Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

He Yuzhu said firmly, "Master, I'm confident. Please give me this opportunity!"

If it were yesterday, he might not have had this confidence.

But at this moment, the master-level Tan family cuisine tradition in my mind has already been fully integrated.

Tan Family Cuisine is a top-tier official cuisine that blends northern and southern styles, with extremely high requirements for ingredient preparation, cooking techniques, and seasoning.

Through this process of applying knowledge to other areas, his understanding of cooking has advanced to several levels.

Although he may not be able to reach the level of a master chef immediately, he is confident that he can handle a graduation exam with ease.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, Chen Baoguo thought to himself: Perhaps this apprentice can really bring me a surprise? Even if the restaurant is going to close down, being able to see his apprentice succeed is a pleasant thing.

"Alright!" Chen Baoguo slammed his hand on the table. "Since you're so enthusiastic, I'll set up this table for you. I'll go hang up the 'Closed' sign right now, and the kitchen is yours for today!"

"I'll go call your Uncle Zhao. We'll test your skills in a bit!" With that, Chen Baoguo immediately got up and went to the front hall.

Before long, everyone at the Emei Restaurant knew that it was closed for the day.

All the apprentices were kept behind and gathered at the kitchen entrance to watch.

"Have you heard? Sha Zhu is throwing a thank-you banquet for his teachers!"

"My God, has Sha Zhu gone mad from his father's influence?"

"Him? He's only been studying for a few years? Don't he utterly disgrace our Emei Restaurant!"

"Master Chen and Master Zhao are personally conducting the assessment; if they mess this up..."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, all eyes turning to He Yuzhu, who was making preparations.

He Yuzhu ignored the surrounding discussions and took the Shenyuan Blade, a gift from his master, out of the wooden box.

The knife feels perfectly balanced, with just the right weight.

He found a whetstone, scooped up a ladle of water, and began to sharpen his knife.

It wasn't that Chen Baoguo hadn't taken good care of the knife; rather, he was using the process of sharpening it to familiarize himself with it.

After sharpening his knife, He Yuzhu went to the warehouse. There were still plenty of ingredients left, but clearly not enough to support a complete Sichuan banquet.

After a moment's thought, he realized that the key to this teacher appreciation banquet was the "heart" behind it all, and the ability to make ordinary ingredients taste extraordinary was the crucial factor.

With a quick glance, he decided on a menu: twice-cooked pork, Kung Pao chicken, Mapo tofu, a simplified version of boiled cabbage in clear broth, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and fish with broad bean paste.

The six dishes encompass the essence of Sichuan cuisine, enough to demonstrate one's mastery of Sichuan cooking.

He Yuzhu selected the ingredients, moved them to his cutting board, and began to chop them with swift, precise strokes…

His knife skills were fast, accurate, and steady; the Chenyuan sword seemed to come alive in his hands.

Once the ingredients were prepared, he began processing them: blanching, frying, marinating, and making broth...

Although there were many steps, he remained organized and efficient.

The rising steam and flames reflected on him, giving him a subtle air of a master.

Gradually, the surrounding chatter subsided.

Everyone was captivated by He Yuzhu's smooth and skillful movements. This was no longer the silly He Yuzhu they remembered! He was clearly a seasoned chef!

A rich aroma began to fill the air...

The various complex aromas intertwined and blended, dominating the entire kitchen and making people swallow their saliva.

Even the waiters who hadn't left the front room couldn't help but crowd around the doorway, sniffing hard.

Inside the lounge, Chen Baoguo and Master Zhao calmly drank tea, but the aroma wafting in made them both restless.

"Old Chen," Master Zhao couldn't help but say, "your apprentice doesn't seem like an apprentice at all; the aroma alone is top-notch!"

Chen Baoguo was already in a state of shock and said, "This kid has probably been hiding his true abilities. Recently, his family has experienced some changes, which has forced him to reveal his real skills."

Time passed second by second, and when the last dish of Douban fish was taken out of the pot and plated, He Yuzhu straightened up and let out a long sigh of relief.

The six dishes were carefully carried into the break room by the helpers and placed on the octagonal table.

When all the dishes were served, the entire room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Baoguo and Chef Zhao walked to the table and scanned each dish. They could find no fault with it in terms of color, aroma, and shape.

The "lamp-shaped" texture of twice-cooked pork, the "saucy and glistening" sauce of Kung Pao chicken, the "lively" texture of Mapo tofu, the "clear" texture of boiled cabbage in clear broth, the "even" texture of shredded pork with garlic sauce, the "moist" texture of fish with broad bean paste...

Every single one of them is a textbook-level presentation.

"Master, Senior Uncle Zhao, please offer your critique." He Yuzhu took off his apron, walked to the table, and bowed slightly.

Chen Baoguo didn't pick up his chopsticks immediately. He fanned his nose with his hand, took a deep breath, and the layered aroma invigorated him.

He was the first to pick up his chopsticks, take a slice of twice-cooked pork, and put it in his mouth.

chew.....

silence......

Next, he tried Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, and Fish with Broad Bean Paste...

Master Zhao followed closely behind, and with each dish he tasted, his expression grew more serious, and the surprise in his eyes deepened.

The only sounds in the lounge were the faint sounds of chewing and the occasional soft clinking of chopsticks against the edge of a plate.

After a long while, Chen Baoguo slowly put down his chopsticks and looked at He Yuzhu with a very complicated expression.

"Pillar!"

"This meal is worthy!"

"From this day forward, He Yuzhu, you are my true disciple, Chen Baoguo. Wherever you go in the future, do not tarnish the reputation of our sect!"

Master Zhao slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming in admiration, "Good lad, you've really got it! Old Chen, your last disciple is extraordinary. I bet he'll have a prestigious position in Beijing someday!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu's tense nerves finally relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

The apprentices all came over and said to He Yuzhu, "Senior Brother He, congratulations!"

He Yuzhu has now completed his apprenticeship, so those of them who haven't are naturally supposed to call him senior brother.

He Yuzhu returned the greetings one by one, and was not angry because of their previous discussion.

These are all perfectly normal human reactions. After all, I wasn't doing so well before yesterday, and what they said wasn't wrong.

Chen Baoguo walked over, patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder, and said, "Pack your things and hurry back!"

He Yuzhu glanced at the person beside him, hesitated, and said, "Then when will you..., Master?"

Chen Baoguo shook his head and said, "I'll write back after I've made arrangements. Go back now!"

He Yuzhu nodded, wiped Mo Yuan clean, put it in the box, said goodbye to everyone, and left Emei Restaurant.

"This is fucking ridiculous. No wonder He Daqing had to run away in the original drama, and He Yuzhu and He Yushui were so poor that they couldn't afford to eat. It turns out that everyone who could help them ran away."

"It seems we need to put finding Lou Bancheng on the agenda; we can't just sit around doing nothing!"

He Yuzhu walked around grumbling for a while, then remembered the tailor shop from that morning. Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well go and see if the banner was done properly.