Chapter 250 - 157: Kong Sect and Legacy
Zhou Momo was up even earlier than him today. She was sitting up straight at the table, eating a slightly burnt pan-fried flatbread. When she saw Zhou Yan come downstairs, it was as if she'd spotted her savior. "Brother, I want noooodles~~"
"Aren't you already eating one? We're not having noodles this morning," Zhou Yan chuckled. "What, is the flatbread Mom made not tasty?"
"It's yummy! I love it." Zhou Momo took a big bite, then offered the flatbread in her hand to Zhou Yan. "Here, Brother. You have some too."
"Zhou Momo, you finish your own flatbread! I saved some in the pan for your brother." Mrs. Zhao's voice rose. Her gaze shifted to Zhou Yan, and she nodded with a smile as she looked at the leather shoes on his feet. "See? The leather shoes make you look much sharper. Your dad went fishing. He said you could borrow them."
"Alright." Zhou Yan nodded, ducked into the kitchen, and brought out the warm flatbreads, also grabbing a small dish of pickled radish.
The flatbreads certainly didn't look professional. They were thick, and the edges were a bit burnt, but they had a nice eggy aroma, which meant Mrs. Zhao had added eggs to the flour. He had to give her points for that.
Wrapping some pickled radish inside made a little roll. The soft, pliable flatbread held the sour, spicy radish. He took a bite. It was... an interesting flavor, to say the least.
Getting to eat his mom's cooking first thing in the morning... whether it was actually delicious wasn't that important.
Seeing how much he was enjoying it, Zhou Momo copied him, tucking a couple slices of pickled radish into her flatbread. She rolled it up, took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up. "Sour! It's so yummy!"
After breakfast, Zhou Yan sharpened his cleaver, stashed it in a cloth bag, and wheeled his bicycle out the door.
"It's a little chilly. Don't you want a jacket?" Mrs. Zhao called out after him.
"I don't need one! I'll warm up from pedaling," Zhou Yan replied, already hopping on the bike and riding off into the distance.
He met up with his Master and Zheng Qiang at the Stone Bridge Head, and they rode side by side toward Jiazhou.
"Master, is there any etiquette we need to observe for this exchange today? Is there some kind of beef between our branch and our grand-uncle's branch? Are we going there to show support or to stir up trouble?" Zhou Yan asked Xiao Lei as they rode.
Zheng Qiang had been pedaling hard with his head down, but at these words, he quickly rode closer, pricking up his ears to listen intently.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xiao Lei gave him an exasperated laugh. "It's a Chefs' exchange meeting. Obviously, we're going to exchange culinary techniques."
"That's not a given. People don't go to class reunions just to reminisce about the good old days, you know," Zhou Yan chuckled.
Zheng Qiang chimed in, "He's got a point. I heard that at our elementary school reunion last month, three couples broke up. The fights that followed were apparently vicious. Good thing I skipped it."
Xiao Lei glanced at the two of them and couldn't help but shake his head. "Listen up. This is the first time either of you will be meeting your Grand-uncle. When you see him, you greet him properly. Be respectful.
"This Grand-uncle of yours was a stubborn mule in his youth. He and your Grandmaster didn't get along. For a time, the issue of accepting apprentices had them at each other's throats. He really couldn't stand me or any of my senior apprentice-brothers for a while."
'Well, look at that. The gossip's starting to spill,' Zhou Yan thought.
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. "Master, what's the story there?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Zheng Qiang, his face a mask of pure gossip, moved in to flank Xiao Lei on one side, with Zhou Yan on the other.
"Well, it's a long story..." Xiao Lei trailed off, clearly hesitant to elaborate.
Zhou Yan quickly interjected, "Then give us the short version, Master! Just the basic cause and effect, so we at least know what's going on."
"Right, right! So we don't say the wrong thing," Zheng Qiang added, nodding vigorously.
Xiao Lei fell silent for a moment. He slowed his pedaling and began, "Then we have to start with the father of your Grandmaster, Kong Huafeng. I'm talking about the founding patriarch of our Kong Sect: Grandmaster Kong Rui.
"Back in the day, Kong Rui was a celebrated chef in the world of Sichuan Cuisine. He served as the head chef at the Governor's Mansion and was quite renowned. Later, after the fall of the Daqing dynasty, he returned to Jiazhou. He became the executive chef at Le Ming Restaurant and stayed there for thirty years.
"During this time, your Grandmaster, Kong Huafeng, and your Grand-uncle, Kong Qingfeng, successively became his apprentices to learn the family craft. It was primarily taught in private, and this is how the Kong Sect began to put down roots and branch out.
"In 1945, the Patriarch passed away. By then, your Grandmaster, Kong Huafeng, had already inherited his mantle, becoming a well-known young chef in Jiazhou. He was hired as the head chef of Le Ming Restaurant, taking over his father's position.
"Back then, Le Ming Restaurant was one of the most famous establishments in Jiazhou City, neck and neck with Feiyan Restaurant. It was hard to say which of the two great rivals was superior.
"After the Liberation, Le Ming Restaurant was nationalized. It became the primary venue for hosting high-ranking officials and important guests. In both the quantity and quality of its master chefs, it held a clear edge over Feiyan Restaurant.
"I started at Le Ming Restaurant in 1955. My family was so poor we couldn't even afford to eat. At first, I was responsible for plating, running dishes, and other miscellaneous chores. I was overjoyed just to have a meal.
"Later, in response to a provincial directive, Le Ming Restaurant was tasked with setting up a culinary training program. The restaurant's master chefs were supposed to teach their craft to the younger kitchen staff. In that era, a chef's skills were mostly passed down through family—they were trade secrets, the very means by which you fed your own. No one was willing to just hand them over to outsiders.
"But that's when your Grandmaster, Kong Huafeng, stepped up. He volunteered to take on the lead instructor role and prepare to teach his craft. Because of this, he and Kong Qingfeng had a huge, ugly falling out. Kong Qingfeng didn't want him to take their family's skills and teach them publicly. The higher-ups had to step in to mediate several times.
"The training program went ahead anyway. I started out just auditing the classes, but I gradually began to show a bit of talent. In the end, your Grandmaster took me on as his last disciple.
"Back in the kitchen in those days, we four apprentice-brothers got more than our fair share of stink-eyes from your Grand-uncle. If we made the slightest mistake, he'd tear into us. He was even fiercer than your Grandmaster."