The Garden Life of a Little Gardener

Zhou Quan thought that Brother Baozhen's ancestors should live in a prosperous urban area. After all, as long as their masters are successful as apprentices, no one will worry about money. This is the case with disciples and grandchildren, and the ancestors should not be short of money. up.

What should a master who is not short of money look like?Zhou Quan, who hadn't met yet, made up his mind.

Probably living in a big house and teaching the disciples and grandchildren to take care of the flowers and plants every day and enjoy their good time.

However, after getting off the taxi and arriving at the destination, Zhou Quan found out that the place where Brother Baoyan lived was indeed very lively, but it was not the grand courtyard or the single-family villa in his mind, but the alley. In the depths, an old-fashioned small second-floor building that doesn't look very tall.

It was a two-story building of brick and tile structure, not high, with blue bricks and gray tiles with dormer windows, and wall-climbing tigers on the outer walls.

The small second floor is a single building, connected to other small second floors of the same style on both sides, and it looks ordinary without any abnormality.

With the fruits bought on the way, Chef Bao gently knocked on the door, and the person who opened the door was a middle-aged man in gray sportswear aged five or sixty.

"Master, we are back to see you."

Facing the door opener standing inside the door, Chef Bao said so.

As soon as he heard Brother Baozhen's address, Zhou Quan knew that the person who opened the door should be the master of Brother Baozhen who took his father to accept apprentices.

"It's good to come back, your master is waiting for you upstairs, he knew from Xiaodouzi that you were back, and he happily asked me to raise all the fresh fish he caught in clean water, saying that he would cook them for you to eat. "

"That's great, but I haven't tasted the master's craftsmanship for a long time."

"Haha, among my apprentices, you are the only one who can successfully learn my father's craftsmanship."

When their master and apprentice were reminiscing about the old days, Zhou Quan stood quietly by the side, watching silently without speaking.

Chef Bao's master is an inconspicuous person, with an ordinary appearance and an ordinary figure, coupled with the most common gray sportswear on the market, he can't be found if he is thrown into the crowd.

It's hard to believe that such an ordinary old man who can be seen everywhere on the street is actually the generation who is in charge of the famous Mingyuelou Zou family cuisine in Suizhou and even in the whole South China.

The master and the apprentice stood at the door and exchanged a few words. Chef Bao stepped aside and showed Zhou Quan behind him, and introduced to the two: "Master, this is Ah Quan, and I am now a partner of the homestay. Ah Quan , this is my master, call someone quickly."

Hearing this, Zhou Quan stepped forward obediently, and greeted him very politely: "Master, I am Zhou Quan, Zhou Quan who is thoughtful, perfect and perfect."

Zhou Quan, who was brought out for the first time to meet the elders of Brother Baoyan's family, seemed a little nervous, and introduced himself like a foolish son-in-law.

Hearing the boy brought by Bao Yan call him master directly, Chef Bao's master was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the apprentice but found that the other party had no intention of correcting him.

He thought about it for a while and didn't say anything, just smiled very politely and replied: "I know you, Ah Huang's hair is young, he mentioned it when he was learning how to cook. I heard that you came here from the Northeast with Ah Yuan on purpose. To my father's birthday, good boy, thank you very much, my father liked the birthday gifts you sent a few days ago, and he gathered a few big dishes for our birthday banquet."

Zhou Quan was flattered when he heard the words, and repeatedly said that as long as the old man likes the food, he can mail it to here regularly every month.

Master Zou laughed loudly when he heard this, and said, "We will be happy if you are interested. Don't forget to tell the old man when you enter the house later, he will be happy."

Master Zou led Zhou Quan and Chef Bao upstairs, and the old-fashioned wooden stairs, estimated to be twice his age, creaked slightly under the feet of everyone.

At the end of the stairs on the second floor, the unique accent of Cantonese opera came babbling over, and at the position beside the bed where the sun shines, the rattan curtain gently draws an arc, and the people sitting in it start to faint sleepy.

"Father, do you see who is back?"

Hearing this, the swaying rattan rocking chair stopped suddenly, and the person who was lying on the rocking chair turned over.

It was an old man with gray hair, thin body but hale and hearty.

Before Zhou Quan came, he had heard from Brother Baoyan that this was the 88th birthday of his ancestor, which meant that the very energetic old man standing in front of him was already 88 years old.

This is the age, but the mental state of the person does not look the same at all. After standing up, a person has a spirit that others do not have.

"Are you back?" asked the old man who was wearing a fine cotton coat and handmade cloth shoes at home.

"Well, I'm back, I'm coming back to celebrate your birthday." Chef Bao, who had been carrying fruit since entering the room, replied.

"Who is this little friend?"

"He is Zhou Quan, the same Ah Quan I told you about."

Rarely in life was Zhou Quan, so nervous, stepped forward upon hearing the words, and said respectfully, "Hello Master, I am Zhou Quan, brother Baoyan's younger brother."

