On the afternoon of the second day, when things in the restaurant were almost done, Mr. He's carriage arrived.
Shulin let go of Heizi, ran over and hugged Li Hehua's legs, blinking and staring at her, staring at her so that the person couldn't say a word without mentioning him.
This little guy is very powerful now. He only knows how to deal with her like this.
Li Hehua had no choice but to bring Shulin along. The little guy was so happy that he squinted his eyes like a little mouse who had stolen rice and buried his face in her neck and laughed.
Zhang Tieshan watched and shook his head. He would have to be the strict father from now on.
The house of Mr. He's friend is at the end of Hua'an Street. It is a house covering a large area. The two stone lions in front of the door are taller than people. It is obvious that the family is extraordinary.
Li Hehua originally thought that Mr. He's friend was also a businessman. However, once he entered the house, he found the scenery inside to be unexpectedly elegant, poetic and picturesque. It did not look like a merchant's home, but rather like the residence of a scholar.
Even Shu Lin was attracted. He blinked his big eyes and looked at it curiously with a look of amazement on his face.
Mr. He seemed to understand their thoughts and explained with a smile: "Doesn't this house look quite poetic?"
Li Hehua nodded, and Shulin also nodded his head.
Mr. He explained: "My friend is not a money-grubbing businessman like me. He is a man of great learning, with many students all over the world. He is planning to spend his remaining years here."
Oh, so that's how it is. Perhaps educated people like to pursue tranquility and nature when they get old. It would be nice to come to this small town to retire.
At this time, Mr. He took them to a hall for entertaining guests and said as they walked: "My friend likes your cooking very much and wants to meet you. He said that after meeting you, he won't have to owe me a favor if he invites people again, haha..."
As they were talking, they entered the hall. As soon as they entered, before Li Hehua had time to look at anyone, a familiar and surprised voice reached his ears.
"Shulin——Aunt Hehua——Uncle——"
Li Hehua was stunned and looked at the person who was speaking. Who else could it be but the little guy Gu Jinzhao?
The little guy jumped down from the chair and ran towards them. Next to the little guy, besides an old man and a young man in fancy clothes, there was also Master Gu Zhijin who was looking at them with astonishment.
Li Hehua was really surprised this time. Why were Master Gu and the others here?
"Aunt Hehua..." Gu Jinzhao had already run over, first hugged Li Hehua's legs and rubbed them, then hugged Shulin and said happily: "Shulin, why are you here?"
Shu Lin actually didn't know either, so he could only shake his head and pointed at Li Hehua with his little finger.
Mom knows.
Gu Jinzhao turned around and asked Li Hehua, "Aunt Hehua, why are you here?"
Before Li Hehua could answer, Mr. He asked in surprise, "Do you know each other?"
Li Hehua nodded and pointed at Gu Jinzhao and said, "This is Shulin's classmate." Then he looked at Gu Zhijin who was walking over and said, "This is Shulin's teacher."
Mr. He suddenly realized it, and then couldn't help laughing, "It turns out to be such a coincidence, I didn't expect it..."
Gu Zhijin also understood a little bit at this time, looking at Li Hehua and said, "So the chef the teacher said he was looking for is you, madam. What a coincidence." Then, Gu Zhijin looked respectfully at the old man sitting in the first seat, "Madam, this is my teacher I mentioned yesterday - Mr. Nangong."
This is such a coincidence. He didn't expect that the person he and Zhang Tieshan said they would find a way to visit yesterday would appear in front of him today.
Li Hehua and Zhang Tieshan looked at each other and hurriedly bowed to the old man above them, "Greetings, Mr. Nangong."
Mr. Nangong stroked his beard, nodded with a smile, looked at Mr. He and asked, "Mr. He, is this the divine chef you mentioned?"
Mr. He nodded, "Yes, this is the owner of Delicious House, and the one who came to my farm to cook that day. I personally invited him here for you today."
Mr. Nangong nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at Gu Zhijin, "So this person is also the parent of the disciple you mentioned?"
Gu Zhijin cupped his hands and said, "Teacher, that's right."
