Chapter 121 I really can't find the time

Yuan Tianhong pondered for a moment and said, "I can't make this decision myself; I have to ask Zhu Zi himself. After all, he'll be traveling back and forth between the two places to learn cooking, and I'm not sure if he can handle the hardship."

Manager Bai frowned, somewhat puzzled: "Does this matter really require asking his junior brother's opinion?"

"He got a huge advantage, so he shouldn't have any objections." Yuan Tianhong shook his head helplessly, his tone tinged with uncertainty.

Manager Bai nodded: "Alright, then you should go and sound out Zhu Zi's opinion first. As for the wages and other conditions, I'll talk to him personally and make sure he doesn't suffer any losses."

Yuan Tianhong replied, "Okay."

"Then I'll head back to my office now. Let me know if there's any news!" Manager Bai said, then turned and walked towards his office.

"I'll go find Zhu Zi right now, don't worry," Yuan Tianhong called out to his retreating figure.

Manager Bai turned around and waved his hand: "Go on, go on!"

At the same time, He Yuzhu was being pulled along by Li Baoguo, who was introducing him to several newly acquainted friends, creating a lively atmosphere.

Yuan Tianhong did not go forward to disturb them, but waited quietly for a while until Li Baoguo and He Yuzhu saw the guests off one by one. Then he quickly stepped forward, intending to explain to Manager Bai what had happened earlier.

"Baoguo, Zhuzi, there's something I'd like to discuss with you two," Yuan Tianhong said calmly.

Li Baoguo and He Yuzhu replied in unison, "Senior brother (master), please speak!"

Yuan Tianhong didn't beat around the bush and relayed to the two of them in detail what Manager Bai had said about trying to persuade He Yuzhu to stay at Huifanglou.

Upon hearing this, Li Baoguo immediately frowned: "Senior brother, I'm afraid this will be difficult to accomplish. As you know, in our culinary profession, true skill is developed through practical training."

He paused, then added, "Our Sichuan cuisine mostly consists of large, hearty dishes with lots of meat, emphasizing cooking time and techniques. The kitchen conditions on your side simply don't allow Zhu Zi to properly practice his Sichuan culinary skills!"

Yuan Tianhong thought for a moment and asked, "How about I take half a day each day to go? That should be alright, right?"

Li Baoguo shook his head: "We still have to ask Zhuzi to see if he can handle the hardship of running back and forth, after all, learning to cook is mentally taxing."

Yuan Tianhong turned to look at He Yuzhu and asked softly, "Zhuzi, what do you say? You can make your own decision."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Master, whether I stay at Huifanglou or not doesn't really have much impact on the establishment. Logically speaking, since I learned a skill at Huifanglou, I should continue to serve the establishment; that's only natural."

"But as you know, I can't stay in Tianjin forever. Once I've mastered the skills, I'll eventually have to go back to Beijing. There's a lot of work waiting for me back home."

He continued, "Besides, if I really kept all those Shandong cuisine skills I learned from you at Huifanglou, wouldn't it be like competing with you for work when I became the head chef?"

"Huifanglou's business is only so big, and its customer base is fixed. If your signature menu is offered to me, do you think I should accept it or not? If I accept it, it will seem like I don't know the rules and am taking away my master's job; if I don't accept it, I will offend Manager Bai and let him down."

"This..." Yuan Tianhong was speechless for a moment when asked by He Yuzhu, and a look of difficulty appeared on his face.

He knew in his heart that the key to the problem lay in the second half of He Yuzhu's words. Huifanglou already had enough chefs, and Manager Bai insisted on keeping him because he was reluctant to part with He Yuzhu, a talented individual, fearing that once he left, they would never find such a gifted apprentice again.

Furthermore, Yuan Tianhong is only in his early forties, with elderly parents and young children to support. His entire family depends on him to earn money. If he were to pass on his signature menu to his apprentices, his income would definitely decrease significantly, which would be a considerable burden for him.

As for whether he himself would mind his apprentice taking his job, he could discuss it with He Yuzhu. But what others would think of He Yuzhu, whether they would say he was ungrateful and was stealing his master's job, that was the most troublesome thing.

Li Baoguo chimed in, "Senior brother, Zhu Zi is right. Unless he can create a new signature dish that doesn't conflict with your dishes, this is indeed a difficult matter."

He paused, then added, "Junior brother, I speak frankly, please don't take offense. In the end, Fanglou is still a bit too small to accommodate two top chefs, and it also hinders Zhuzi's future."

Yuan Tianhong waved his hand and sighed, "Alright, enough said. Do you think I don't understand this? In the end, Zhu Zi has to make the trip himself and explain things to Manager Bai. Remember to be tactful and avoid hurting the harmony."

He Yuzhu nodded and replied, "I understand, Master. I told Manager Bai that I'm currently learning Sichuan cuisine from Master Li and I'm so busy that I really can't spare the time to take care of Huifanglou's work."

"By the way, let me also tell you that I estimate I'll have to go back to Beijing by the end of the year. Even if I stay, I won't stay for long, so he won't have to go through the trouble of trying to persuade me to stay."