Hearing this, the old man glanced around Zhou Quan and his disciple and grandson several times, and said with a smile, "I know you, Ah Yuan called you Xiao Zhou Zhou. Son, thank you for your birthday gift, I like it very much."

"Well, as long as you like it, I will often send it to you in the future."

"Hahaha, you are a sincere child, no wonder Ah Huang always misses you. Since you come here to play, don't be restrained, and treat this place as your own home. If you want anything, you must say it."

After saying this sentence, Chef Bao's ancestor turned his attention back to his grandson. This child is the grandson of his senior brother. When his senior brother was not good, he took a long-distance call and hoped that he could take care of this child. Ten years of brotherhood, he agreed without hesitation.

When he first took this child over, he planned to treat him as the son of an old friend and take good care of him. He thought that if the child wanted to continue to study, he would provide for him to study, and he would provide for him wherever he passed the exam.

If the child is unwilling to study and wants to learn a craft, then he is also willing to teach. In short, the child must learn a skill so that he can survive in society in the future and live up to his friendship with his seniors.

As a result, the child chose to learn art, and the state was beyond his imagination. Baoyan who came to him was like a thirsty sponge, frantically absorbing all the moisture around him, desperately growing himself.

Two years of learning art and three years of fine skills, in five years this child has completed the basic training that other brothers of the same school may not be able to complete in ten years.

Even if this child is an apprentice with an art teacher, it is dazzling enough to have such a result. One must know that their master of Cantonese cuisine is famous among the eight major cuisines for his requirements for basic skills.

After becoming an apprentice, Baozhen, like other senior brothers, went to Baoyuelou to help the cook. It took half a year from cutting pier to cooking. He is the well-deserved chef of Mingyue Tower.

Originally, Mr. Zou thought that he would make his own name in the chef circle in South China and even the whole country like the other leaders of the Zou family faction, and even create his own faction. In the end, this kid actually took a few senior brothers to go abroad Gold panning went.

Zou Laogang was very angry when he heard the news. Do those foreign devils know what food is?

Guys who use different knives and tools to process ingredients, do you know what knife skills are?

Do the guys who pinch time and dose food and condiments by the gram know what heat and technique are?

According to their method, ten people can cook, and the food they make still tastes the same. Can the person who makes this kind of food be called a chef?How is it different from those robots?

Mr. Zou, who was in his 80s at the time, couldn't figure out why his apprentice, who was indifferent to fame and wealth and devoted himself to art, and full of craftsman's spirit, suddenly valued money so much.

The more he appreciates, the more disappointed he is. Mr. Zou, who loves Chef Bao the most, has not taken the initiative to call him for a whole year.

It’s been like this for more than a year. The brothers who went abroad to search for gold with Baoyan came back one after another. At the beginning, the people who came back said that they were not good, that they couldn’t eat well and live well, and there were always people who found fault. Listen to the old man. Get angry, can't sleep in the middle of the night and drink chrysanthemum tea.

It got better later on, I heard that the apprentice found a reliable partner there, and the business gradually started, and life became much better.

Old man Zou felt at ease when he heard this, but he still proudly refused to call his apprentice and grandson who was panning for gold abroad first, he had to let him call himself first to feel at ease.

Half a year ago, Xiaodouzi told himself that Baozhen had returned to China, and Mr. Zou was waiting for his apprentice and grandson to return, but he heard that the kid went back to the northeast to manage the family property and opened a bed and breakfast.

This time the old man was willing to take the initiative to call. After all, the child came back. After the two of them chatted on video all night, Mr. Zou expressed his understanding of his apprentice and grandson's thoughts and supported him to repay the elders in his hometown.

In the days that followed, although there were thousands of mountains and rivers between them, with Xiaodouzi's super big mouth, the old man could still understand Ah Yuan's every move.

Hearing that the kid has earned more than 100 million yuan in just over a month since he opened his business, and when the homestay was so popular that it was hard to find a room in the provincial capital, the old man felt relieved and proud.

After ten years of sharpening his sword, this child finally spread his wings and soared high.

It was the first time in four years that the old man saw Chef Bao himself again. Compared with when he left, he was stronger and more mature.

Craftsmen have their own way of meeting each other. He picked up his apron from the rocking chair, and the old man said as he walked downstairs: "Ah, come and help me with the cooking, let me see if you have grown after you have been abroad for so many years." .”

Chef Bao took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves and said with a smile, "Master, you can't tell the depth of a helper. If you want to know my skills, how about you come and be my helper?"

"Hey, I really can't see it. After going out for a few years, not only have you become stronger, but your heart has also become wild. If you dare to ask me to help you cook, how dare you think, even your master dare not say such a sentence."

"Master doesn't tell me, master, please help me cook today."

"Okay, boy, you have the guts. The water tank in the kitchen is full of river fish I caught today. I'll help you cook and see what you can do. If you can't do it well, I'll let you come back and rebuild it."