Mr. Nangong laughed, "That's really a coincidence. It's just right that we can chat together today."
So, they originally planned to arrange a room for Zhang Tieshan and Shulin to rest, but Mr. Nangong invited Zhang Tieshan and Shulin to have dinner together. Zhang Tieshan thought about Shulin's intention to become Mr. Nangong's disciple, so he did not refuse and agreed.
Li Hehua followed the servants to the kitchen, put on an apron, and started cooking.
Mr. He liked the Dongpo pork and squirrel fish she cooked, and he specifically asked for them today. Mr. Nangong liked fish, so he asked her to make two more fish dishes. Li Hehua simply asked everyone present what they liked to eat.
Gu Zhijin pursed his lips and rather embarrassedly ordered two of his favorite dishes, one Kung Pao Chicken and one Mapo Tofu.
The other young man in gorgeous clothes should be the county magistrate. His personality was not as humble as Gu Zhijin. He ordered dishes directly and bluntly, asking for braised pork and pig's trotters.
Of course, the little guy Gu Jinzhao cannot be missing among the people asking questions.
"Jinzhao, what do you like to eat? Tell your aunt directly."
Gu Jinzhao waved his hand and said, "Aunt Hehua, whatever you cook is delicious. I love it. Just cook it as you like."
Li Hehua was almost conquered by this little guy. How could he be so pleasing? It seemed that he would be a guy popular with girls in the future.
After everyone ordered their dishes, Li Hehua arranged the rest of the dishes herself. She added the following dishes: chopped pepper fish head, pickled fish, braised pork with preserved vegetables, stewed duck with dried bamboo shoots, shredded pork with Beijing sauce, hot and sour chicken feet, lotus root slices with osmanthus, lamb chops, spicy chicken fillet, Feilong soup, Dong'an chicken, and crystal braised pork.
Mr. Nangong’s kitchen is quite large, with all kinds of ingredients. There are four cooks helping in the kitchen. It can be seen that Mr. Nangong is indeed a person who loves to eat.
Li Hehua chatted with the cooks while cooking. He learned a lot of things from the chat. It turned out that these cooks were brought from the capital by Mr. Nangong, and they were considered the original team. Mr. Nangong could not bear to disband them, so he asked them if they were willing to come here with him and continue to work in the kitchen. Those who were willing to come followed him here.
One of the fat cooks, who was about 40 years old, said, "Our teacher is a very good person. His students all love him very much. When they knew he was going to retire here, they were reluctant to let him go. Many students asked him to stay, but he refused."
Li Hehua suddenly thought about it and asked while picking up a dish, "Really? I have always lived in the village and didn't know much about you. I didn't know you were so amazing."
When the fat cook heard this, she slapped her thigh and was very excited. "Of course, our master is amazing. Many people come to him to learn about writing and painting. It seems that there are many high-ranking officials among them. How can he not be amazing?"
"Oh? Really? That's really amazing."
The fat cook nodded. "It's amazing. It's said that the paintings our master draws are worth a fortune."
"Really? That must be a very beautiful painting."
"Yes, we have seen your paintings by accident, they are really beautiful~"
While cooking, Li Hehua took the opportunity to chat with the cooks in his free time. After more than an hour, the dishes were ready and he also found out a lot of useful things.
It turns out that Mr. Nangong was indeed the dean of the largest academy in the capital. Now that he has given the position to his son, he came here to retire because this is his hometown.
Mr. Nangong is good at calligraphy and painting. His calligraphy and paintings are priceless. Many people hope to get his guidance, and many of his students are very talented people.
It is not easy for Shu Lin to gain his favor.
After Li Hehua prepared the dishes, she was invited to the hall. Everyone present was a casual person and didn't care about the rules. What's more, Li Hehua was Shulin's mother, so they invited Li Hehua to join them for dinner.
Since they didn't care, it was even less likely that Li Hehua would care. He didn't refuse and sat down next to Zhang Tieshan.
"Aunt Hehua, the dishes you cook are delicious, you are amazing!" As soon as Li Hehua sat down, Gu Jinzhao gave her a thumbs up and praised her.
