At six o'clock, Ye Zhiqiu and his group were busy in the kitchen, while Chen Yimin, Wang Lei and his two fellow apprentices were waiting at the door to welcome the guests.
At this time, Sun Lai Di brought her two younger brothers and sisters, as well as several young boys from Wei Guo, to help pour tea and water for the guests. Chen Renfu and Li Cuihua sat on the armchairs, smiling and responding to the guests who saluted, and by the way, they asked about the recent situation of their master and his wife.
Generally speaking, the people who come here are not fools, and the conflicts among the master and his generation do not affect their interactions.
Just like Chen Renfu, he just didn't allow his disciples to hang out with his fellow disciples, but he didn't have any opinions about these nephews.
The purpose of showing off is not to show off to these fellow disciples, but to let them convey what they have learned and heard to their master!
Different ideas do not mean that they are mortal enemies, it’s just that their generations do not interact with each other.
Ye Zhiqiu smiled and said to his fellow apprentices, "Actually, the masters and their brothers are quite awkward. They're fighting with each other from a distance, and it's not easy for us younger generations."
Li Peng laughed and said, "Little brother, don't you know that I am now working as a second cook under my third uncle at the Sichuan cuisine restaurant in the Beijing Hotel?
Next door lives a senior uncle from our sect. He knows me and often comes to guide me. What does the fighting between the senior uncles have to do with us juniors?
Anyway, on this birthday, they take turns showing off, so we can just cooperate with them. Don't think that the uncles are enemies, that would be foolish! "
Ye Zhiqiu kept moving his hands and said with a smile, "I'm not stupid! Grandmaster told me in advance that I must not show disrespect to these uncles and aunts, otherwise I will not get any benefits if I meet them in the future!"
Huang Dahe sighed, "Alas, times have really changed. Now the country is getting rid of feudal dregs! In fact, the anger of my master's generation has already determined the outcome. I just don't know if those great-grandmasters will admit their mistakes."
Li Weimin replied, "I think it's difficult. They're all stubborn people who have been fighting each other for their entire lives. There's no way they'll admit their mistakes! But Peng'er is right. Anyway, if we show some respect to these uncles, we can definitely gain some benefits from them."
With the changing times, this system of master-apprentice inheritance has actually become a dead end in later generations! Because it has been eliminated, various intangible cultural heritages even have no inheritors! Because the times are progressing, if old things do not change themselves, they will not be able to be passed on!
Ye Zhiqiu was quite knowledgeable about this matter. To be honest, when he first thought about becoming a disciple, he wanted to find someone who would teach him for money.
He wouldn't even consider serving for three years! He just needed an excuse to bring food home to supplement his nutrition during those years when supplies were scarce.
What better excuse could there be to bring supplies home than the fact that the cook didn't starve to death during a famine?
Ye Zhiqiu doesn't dare to bring random things home now, because there is a smart Wang Fugui at home. This cheap grandfather is meticulous and always sees things thoroughly!
When the real difficult times began, he brought things home without proper reasons and sources, which really does not stand up to scrutiny!
After everyone arrived, the dishes were not yet ready, but they were just finishing touches. Everyone then lined up to kowtow to the master and his wife and present them with the birthday gifts prepared today.
In fact, at such times you should kowtow seriously and say a few auspicious words, but you cannot be frivolous and talk nonsense.
Ye Zhiqiu lined up behind Li Peng, kowtowed and said auspicious words, then presented Chen Renfu with a list of gifts. Chen Yimin and the others naturally took the gifts and placed them on the table.
Then he followed his brothers back to the kitchen to prepare the dishes thoroughly and serve them.
There is no such thing as an introduction. Even if Ye Zhiqiu follows his master and others to attend the birthday of a great-grandmaster, they will not be introduced as belonging to the same sect.
This is a tacit understanding between the two parties. Anyway, these are the people on my side. If you meet them, whether you are willing to take care of them is up to you disciples.
Anyway, they just don't get along with each other, and they won't even introduce their disciples to each other. This is where they are stubborn.
The person who finished the dish the fastest was Li Weimin. Because he had a duck soup, his dish was served first.
It doesn’t matter which dish or soup is served first, because the essence of this banquet is a display of culinary skills, or it would be more accurate to say showing off.
Ye Zhiqiu was the last to arrive, and several aunts helped serve the dishes. Wang Lei and the others introduced him in a calm tone, "This is my apprentice, Ye Zhiqiu. I'm serving you five-spice shredded pork, Sichuan-style spicy chicken, and his original crispy fried chicken. Please enjoy!"
Ye Zhiqiu smiled and placed three dishes on the table. He bowed slightly and said, "Fish-flavored shredded pork, Sichuan-style spicy chicken, and crispy fried chicken. Please taste them, Master, Uncle, and everyone else."
This was repeated three times. When it came to the two tables of their own people, these etiquettes were naturally no longer necessary. After the dishes were placed, Ye Zhiqiu also took a seat.
The four brothers could only sit at the child's table because they were of the same generation and could only sit at the same table.
For example, at Chen Renfu's table, only he and Chen Yimin could sit. As for other disciples who were closer to their elders, if the eldest disciple was absent, the second disciple would be sent, and so on.
The other two tables were occupied by Wang Lei and Li Bicheng, who each went to accompany one table.
Chen Weiguo poured wine for his fellow brothers here, but he himself did not drink. His task today was to pour wine for everyone during the meal.
Ye Zhiqiu whispered to Li Peng beside him, "Brother, how can we tell if the food is good if it doesn't comment on it?"
Li Peng leaned over to Ye Zhiqiu's ear and whispered, "It's not like we can tell directly whether a dish is good or bad, but after the meal, we can tell which dish is left over and which is not.
If you give 90 points, everyone will help eat up the dish! If one-fifth is left, it means only 80 points, and if two-fifths is left, it means only 70 points.
But if more than half is left, it means the dish fails! Another possibility is that if a dish is given a score of zero, people will pick up their chopsticks for the first time and then stop eating, which means the dish is not presentable.
Ye Zhiqiu was stunned by what he heard. This was truly complicated! If there weren't a few dishes that met the standards, wouldn't he be leaving hungry after a feast?
What if every dish is up to par? Wouldn't that make you stuffed? Remember, the twelve dishes they made today are quite generous!
Li Weimin also sighed quietly, "Little brother, you haven't encountered this. Last year, I went to celebrate the birthday of a great-grandmaster. There were 16 dishes, and all eight people at the table were stuffed!
Because every dish was over 70 or 80 points, according to the rules we had to eat that much. It was my first time eating, and I ate so much that I was completely stuffed…”
Ye Zhiqiu had never encountered such a thing, but he almost laughed out loud. Thinking about that scene really made people feel helpless!
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