Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Although Zhou Yan wasn’t resting either, it was still a lot less hectic than usual.

Zheng Qiang quickly tore up the cabbage and then sidled over to watch Master Xiao carefully prepare the pork liver.

To stir-fry pork liver well, meticulous ingredient preparation was just as crucial as having perfect Fire Control.

His own master was also quite good at cooking this dish, but Zheng had never grasped the essence of it.

He used to think a chef only needed a few signature dishes, and the rest just had to be passable. It was a bit of a slacker mentality.

His master had scolded him for it plenty of times, but he never took it to heart.

It wasn’t until he left his master and saw his junior, Zhou Yan, cook Braised Pork Kidney to sheer perfection—with every other dish he made being even better than the last—that he was truly shaken.

Even Master Xiao, who was a master in his own right, would show up at his nephew’s restaurant every other day just to close a tiny gap in skill, humbly seeking guidance and practicing diligently in pursuit of culinary perfection.

That level of dedication and conviction made Zheng feel deeply ashamed of himself.

For the past two weeks, he had been trailing after Xiao Lei, buying kitchenware, sourcing ingredients, and catering three large rural banquets.

Master Xiao’s culinary skill, his ability to manage a scene, and his social grace left Zheng in constant awe.

Master Xiao had taught him how to prepare the traditional Nine-Bowl Feast, how to select ingredients, and how to create a budget, holding absolutely nothing back.

In just two weeks, he had managed to intensely cram in all the knowledge he had never been able to learn at the Rongcheng Restaurant.

He was still a long way from being able to stand on his own, but at least now when a host asked about the rural banquets, he could speak with enough confidence to impress them at first.

He was finally, profoundly experiencing the meaning of a sect’s legacy.

Besides his own master, only Master Xiao would ever teach him these things so openly.

Xiao Lei finished seasoning the pork liver, washed his hands, and said, "Zhou Yan, are you free this Sunday? I want to take you two to a chefs’ exchange in Jiazhou. While we’re there, I’ll introduce you to your grand-uncle."

"Grand-uncle?" Zhou Yan was surprised. As he recalled, his master had never taken him to any chefs’ exchanges before. ’Probably because a lowly prep cook like Zhou wasn’t worthy of attending such a high-class event,’ he thought.

His master had, however, mentioned this grand-uncle before.

He was his Grand Master’s cousin, the renowned Jiazhou chef—Kong Qingfeng.

After his Grand Master, Kong Huafeng, passed away, the title of Jiazhou’s number one chef was automatically passed down to this grand-uncle.

The Grand Master’s own master, Kong Rui, was also a famous chef in Jiazhou in his time. He was the Grand Master’s father, and their craft was a family inheritance. Back then, they were known in Jiazhou as the ’Kong Sect,’ renowned for their fish dishes.

"That’s right. Your grand-uncle is the one who organized this exchange and invited several of Jiazhou’s famous chefs," Xiao Lei said with a smiling nod. "He told me the editors from *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine are coming to interview him, asking him to demonstrate and explain his fish techniques. He wants us juniors to tag along and bask in the glory, see if we can sneak into the group photo."

"*Sichuan Cuisine*! Wow! Grand-uncle is amazing! I heard that only the top chefs from across the region get featured in the culinary techniques section of *Sichuan Cuisine*. The head chef at our Rongcheng Restaurant was interviewed for one issue about styling cold dishes, and he even went out and borrowed a suit just for the occasion," Zheng Qiang said, his eyes shining with envy.

"After that issue came out, the head chef gave a copy to everyone he knew and even left a stack of them in the restaurant lobby. He was so proud, it was incredible."

"Just for being in a magazine? Is it really that big of a deal?" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow.

’Calculating the date, the fourth issue of *Sichuan Cuisine* should be coming out soon, right?’ he mused. ’He Zhiyuan said he’d try to get Kneeling Beef on the cover, but who knows if that’ll actually happen.’

’If it does make the cover, does that mean I’ll have to buy a stack to hand out, too?’

’No, no way. That’s just too obnoxious.’

’I’ll just mail a copy to Xia Yao.’

"Exaggerated? What are you talking about? It’s not exaggerated at all." Xiao Lei chimed in, a look of longing in his eyes. "If I ever got featured in *Sichuan Cuisine*, I’d buy a few hundred copies myself. Every friend and family member would get one. I’d even find classmates from elementary school I haven’t spoken to in twenty years and shove two copies into their hands. It might not be about bringing honor to your ancestors, but in the chef community, it’s a huge boost to your reputation. Think of how many chefs across the entire country read that magazine."

Zhou Yan fought to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up. He was suddenly curious how his own master would react if he saw him in *Sichuan Cuisine*.

The thought made him feel a pang of guilt. He hadn’t mentioned his master once during the interview.

’If I could have gotten his name in there, at least he would have felt included,’ he thought.

Look at how considerate Master Xiao was, thinking of them even for a chance to get into a group photo.

’I’ll just have to wait for the next opportunity,’ he resolved.

He Zhiyuan had said he would come back to interview him about his braised dishes, but who knew if he actually meant it.

"Master Xiao, you’re even better than my own master! To think of me for something as amazing as a magazine feature... Don’t you worry, I’ll be sure to repay your kindness in the future!" Zheng Qiang exclaimed, his voice thick with genuine emotion.

"We’re not even sure we’ll get in. For us juniors, just being in the group photo would be a win, so don’t get your hopes up too high," Xiao Lei said, pushing Zheng Qiang’s eager face away. He continued in a serious tone, "You two must also be diligent in your studies. ’True craft is born from a focused mind; true skill is seen with diligent hands and a watchful eye.’ Keep striving, so that in another ten or twenty years, when your skills have truly matured, you can earn your own feature in *Sichuan Cuisine*. On that day, the entire Kong Sect will share in the honor."

"Yes, sir!" Zheng Qiang nodded solemnly.

"Mhm," Zhou Yan grunted, turning away to silently slice the cooked pork belly. He was afraid he might burst out laughing if he didn’t.

He had made up his mind. The next time He Zhiyuan came to interview him, he would definitely invite his master and Zheng to be there. It was the only way to show that the whole sect was united, after all.