THE GAME OF LIFE

Chapter 740: Chapter 739 Just Eat

Zhou Shi, even with his slow reactions, realized something was amiss, let alone that he was not a slow-witted person by nature.

Zhou Shi glanced at the cold sea cucumber salad on the table, then at Peng Changping, back at the sea cucumber salad, and again at Peng Changping, his gaze shifting repeatedly between the two, his face expressionless, but his heart was already in turmoil, as if rivers were overturning and mountains were collapsing.

Who in the world is he?

Zhou Shi didn’t understand why his cold sea cucumber salad would appear on the table next to him, nor why Sun Maochai, who clearly wanted to eat the cold sea cucumber salad, hadn’t touched it after such a long time, as if it remained untouched.

Jiang Feng and Sun Maochai were deceiving him, but why would Jiang Feng and Sun Maochai want to deceive him?

And what could be so important that it warranted Sun Maochai himself to stage a play and trick others?

Zhou Shi looked at Peng Changping, but in fact, he already had a name in mind.

No matter how impossible or unimaginable it seemed, when all the keywords—elderly man, Yonghe House, Sun Maochai—were combined, that incredible name was almost ready to leap out.

How does that saying go? Eliminate all the impossibilities, and whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

“Zhou Shi, Zhou Shi, what’s wrong with you?” Tao Shu nudged Zhou Shi, not noticing the shock inside Zhou Shi but seeing that he was daydreaming. And he was doing so in a very rude manner, staring blankly at the elderly man at the next table, whom he didn’t recognize but Zhou Shi seemed to know.

“Quiet,” Zhou Shi said with a stern face, and Tao Shu immediately shut up, not daring to speak or touch Zhou Shi. Instead, curious, he joined Zhou Shi in staring at Peng Changping.

Peng Changping was calmly eating his cold sea cucumber salad.

As if not noticing the gazes of Zhou Shi and Tao Shu, he was unruffled, chewing carefully, eating one bite after another—a second, a third—before putting down his chopsticks after several bites.

Peng Changping cleared his throat and took a sip of water.

He moved; he turned his head and met Zhou Shi’s gaze.

Peng Changping smiled at Zhou Shi.

“May I ask a few questions?” inquired Peng Changping.

“Yes?”

“Actually, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation just now, it was really quite coincidental. And then… I heard quite a lot,” apologized Peng Changping with a smile, “Do you like restaurants?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you resign and go back to your hometown to open a small restaurant? Jiang Feng told me you were doing quite well at Taifeng Building, and the salary and treatment were decent,” Peng Changping was no longer playing his role at this point.

“I always felt that after spending so many years away from home, alone, without any relatives or friends around, it was better to save some money, go back to my hometown, and open a shop. At least I could spend more time with my parents and stay rooted there,” Zhou Shi spoke honestly.

“At that time, it seems you don’t think that way now,” Peng Changping caught the key word.

Zhou Shi nodded, “After I opened a shop back home, I realized things weren’t the way I thought they would be.”

“What’s different?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, I just feel uneasy,” Zhou Shi pondered, “Actually, running my own restaurant back home keeps me busy and tired, but the money is good and there’s freedom, nothing bad about that. However, I always felt uneasy, less happy than when I was in Beiping. I felt like I was wasting my life, not improving my culinary skills, living a monotonous, repetitive existence every day.”

“But the life you lived in Beiping was probably similar, wasn’t it? Isn’t that how everyone lives? Work, rest, go to and from work—what’s different?” Peng Changping asked with a smile.

Zhou Shi shook his head, “It’s different, I can’t explain why, but it’s just different.”

Peng Changping revealed a clear smile, turned his head towards Lu Sheng, and said, “I told you, I have a connection with this lad.”

Lu Sheng: …

Well, as long as you’re happy.

“You should have guessed who I am, right?” Peng Changping looked at Zhou Shi.

“I’ve probably guessed it,” Zhou Shi said with some difficulty, “Why did you want to…”

“I want to take in a disciple,” Peng Changping interrupted Zhou Shi, “I’m getting old. I don’t have the energy or patience to train a disciple from scratch. I want to find someone with solid basics, preferably with decent culinary skills, who doesn’t need me to fuel them but to add finishing touches as their disciple.”

