Chapter 394: Grand Disciple Ceremony
Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
Wu Zhou took Martin to the neighboring western restaurant for lunch, with which Martin was very satisfied. After all, Li Li's culinary skills were extraordinarily wonderful.
"Surprisingly, I can even eat such an authentic steak over here. It's sooo good. Thank you, Zhou," Martin said with satisfaction.
"Thank you for your recognition." Before Wu Zhou could say anything, the waitress beside them smiled and said.
"Actually, the Swedish Meatballs or White Wine Mussels cooked in that restaurant are also all top-notch delicacies. Of course, there's also the Roasted Pork. These are also foreign dishes." Wu Zhou said without a trace.
"But I don't believe that." Martin shrugged.
"Ok. It's time to go. Have you finished?" Wu Zhou didn't insist, but turned to ask him.
"Ok. Let's go." Martin nodded his head.
"Di Di Da Da, Di Di Da Da"
A sound of trumpets and the drums being played came to their ears.
"It's so boisterous today. Zhou, is it a festival today?" Martin pointed at the line outside that acted as if they were to welcome the bride of a wedding and asked.
"No, it shouldn't be." Even Wu Zhou hesitated slightly.
The procession in front of them was, surprisingly, a team performing the dragon and lion dance, which appeared mighty and domineering.
"Let's have a look. It looks fairly interesting." Martin got very excited upon seeing that. He took out his phone and prepared to take pictures.
"Ok." Wu Zhou was quite interested in the procession that stayed at the door of Yuan Zhou's restaurant. Hearing that, he agreed to stay and watch conveniently.
"Boss Yuan, Master Yuan. Could you please come out for a moment?" The one standing in the front of the procession was obviously Master Cheng that had been refused half a month ago.
When Master Cheng specially came for a visit at that time, he was refused flatly by Yuan Zhou. When he wanted to have a meal there, he was told that he had to line up. After he lined up helplessly and then finished the meal, he made up his mind to try again.
What a joke! The dishes of Yuan Zhou's restaurant were even tastier than those cooked in the contest. The craftsmanship and ingredients were simply what all chefs longed for. If only he succeeded in taking him as his teacher, he could use such ingredients to practice his craft.
"What a sin! I should practice with some inferior ones and formally cook only with Boss Yuan's ingredients. How wonderful it would be!" Master Cheng muttered inwardly.
Then, he made up his mind and came over here instantly.
"My restaurant will be open for business in five minutes. Could you please make some room for my customers?" Yuan Zhou didn't intend to come out to watch when he heard the ruckus. But when he heard Master Cheng's words, he was unable to bear it and thus came out of the door solemnly.
"Listen to Master Yuan. Everybody, please step aside and make some room for Boss Yuan." Master Cheng turned his head and said immediately.
"If you come to have meals, you'll receive an extremely cordial welcome. If it's about other things, there is no need to speak." Seeing them step aside, Yuan Zhou immediately said that.
"Master Yuan, please look at this." Master Cheng handed his legible letter to Yuan Zhou.
Master Cheng appeared much older than Yuan Zhou, about 30 years old, but he respected Yuan Zhou very much.
"Thank you. But what I told you last time remains the same this time and I don't want to say it again." Yuan Zhou said indifferently without any other mood.
Of course, he was actually quite happy inwardly. Being respected in this way was both about prestige and affirmation of his culinary skills.
However, Yuan Zhou didn't really think his craftsmanship was good enough to receive any disciples.
He would rather receive a girl to be his apprentice than a man. As the old saying goes, men and women wouldn't feel tired if they worked together.
"Boss Yuan, could you please check it?" Master Cheng had made up his mind this time, thus he carried the letter persistently.
"Even if I check it, it won't change the result. Besides, we are all chefs." Yuan Zhou received the letter.
"Since you are more capable than me, you are my teacher even though I have been working as a chef for a longer time." Master Cheng said cleanly.
Yuan Zhou didn't answer him but instead, opened the letter in public.
"Head chef, do you think that young boss will agree?" There was a manner of great interest shown on the face of the chief chef.
"No, he won't. That guy is much too prideful." Li Li said affirmatively.
"He's indeed much too arrogant. He doesn't even respect us." The chief chef humphed and agreed to the comments given by Li Li.
However, what Li Li intended to say was contrary to the word "arrogant" mentioned by the chief chef.
"Boss Yuan is so awesome! Someone even came to pay their respects to him as his teacher." Seeing the ruckus, a customer also said proudly.
"Of course. Boss Yuan's craftsmanship is needless to say." Others echoed and complimented.
"This person has been here once, but he was refused by Boss Yuan last time." Another customer said mysteriously.
"Really? Why didn't I know that?" Other customers surrounded the one that seemed to know more and asked him curiously.
"It was more than ten days ago. This person is said to be some sort of certified master, the kind that is originally quite awesome." A customer pointed at Master Cheng and said.
"Still not so awesome as Boss Yuan." Other customers said one after another.
"Of course I know he's not as awesome as Boss Yuan. Otherwise, how is it possible for him to come here and pay his respects to Yuan Zhou as his teacher?" It was still the same customer.
"Let me tell you..." This customer started to describe the matter of paying respects to Yuan Zhou last time.
Having watched the scene, Martin and Wu Zhou were also talking over that.
"What does that man mean?" Martin pointed at the letter being held by Master Cheng and asked.
"That person wanted to pay his respects to Boss Yuan as his teacher, but he was refused." While Wu Zhou was speaking of that, there was a prideful feeling in his tone.
Just like those customers, it was a sort of acknowledgment when one's favorite thing was also liked by others.
"Why did he refuse that person?" Martin asked with puzzlement.
"Because Boss Yuan is a low-profile and modest man." Wu Zhou said earnestly.
"Maybe." Martin shrugged. Yuan Zhou didn't leave him a good impression.
However, he liked watching the situation very much.
The letter was written with the writing brush and was naturally about his desire to be taken as a disciple. Nevertheless, the signature was Zhou Shijie, the chairman of the China Chefs' Alliance.
"I really have nothing to teach you." Yuan Zhou received the letter and said earnestly while looking at Master Cheng.
Master Cheng didn't give up. On second thought, he said straightforwardly, "I can follow you and even do some chores."
"You can follow me, but you can't get into my kitchen." Yuan Zhou said directly.
"Although I can't cook as well as Boss Yuan, the preparatory work is nevertheless... Ok, no problem." Master Cheng had prepared to say he could do the preparatory work. Then, he thought of the traumatic experience of being slapped in the face and hence stopped saying more and then accepted that.
"That way, I'm not your teacher, so you don't need to call me teacher, either. And you still need to line up if you want to eat here." Yuan Zhou pointed at the line over there and said.
"Alright. Don't worry, Master Yuan." Master Cheng was satisfied with the result that he could follow him at any time.
Otherwise, he would have no justification to come here every day to watch Yuan Zhou cook, which would sound as if he was stealing something. Master Cheng indicated that he was also a prideful master.
Sometime, Yuan Zhou would doubt if he and the system had any thoughts in common. For example, the situation now.
Yuan Zhou had been unsatisfied with his current culinary skills ever since he cooked the Vegetable Stir-fried With Mushrooms. Yet, just now, the system gave him a new and interesting mission again.
...