The wooden house by the fish pond was still bustling, the noise steadily floating to the front.
So were opening their throats to wish the old master a happy birthday in Ji Xiang words, others were loudly toasting and guessing fingers, and of course, there was no lack of children’s laughter, and the adults’ impatient scolding.
Zhou Yunyun was startled by the sentence Hua Xiaomai suddenly blurted out, her mouth gaping open as the kitchen knife in her hand clanged onto the cutting board.
"Can you not be so dramatic, please?" Hua Xiaomai laughed out loud, "Is there a need to be scared like this?"
"It’s not that... Master, please don’t tease ."
Zhou Yunyun looked around and saw Wang Zhanrui and Teacher Tan watching the excitent. Seeing the friendly smiles on their faces, she didn’t feel reassured; instead, she beca even more anxious.
"Master, can I really take charge of the takeaway stall tomorrow?" she asked again, hardly daring to believe it.
After all, one couldn’t bla her for feeling this way. In this era, no matter the profession, whether it was learning to cook or any other craft, the word "hardship" was inevitable during apprenticeship.
Enduring the master’s beatings and scoldings, washing his clothes, taking care of him, being teased and ordered around by senior apprentices... This was almost a process that every apprentice had to go through. There were cunning masters who might even delay an apprentice’s graduation to have an extra hand around. Zhou Yunyun was considered lucky to have t Hua Xiaomai, a person who did not originally belong here, with not as many complicated formalities, making her life undoubtedly a bit easier.
But even so, she still found it unbelievable that Hua Xiaomai would let her take charge of the cooking—perhaps it would be more accurate to say that at this stage, she hadn’t even thought about it at all.
Being in charge of the cooking wasn’t about being a sous-chef or an assistant, but actually preparing the dishes and serving them directly to the custors! Although it wasn’t an official graduation, in a way, it was a confirmation!
Hua Xiaomai had told her over and over again that learning to cook was a long process, that she couldn’t take shortcuts and shouldn’t even think about finding a quick way. She was prepared to follow this path to the end, not only because she was interested in the profession but also to carve out a future for herself and provide a better life for her mother and sisters so that they wouldn’t be bullied by their alcoholic father every day.
But now...
"If you’re not willing, then forget it," Hua Xiaomai said, looking at her half-jokingly, "I won’t force you."
"Why wouldn’t I be willing!" Zhou Yunyun got a fright again, hurriedly nodding her head like a pecking chicken, "Master, let try, I definitely won’t let you down!"
Hua Xiaomai’s eyes curved into a smile, "I have a couple more things to tell you. The takeaway stall at the entrance is probably the place in the whole Daoxiang Garden with the lowest culinary requirents. Most of the custors who co here want their food quickly. Even so, you cannot do a slapdash job. Simply put, you must not tarnish our shop’s na. You are soone I’ve taught hand by hand, and I know exactly what your abilities are. Tomorrow is just a trial for you, and if you ss up or if there’s anything inappropriate, don’t expect to touch that spatula again, got it?"
"I understand, Master, I..." Zhou Yunyun nodded vigorously again, and although she said this, she couldn’t help but tremble a little.
"Don’t panic," Teacher Tan, a kind man, comforted her seeing her nervous state, "Apart from your master, there’s also Master Wang and here, right? If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask us. We’ll naturally help where we can."
Wang Zhanrui didn’t say anything, just gave a faint acknowledgnt, indicating agreent.
Zhou Yunyun thanked them twice, carefully finished chopping the remaining dried scallops, and stealthily glanced over at Hua Xiaomai. She muttered, "I’m going to have a look," not knowing exactly what she was planning to see, and then quickly left the kitchen.
"She’s probably going to find a place to hide and have a good chuckle to herself! This little apprentice of yours is quite talented and diligent, but she has such a timid heart, heh." Teacher Tan laughed heartily, redirecting his attention back to the stove in front of him.
"Don’t go too far, we’re not done with the busywork in the restaurant yet!" Hua Xiaomai called out loudly behind Zhou Yunyun, unable to suppress a laugh, while chatting with the two teachers and helping to pour the dried scallops into a clay pot with duck at, pork tenderloin, and dried tangerine peel.
The birthday feast hosted by Qiao Xiong’s father-in-law was quite satisfying, with two strings of firecrackers set off and relatives and friends gathered around for a lively ti. By the afternoon, there were no more custors in the small restaurant, and Qing You finally led his brother-in-law along with Qiao Xiong to settle the bill.
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