A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 573 The dove takes over the magpie's nest
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Old Man He hunched over and went into the low shack, clutching a willow whip in his hand, and began to lash out at the children lying on the large communal bed!
"Get up, all of you!"

"All you do is sleep! What a waste of food!"

The children who were chosen cried out in pain, and all the figures who had been lying on the communal bed jumped up and scattered like birds and beasts.

Old He looked at the empty dormitory bed, then put his hands behind his back and strolled out with satisfaction.

Duan Rong and his eight companions were spared the whipping because they slept in the innermost part of the room.

Old Man He strode out, and upon seeing the children standing in the yard, he glared at them and scolded, "What are you all standing there for? Go and bring out the food! After breakfast, get to work!"

When Duan Rong and the others heard that they were going to eat, their eyes lit up. They were already so hungry that they felt weak and anxious.

Several children had already gone to the kitchen and carried out a large wooden bucket and a basket covered with a cloth, placing them on a cracked and warped wooden table at the entrance of the kitchen.

The children had placed the wooden buckets and baskets down and were standing not far away, licking their lips. No one dared to move unless Old Man He gave the order.

Old Man He walked over, lifted the white cloth covering the basket, and steam rose from the mixed-grain cornbread with wild grass...

The children, who were always hungry, swallowed hard.

Old He picked up the large ladle from the wooden bucket and stirred it. As if on command, the children began to line up and walk towards Old He.

Duan Rong and the others immediately rushed into the group.

Each child scooped a bowl of thin, watery rice porridge from the wooden bucket, then grabbed two cornbread buns from the basket and scurried to the side to eat.

Duan Rong and the others received cornbread and rice porridge, and squatted down to eat.

Du Wan finished the food in no time, but his stomach was still empty. He saw the group of children next to him licking the bottom of their empty rice soup bowls.

Du Wan looked at the shiny bottom of the bowl and wanted to lick it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

At this moment, he noticed that Duan Rong still had a piece of cornbread left. He used that piece of cornbread to wipe the rice bowl clean before finally stuffing it into his mouth.

Du Wan was quite envious of this and couldn't help but mutter: "They really know how to eat!"
At this moment, Old Man He suddenly shouted, "Get up now that you've finished eating! Stop dawdling!"

The children reluctantly put their bowls back into the wooden basin. Before leaving, Du Wan couldn't resist licking the bowl clean before putting it into the basin.

The children stood in the courtyard. Old He used his willow whip to shove them into two groups, then said in a hoarse voice, "You go wash the dishes and chopsticks we brought back from the banquet last night! You go to the kitchen and prepare lunch!"

A group of children had already moved to a corner of the courtyard, where several bowls and chopsticks were piled up.

Some children headed towards the kitchen, and Duan Rong and Du Wan immediately followed them.

Just now, Old Man He separated Duan Rong and the other eight people in the middle with a shove. Duan Rong and Du Wan were assigned to the kitchen, while the other six went to wash the dishes from last night's banquet.

When Duan Rong and his group entered the kitchen, they saw a middle-aged, overweight man in his early forties standing there, counting the radishes, cabbages, potatoes, and other vegetables in front of him.

This man, named Li Gang, was the head chef of the kitchen and also considered one of Old Man He's apprentices. However, Old Man He never taught him his true skills.

Old Man He tended the small kitchen, responsible for feeding the three heads of the village.

Li Gang was in charge of the meals for the brothers in the village in the communal kitchen. It was a huge undertaking to prepare three meals a day for the hundreds of brothers in the village!

Li Gang seemed to have already counted all the food for lunch before turning around to look at the children. He glanced at Duan Rong and Du Wan.

They were new faces, and Li Gang recognized them immediately. He laughed and said, "Hey, another batch of puppies! Which village are you from?"

Duan Rong said, "From Jiang Family Village!"

Li Gang's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything more. He simply said, "Get to work! Be quick and efficient!"

The children immediately got to work, with Duan Rong and Du Wan following behind, watching what they were going to do.

The work they had to do was actually quite simple: washing and chopping vegetables. It was just that the amount was a bit large, with more than 300 mouths to feed!

Once they finished preparing the food, Li Gang would take charge of cooking in the large iron wok!

Standing on the large wok platform, using a big iron shovel as a stir-fry ladle, Li Gang really couldn't have done this job if he weren't so fat!
After starting to chop the vegetables, Duan Rong took the opportunity to go to the chopping board. When the children saw Duan Rong coming over, they didn't reject him. They handed him a kitchen knife and said, "Hurry up! If you're slow, Old Man He will see you and won't give you any food. You'll go hungry!"