Li Hehua looked towards him and saw that there was already a pile of food residue in front of the little guy. The chopsticks in his hand were still constantly picking up food and stuffing it into his mouth. There was oil around his mouth, which showed that he had eaten a lot.
As for Shulin, he wasn't much better. His little mouth was bulging from eating so much and his little belly was also bulging. When he saw Li Hehua looking at him, he covered his belly with his hands in embarrassment, trying to push it inwards to make it less bulging.
Li Hehua couldn't help laughing and quickly looked away from him, shifting his gaze to the dishes on the table. He felt a little embarrassed when he saw it. The dishes had just been served, but most of the plates on the table were empty, and there were a lot of leftovers piled in front of each person.
The speed is too fast...
However, for the creators of these delicacies, it is of course a joy to see that their creations are so popular.
There was also a pile of bones in front of Gu Zhijin, and there were still quite a few in the bowl. He had never eaten so carelessly before, and his face turned red. He bowed to Li Hehua to express his gratitude, "Madam, your cooking skills are really good. People who eat here can't stop eating..."
Everyone agreed.
At this time, Mr. Nangong said to Li Hehua: "Madam, thank you for coming to cook such a delicious meal for us this time. I am very grateful and would like to toast you a glass."
"Mr. Nangong, you are too polite." Li Hehua said hurriedly, but there was no wine in the cup in front of her, and she couldn't drink. Just as she was thinking about whether to break the rules and drink a glass, Zhang Tieshan stood up, raised his own glass and apologized to Mr. Nangong, saying: "Mr. Nangong, I am really sorry, my wife can't drink alcohol, she will get drunk if she touches alcohol, I will drink this glass for my wife, I hope you can forgive me."
Mr. Nangong smiled and waved his hands, "It's okay, it's okay, I've just expressed my gratitude, you can do whatever you want." Then he finished his glass.
Zhang Tieshan raised his head and drank the wine in his glass. He waited for Mr. Nangong to sit down before he sat down.
Mr. Nangong watched every move of Zhang Tieshan and Li Hehua and nodded secretly in his heart. Although the couple were not rich, they were sincere and polite, and they knew when to advance and retreat. I think the children they taught would be good too. Originally, he was attracted by the talent of Shulin's child, which could be said to be an extremely high talent that is rare in a century. He didn't want to waste such a good seedling, but he decided to see what kind of people the child's parents were. Now, after meeting Zhang Tieshan and Li Hehua, his doubts were completely dispelled.
He has decided to accept Shulin as his child.
Mr. Nangong stroked his beard and started talking about Shu Lin. "I'm sure you two have heard from my disciple Zisu that I want to take Shu Lin as my apprentice. Today is a rare chance meeting, so we can discuss it today. What do you think about this?"
Zisu is Gu Zhijin's pen name.
Seeing that the topic had come to the point, Li Hehua quickly perked up. Originally, she and Zhang Tieshan wanted to see who Gu's teacher was, but now it seemed that this old gentleman was kind, elegant, and reserved, and a man with great ambitions. In addition, the old gentleman's attainments in calligraphy and painting were really high. If Shu Lin really became his disciple, she would probably have extraordinary attainments in the future. How could she be unwilling?
Li Hehua said, "Sir, you are very talented. It is my blessing to have your guidance. However, I am still too young and don't like to speak, for fear of upsetting you."
Mr. Nangong had already heard Gu Zhijin talk about Shu Lin, and he knew that the boy was quiet, introverted and a little closed, but that was nothing to him. He had many students, some of whom had strange personalities. Sometimes, the more talented they were, the more different their personalities were. It was all arranged by God, so he never regarded this as abnormal, and he didn't care.
"Don't worry, it's nothing. Some of my students have different personalities, but they are all talented people."
At this time, the county magistrate Huo Yi, who had been busy eating and had no time to speak, suddenly spoke up and said to Gu Zhijin with a smile in his eyes: "Junior brother, do you still remember our senior brother Shuohua?"
