bookbashuk Chapter 148 He Yuzhu is a little restless
Chapter 148 He Yuzhu is a little restless
The fat man was working hard on the chopping board, chopping the vegetables in his hands quickly. His knife skills were extremely skillful, and the green leaves were turned into neat and uniform threads in the blink of an eye. Ma Hua stood in front of the stove, concentrating on stir-frying the dishes in the pot. The spatula in his hand sometimes flipped quickly, and sometimes gently passed through, making a "chi chi" sound. The two cooperated seamlessly, just like the two gears of a precision instrument, perfectly meshing together and interlocking.
He Yuzhu watched the two men's skillful movements and could not help but nod inwardly, thinking that the two boys had made rapid progress and had mastered the timing just right. If they continued to develop at this rate, it wouldn't be long before they would be able to take charge of their own affairs and become the backbone of the cafeteria. Thinking of this, He Yuzhu smiled with satisfaction, his face full of praise for his apprentices.
Just as He Yuzhu was immersed in his reverie of a bright future, his eyes were suddenly attracted by a clock hanging on the wall. He Yuzhu discovered that when Ma Hua and Fatty added seasonings, they would always subconsciously glance at the clock, as if they were calculating the time and estimating the heat. Especially when adding key seasonings such as salt and sugar, the two of them were even more focused, staring at the second hand intently, fearing that a slight mistake would lead to a huge mistake.
This detail made He Yuzhu very curious. You know, Fatty and Ma Hua never cared about these things when cooking before. They always did whatever they wanted and relied on their feelings. Whether it was the amount of seasoning or the control of the heat, they relied on years of experience and intuition and never deliberately calculated the time.
But now, they are so meticulous, paying attention to every detail and striving for perfection. This is completely different from their previous style, as if they have become a different person.
He Yuzhu gradually began to feel suspicious, and his brows furrowed. He stared at his two disciples with a burning gaze, as if he wanted to see through them. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a solemn and questioning expression.
Suddenly, Ma Hua, who was concentrating on cooking, looked up inadvertently, only to meet He Yuzhu's eyes full of scrutiny and suspicion. Ma Hua's heart trembled immediately, as if he was a guilty thief who was caught red-handed. The spatula in his hand almost slipped out of his hand, drawing a strange arc in the air.
The fat man nearby looked up quickly upon seeing this, only to find that the master was staring at them seriously with sharp eyes and an intimidating aura all over his body. The fat man was immediately frightened out of his wits, his hands and feet went limp, and he almost passed out.
Seeing his two disciples panicking as if they were facing a great enemy, He Yuzhu's suspicions were confirmed. He walked forward aggressively, grabbed Ma Hua by the collar, pointed his other finger at his nose, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Ma Hua, are you two secretly learning some evil ways behind my back? Tell me the truth, what's going on?"
He Yuzhu's roar echoed in the kitchen, making pots and pans clang. Ma Hua was dizzy from his roar, his mind went blank, and he stammered in defense:
"No, no, Master, we didn't learn anything, really."
Ma Hua was incoherent and couldn't even speak clearly. Seeing him like this, He Yuzhu's face became even gloomier, veins on his arms bulged, and he put more strength in his hands, almost lifting Ma Hua up.
"Stop lying to me! If you really didn't learn, why did you keep staring at the clock while cooking? Also, the seasonings were so particular, not even a fraction was wrong. I never taught you that! If you hadn't practiced secretly, how could you be so meticulous?"
He Yuzhu's series of questions bombarded Ma Hua like a string of cannonballs, leaving him speechless and blushing. He couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. He stood there with his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly, and he no longer had the usual chattering energy.
The fat man watched his junior being scolded so hard that he couldn't even lift his head. He was grumbling in his heart, but he didn't dare to step forward rashly. But when he saw that Ma Hua was being held by the master, he couldn't bear it after all. He bravely stepped forward and said carefully:
"Master, please don't be angry. We really didn't learn any tricks. We just felt that our cooking was too crude before, so we wanted to improve it and please you."
The fat man said this, smiling at He Yuzhu flatteringly, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. However, He Yuzhu was so angry after hearing what he said that he let go of Ma Hua's collar, turned around and yelled at him:
"Bullshit! Do I need you to please me when I cook? If you two really didn't practice secretly, how can you change so suddenly and be so particular? Tell the truth, did you learn some evil tricks behind my back?"
He Yuzhu's face turned red, spit flew everywhere, and he scolded the fat man so much that he was stunned. The fat man was scolded by He Yuzhu so badly that he didn't even dare to breathe. He could only stand there with his head down, letting the master vent his anger.
The fat man's eyes rolled around and he kept winking at Ma Hua, hoping that his junior fellow apprentice could help him out. However, Ma Hua just kept his head down and didn't dare to even look at He Yuzhu, for fear of angering him again. The two of them just stood there trembling, like two puppies who had done something wrong, shivering with their tails between their legs.
At this moment, a cold voice came from behind, breaking the deadlock.
"Silly Zhu, what are you doing? Why are you so fierce?"
The three of them were startled when they heard the sound, and looked towards the door in unison, only to see Liu Lan appear at the kitchen door at some point, with her arms folded, looking at the farce in front of her with an unhappy look on her face.
When He Yuzhu saw Liu Lan, his face changed slightly and his eyes became evasive. But he quickly returned to normal and snorted coldly, saying:
"Liu Lan, don't worry about this. I'm teaching my own apprentice a lesson. It has nothing to do with you!"
Although He Yuzhu said this, his tone was noticeably weaker, and he was clearly feeling guilty.
Liu Lan did not give him any face at all, and asked with a sneer:
"It has nothing to do with me? How bad is it for a canteen manager to make a lot of noise in the kitchen? Besides, even if Ma Hua and Fatty really learned a few tricks from others, it is their freedom. Why do you, as a chef, have such a wide range of responsibilities?"
Liu Lan spoke righteously, with the attitude of playing the villain. She looked around, glanced at Ma Hua and the fat man who were huddled together, and sneered at what He Yuzhu did.
"Silly Zhu, don't you think about it? Ma Hua and Fatty have been with you for so many years, and you only scolded and beat them, and never taught them properly. They don't learn from you, but go to others for advice. That's their ability! Instead of reflecting on yourself, you get angry. What kind of talk is this?"