Duan Rong took the cleaver and began slicing potatoes. Although he had lost all his cultivation, many martial arts techniques had already been integrated into his soul. His first few cuts were a bit clumsy, but after a few more, he was already quite skilled.

The child next to him gave Duan Rong a strange look. He had been working there for two months, but Duan Rong, who was just starting out, not only cut the pieces faster than him, but also cut them into uniform sizes, each one thin and long, just like a pro.

Duan Rong didn't care. As he was cutting, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he thought to himself: Read the spirit of the artifact.

The next moment, a data panel flashing with light appeared in front of him.

Duan Rong's eyes lit up as he looked at the panel that appeared before him. The ability to devour artifact spirits could actually be used in this divine and demonic illusion.

"Devour!" Duan Rong thought to himself, his expression unchanged.

He glanced at the various knives hanging on the wall next to the cutting board! Besides kitchen knives, there were also boning knives, cleavers, and so on. The bandits in the mountain stronghold couldn't live without meat at every meal!

Duan Rong looked at the greasy knives and, while chopping vegetables, took the opportunity to touch all the knives. The child standing next to Duan Rong, seeing this, asked, "Why are you touching those things?"

Duan Rong casually replied, "It's nothing, just taking a look around."

The child glanced at Duan Rong, but Duan Rong was much better and faster at cutting potatoes than him. He only touched the knives during a break, so he couldn't say anything!
In the courtyard, Guo Tian and Lu Chu were squatting there, their buttocks sticking out as they washed the dishes.

Several large basins of bowls, chopsticks, and plates need to be washed clean; that'll keep them busy!
Every now and then, whips would strike their backs.

Old Man He scolded, "Hurry up! If you keep dawdling, you won't get lunch!"

Old Man He paced around the children washing dishes several times, cracked his whip a few times, then went to the small kitchen for a while before strolling into the main kitchen.

When Old Man He went in, Li Gang was marinating several geese. Marinated geese would be stewed with radishes to make a hearty soup.

Old Man He strolled in, and Li Gang immediately stood up and respectfully called him Master.

Old He grunted and glanced at the goose in the wooden basin. He frowned and shook his head inwardly.

He could clearly see that the goose's feathers hadn't been properly plucked. Li Gang was always careless, which was why he was unwilling to teach him his real skills. Teaching him would be a complete waste of his own expertise!

Old Man He ignored Li Gang and turned to pace among the children who were picking vegetables.

Li Gang glanced at Old Man He's retreating figure, his eyes darkening slightly. He could sense that Old Man He disliked him. This old man had been making him cook large pot meals that required no skill and only brute strength—he was simply using him as a laborer!
Old Man He had just finished his stroll and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Duan Rong standing in front of the cutting board! Duan Rong took a few potatoes, placed them on the cutting board, and first sliced ​​them, then shredded them, his movements as smooth as flowing water, without any hesitation.

"This..." Old Man He's expression changed slightly. This knife skill was almost on par with his.

He glanced at Duan Rong's face. He was unfamiliar; he must have just arrived last night!
Old Man He walked over and stood behind Duan Rong for a while.

Duan Rong knew that Old Man He was already standing behind him, but he remained unmoved and continued chopping vegetables.

"Kid, stop for a second!" Old Man He suddenly said.

Duan Rong pretended not to hear, continuing to wield the cleaver, making a soft, rhythmic tapping sound on the cutting board.

Just then, Li Gang came over, patted Duan Rong on the shoulder, and said, "Kid, Old He is calling you!"

Duan Rong then exclaimed "Ah!" and turned his head.

Old Man He looked at Duan Rong and said, "Your swordsmanship is quite good!"

Duan Rong feigned naivety and said, "I learned it from my father! Whenever there are weddings or funerals in the surrounding villages, my father would cook, and I would assist him."

"Really?" Old He chuckled and asked, "Can you debone it?"

Duan Rong said, "Of course! My father taught me that you have to be very clear about how to debone and slice meat, otherwise you won't do the job well and you'll just be wasting things."

A seven or eight-year-old child speaking these words with considerable confidence.

Old Man He asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Duan Rong!"

"Come with me to the small kitchen!" Old He said, and then strode out of the kitchen.

Duan Rong was still standing there, dumbfounded.

Li Gang glared at him strangely and said, "Old He is calling you! Hurry up and go!"

Duan Rong immediately put down the kitchen knife, ran out, and caught up with Old Man He, who had already reached the center of the courtyard.

Guo Tian, ​​Lu Chu, and the others were washing dishes in the courtyard when they suddenly saw Duan Rong run out of the kitchen and immediately looked at him.

