Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

In the cafeteria, smoke rises and steaming dishes are boiling in the pot.

The annual cooking competition is in full swing, with chefs showing off their skills and their dancing with spatulas revealing their infinite passion for food and ultimate pursuit of skills.

This cooking competition is not only a feast for the taste buds, but also a stage for every chef to show himself and wash away past shame.

Sha Zhu stood by the fire, his eyes full of concentration.

The kitchen knife in his hand is like a soul, flexible and precise. Every cut seems to have been carefully calculated, and every piece of food cut is almost perfect.

The audience's attention was attracted by his almost mechanical operation, and there were constant exclamations of admiration.

However, at the moment when everyone was paying attention, Sha Zhu suddenly stopped what he was doing.

His eyes involuntarily fell on the soup pot beside him, where a blade with a cold and flashing light lay quietly on the surface of the soup, like a glaring scar, ruthlessly catching his eyes.

Sha Zhu's heart sank to the bottom in an instant. This was another mistake he made in this competition, another negligence on his part.

He clearly remembered that shortly after the competition started, he was trying to multitask and handle multiple steps at the same time, and he accidentally dropped the blade used to cut ingredients into the soup.

Although he fished it out quickly, he could not undo the damage that had already been done.

The chefs around cast surprised glances, some whispered, and some showed sympathetic eyes.

And Chen Fei, a chef who enjoys great reputation in the culinary world, had a face as gloomy as the sky before a storm, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife, as if they were going to pierce through Sha Zhu's heart.

"Silly Zhu, why did you make such a low-level mistake again?"

Sha Zhu lowered his head, speechless.

This was not just a minor oversight, but a huge blow to his culinary career.

Having been questioned for similar mistakes before, history is now repeating itself, and he feels unprecedentedly frustrated and ashamed.

But at this moment, a stubborn force rose in Sha Zhu's heart.

He was unwilling to be defeated like this, and unwilling to let his efforts go to waste.

Looking up, he reignited the flame.

"Please start over." Sha Zhu's voice was weak but full of determination.

Fade Chen frowned, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded.

But at this moment, a clear voice broke the silence: "Whose blade is this? How did it fall into the soup?"

Everyone looked over and saw Qin Huairu walk in. Her eyes stayed on Sha Zhu for a moment, then turned to Fade Chen.

Qin Huairu was a famous widow, and her appearance made the scene instantly awkward.

Sha Zhu looked at Qin Huairu without saying anything.

Fade Chen looked at Qin Huairu with a frown on his face. "This is Shazhu's mistake. I will report this to the factory manager."

Qin Huairu frowned slightly and looked at Sha Zhu, with a hint of sympathy in her eyes: "Sha Zhu, did you really put the razor blade into the soup?"

Sha Zhu raised his head: "I didn't, but I am willing to bear the consequences."

Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu and turned to Chen Fei: "Maybe we should investigate it first before drawing any conclusions."

After a moment of silence, Fade Chen nodded and turned to Sha Zhu: "Okay, I'll give you a chance, but if you make the same mistake again, you will bear the consequences."

......

As night fell, Sha Zhu walked with heavy steps to Qin Huairu's door.

He had a hope in his heart that this visit would ease the relationship between the two and put the misunderstanding behind them.

However, when he knocked on Qin Huairu's door, he was met with a cold response.

Qin Huairu stood in front of the door, cold and distant, as if Sha Zhu was just a passer-by in her life.

She gently pushed the door open and let Shazhu in.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely depressing.

Sha Zhu stood in front of Qin Huairu, his lips moving slightly, but he didn't know what to say.

She had heard about Sha Zhu kneeling down to keep his job, which made her feel ashamed and dissatisfied.

A real chef should not lose his dignity for his job.

"Shazhu, why are you doing this?" Qin Huairu's voice was cold.

"I just want to keep my job and don't want to let Fade down."

Your job? What about your dignity? Are you throwing away your dignity just for a job?"

Sha Zhu became a little excited: "Dignity? What is dignity? In this world, nothing is more important than life. For the sake of life and my family, I must keep this job."

She felt that Sha Zhu was no longer the kind and principled chef in her mind, and she felt heartbroken, but also relieved.

She finally understood that there was no possibility between her and Shazhu.

"Shazhu, let's end our relationship like this." Qin Huairu's tone was firm.

Sha Zhu was stunned, looking at Qin Huairu, his eyes full of reluctance and confusion: "End? Why? What happened between us?"

Under Qin Huairu's cold gaze, Sha Zhu's heart was like the surface of a lake blown by a cold wind, rippling.

Trying to calm himself, he began to count the debts between them.

"Qin Huairu, do you still remember the money you borrowed from me? I lent it to you without hesitation to help you through the difficult times. Now, it's time to repay you." Sha Zhu's voice was very powerful, as if he wanted to release all the depression in his heart.

Qin Huairu was stunned. She had never thought that Sha Zhu would mention these debts so directly. A trace of panic flashed across her eyes, but she quickly concealed it and sneered, "Sha Zhu, do you think these debts can erase the harm you have done to me? You are wrong. This money is nothing to me."

Sha Zhu's heart was hurt again and he clenched his fists tightly, as if trying to suppress the anger deep in his heart.

He knew that Qin Huairu was deliberately provoking him and trying to anger him.

But he couldn't be fooled and had to stay calm.

At this moment, Bang Geng rushed out, stood in front of Qin Huairu, and stared at Sha Zhu angrily: "Don't you bully my mother!"

Although he is small, he has a strong desire to protect.

Shazhu looked at Banggeng, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided.

He understood that the affection between Qin Huairu and Banggeng was a gap he could not cross.

"I'm not saying this for money. I just hope we can get some closure. From now on, all the grudges between us will be wiped out." He tried to make his voice sound calm.

This is the truth.

But she couldn't accept such an ending because the scars in her heart were too deep.

"Shazhu, the grudge between us can never be wiped out." After saying that, she turned and left, leaving Shazhu and Banggeng standing there, facing each other.

Qin Huairu's indifference was like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Sha Zhu's heart.

He returned home in pain. The scars in his heart were like a broken mirror, reflecting his lost figure. He sat alone at the table, picked up the bottle of wine, and poured one glass after another into his throat, trying to numb his soul with alcohol.

As the night deepened, he fell on the bed with drunken eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the sunlight poured into the house through the window and shone on Shazhu's face.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up.

Yesterday's alcohol had worn off, replaced by a clear mind and bright eyes.

Standing in front of the mirror, he adjusted his appearance and prepared to face the new day.