"What, are you determined to go back to Beijing and not stay in Tianjin any longer?" At this moment, Li Baoguo, who had been sitting silently to the side, asked with a hint of surprise in his tone.

He Yuzhu nodded: "It's probably true. These days, the world is in turmoil, and there are too many variables. I'm really worried about things at home, and I feel more at ease going back sooner."

Li Baoguo nodded and said, "Since you have this intention, then you should definitely not accept Huifanglou's offer to stay. You've only been gone a few months, and I'm counting on you to learn all the Sichuan cuisine specialties of Hongbinlou and show off all my skills."

Yuan Tianhong looked at the two of them and said, "Since we've come this far, Zhuzi, come with me now. Let's go find Manager Bai together and make things clear so he won't keep thinking about it."

He Yuzhu turned to Li Baoguo and said, "Junior brother, just wait here for a bit, don't go too far, we'll be right back."

Li Baoguo waved his hand: "Okay, you guys go ahead and do your thing. I'll stay here for a while, no problem."

Yuan Tianhong and He Yuzhu, master and apprentice, walked side by side toward Manager Bai's residence.

Upon meeting Manager Bai, He Yuzhu explained in a tactful and thorough manner why he couldn't stay at Huifang Restaurant, emphasizing that he simply didn't have the energy to manage it all at the moment.

Learning to cook requires a suitable place to practice; if you force yourself to stay, you won't be able to do the job well and will only delay Fanglou's business.

With Yuan Tianhong chiming in and speaking up for He Yuzhu, Manager Bai stopped pestering him. However, he couldn't hide the regret on his face. After all, such a good cook had been missed.

In the end, Manager Bai did not make things difficult for He Yuzhu. He settled all the wages he had earned working at Huifanglou during this period, along with his share of the kitchen profits, without shortchanging him by a single penny.

He also held He Yuzhu's hand and told him that when he had free time, he should come back to Huifanglou often. If he encountered any difficulties or if the building needed help, he could come over and lend a hand occasionally.

He Yuzhu readily agreed, as Manager Bai had treated him well and he couldn't refuse the other party's kindness.

After leaving Manager Bai's place, Yuan Tianhong, He Yuzhu, and Li Baoguo, who were waiting there, walked out of the Huifanglou storefront together.

Li Baoguo smiled and told He Yuzhu that he would take him to Hongbinlou to get acquainted with the place and familiarize him with the environment, so that he could prepare for his future work.

Seeing this, Yuan Tianhong bowed to the two men and took his leave, then turned and went home alone, as his family was waiting for him.

Upon arriving at Hongbinlou, Li Baoguo did not immediately take He Yuzhu to see the manager. Instead, he first tested his culinary skills to see how much he had improved during this period.

He Yuzhu's performance did not disappoint Li Baoguo. He had a solid foundation and his techniques were becoming increasingly skillful. Li Baoguo nodded in satisfaction and then led him to see the manager of Hongbinlou.

When the shopkeeper saw that He Yuzhu was an apprentice brought by Li Baoguo and watched his cooking demonstration, he immediately assigned him a position at the third stove and negotiated the terms of service.

Since Hongbinlou specializes in authentic Sichuan cuisine, He Yuzhu's best-kept Shandong and halal dishes are not very useful here for the time being, so he can only start with the basics of Sichuan cuisine.

He Yuzhu didn't mind at all, nor did he complain. He wasn't the type to be in a hurry to earn money to make a living; otherwise, he wouldn't have so decisively rejected Huifanglou's offer to stay today, and instead focused on learning Sichuan cuisine from Li Baoguo.

Even so, Li Baoguo was still worried that he might feel disappointed, so he specially comforted him, saying that no matter which restaurant he went to, the rules of the kitchen were actually similar and there was not much difference.

He also said that if He Yuzhu had taken the position of second chef as soon as he arrived at Hongbinlou, it would have inevitably attracted gossip from other chefs, who would say that he got in through his master's connections, which would not be conducive to his future success in the kitchen.

Li Baoguo promised that once He Yuzhu had thoroughly mastered all the dishes in the second kitchen and honed his Sichuan cuisine skills to a higher level, he would naturally have the opportunity to be promoted to the second kitchen, or even the head kitchen.

He Yuzhu was very pleased with Li Baoguo's words and nodded repeatedly in agreement, promising that he would study diligently and live up to his master's expectations.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, He Yuzhu went to Hongbinlou to start work on time, officially beginning his career of studying Sichuan cuisine and honing his skills.

A few days later, Li Baoguo specially organized a lively apprenticeship banquet for He Yuzhu, formally accepting him as his apprentice and allowing him to make his mark in Tianjin's culinary world.

Most of the people who came to support him this time were there because of Li Baoguo's reputation in Tianjin's culinary world. There were head chefs from various restaurants, as well as many business friends. The scene was much more lively and grand than the apprenticeship banquet that Yuan Tianhong held for He Yuzhu.