Chapter 120 I promise I won't embarrass you!

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tianhong was overjoyed, thinking that there was nothing to mind; it was a wonderful thing that he couldn't have asked for.

He knew perfectly well that his junior brother was extending a helping hand to him, using the occasion of Zhu Zi's graduation banquet to help him broaden his connections with influential figures and celebrities in the industry. He was deeply moved by this gesture.

The two old men drank more and more heartily, and chatted more and more congenially until the banquet was completely over. Only then did they help each other and leave, tipsy.

When the manager of Hongbinlou saw that the two men were so drunk, he quickly instructed his waiter to fetch a familiar rickshaw driver and make sure to take the two men home safely.

The waiter dared not delay and quickly ran to call the rickshaw driver, repeatedly instructing him to be extremely careful and deliver the person home safely, and not to make any mistakes.

After instructing the driver, the waiter returned to the restaurant to report back to the manager and reassure him.

The manager was well aware that if he let Li Baoguo and his companions go home drunk on their own, and something happened to them on the way, it would not only be unfair to the two chefs, but would also cause considerable damage to the restaurant's reputation and business. Therefore, he had to make proper arrangements.

Our classmate He Yuzhu was completely unaware of the discussion between his master and Uncle Li, and had no idea that he had been secretly "entrusted" to Li Baoguo by his master and was about to embark on a new path of learning skills.

At this moment, he was sitting under the oil lamp at home, patiently teaching little Qiao Zhiyu to recognize characters. The night was just too long and he had nothing to do.

In addition, Qiao Zhiyu is such a clingy girl. As soon as he got home, she would surround him and chatter on and on, never stopping for a moment.

After much pleading, He Yuzhu finally had no choice but to dig out his old first-grade textbook and temporarily become a little teacher, starting a teaching session for the little girl.

Sure enough, the little girl was really attracted by the neat and square Chinese characters in the textbook. Her eyes were full of curiosity and longing. She was also very envious of the children who could carry their schoolbags to school.

However, her family's circumstances were very limited; they could barely make ends meet, and she was never able to fulfill her wish to go to school, so she could only silently envy others.

However, the little girl didn't cry or make a fuss about going to school. She felt that her current life was comfortable and happy enough.

She can eat to her heart's content every meal, sleep soundly at night, learn a few words with He Yuzhu, and no longer have to live in fear of being kidnapped.

Such a peaceful and happy life was something she wouldn't have dared to dream of in the past, but now that it's a reality, she's already completely content.

The next day at noon, when He Yuzhu was about to rest for a while, his master Yuan Tianhong called him into the restaurant's lounge alone.

He Yuzhu entered the lounge and respectfully asked, "Master, did you need something from me? Is there any work you need me to do?"

Yuan Tianhong gestured for him to sit down and slowly began to speak, "Zhu Zi, it's like this." Then, he recounted in detail how Li Baoguo had come to him last night to discuss taking Zhu Zi as his apprentice and having him learn Sichuan cuisine.

After finishing his explanation, Yuan Tianhong looked at He Yuzhu and asked earnestly:

"Although your master has agreed to let you graduate from your apprenticeship with Uncle Li, the decision of whether you should take on another apprenticeship and learn Sichuan cuisine from Uncle Li is ultimately yours to make. I can't make that decision for you. What are your own thoughts?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and asked, "Master, Uncle Li's specialty is Sichuan cuisine, right? Is his Sichuan cuisine skill really that amazing?"

Yuan Tianhong nodded and said confidently, "That's right, his Sichuan cuisine skills are absolutely authentic. Yesterday, I specifically asked him to cook a few of his signature Sichuan dishes for me to taste."

The flavor and cooking time are perfectly balanced; his skill is truly exceptional. Learning from him will definitely not bury your talent.

After listening to his master's words, He Yuzhu nodded without hesitation and said decisively, "I agree."

He knew perfectly well that Sichuan cuisine was a popular cuisine, with a fresh and delicious flavor that appealed to a wide audience and would remain fashionable for decades to come. If he mastered Sichuan cuisine, he could find food to eat wherever he went and would always be a popular choice.

According to the original plot, he originally studied Sichuan cuisine, but now the real-life plot has been messed up so much that no one knows which path he will take in the future.

Of course, he firmly believed from the bottom of his heart that this was a real world, not some pre-written script, and there was no such thing as a plot setting.

Otherwise, given his current actions, he would have been forcibly corrected eight hundred times by the so-called "plot inertia," and it would have been impossible for him to have made it this far peacefully.

