Siheyuan: Five mouths waiting for food at the beginning

On Monday, He Daqing came to the steel rolling mill he had not visited for many years. He Daqing stood at the kitchen door for a long time, unable to calm down. Twenty years had passed. Originally, the steel rolling mill belonged to Director Lou, but now everything has changed. He did not expect that his final destination would be here.

"Come in, Dad. This is my son's territory. I will definitely let them serve you."

"Okay, Zhuzi, change your bragging habit. You've fallen into such a mess. Give me back your territory. When your father was the boss here more than 20 years ago, you were still wearing open-crotch pants. It's your turn to take care of it now."

"Dad, I'm used to it. I forgot that you used to be a cook here. But Dad, all the people you used to be here are gone. Can you do it?"

"You remove the word 'ma'. Your father dare not say anything else. Our chefs are all about cooking skills. This is my cooking skill, your father." He Daqing gave a thumbs up.

"Master, you are here." Fatty and Mahua quickly greeted He Daqing. They had met He Daqing before, so they were very humble and quickly made tea for He Daqing.

Old Wang's face didn't look very good. He Daqing came to snatch his special kitchen. He had snatched his son's food. Now his father had stepped in. However, he was not afraid because he had confidence in his skills.

"Xiao Wang, right? You know why I am here. I won't bully you. As long as your cooking skills are better than mine, I will turn around and leave. I will also let Zhuzi listen to you. I also know that Zhuzi will definitely not cooperate with you. What do you think?" He Daqing spoke first.

"Okay, Master He, if my skills are not as good as yours, I will give up my small cooking space to you and will obey you in everything."

The people in the kitchen were immediately excited. This was a competition between chefs, which you don’t usually get to see.

At noon, Liu Lan again carried the dishes to the small kitchen. The results of the competition had come out. He thought Sha Zhu was good enough, but he didn't expect He Daqing to be even better. Master Wang was not on the same level as him, let alone Sha Zhu, who was far inferior to his father. Now He Daqing had the final say in the kitchen.

"Director, Lao Wang's cooking skills have improved. His dishes are getting better and better." said a deputy director.

"No, this dish was not made by Lao Wang. I feel the taste of this dish is a little familiar, but I just can't remember it," said Lao Zhang. Lao Zhang had returned from the branch factory and took over as Deputy Director Zhu.

"Lao Zhang, you are quite capable. I didn't expect you to know so much about cooking. It's definitely not Lao Wang's cooking. Shanhe saw that everyone has been busy recently, so he introduced a new chef to change the taste for everyone. What do you think of the new chef?" Li Huaide said

"Director, the chef that Engineer Zhao introduced is amazing. His cooking skills are no worse than those of the hotel chefs. I have never eaten at a state banquet, but I guess his cooking skills are not much different from those of the state banquet chefs. We will have a great time in the future."

"Yes, I am in luck."

"Director, I remembered where I tasted this flavor before. Is it He Daqing who is here?"

"Old Zhang, you are quite capable. You actually guessed it right. It is He Daqing. Do you know He Daqing?"

"How could I not know him? When I was the canteen director, He Daqing was working at the steel mill. Director Lou relied on He Daqing to treat us to meals. I was wondering why the taste was so familiar. I even handled the formalities for He Daqing. We are old acquaintances."

"Director, you and everyone else may not know this, but He Daqing is the authentic descendant of Tan's cuisine. At that time, many restaurants were fighting for him to be the chef, but Director Lou was the only one who recognized him, so he followed Director Lou all the time. At first, he was Director Lou's personal chef. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was arranged to be a worker and took root in the steel mill.

He Daqing's Tan family cuisine is amazing. I was lucky enough to eat it with Director Lou a few times, and I still can't forget it. It's just that the ingredients are hard to find now, otherwise I can eat He Daqing's Tan family cuisine again. Although this Sichuan cuisine is not bad, it's still not as good as his specialty. "

"Lao Zhang, please stop talking. This Sichuan cuisine is just mediocre. I feel it is already too delicious. How delicious must the specialty Tan family dishes be? I can't even imagine it," said the union chairman.

"Mr. Zhang, you have been the logistics director for many years, so you should know a lot of channels. We can pay you and do the work, or you can pool the ingredients so that we can also try the Tan family dishes that you praise so much." A deputy factory director suggested.

"That's right, that's right," others echoed

Zhao Shanhe was a little eager again, and he was also a little tempted, and so was Lao Li.

Lao Zhang said, "This is not good. It is a special period now. If people knew about our extravagance, it would be disastrous."

"Old Zhang, you bastard, then just stop talking. You've aroused everyone's greed and now we're not going to work anymore."

"I think this is how it should be. Lao Zhang, you take care of the ingredients. We can just come to my house and cook. What do you think?"

"The factory manager is wise"

"Shanhe, is it okay to let He Daqing come over?"

"That must be okay."

"Then it'll be Saturday night. There's still a week left, which is plenty of time for Lao Zhang to find the ingredients."

The workers who came to the third canteen are in for a treat today, as the big pot dishes are cooked by Sha Zhu and Lao Wang. Originally, both of them were able to cook their own meals, but now they are cooking the big pot dishes, which is much better than the previous chef who cooked the big pot dishes.

"Look, I told you the food in the third canteen is delicious. Shazhu may not be that good, but his cooking skills are really amazing," said Passerby A.

"Well, it's really good. I know Shazhu too. He used to cook for his boss, but it seems he made a mistake later. Although he came back, he just didn't cook well. I didn't expect to eat it again today. It seems that Shazhu is in a good mood." Extra B said

"Ma Hua, come and become my disciple," He Daqing said

"Dad, Ma Hua is my apprentice. What if you accept him? Then he will become my apprentice brother."

"Are you qualified to accept a disciple?"

"Although my skills are not as good as yours, I am still qualified to be your apprentice, right?"

"Who said you have skills? I mean you are a master and you are taking apprentices. Don't you know the rules of our industry?"

"My case is special. My master said that my skills are ready for graduation."

"Has the graduation banquet been held? Who will be there to witness it? Have you forgotten the rules?"

"Ma Hua, why are you still standing there? Didn't you hear that my father wants to take you in as his apprentice?"

"But, master"

"Okay, stop calling me master. He will be your master from now on, and you are my junior fellow apprentice." Sha Zhu was very unhappy.

The fat man was anxious, "Master, what about me?"

"You should practice with Zhuzi for a few more years. I don't know what you have been doing these years. Your basic skills are so much worse than Ma Hua's."

After hearing He Daqing's reasons, the fat man looked visibly disappointed.

"What's wrong, Fatty? Is it unfair for you to be my apprentice?" Sha Zhu said

"No, no, Master." The fat man forced a smile and said to Sha Zhu, but he felt aggrieved in his heart. He had been flattering Sha Zhu for so many years but had not learned how to cook a few dishes, while Ma Hua had risen to the top overnight and even became his uncle. How could he not feel aggrieved?

“Also, if you have any questions about cooking in the future, you can come and ask me. I will also guide you in normal times.” He Daqing said to everyone.