Lu Chu whispered, "What is Duan Rong doing?"

"I don't know?!" Although Guo Tian had turned into a seven or eight-year-old child, his manner of speaking still carried an air of premature maturity.

After watching for a while, their expressions changed slightly.

Duan Rong followed Old Man He into a room in the courtyard.

Although they had been washing dishes there the whole time, as soon as Old Man He left, the children would start whispering and gossiping.

Guo Tian and Lu Chu already knew that the place Duan Rong had just followed Old Man He into was the small kitchen!

That place is a highly confidential area within this compound! Even Li Gang, the head chef of the main kitchen, cannot enter or leave freely!
Lu Chu said, "It seems Duan Rong went into the small kitchen?"

Guo Tian stared at that spot with a flickering gaze, remaining silent, lost in thought.

The moment Duan Rong stepped into the small kitchen, he was slightly taken aback. It was surprisingly clean and tidy, completely unlike the messy and dirty typical kitchens.

Moreover, at the other end of the kitchen, there was a black curtain hanging, and a thumping sound came from behind it.

Old Man He walked behind the stove and suddenly, with a whoosh, pulled open a black cloth curtain!
Inside, against the high chopping board against the wall, stood a child about his height, chopping meat on a stool.

Old Man He said, "This black cloth curtain can block the cooking fumes from outside, so as not to dirty the ingredients! Besides skill, the most important thing in cooking is the freshness of the ingredients, and also proper handling!"

"Come here! Show me how you chop meat!" Old He said, putting down another cutting board that was leaning against it, taking a meat cleaver, picking up a piece of beef that was quite difficult to chop, and throwing it on the cutting board.

Duan Rong carried over a small stool, put it down, and stood on it. He glanced at the beef and asked, "What are you doing chopping meat?"

Old Man He said, "I added vermicelli to the steamed beef buns."

Duan Rong said, "Then we'll have to chop it into minced meat!"

Old Man He said, "That's right, the more finely chopped, the better!"

After saying this, Old Man He fell silent, simply standing there waiting to see how Duan Rong would act.

Duan Rong did not rush to use the knife. Instead, he carefully observed the texture of the beef on the cutting board before carefully pulling the beef into strips of uneven size.

Some were big, some were small, and they were piled up on the cutting board, looking messy!

The child chopping beef nearby was named Wang Long. He chuckled when he saw Duan Rong doing this. However, he didn't notice that Old Man He, standing to the side, had already shown a look of extreme interest in his eyes.

Duan Rong spent some time slicing the large piece of beef into oddly shaped strips before chopping it up!

The cleaver moved rhythmically across the cutting board! Duan Rong's slender wrist gripped the large cleaver with seemingly effortless ease!
Wang Long's expression finally changed! Duan Rong was clearly a veteran!

Duan Rong used skillful force; once the rhythm of his knife movements began, it had entered a kind of cadence!
When a knife hits the cutting board, it has a rebound force. However, most people can't control it well and will use their wrist to counteract part of this rebound force. Duan Rong, on the other hand, can skillfully control it and use this rebound force to steadily bounce the meat cleaver up!

Then, the meat cleaver, after springing up, fell back down under its own weight, and Duan Rong simply flicked it back and forth, as if pressing a switch.

However, that kind of rhythm and delicate, exquisite control is something that ordinary people cannot achieve!
A seven or eight-year-old child would have a hard time chopping beef, but Duan Rong's cleaver was flashing and jumping up and down, and his slender wrist moved with the cleaver, as if the cleaver was not holding the cleaver, but rather the cleaver was moving his wrist.

That's almost unbelievable!
Old Man He glanced at Duan Rong's back and thought to himself: This kid is a genius in swordsmanship!

In about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Duan Rong had already chopped the meat into minced pieces! The meat was minced into tiny pieces!
Wang Long's piece of beef was almost the same size, and he had chopped it for quite a while before Duan Rong. Compared to the minced meat that Duan Rong had chopped, his piece wasn't even a semi-finished product.

Old He coughed and said, "Wang Long, go back to the main kitchen. You don't need to come to the small kitchen anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Long's face turned deathly pale.

The young man who helped Old Man He in the small kitchen contracted a carbuncle a few days ago, which festered and caused a fever, and he died. That's why Old Man He chose Wang Long from the main kitchen to help out!

For the past few days, Wang Long had been smug, because working in the small kitchen meant he got meat with every meal! Even his burps smelled delicious, and he slept without any itching. But his smugness only lasted a few days before someone came and usurped his place!?
(End of this chapter)