Gu Zhijin couldn't help but smile when he thought of his senior brother. How could he not remember him? "Senior Brother Shuohua is so talented. All the astronomy and geography books in our Great Wei were compiled by him. No one can compare to him. In the past, Senior Brother was willing to talk to us about astronomy and geography, but we didn't understand. We are ashamed."
Huo Yi laughed loudly, "That's right, Senior Brother Shuohua doesn't like to talk to people. He is only willing to pay attention to us because we are his fellow apprentices. But he doesn't talk to us for more than five sentences in a year. I always feel that he looks at us as if we are idiots."
“Puff——” Everyone present was amused. Mr. Nangong smiled and pretended to be angry and said, “You, don’t say that about your brother.”
Li Hehua and Zhang Tieshan looked at each other, and there was a sense of relief in each other's eyes. It seemed that many of Mr. Nangong's students were similar to Shulin, and Mr. Nangong did not mind students with Shulin's personality.
Zhang Tieshan and Li Hehua stood up at the same time. Li Hehua held the tea and Zhang Tieshan held the wine. They said, "Mr. Nangong, thank you for choosing our son. This is a blessing for our son and our family. We would like to thank you here. We will have to trouble you to take care of Shulin in the future."
As he spoke, Li Hehua took Shulin down from his seat, carried him to Mr. Nangong, and said, "Shulin, Mr. Nangong will also be your teacher from now on. Hurry up and salute the teacher."
Shulin was a little confused, but he knew what a teacher was, so he obediently stretched out his little hands and clasped them in front of his chest, saluted Mr. Nangong, and stood up after a while.
Mr. Nangong smiled and stroked his beard, "Okay, okay, from now on I will have one more student, and this will also be my last student."
Huo Yi smiled and said, "We will have such a young junior brother in the future."
Mr. Nangong shook his head and said to him, "Don't look down on your junior brother because he is younger than you. His painting skills are far superior to yours. None of you junior brothers can compare to him."
Huo Yi touched his nose and smiled embarrassedly when he heard that. He was the worst painter among his many fellow apprentices and had been beaten for this many times before.
The meal ended in a relaxed atmosphere. After the meal, Mr. Nangong gave Li Hehua fifty taels of silver as today's reward, but Li Hehua refused.
"Mr. Nangong, you will be my son's teacher from now on. What kind of person would I be if I asked for money for cooking a meal for you? Just think of this as a teacher-recognition banquet for my son. Please don't be polite with me."
Mr. Nangong laughed and didn't force it anymore. He said jokingly, "I heard from Zisu that he, as a teacher, has been eating a lot of your goodies these days and has gained weight. Am I, a teacher, being treated like this now?"
Li Hehua was amused by his humor and said, "That's right. We don't have anything else at home, but we have a lot of delicious food. A teacher for a child naturally cannot be without delicious food. In the future, please don't be polite to us."
Mr. Nangong smiled and waved his hands, "You're welcome, you're welcome. I don't have any other hobbies except eating. It's a blessing to have a little apprentice when I'm old..."
After that, Li Hehua and Zhang Tieshan took Shulin to say goodbye. Gu Jinzhao rolled his eyes and held Gu Zhijin's hand, "Second Uncle, let's go too. It's getting late."
Gu Zhijin looked at the sky. It was only afternoon. How could it be late? This little bastard really wanted to go back and play with Shulin.
Gu Zhijin refused, "No, my second uncle has something to discuss with Mr. Nangong, and he doesn't have time to go back now. Wait a little longer."
Gu Jinzhao pursed his lips, thought for a moment and said, "Then Second Uncle, you stay here and do your work. I will go back with Shulin and the others first, so that I can go back to the mansion first to take care of things."
What's there for him to do? Gu Zhijin was so angry that he wanted to beat him up, but if this little devil didn't get what he wanted today, he would probably run away, so he had to say, "Okay, stop talking nonsense. I know you want to go play with Shulin, but when you go, you have to be polite and don't run around. Wait for your second uncle to pick you up, okay?"
Knowing that his second uncle agreed, Gu Jinzhao jumped up happily, "Aunt Hehua, please take me with you——"
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