“Honestly, this thought never crossed my mind before. It only appeared a couple of days ago. And just as this idea emerged, I met you. At first, I just thought you were an interesting young man and wanted to have a little fun with you. Then yesterday, I happened to meet Jiang Feng, and when he told me about your situation, it really moved me.”

“We chefs at our age value fate when it comes to taking in disciples. Talent isn’t that important, it’s all about fate. So I asked Jiang Feng to trick you into preparing the dish without your knowledge. Don’t be angry; I just wanted to see if there was that connection between us through food.”

Zhou Shi felt as if he was having difficulty breathing. He understood what Peng Changping was saying, yet he somehow felt like he didn’t fully grasp it. He refrained from taking deep breaths to avoid discomfort, holding it in until he felt slightly dizzy.

Tao Shu, on the other hand, listened intently.

He didn’t quite understand who the old man was, but he guessed that he must be an impressive figure and wanted to take Zhou Shi as his disciple. He wished he could shake Zhou Shi’s arm vigorously to snap him out of it, especially not to act foolishly at such a critical moment.

Tao Shu wished he could shout in Zhou Shi’s ear: You’ve already missed out on Master Qiu, don’t miss out on the next one.

What are you hesitating for, hurry up and call him master.

Zhou Shi hesitated at this critical moment, or more accurately, he was a bit scared.

All he originally wanted was to simply be a fan, to perhaps have a serendipitous encounter and exchange a few words with his idol, and then he would have been contented to return to his hometown to continue running his shop.

But now his idol was saying to him, “Lad, I think you have extraordinary potential and our destiny is intertwined. How about becoming my final disciple?”

Zhou Shi swore that although he had fantasized about becoming Peng Changping’s disciple in his younger days, it was truly just a youthful dream. Over the years, he had never even dreamt of such a scenario unfolding.

“I… I might…” Zhou Shi rarely exhibited such an expression.

Peng Changping saw at a glance what he was hesitant and worried about, “Do you feel that you didn’t formally learn from a master, and that most of your cooking skills were sneakily acquired and therefore dishonorable, so… you feel embarrassed?”

Zhou Shi remained silent, which was as good as an admission.

“Do you know why I said you and I are fated? When I heard you chatting with your friend just now, I thought you were very much like my sister disciple. But when I asked you questions later, I realized you’re actually quite different from my sister disciple, yet you and I are cut from the same cloth,” Peng Changping’s smile faded. “You don’t realize why you felt uncomfortable and out of place after returning to your hometown, but I know why, because you, like me, are an ambitious person. A life of ease doesn’t suit you; what you need is a place that will allow you to grow and progress, not a spot to retire, relax, and make money.”

“When I chose to go abroad, it was because I wanted to see if the moon was really rounder overseas and how high-end Western cuisine really was. And indeed, the moon was the same, the dishes were the same; there was no distinction between high and low, rich and poor, just different cuisines.”

“You should know that besides having a junior brother, I also have a sister disciple, right?”

Zhou Shi nodded.

“My sister disciple was a genius. What ordinary people would need one or two years to master, she could do in half a year. She could replicate any dish roughly if it was just prepared in front of her once. I was more than 10 years older than her, but when she left Beiping, I conceded that my cooking skills were inferior to hers.”

“But do you also know why such a genius initially chose to become a disciple to my father?”

“Why?”

“Because my sister disciple wanted to eat her fill, she wanted to eat tasty food.”

The three listeners who were seriously hearing the story: ???

“My sister disciple’s family had three children, and her brother was several years younger than her. Only her father worked, while her mother could only do odd jobs, making their life very tough. Ever since her brother was born, they couldn’t afford tasty food anymore, but my sister disciple was especially fond of good food.”

“My sister disciple started helping her mother cook at a very young age. When she realized that the food she prepared in a short time tasted better than her mother’s, she felt she had a gift for cooking, and she made her way to Yonghe House. It sounded like a child’s playful boast, then she became a disciple of my father and my junior sister disciple.”

