Chapter 186 The Great Elder Has His Eyes on Him

"Master Wang, your level is higher than mine, and you are so generous. You teach others without reservation and pass on your skills to others. You really have the demeanor of a master..."

Chef Cheng sighed, "Compared to you, I feel I am really far behind. My understanding of dishes is not as good as yours, and I am reluctant to teach my specialties to others. I am really ashamed."

"Master Cheng, you're welcome."

Wang Jianye smiled and responded.

For him, there are more than 60 dishes of state banquet level, all of which are his specialties and there is no shortage of them.

It is understandable that Master Cheng, who has developed his signature dishes through years of hard work and practice, is less in number and takes longer to make than Wang Jianye's, so he is reluctant to teach them to others easily.

"By the way, Master Wang, how many apprentices do you have now? Are you willing to accept more?" Master Cheng asked again: "It's like this, my youngest son is fifteen years old this year, and he has been practicing basic skills with me since he was eight years old. Now he is doing pretty well. He is about the age to find a proper master for him, so I want this child to worship you as his master."

According to the old rules for learning a craft, a son cannot recognize his biological father as his master, because the father is unwilling to beat or scold him. It is not easy to become a talent, so he has to worship another master as his master. After all, the master is not his own son, so he can beat or scold him, and the apprentice has to bear it obediently.

For example, Xiao Guo in the crosstalk world, he took Teacher Yu as his master, and Teacher Yu’s son Guo Xiaobao, um, no, it’s Yu Xiaobao, took Old Guo as his master. The two families shared what they had, and it could be considered an exchange of hostages.

"Then find an opportunity and bring it here for me to take a look."

Of course Wang Jianye is willing to accept apprentices. He currently only has six apprentices, which means he is four short of the limit of ten apprentices he can accept in Fengze Garden.

The more apprentices he has, the more experience points he gains as a master every day, and the faster he progresses.

"Great, I'll bring the boy to you this afternoon." Master Cheng was happy to see Wang Jianye agree to it, and he found a good master for his son. "Master Wang, if you accept this boy as your apprentice, don't worry about my opinion. Just teach him as you should. If he doesn't listen, just beat him hard. I won't interfere."

At eleven o'clock in the morning, Master Cheng returned to the kitchen of Xiyuan Canteen, tied on an apron and started to cook lunch.

The daily menu was sent to him by others, and he was only responsible for preparing it. There was one meat and one vegetable, and one of the dishes happened to be spicy diced chicken.

He had just received improvements on this dish from Wang Jianye of Fengze Garden this morning, and it was now ready for a state banquet. Chef Cheng was very happy. "In addition to braised pork and fish, the leader also likes this dish. It's just that my previous cooking was not good enough. This time, with the guidance of Chef Wang, my cooking has improved a lot. The leader will probably be very happy after eating it."

Soon, Master Cheng prepared three dishes and a soup, and the leader's assistant brought the dishes to the table in the leader's room. "Master Cheng has prepared the food, please enjoy."

"Oh? Oh okay."

The big boss put down the information in his hand, walked towards the dining table, and looked at the dishes on the table. "There is spicy chicken today, it looks very tempting."

After picking up the chopsticks and taking a bite, the big boss asked the assistant next to him in surprise, "Is this spicy chicken made by Master Cheng?"

"Master Cheng did it." The assistant answered honestly.

The big boss took another bite and nodded with satisfaction, "Well done, much better than before."

The boss then asked his assistant to call Master Cheng over and asked him how he made the dish and why it tasted so much better than before.

"I went to Fengze Garden this morning and learned how to make it from Master Wang there." "Master Wang? He's particularly good at making this spicy chicken?"

The big boss asked curiously.

Master Cheng nodded, "In addition to this spicy chicken, Master Wang has many other specialties, such as the braised pork I made for you before, which was improved after consulting Master Wang."

"I was wondering, the braised pork you made last time, Master Cheng, was so fragrant and better than any other time. It turns out you must have asked an expert for advice." The big boss smiled. He had just eaten a piece of chili from the spicy chicken, which was sizzling and very enjoyable.

Master Cheng continued, "Yes, and in addition to asking Master Wang for advice on the spicy chicken dish this morning, I also asked him about the braised pork. Next time I make braised pork for you, I will definitely make some progress."

"Oh? Then I look forward to you making it for me next time, Master Cheng, to test your learning results."

After Master Cheng left, the senior leader ate the spicy diced chicken made by Master Cheng, and thought of Master Wang whom Master Cheng had consulted. "Even Master Cheng had to ask Master Wang for advice... When you invite guests to dinner in a few days, let's go to Fengze Garden to taste Master Wang's cooking skills."

……

Wang Jianye didn't know yet that he was already being targeted by someone.

At this moment, he was sitting in front of the stove, busy cooking.

Today, just like in previous years, many customers ordered his signature dishes. His apprentice Chen Xiaoyang helped to sort out the orders sent by the waiters, prepare side dishes, get plates, call the waiters, etc.

By 1:30 p.m., there were fewer guests coming to Fengze Garden for dinner, so the kitchen was a little less busy.

Wang Jianye took the enamel cup handed to him by Chen Xiaoyang, took a sip of the tea at just the right temperature, and moistened his throat.

Being a chef is not easy. You have to face the smoke and fire all day long and stand for three or four hours at a time. It's not so bad in winter because it's warm, but in a few months when summer comes, there are so many stoves in the kitchen and the fires are burning very strongly, and the temperature is very high. People with poor physical fitness may faint from the heat.

But making money is hard work. Now he is the head chef and he only needs to make the signature dishes and then he can rest. Unlike the apprentices who have to do miscellaneous work without a break.

In the afternoon, Master Cheng brought a young man to Fengze Garden. He looked very grateful. If it weren't for the need to keep it confidential, he would have wanted to tell Wang Jianye how happy and pleased the big boss was after eating his meal.

"Master Wang, he is my youngest son, Cheng Jie."

Master Cheng brought the somewhat reluctant Cheng Jie to Wang Jianye.

Cheng Jie looked at the man in front of him, and was surprised to think that he was so young. He looked only a few years older than me. Why did my father choose him to be my master? Can he be reliable...

"say something."

Seeing Cheng Jie in a daze, Master Cheng reminded him.

Cheng Jie quickly said, "Hello, Master Wang."

(End of this chapter)