Qingshui Town
For the past six months, Chen Feng has been a truly busy man at the Qingshui Restaurant, with endless work to do every day.
Sweeping the yard, picking and washing vegetables, collecting swill, taking out the trash, slaughtering chickens and geese, wiping tables and washing dishes, wiping large spoons, and so on.
In short, he did all the dirtiest and most tiring work in the restaurant by himself.
Even so, he had no complaints.
Because he could secretly learn cooking skills while cleaning, washing dishes, and taking out the trash.
The head chefs didn't hide anything from him; he memorized the entire process of how they cooked and prepared ingredients every day.
Over time, he became able to clearly see what ingredients the chefs in the kitchen used, what heat they used, what cooking techniques they employed, and how long they cooked each dish.
Although he hasn't earned a single penny in the past three years, he has learned all the signature dishes of the master chefs and is just waiting to show off his skills in the future.
At this moment, Chen Feng was squatting on the ground, diligently rubbing the large iron ladle.
He was especially happy today because Manager Wu had promised him that as long as he finished all the work for the day, he could go home tomorrow.
The last time I went home was during the Spring Festival. My sister had built a three-courtyard house, and the sugar shop was thriving.
If he hadn't promised Wu Shiren, he would have left long ago.
Chen Feng was eager to get home and planned to hire a carriage to go straight home as soon as he finished his work...
Wu Shih-ren was chatting with his accountant, Wang De-cai, when the topic of hiring a few handymen came up, and Wu Shih-ren couldn't help but sigh.
"Looks like there will be some extra expenses coming up. If only that idiot hadn't left!"
Wang Decai squinted his triangular eyes and laughed, "Shopkeeper, what's so difficult about that? Just say that the shop can't hire anyone for the time being, and let him work for a few more days, that's all."
"No, Decai, that idiot has come to see me alone several times, and I've been making excuses. I've already promised him that he can get lost tomorrow!"
"Shopkeeper, why don't we ask our young lady to try and persuade her?"
"Don't mention Cuihua, that child is such a worry, always siding with outsiders and never speaking up for me, her father."
"You're just going to let Chen Feng leave like this?" Wang Decai shook his head and chuckled.
Wu Shiren scratched his head and sighed helplessly, "Let him go. Who knows, he might come back to me after a few days at home and ask me to arrange work for him."
"You're wrong about that. Once he leaves here, he will never come back."
As Wang Decai spoke, he couldn't help but frown. Before the New Year, a relative of his had visited Nanshan Village and heard that Chen Feng's family had built a new three-courtyard mansion.
I thought Chen Feng was so poor he couldn't even afford pants, but it turns out he's a hidden rich young master.
Don't let that quiet demeanor fool you; he's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. For the past three years, he's been constantly serving tea and water to the head chefs in the kitchen, flattering and fawning over them.
They mistakenly thought he was a fool, but unexpectedly he learned their skills perfectly.
If Chen Feng were to leave this place, it would be a disaster for him and the master chefs, and might even cost them their jobs.
As the saying goes, "If a man doesn't look out for himself, he'll be damned by heaven and earth." So, for the sake of making a living in the future, Chen Feng is going to have to do something drastic for you.
A shadow crossed his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Manager, I've heard that Chen Feng's sister is a remarkable girl. She can make sugar and is skilled in medicine. Her family lives a better life than you, the manager of this restaurant. How could Chen Feng possibly come back after leaving?"
"No way, if his sister is so capable, why is he stuck here doing odd jobs? Is he really stupid?"
"You don't understand, do you? Chen Feng isn't unambitious. You think he just works like a fool all day, but actually..."
Wang Decai looked around and lowered his voice.
"Actually, he stayed here to learn cooking skills. As far as I know, Chen Feng is no longer just a handyman. His cooking skills are no less than any of our chefs."
Upon hearing this, Wu Shiren was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Decai, you're joking! I already gave the order that no one is allowed to teach Chen Feng how to cook. How could he possibly know how to stir-fry dishes!"
"Boss, I'm not kidding you. Do you remember last month when we had dinner with the head chef?"
"Of course I remember. That day, Zhao Tian, Wang Qi, Li Liu, Sun Cai, Chen Xiaoer, and Chang Dashan, all the master chefs in our shop were there. I was so happy that I drank a few more cups, which caused me to slip and fall flat on my face as soon as I went out. Thinking about it now makes my teeth hurt."
"Do you still remember the dishes we ate back then, such as steamed Anyang fish, crystal pork jelly, and braised pork knuckle?"
"How could I forget? The steamed Anyang fish was better than ever before, and the braised pork knuckle was even more authentic, rich but not greasy, and melted in my mouth."
Wu Shih-jen licked his lips as he spoke, looking as if he wanted more.
Now that you mention it, I'm actually getting a craving. Let's have a good drink together later.
Wang Decai waved his hand in refusal, saying, "Shopkeeper, you don't know this, but all those dishes were made by Chen Feng."
Without even thinking, Wu Shih-jen blurted out, "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
"Why not? Think about it carefully. The chefs were all drinking that day. Who was cooking in the kitchen?"
"Right, who cooked it?" Wu Shiren's mind flashed. He seemed to have seen Chen Feng fiddling with the wok on the stove before. Every time he saw Chen Feng working in the kitchen, he would dawdle. He had thought it was because he was meticulous, but it turned out he was secretly learning the techniques.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
"That son of a bitch actually learned to be a chef right under my nose. He's a real shrewd guy."
"Becoming a master chef isn't so bad, the problem is..." Wang Decai paused mid-sentence, deliberately keeping the conversation in suspense.
Wu Shiren urged anxiously, "Decai, we've been brothers for so many years, just say what you want to say, don't stammer like a woman."
"I'm afraid he'll go to another restaurant to be a head chef. Then we'll lose our signature dish. In my opinion, we absolutely cannot let him leave. We must find a way to keep him here."
“Yes, yes, you’re right.” Wu Shiren nodded repeatedly. “Brother Decai, you have a lot of ideas, quickly help me think of a solution.”
“What’s so difficult about that?” Wang Decai said, then stepped forward and whispered a few words in Wu Shiren’s ear.
Wu Shih-jen hesitated, "Will this work?"
"If he really doesn't know what's good for him, then we'll proceed with the second plan. We have to teach him a lesson so he can never cook again and never dare to come to Qingshui Town again."
"Alright, let's do it your way. We'll also invite Zhao Tian, Wang Qi, and the others along."
"Alright, I'll have someone arrange the banquet right away."
......
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