Chapter 111 is something else entirely.

Once you reach the head chef position, there's already competition among chefs within the same restaurant.

When cooking the same dish, there's always a way to determine who's better. When customers come, the order goes to whoever cooks the best.

Just like when He Yuzhu first started cooking, unless the kitchen was really too busy.

"Then may I ask another question? I wish to become your disciple at the same time and learn from all three of you. Do you three think this is feasible?"

He Yuzhu straightened up and asked seriously.

"No, this won't do!"

Chef Ma was the first to shake his head and refuse.

His first thought was, what if he really took on a disciple?

If this "multiple mentors" model becomes the norm, younger apprentices will follow suit.

These elderly people and their colleagues who strictly adhere to the "one master, one apprentice" rule will face difficulties in the future.

Chef Bai's brows furrowed tightly into a knot:

"Pillar, do you know what it means if we agree to your request?"

Yuan Tianhong paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, the sound of his footsteps pattering incessantly.

"Zhu Zi, you're still young, and there are some rules and customs of the world that you don't understand, but we don't blame you. The craftsmanship in our lineage emphasizes passing down skills from one generation to the next, and each lineage has its own unique style."

If you learn three different skills at the same time, to put it best, you can truly master them and become a renowned chef. After that, everyone aspiring to cook will want to apprentice under several masters, making it impossible for other chefs to compete.

"To put it bluntly, you've learned a lot of things but haven't mastered anything, so in the end you'll be good for nothing. Where will we, the three old folks, put our faces then?"

That's exactly the point.

Chef Bai nodded in agreement.

"Zhu Zi, you're really quite bold!"

Chef Ma looked at him meaningfully and said.

He Yuzhu suddenly realized—perhaps he had completely misunderstood.

Coming from a later era, he had seen many people learn from several masters, drawing on their strengths and integrating them into their own understanding.

But we live in an era where information is relatively closed off and where the tradition of mentorship is highly valued.

After thinking it over for a moment, he decided that since he was already in Tianjin, he might as well learn everything thoroughly.

Then he spoke again:

"So, what do you three think is acceptable: I won't become an apprentice under the same master at the same time, but if I graduate from one master and then go to study under two others, that should be fine, right?"

"Are you sure you want to do this? Learning a skill isn't something that can be rushed in a year or two. Don't you plan to go back to Beijing?"

Yuan Tianhong asked, frowning.

He didn't think his junior apprentice would let his son stay in Tianjin forever.

Ultimately, they will go back to settle down, start a family, and live a stable life.

"Well... words are no proof. Why don't the three of you discuss it and see who will take me on as a disciple first? I'll learn from them for a while, and then we'll naturally see how skilled I really am."

He Yuzhu said with considerable confidence.

He himself found it somewhat strange.

I seem to have an extraordinary talent for cooking.

This wasn't entirely due to the body-modifying effects of the drug; the body itself likely possessed astonishing inherent qualities as well.

The three chefs looked at each other, and Yuan Tianhong spoke up:

"You go ahead and get busy. Let the three of us discuss this."

"good!"

After He Yuzhu turned to leave, the three head chefs shook their heads in unison and sighed in unison:

"The younger generation is truly formidable!"

Then Master Bai slowly said:

"Tianhong, judging from Zhuzi's actions and manners, he's bold, meticulous, and unconventional. Your junior brother probably isn't a law-abiding person either, is he?"

Yuan Tianhong's eye twitched slightly:

"That's definitely not the case."

He Daqing was also a notorious troublemaker, stubborn and unwilling to submit to anyone easily.

He had long heard about He Daqing's public cooking competition with others at Fengzeyuan.

"So, what's the deal with that pillar?"

Chef Ma quickly followed up with the question.

"You two...aren't you angry?"

"Angry? What do I have to be angry about? I'm just worried that Zhuzi won't be able to establish himself in Qinxing in the future, otherwise why not take him in?"

Chef Bai stated frankly.

"At first I was indeed a little annoyed, but then I thought about it. When we were young, wasn't it precisely because we lacked this courage and vision that we couldn't reach higher places?"

Master Ma chimed in, his tone tinged with a touch of emotion.

"I've learned my lesson the hard way—I studied Shandong cuisine seriously in my early years. But I couldn't compare to my fellow apprentices; I wasn't good enough to impress them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone back to Tianjin to learn halal cuisine."

I'm really afraid that if Zhu Zi goes around seeking out masters but ends up learning nothing, then his reputation will be ruined...

Yuan Tianhong's tone was full of worry.

"That makes sense, but we have to try to know. I'm the oldest, so how about I take Zhu Zi as my last disciple?"

"Why should you accept it first? You're not that much older than me."

Master Ma immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Actually, I'm closest to Zhu Zi!"

Yuan Tianhong was equally unyielding.

The three of them started arguing again—the child outside the door was only twelve years old.

If Shandong cuisine can be made to such a high level of skill, who would say that he has no talent?

