Chapter 29

(With tears, I ask for your votes, details please see the line below)

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"Chinese culinary arts have always been described as 'seven parts knife skills, three parts stir-frying,' and 'no knife, no dish'!" Chen Ke educated Chuan Fu, saying, "This means that a qualified chef must have solid knife skills. To become a great chef, you need to have great knife skills!"

"I want to become the best chef in the world!" Chuan Fu's chubby face was flushed with excitement.

"Then you need to have the best knife skills in the world!" Chen Ke didn't discourage him but shouted, "And you need to sweat the most in the world!"

"I'm not afraid of hard work!" Chuan Fu said excitedly.

"Good, let's start! To master knife skills, you first need to choose a good chef's knife!" Chen Ke wasn't just bluffing; his first job after discharge was as a chef, and he even attended a cooking school, so he wasn't just relying on his stir-frying skills to show off: "For now, the chef's knife left by your father is enough for you to use, so we can skip this step."

"Starting today, you will begin practicing knife skills. To achieve a basic level, it will take about six months." Chen Ke said, "Of course, our situation is special, so we can't follow the usual routine. I'll give you three opportunities each day to speed up your practice... this way, we can manage both."

Liu Lang, who was listening curiously on the side, thought for a moment and whispered to Wu Lang, "Does Third Brother mean to let this fatty take care of our three meals a day?"

That morning, Cai Chuan Fu began practicing air slicing. Chen Ke ordered him to stand in a T-step in front of the cutting board. He held the knife in his right hand and positioned his left hand, then repeatedly raised and lowered the knife. At first, he found it easy, but as time went on, his arms started to ache, and he wanted to slow down.

But when Chen Sanlang, who was writing in the inner room, heard the sound of the knife on the cutting board slow down, he shouted, "Are you sleeping? You're slacking off on the first day and still want to be the best chef in the world?!"

"Yes..." Cai Chuan Fu quickly sped up, maintaining a steady chopping sound.

He chopped for the entire morning, until his back ached, his legs cramped, and he was exhausted, but he didn't dare to relax for a moment, not only because Chen Ke would scold him but also because he would cut his fingers if he lost focus...

By noon, Chen Ke called a stop, and Cai Chuan Fu plopped down on the ground, unable to lift his right arm.

"Take a break. I'll make lunch." Chen Ke handed him a cup of warm water.

"Master..." Chuan Fu, trembling, took a sip from the bamboo cup and looked up with tears in his eyes, "Why am I drinking salt water?" In the Song Dynasty, salt was expensive, and ordinary families couldn't afford to waste it.

"To replenish your strength, you fool!" Chen Ke scolded, then began washing, preparing, and stir-frying vegetables with skill, which Chuan Fu watched with rapid heartbeat and wide eyes, afraid to miss a single moment.

After lunch, Chen Ke had him practice spoon skills. Spoon skills require more effort from the left hand and less from the right, leaving him no excuse to slack off. By evening, Chuan Fu's arms were too weak to lift, and he was completely exhausted.

This meal had to be made by Chen Ke again, and he was very dissatisfied, saying, "As the saying goes: 'Old fortune-tellers, young chefs.' Without physical strength, you can't be a chef. How can you have such poor physical strength? Starting tomorrow, you'll exercise with me!"

"Yes, Master..." Chuan Fu was almost in tears.

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So, starting from the next day, every morning at the first hour, Chen Ke would take Cai Chuan Fu to run three laps around the county. After returning home, Chen Ke would make breakfast, but Chuan Fu couldn't idle; he had to chop wood in the yard with an axe... according to his unscrupulous master, this would both strengthen his arms and help the family... the chopped wood would be sent to the breakfast shop on the front street, and he had to earn at least twenty coins a day to have a meal, which he called a win-win.

After eating, he would practice knife skills in the morning and spoon skills in the afternoon. During lunch and dinner, Chen Ke would teach him a few stir-frying techniques. This continued for half a month before he started cutting paper, starting with one sheet, then two, and gradually a stack... Chen Ke didn't have the ancient respect for paper, and all the paper he wrote on was cut into strips by Chuan Fu.

What was astonishing was that Chen Ke wrote continuously, providing enough paper for Chuan Fu to cut without stopping. In one month, he copied five volumes of the "Guangyun," totaling 217,886 characters, averaging over 7,000 characters a day... and in large characters.

Seeing that his son's studies were not neglected, Chen Xiliang naturally dismissed the idea of letting Cai Chuan Fu go. What pleased him most was that after a month, Chen Sanlang's demeanor had become more composed, no longer as restless as before. Writing is a way to cultivate the mind, and the ancients were not wrong.

The only headache was that in this month, they spent 2,000 coins on paper alone... almost half a month's wages. But seeing his son's progress, Chen Xiliang felt it was all worth it.