Moreover, Wang Qiuping and Shen Juxian's granddaughter has already appeared. Who knows what unexpected people they might encounter or what unexpected things might happen in the days to come?

Yuan Tianhong had originally planned to persuade He Yuzhu further if he hesitated, but he didn't expect He Yuzhu to agree so readily. A relieved smile immediately appeared on his face, and he said repeatedly:

"You agreed? Good, good! Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to explain it to your Uncle Li. I was afraid you wouldn't agree."

He Yuzhu asked with a smile, "When does Master plan to hold a graduation banquet for me? What dishes should be prepared for the banquet so I can practice beforehand and avoid making any mistakes that would embarrass you?"

Yuan Tianhong waved his hand confidently and said, "There's no need to practice beforehand. I know your culinary skills are more solid than many apprentices who have studied for several years. Just go for it, show your best, and demonstrate your skills."

He Yuzhu quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Yes, Master, I will follow your arrangements completely and promise not to embarrass you!"

Yuan Tianhong then instructed, "Keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone else, especially not Master Bai and Master Ma. Otherwise, they'll definitely come and nag me again, and I'll be in trouble again."

He Yuzhu nodded and said, "Understood, Master. I will keep my mouth shut and not tell anyone. You rest now, I'm going out to work."

Yuan Tianhong waved his hand and said, "Go on, be careful with your work, don't be careless."

A week later, He Yuzhu's graduation banquet was held at Huifanglou in a lively and grand manner, with many industry peers and celebrities invited.

After tasting the dishes prepared by He Yuzhu, all the guests who came to the banquet gave him a thumbs up and praised him repeatedly for his superb skills at such a young age, saying that he would surely become a pillar of the culinary world in the future.

Everyone praised Yuan Tianhong for his discerning eye in taking on such a talented and hardworking apprentice, which was truly enviable.

But to everyone's surprise, as soon as the banquet ended and before all the guests had left, Li Baoguo announced a piece of news in front of all the guests—he was going to formally take He Yuzhu as his apprentice and let He Yuzhu follow him to study Sichuan cuisine.

Now, Chef Bai and Chef Ma of Huifanglou looked at Yuan Tianhong with nothing but resentment and dissatisfaction.

This is such a big deal, concerning He Yuzhu's future and their feelings, yet they were kept in the dark and knew absolutely nothing about it.

Both of them were secretly annoyed. If they had known that Yuan Tianhong and Li Baoguo had already made their plans, they would have spoken up before Li Baoguo and wouldn't have missed out on such a good apprentice.

Besides the two of them, there was another person who was also very unhappy, and that was Manager Bai of Huifanglou.

He Yuzhu's decision to switch to a new chef means that he will soon leave Huifanglou and no longer work there as a cook.

With He Yuzhu's current skills, he is more than qualified to be the head chef or the head cook at Huifanglou. He can handle things on his own and is a valuable asset to Huifanglou.

The loss of such a rare chef is undoubtedly a great loss for Manager Bai, so how could he possibly be happy?

But with so many guests in front of him, he couldn't say much. He could only pretend to be calm, suppress his dissatisfaction, and secretly plan to have a good talk with He Yuzhu later to see if he could find a way to keep him.

Of course, most of the guests were quite surprised.

After all, it took He Yuzhu less than three months from officially completing his apprenticeship to being accepted as a disciple by his next master. Such speed is extremely rare in the entire culinary world, and anyone who hears it will be astonished.

Only a few people were happy about this, such as the friends and colleagues that Li Baoguo invited; they were genuinely pleased and happy for Li Baoguo.

They all felt that Li Baoguo had finally found a talented and ambitious apprentice, ensuring the continuation of his skills. Moreover, the apprentice was learning so quickly that he would surely inherit Li Baoguo's craft and even surpass him in the future.

After the lively gathering ended, Manager Bai of Huifanglou immediately stopped Yuan Tianhong, who was about to leave.

"Chef Yuan, what you did today was really unfair!" Manager Bai's tone was tinged with dissatisfaction as he went straight to the point, "Zhu Zi is going to take on a new master, such a big commotion, shouldn't you have at least informed me beforehand?"

Yuan Tianhong looked somewhat embarrassed and quickly explained, "Shopkeeper, I just..."

Manager Bai waved his hand, interrupting him: "Alright, alright, I understand. You and Li Baoguo are fellow disciples, I know that relationship, so I won't argue with you anymore."

He changed the subject, his tone softening, and asked, "I'll just ask you one question: can Zhu Zi continue to stay at our Huifang Restaurant? As for wages, just name your price, everything is negotiable!"