I Want to Be a Chef!

The Agastache Carp hit the table, and Zhao Tieying's Braised Eel came out of the wok as well.

Zhou Yan stir-fried one more green vegetable dish and plated some pickled radish. That completed dinner.

They had originally planned to use the leftover toppings as dinner dishes, but they had sold out completely, without even a scrap left.

Zhao Tieying used an enamel basin to scoop out a basin of rice and set it on the table, then served everyone a bowl.

"This Agastache Carp is amazing. The color's gorgeous, and it smells great too. It looks even better than what they serve at state-run restaurants." Zhou Fei admired the plate of Agastache Carp.

"It does look good." Zhou Miao nodded, then added, "But this Braised Eel looks even better. The color's bright, and the fragrance hits you right in the face. This is some real skill."

"So much talk. Eat." Zhao Tieying placed a heaping bowl of rice before him, the corners of her mouth lifting uncontrollably.

"Okay." Zhou Miao smiled. He first pushed some sauce aside, then picked up a piece of flesh from the carp's belly and placed it in Zhou Momo's bowl. "Take your time sucking on it. If you get a bone, spit it out."

"Mm-hmm." Zhou Momo nodded eagerly and immediately picked up her chopsticks for a taste.

Tender! Smooth! Delicious!

Her little mouth puckered as she sucked out a tiny fishbone. After spitting it out, she promptly shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth and chewed with great relish.

Zhou Momo had known how to eat fish since she was three. She was exceptionally talented at it.

Of course, Zhao Tieying still did not dare let her eat too much. Each time, she only gave her a little of the belly meat, where there were fewer bones, just enough for her to taste it.

"Carp has too many tiny bones. Fanwa, your mouth's clumsy, so eat the eel your Fourth Aunt cooked." Zhao Hong placed a section of eel in Fanwa's bowl.

"I'm not that clumsy..." Fanwa felt a little wronged, but he still ate the eel with great enjoyment. He had been choked on fishbones before, so he did not dare eat fish anymore.

Zhao Tieying picked up a chopstickful of fish first. Thick sauce coated the flesh, and the moment it entered her mouth, numbing spice, heat, and freshness bloomed around the tender fish. The agastache fragrance was especially pronounced.

The fish had been pan-fried beforehand, but not overcooked. Its skin was lightly charred and more fragrant, while the flesh remained just as smooth and tender.

There was even a fiery kick from the pickled chilies!

Delicious!

It was far better than the Agastache Carp she had made before. It barely felt like the same dish.

And it went so well with rice.

Zhao Tieying shoveled down three mouthfuls of rice in a row, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

"This flavor is exactly right. It's so much better than the Dry-Braised Carp you made last time." Zhao Tieying looked at Zhou Yan.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan immediately recalled the Dry-Braised Carp that Little Comrade Zhou had made last time. It had been terrible. The muddy smell had not been suppressed at all. The only reason everyone had finished it was because supplies were scarce, and nobody dared waste food.

Hearing that, Zhou Miao eagerly picked up a piece of fish and fed it into his mouth.

After one bite, he froze.

This was way too delicious!

The fish was smooth and tender, soaked through with sauce. The agastache fragrance took the lead, while sourness, spice, and freshness danced on his tongue. It was incredibly fragrant.

He shoveled down two more mouthfuls of rice.

He looked up at Zhou Yan. "Take two fish to your grandmother tomorrow. She loves fish, so she'll definitely like this Agastache Carp you made."

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded. That was a good idea.

Zhou Yan tasted a bite of the Agastache Carp himself, and his eyes lit up as well.

This dish was not uncommon in Sichuan restaurants, but he had never encountered anyone who could control both the fish's texture and the sauce's flavor to this degree.

This was insane, guys!

His usual catchphrase nearly slipped out.

It was truly delicious, and perfect with rice!

A carp weighing about a pound had comparatively larger, fewer bones, making it much more satisfying to eat.

Zhou Fei and Zhao Hong also tried the Agastache Carp. Both were stunned by how heavenly it tasted and praised it endlessly.

When eating fish, one should not talk too much. It was easy to get caught on a bone.

They sucked the fish head clean, and in the end, even the sauce was mixed into rice and eaten up by Zhou Momo.

Zhou Miao's plan to pack up the sauce and take it home for noodles fell through, leaving him quite regretful.

"Catch carp again next time. It's delicious." Zhao Tieying assigned Old Zhou a task.

