people would give me more hands and more strength, but he disdained me as soon as he came. He told me contemptuously to go play somewhere else and not to come into the study. I saw that you also agreed in your tone. I didn't want to make you angry or disappointed, so I didn't come to the kitchen."
"You always told me not to do these hard and dirty jobs. I was going to get married and enjoy a happy life, so I didn't want to let my hands get rough. I was confused before and didn't know what to do, so I listened to you."
"But I followed you to Jinhuiju and saw Boss Su, Sister Xiaotao, Foreman Ye, and thousands of other women shining in their positions. I heard that Boss Su also worked her way up from a small cook to her current position. I can't be incompetent, right?"
Ma Xiuli could have endured the darkness if she had never seen the light.
But now she saw thousands of rays of light and many figures guiding her, so she could no longer pretend to close her eyes. She had to open her eyes and see other ways of life in this world.
It was also because of this that after Ma Xiuli followed the Ma family troupe headed by her father to Shenzhen and started working at Jinhuiju, she could no longer bear to be an ordinary kitchen helper.
She wanted to find her former self who could find endless joy in repeating the boring task of cutting vegetables, sweating profusely from flipping the wok, and getting her face blackened by the smoke from the firewood in the stove.
Therefore, no matter how many cold shoulders she gets from her brothers in the Ma Clan, most importantly from her eldest brother Lu Zude, she has to take root there so that she can look forward to future opportunities.
Look, this opportunity has come now.
It must be said that Ma Xiuli's true feelings were very effective. Sincerity is always the most touching thing. Maybe Ma Zhiping is old, or maybe he is sick, his heart is more fragile than usual and is easier to open.
Jian Jianan suddenly had a strange intuition. Now is the best time. If not now, when?
So she immediately and urgently suggested to Ma Zhiping, "Since Sister Xiu Li has said so tomorrow, why not let her give it a try? After all, her goal isn't your ancestral recipe book that's said to be 'passed down to sons, not daughters.' Let her try working in the kitchen. It won't hurt anything."
After Jian Jianan said this, the ward fell silent for a long time.
The two women, one big and one small, were waiting with bated breath for Ma Zhiping's answer.
After a long moment, he closed his eyes and sighed a long sigh, "Okay."
"Then you should give it a try." The last word was barely audible.
Ma Xiuli covered her face and cried, as if she had undergone a huge change.
After saying this, Ma Zhiping ordered everyone to leave, "Please leave. I'm tired and need to rest."
Ma Xiuli turned around and saw Jian Jianan off. At the hospital entrance, she seemed to have a thousand words to say to Jian Jianan, but Jian Jianan considerately avoided them all.
Jian Jianan actually felt very strange. Why did he need Ma Zhiping's consent to enter the kitchen? Was it because he was the host of the Ma Clan?
But since he is sick now, just go in directly. He is your biological father, he can't just kick you out.
But Jian Jianan didn't say this. She smiled slightly and listened to Ma Xiuli's speech.
"I used to think that everything my father said was right. This was indeed a tradition, and I should wait until I grew up to take care of my husband and children and provide for my own small family. But now, I have a different way of living and a brand new goal, and I want to achieve it!"
All of Ma Xiuli's ambitions are contained in these few words.
Jian Jianan admired her lofty ambition very much. He stood on tiptoe and patted her shoulder. "Be brave and do it, Sister Xiuli. What are rules? Aren't they just words that restrict ourselves? Thousands of years from now, I will be the ancestor of the future generation. What I say now is the rule!"
When passersby heard this, they couldn't help but stagger and looked back in surprise, wanting to know which child was talking nonsense.
But what he didn't know was that Jian Jianan never spoke falsely.
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