By the second month, Chuan Fu's hands were noticeably stronger and more stable. Chen Ke began teaching him push cuts, jump cuts, slicing, chopping, and various knife techniques... He also took over the cooking, striving to make every dish perfect.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was June. Chuan Fu had been learning from Chen Ke for much longer than the expected one month, but since the master didn't say to stop, he continued to focus on his daily tasks. One day after eating, after clearing the table, Chen Ke casually said, "You've made significant progress in these two months. The dishes you cook are now presentable."

"Hehe..." Chuan Fu smiled, touching his noticeably thinner head, "Thank you, Master."

"You silly boy..." Chen Xiliang laughed, "What Sanlang means is that you can open your restaurant now!"

"Ah... really, Master?" Chuan Fu said, hardly believing it.

"Don't get too excited yet." Chen Ke said seriously, "We can't keep one person working while seven people eat, and my father is going to quit his job at the dock..."

"How can it be seven people?" Chuan Fu counted, but there were only six.

"You eat so much, you count as two." Liu Lang giggled.

"Ah..." Chuan Fu smiled awkwardly, then heard Chen Ke say, "You've only learned the basics of culinary arts. If you become complacent, you'll only be a chef in the county, and you won't even be able to leave Meishan, let alone go to Bianliang."

"Um." Chuan Fu nodded seriously, "I will continue to learn from Master!"

"Once your business gets better, you'll be busy from morning to night, so you won't need to come over," Chen Ke said confidently about Lai Fu's business, "I'll come to you when I have time..."

"Master, I've thought about it..." Although they were ten years apart, after two months of interaction, Chuan Fu already considered Chen Ke a true mentor, speaking with genuine respect, "I'll cook three meals a day and have the staff deliver them to you."

"No, no," Chen Xiliang shook his head, "That will affect your business."

"I'll have the staff deliver them a bit earlier, so it won't affect my business. The main thing is that Grandmaster can save time on cooking," Chuan Fu said earnestly, "The key is that Master and Uncle are in their growing years and need to eat well."

"..." Hearing this, Chen Xiliang was somewhat moved, "Then, let them eat at your place! Of course, we won't eat for free. We'll pay what we owe."

"If Grandmaster treats me like an outsider, that's not right." Chuan Fu insisted, "Master has taught me all the stir-frying techniques, which will benefit me and my descendants. How can I charge for meals? That would be heartless!"

"You're just starting, so you should save money..." Chen Xiliang felt that Chen Ke was right to take on such a disciple, who would ensure they never lacked food.

"How can I save money if I can't even provide a meal for Master's family?" Chuan Fu said sincerely, "Just a little extra effort with the spoon, and it will be enough for you."

"I never noticed before..." Liu Lang said with wide eyes, "Brother Chuan Fu is so cunning!"

"Go play somewhere else." Chen Ke slapped Liu Lang's cheek and said to Chuan Fu, "When you open, follow my advice: the first day is free, the next ten days are half price, the following twenty days are at a 30% discount, and after a month, set it to 20% off and don't change it."

"Why not just set it lower from the start?" Chuan Fu scratched his head.

"Idiot," Chen Ke scolded, "A dish, whether you sell it for eight coins or set it at ten coins and offer a 20% discount, the price is the same, but the perception is completely different... think about it, if customers see a dish priced at eight coins and another at ten coins, which one will they think is better?"

"Of course, the ten-coin one."

"Exactly, they'll think the dish is more valuable, and with a discount, it seems like a great deal," Chen Ke smiled, "They'll naturally order more expensive dishes."

"Master is really cunning." Chuan Fu realized, "No, Master is really wise."

"This isn't cunning; it's just normal business practice," Chen Ke said seriously, "Remember, honesty is the foundation of a successful business, but you also need to understand your customers' psychology and put effort into your business to make more money."

"Got it." Chuan Fu nodded seriously. Because he had an elderly mother at home, he talked for a while and then bid farewell and left.

The father and sons saw him off and returned to the house. Chen Ke asked, "Father, why did you suddenly decide to change jobs?" He had only learned from Chen Xiliang during lunch that he didn't plan to work at the dock anymore.

"Do you think I can only push a cart?" Chen Xiliang laughed, "You underestimate me! The summer harvest is coming, and the county is hiring an accountant who can write and calculate. I took the exam at the county office a while ago and was hired!"

"Really, that's great news!" Er Lang and San Lang cheered, "Father, you really held it in until now!"

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I have a favor to ask. I didn't get the monthly vote reward last month, even though I had enough votes. I didn't realize there was a word count limit. 55555... 1,000 yuan, for a new book, that's a lot of food money. I need comfort, votes, recommendations, collections, and support...

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