Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

Chapter 11 Getting on the Stove

After leaving the fabric store, seeing that it was almost time, Sha Zhu headed towards Fengzeyuan, taking the opportunity along the way to switch out his backpack and carry it on his back.

Inside were two bottles of white wine, two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes, and a pastry.

After thinking for a moment, he added a bottle of Fenjiu liquor. These were all for learning martial arts and becoming an apprentice. One of the bottles was to offer as a token of respect to his culinary master so he could satisfy his craving.

Arriving at the main gate of Fengzeyuan, Shazhu immediately spotted the man riding a bicycle towards them.

After waiting a while, and seeing the man lock the bicycle under the gatehouse, I went up to say hello.

"Master," Master Wang Yijun asked, "Hmm, you went out to buy these things so early in the morning, and you even bought a new bag."

"It's not that the stuff was inconvenient to carry, I just bought a bag while I was at it," Sha Zhu quickly replied.

"What did you buy? Let me see," the man said. His hands didn't stop moving as he took the backpack and opened it to inspect it.

"Wow, top-grade Lotus White liquor, Fenjiu, why three bottles?" The chef glanced at the cigarettes and pastries but didn't say anything.

"I just bought an extra bottle for you to enjoy, Master. I didn't know what kind of liquor you liked. Usually when I visit your home, you drink bulk Erguotou. Master, pick one for yourself," Sha Zhu said.

"What are you picking and choosing? How can I choose? I'll just pick a bottle of Lotus White. These two different bottles of wine don't look good as gifts. Alright, I'll take Fenjiu. You should put your backpack in the dormitory area first," Master Shazhu said angrily, then grabbed a bottle of Fenjiu and headed to the kitchen.

Sha Zhu found his master's expression somewhat amusing. He wasn't annoyed; these two bottles of Lotus White and Fenjiu were roughly the same price, and Sha Zhu knew his master's temperament well enough.

After putting his backpack down in the dormitory, Sha Zhu went to the kitchen. He immediately noticed that the chef was holding a drinking glass.

He looked completely absorbed, seemingly enjoying the Fenjiu liquor that had been brought over. Wang Yijun squinted at Sha Zhu as he approached, then immediately widened his eyes.

"Shazhu, today you go and replace your second senior brother. Go to the third stove and let your second senior brother rest. He can come and help me."

"Huh? Master, am I good enough?" Sha Zhu instinctively wanted to hide his shortcomings and didn't want to cook.

The kitchen was already unbearably hot, and cooking by the big stove for a while would leave you drenched in sweat and feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over.

"If I tell you to go, then hurry up and go. What are you fussing about? With me here guarding the place, what are you afraid of?" "Alright," there was nothing Sha Zhu could do now that things had come to this.

He then walked towards his second senior brother. Master Wang Yijun, nicknamed "Silly Pillar," had a total of three disciples. His eldest senior brother, Wang Lecheng, was his eldest son, and he had just gotten married at the beginning of this year.

The youngest son, Wang Lexin, is about the same age as Shazhu and is still in school. There is also a young daughter in elementary school, who is picked up and dropped off by her teacher's wife, Li Cuilan, every day.

The second senior brother, Baishishan, truly deserves the title, although he's a little less impressive than the second senior brother, Zhu Bajie.

But they weren't that different. The second brother was always laughing, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a big belly.

It's quite remarkable to grow up like this in this day and age; it seems the second brother (referring to a character from Journey to the West) has been stealing quite a bit of food.

At this moment, the second senior brother was sitting on the side resting. When he saw Sha Zhu coming over, he hurriedly asked, "Zhu Zi, I just saw Master carrying a bottle of Fenjiu. Where did it come from?"

"Second Brother, you have a sharp eye. That was a gift for Master. I wanted to try cooking, so I bought Master a bottle of wine."