“Do you know why among so many restaurants in Beiping at that time, my sister disciple specifically chose Yonghe House?”

“Why?” Zhou Shi asked.

“Because she heard from others that the dishes at Yonghe were delicious, and they were all meat dishes; she wanted to eat meat. She thought if she could become an apprentice to a great chef, even doing odd jobs in the kitchen would let her scrape together some leftovers to enjoy tasty food.”

Zhou Shi: ???

“So when I just heard you say you apprenticed yourself for the sake of earning more money, I felt that you and my sister disciple were somewhat alike,” Peng Changping took a sip of water, “How you started isn’t important; learning to cook is an arduous, enduring task that tests patience and talent. Without a master’s guidance and coming from the backstreets, you managed to create such dishes, which exactly proves that you qualify to be my disciple.”

“So I want to ask you, are you willing?”

Zhou Shi was actually still hesitant, mainly because he felt that this whole affair was too surreal, but while his brain wavered, his mouth was very decisive, and reacted impulsively.

“I am willing!”

Tao Shu almost burst into applause in his excitement.

Peng Changping, pleased, turned to glance at Lu Sheng, as if to show off: “See, I’ve already taken in my disciple, haven’t I?”

Lu Sheng: …

As long as you’re happy.

Having taken in a disciple, Peng Changping felt as if he had suddenly become 20 years younger, instantly turning into an 80-year-old man the same age as Jiang Weiguo: “He is Lu Sheng, the current owner of Yonghe House. If you have any problems in your daily life, you can rely on him for help. First, you should look for a house, find one near Yonghe House. Once you’ve settled your living situation, let me know and come to Yonghe House to learn cooking from me.”

“Ah, it’s a shame right now I don’t have many friends in Beiping. Zhang Chu has gone back, and taking a disciple is a matter worth celebrating with a banquet. Let’s do this, find a time to mention it to Xu Cheng, ask him to come for a meal, and bring along Jiang Feng. Let me think, who else… Call Sun Maochai too, I’ve never had a meal with him. This is your friend, right? Since it’s a matter of fate, he should come too,” Peng Changping was already considering the follow-up arrangements.

Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives; Xu Cheng and Han Guishan were dining at Taifeng Building today. Through Jiang Feng’s WeChat, by some not very legitimate means, they managed to reserve Chicken Tofu Blossom and Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon and were just coming down from the second floor, looking quite satisfied.

Xu Cheng, who was discussing with Han Guishan when they would next enjoy Chicken Tofu Blossom, spotted Peng Changping in an instant and hurried over to greet him.

“Master Peng, what a coincidence that you’re dining at Taifeng Building too. Oh, and Mr. Lu is here as well,” Xu Cheng couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Shi and Tao Shu, and noticed two young faces he didn’t recognize.

“This is my newly taken junior disciple, named Zhou Shi,” Peng Changping introduced.

Xu Cheng: ?

Junior disciple?

Exclusive disciple?!

Xu Cheng stared at Zhou Shi for a while, and felt he looked somewhat familiar, like he had seen him somewhere before.

“Hello,” Xu Cheng said, “May I ask where Mr. Zhou has held a distinguished position before?”

“I was formerly a chef at Taifeng Building. Mr. Xu, when you came to the store to interview Jiang Feng, Wu Minqi, and Zhang Guanghang, I saw you, but you probably don’t remember me,” Zhou Shi said.

Xu Cheng: !!!

Peng Changping, worried about not having friends domestically and unable to fill a table for the disciple’s welcoming feast, seeing Xu Cheng getting along well with Han Guishan and having met them before at the midsummer banquet, cheerfully said, “I’ll be holding a welcoming feast for my disciple in a few days. You must come, and if it’s possible, bring your friend. The more the merrier. I will personally cook a table of specialties.”

Xu Cheng: !!!!

“Sure, sure, I’ll definitely come; congratulations to you,” Han Guishan beamed, though he hadn’t quite grasped the situation yet.

Never mind, as long as there’s a meal, that’s simple enough.

Source: .com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co

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