In the end, Yuan Tianhong won the argument.

After all, he was closest to He Yuzhu, being his senior and fellow apprentice.

If He Yuzhu were to become someone else's apprentice first, he would lose all face.

He Yuzhu respectfully performed the formal apprenticeship ceremony.

Yuan Tianhong then hosted a rather dignified apprenticeship banquet, inviting many colleagues from Tianjin's catering industry to witness the ceremony.

At the apprenticeship banquet, He Yuzhu also showed off his superb culinary skills.

The Shandong cuisine masters who came to the banquet were also secretly tempted.

But this was, after all, someone else's apprenticeship banquet, so how could they possibly spoil the occasion by speaking up?

After becoming an apprentice, He Yuzhu's stove was moved to be next to Yuan Tianhong's stove.

Yuan Tianhong's signature dishes are braised oxtail and braised beef strips.

But he still patiently taught us starting with the most basic dishes.

This teaching is extraordinary—

He Yuzhu can usually make about 70-80% of the appearance of a common home-style dish after seeing it only once.

Even for more complex banquet dishes, you only need to be taught three times at most to master the essence.

Yuan Tianhong went from initial surprise to numbness, and eventually started boasting to everyone he met about how amazing his apprentice was.

This infuriated Chef Bai and Chef Ma, leaving them feeling bitter and resentful.

In the blink of an eye, He Yuzhu has been in Tianjin for two months.

During this time, he sent a letter home, in which he specifically reminded:

Never exchange paper money; gold and silver dollars are the best preservers of value.

The replies from home weren't just a thin letter, but a thick stack.

The letter contained the names of He Daqing, Chen Shuxiang, the old lady, Xu Damao, and even a letter written by Xu Damao on behalf of He Yushui, who couldn't write yet.

After receiving the letter, He Yuzhu spent nearly an hour just reading it.

After reading it, I felt a warm feeling in my heart, because the words were full of the care and concern of my family.

During his days off and rest, He Yuzhu would explore every street and alley in Tianjin.

His footprints can be found in almost every area, including Quanyechang, Xiaobailou, 18th Street, and Minyuan Street, which were formerly part of the British Concession and are now known as the "World Architecture Expo".

Currently, there is only one long-term task running in the system interface, and it hasn't changed.

After arriving in Tianjin, he didn't bother to look for clues related to the mission, since the mission rewards were just so-so and not particularly enticing.

As for the tasks related to the Kuomintang, none of them have been refreshed.

If it weren't for the long-term task still being steadily displayed on the interface, He Yuzhu would almost have thought that the system had completely stopped working.

He also secretly did something else: he bought large quantities of already slaughtered and processed beef and mutton.

Of course, he carried out all of these actions in a very secretive manner.

He first inquired around to find out the source of ingredients that supplied Juhecheng, and then personally went to negotiate with them.

But when the other person saw that he was a complete stranger, they didn't want to talk to him at all.

Having no other choice, he specially gave the person in charge of purchasing at the store a lot of cigarettes and alcohol as a bribe.

The purchasing agent only reluctantly agreed to take him to the slaughterhouse after receiving a bribe.

From then on, he began a large-scale procurement campaign.

In just two months, he bought over a hundred cattle and nearly three hundred sheep.

Within the still space, a sizable mountain of flesh had already accumulated.

Because he used cash and silver dollars for settlement, he was very generous and made payments quickly and efficiently.

The people at the slaughterhouse didn't want to lose this stable and considerable income, so naturally no one bothered to ask about anything at Juhecheng Store.

It is precisely because Juhe is a halal restaurant that it does not have any pork-related sourcing channels.

Otherwise, he might have gone on another round of frantic pork purchases, filling the entire still space to the brim.

One day in early May, he had a rare period of leisure and nothing to do.

He Yuzhu thought that Tianjin is located by the sea, and has an abundance of all kinds of seafood, which is especially fresh.

So they decided to go to the seaside to look for some fresh and high-quality ingredients.

If you're lucky, you might even find some rare seafood that's hard to find on ordinary days.

This is a perfect opportunity to practice my cooking skills and further refine my Tan family cuisine techniques.

He changed into some light and comfortable clothes, went outside, found a secluded corner, and took out his bicycle from his storage space.

Then he pedaled quickly toward the sea.

There are quite a few people riding bicycles on the streets these days.

Those who knew him were unaware that he had secretly bought a car, so he still secretly took it out to ride.

As we traveled eastward, the hustle and bustle of the city gradually faded into the distance.

Eventually, the sound of the continuous waves completely replaced his voice, and the warm, salty sea breeze blew in his face, making him feel exceptionally relaxed.

Upon reaching the seaside, looking around, one couldn't find even a single tourist in sight.

These days, everyone is busy making a living, so who has the leisure to come to the seaside to relax and enjoy the scenery?

On the vast, boundless sea, only two or three fishing boats swayed gently with the undulating waves.

Apart from that, there was no other scenery to be found around.