"Oh dear, oh dear, Zhu Zi, buying wine for Master is such a waste! You should have just bought it for us brothers to drink. How could I, your senior brother, not let you cook? Look, once Master gets the wine, we won't get a single sip. Zhu Zi, I can't even begin to explain. Why didn't you ask your second senior brother for help? Why bother Master? Let me tell you, from now on, if you need anything, you must come to me first. No matter what it is, I'll take care of it perfectly." The second senior brother, Bai Shishan, looked regretful for not getting any wine, and began lecturing the simple-minded Zhu Zi.

Sha Zhu thought to himself that giving it to him wasn't a waste. He also knew that his second senior brother liked this kind of drink, and that he wasn't a bad person; if he had ulterior motives, Master wouldn't have accepted him as a disciple.

The second senior apprentice had worked odd jobs at Fengzeyuan for many years. He was diligent, observant, and persistent, which finally caught the master's eye and made him his apprentice.

He diligently studied under his master for two years and became a chef in no time. Keep in mind that back then, the saying "three years of apprenticeship, two years of service" was no joke.

An apprentice can't learn a skill without following his master for five or six years.

This allowed him to leapfrog his class from apprentice to become a chef in the kitchen, a feat that made many apprentices envious at the time.

The second senior brother didn't show off, but secretly rejoiced in his heart.

"Senior brother, want to drink Fenjiu? That's easy. I'll treat you tomorrow. Don't complain, Master wants you to come and assist him."

"Really? Don't lie to me. I won't go back after get off work tomorrow. I'll come to your dorm for drinks, it's a deal." The second senior brother was only thinking about getting drinks.

“Really,” Shazhu said.

“What did you just say, asking me to go and help the master? Are you really going to work in the kitchen? It’s like a steamer in here. The master’s job is much easier and less work, especially in this heat. Zhu Zi, you’re just asking for trouble.”

Sha Zhu thought to himself, "Do you think I want to?" He said, "Senior brother, it's just that I feel I've learned enough from Master, so I'm just practicing."

"Alright, then I'll leave this to you. I'm going to see if I can sneak a couple of drinks with Master. If you can't handle it, come and call me." The second senior brother sat up abruptly and walked towards Master.

Sha Zhu quickly put on his chef's uniform and did some preparations, though he was confident he could cook without any problems.

But it's my first time anyway. I won't be able to focus on anything else once I get busy.

Chef Sanzao's work area was set up in a corner of the back kitchen. His main responsibility was to stir-fry simple dishes and soups, but in large quantities.

They have to cook each dish individually, and when things get busy, there's hardly any time to rest.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, the first batch of customers arrived one after another. Orders were sent to the kitchen by the waiters like snowflakes, and shouts rose and fell. Sha Zhu also got busy.

His effortless demeanor drew frequent glances and envious looks from the waiters. Master Wang was truly dedicated to teaching his apprentices; they were already cooking in just two years.

I wonder if Master Wang still takes on apprentices. If Sha Zhu knew what his waiter was thinking, he'd definitely spit in his face. What a pipe dream! I've been flipping woks since I was seven or eight years old.

I've been practicing cooking for seven or eight years now. Although at home I usually just stir-fry potatoes and cabbage.

Sha Zhu was quick, but to hide his shortcomings and avoid attracting attention, and not to tarnish his master's reputation, he deliberately made the dishes a little better than his second senior brother's, just enough to pass muster.

Those discerning customers will tell the lobby manager to specifically order dishes made by the head chef.

As dish after dish was served, the waiters carried them away. At the main entrance, Chef Shazhu stood guard, ensuring the quality of the food.

If it's not up to standard, the waiter will put it on a table to the side.

Fortunately, I tried several dishes made by Sha Zhu and there were no problems. I wasn't disappointed. I was just wondering why they weren't as good as yesterday's.

Is this Zhu Zi's normal level? Yesterday was an exceptional performance, a lucky break.

The manager, who was specifically there to sample the dishes, asked, "Old Wang, you sent your young apprentice to the third kitchen, so why is he here today? Judging from your puzzled expression, is there a problem?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just worried he might cause problems, so I was checking him out."

The lobby manager picked up a pair of special chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce, and tasted it.

He said, "The taste is alright, more than enough for three stoves. You go ahead and do your work, I'll keep an eye on things here for you, there won't be any problems."