"Okay, I'll catch bigger ones next time." Old Zhou's little private stash had grown, and even his back seemed straighter as he answered with confidence.

"Little Uncle, you're amazing. The fish you made is the best I've ever eaten." Zhou Lihui looked at Zhou Yan with eyes full of admiration. "I want to learn how to cook from you."

"Huh?"

The hall fell silent at once.

Zhao Hong, who had been clearing the bowls and chopsticks, paused and looked at Zhou Lihui in surprise. "What did you say? You're not going to school anymore?"

"That's right. You're only in your third year of middle school." Zhou Fei stared at him too.

Zhou Lihui scratched his head and said quietly, "I can't study anyway. I'm third from last in every exam. I don't want to learn how to slaughter cattle. I like cooking. I want to become a chef with Little Uncle and cook for everyone."

Zhou Yan looked at the boy, not daring to respond.

In this era, studying was definitely the best way forward.

But Zhou Lihui ranked third from last every time. He really was not cut out for school.

The restaurant's business was getting better and better. They would also be making braised dishes and stir-fries next, and there would be far too much work in the kitchen. He definitely would not be able to handle it alone.

Taking Huihui on as an apprentice was worth considering.

The boy had his father's temperament: steady, hardworking, and always able to spot work that needed doing.

He was also strong and healthy, having inherited the Old Zhou family's bull-like strength. He was naturally suited for slaughtering cattle or becoming a chef.

But this was too important. It concerned a child's future, so Zhou Yan did not dare casually interfere.

Zhao Hong and Zhou Fei exchanged a glance and fell silent as well.

They knew better than anyone how well Zhou Lihui did in school.

The boy was not stupid. He was good at catching fish and eels, climbing trees, and raiding bird nests for eggs. He simply could not study, always ranking third from last. The two students behind him were the truly foolish ones.

He never caused trouble at school. Over the years, the teachers had never come to them with complaints. He had even received praise several times for helping his classmates.

He definitely would not get into high school. Their original plan had been for him to follow his father into cattle slaughtering after graduating middle school and learn a trade.

He was strong, powerful, and quick to learn. After a few years, he would have a skill that could feed him.

"Fourth Dad, what do you think about this?" Zhou Fei looked at Zhou Miao, seeking the elder's opinion.

When Zhou Yan had refused to learn cattle slaughtering and instead entered the Factory Canteen as a chef's apprentice, several of his uncles had not really understood it.

Zhou Miao looked at Zhou Yan. "Zhou Yan, you're the chef. You tell us."

Everyone looked toward Zhou Yan.

"Huihui, is this just something that came to you today, or have you really thought it through? Do you truly want to learn cooking and become a chef in the future?" Zhou Yan looked into Zhou Lihui's eyes, his expression serious.

Zhou Lihui unconsciously straightened up and replied with equal seriousness, "I only decided I wanted to be a chef today, but I've thought it through. I don't want to slaughter cattle. I want to be a chef. Slaughtering cattle is the same every day, but as a chef, I can see what customers look like when they eat the food I made. That would feel really satisfying."

"Zhou Yan, do you think he can do it..." Zhou Fei trailed off.

Zhao Hong had told him that Zhou Yan's restaurant business was booming and that he earned more than Zhou Fei did slaughtering cattle.

If Zhou Lihui could learn cooking from Zhou Yan, it would be a trade too, and one with better prospects.

Since ancient times, chefs had never starved to death.

But their eldest boy had suddenly brought this up today, and they were completely unprepared. They feared Zhou Yan might misunderstand and think they were jealous of his thriving business and earnings, and had encouraged Huihui to learn cooking from him.

"It's fine. I had the same thoughts as him back then. I didn't want to slaughter cattle; I only wanted to become a chef." Zhou Yan smiled and waved his hand. This was exactly the attitude he had been waiting for.

He looked at Zhou Lihui. "How about this? Starting next week, you can come to the restaurant with your mother every Saturday morning and learn cooking from me. Try it out for a while first and see whether it's really what you imagined. If you can stick with it, then after you graduate from middle school, you can formally learn cooking from me."

"Okay! Thank you, Little Uncle." Zhou Lihui's eyes lit up, and he grinned.

"But I have one requirement for you. I don't care about your other subjects, but over the next half year, you have to learn to recognize all the characters and master basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division." Zhou Yan's smile faded, and his expression turned stern.

"My kitchen does not admit illiterates."

"If you can't even read the names of seasonings or calculate the bill when buying groceries, then don't even think about becoming my apprentice."