Chapter 362 - 192: Master, You’ve Changed

Chapter 362: Chapter 192: Master, You’ve Changed

"Hold on! What’s this big order? Did some emperor request dragon meat?" Xiao Lei stopped at the door and asked with a laugh.

"Not an emperor, no. It’s an overseas Chinese who came all the way back to Jiazhou to find his mother’s hometown. I asked around for a while and finally found out that Linjiang Shanshi is a pretty iconic local dish." Zhou Yan explained to his Master with a smile. "His mother’s ancestors were chefs. In a tiny place like Linjiang, aren’t the most famous chefs from the Kong Sect?

So I wanted to ask you to make a serving of Linjiang Shanshi for him to try. You’re familiar with the Linjiang area, so when the time comes to look for his relatives, you could even show him the way and ask around for him."

"There are only a handful of old-time chefs in Linjiang, and the most famous ones are indeed from your grandmaster’s lineage. As long as they had a proper name, we can find them just by asking." Xiao Lei’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious. "What did you say that overseas Chinese’s name is? How old is his mother? What’s her name?"

"The man’s name is Qian Siyuan. He looks to be in his forties. I haven’t asked his mother’s age or name yet, but she’d be at least sixty or seventy now. She passed away many years ago. I’m not familiar with Linjiang either, so it’s not too late for you to ask him when you see him later," Zhou Yan said.

"Alright. An overseas Chinese coming back to find his roots... we should definitely help if we can. Linjiang is a tiny place; who knows, he might even be related to your grandmaster." Xiao Lei nodded, turned back into the courtyard to grab a bag, and came out pushing his bicycle. He called to Zhou Yan, "Let’s go. Come with me to buy the eel and other ingredients first. Linjiang Shanshi is a trump card dish of our Kong Sect. I never really had a chance to make it at the canteen. You can learn from me today. Watch a few more times, and maybe you’ll master it."

"Alright! You still haven’t taught me how to make the Braised Yellow Perch you mentioned last time," Zhou Yan said with a laugh, pedaling his bike to catch up.

"I’ve been busy with three courtyard banquets in a row. What time have I had to teach you?" Xiao Lei rolled his eyes at him.

"Heh heh, I know you’re busy. I only came looking for you today because you don’t have a banquet scheduled." Zhou Yan was still grinning. He was now able to land a job for his master every few days, so he would come by the restaurant every two or three days to update the banquet schedule to avoid booking conflicts, which would be hard to explain to the clients.

"Master, this client today is a major customer of the textile factory, a big boss back from the United States. If you put on a good show, maybe after he successfully finds his relatives, he’ll want to hold a courtyard banquet. He might hire you and Zheng to cater it, and he might even give you a big red envelope."

Hearing this, Xiao Lei glanced at him and chuckled. "You really know how to drum up business. You’ve even planned out his celebration banquet for him."

"The way rich people think is a little different. If he doesn’t want to feel indebted, he’ll repay the favor with money," Zhou Yan grinned. "And we’re different, right? Money is exactly what we need."

"Makes sense."

The two chatted idly as they rode their bikes. They had both been busy lately, so it was a rare chance for them to meet.

"Master, aren’t we going to the bridge to buy the eels?" Zhou Yan braked and asked in confusion, watching his master turn left on his bike.

"The market there closed early this afternoon. You won’t find a damn thing at the bridge now. We’re going to find Shanyu Zhang, the professional eel catcher. He’s guaranteed to have some," Xiao Lei said without looking back.

"Shanyu Zhang?" Zhou Yan hurried to catch up. ’Anyone with a nickname like that must be something special.’

Just outside Suji Town, there was a lone courtyard by the river. The front door was ajar. Xiao Lei parked his bicycle, walked up, and knocked, calling out, "Shanyu Zhang! Are you home?"

"I am! Come on in, Xiao!" a resonant voice called from the courtyard.

Xiao Lei pushed the door open and went inside, with Zhou Yan quickly following.

In the courtyard, a slender, middle-aged man dressed in a white training suit and multi-layered cloth shoes was holding a porcelain basin, feeding the fish in a pond in the corner. He turned, saw Xiao Lei, and said with some surprise, "Xiao, what brings you here? I heard you’re busy running all over the place with courtyard banquets. Business must be booming."

"Running around, just making a bit of hard-earned cash. Booming, my ass." Xiao Lei laughed. "I need four jin of eels, the ones that are about five qian each. Not the big ones, not the small ones. And make it quick."

Shanyu Zhang set the porcelain basin on a nearby stone table and said with a smile, "Four jin of the small, five-qian eels? Xiao, that’s quite a lot. I can probably pick out two jin from my tank, all leftovers from this morning. How about I go to the field out back and catch another two jin for you now? You two can sit and wait for a bit."

"Catch? Catch them? Right now?" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. ’How long would it take to catch two jin of eels? The winter bamboo shoots are already out on the mountains. It’s getting a bit cold in the mornings and evenings. Isn’t this the wrong season for active eels?’

"Alright, you go on. I’ll help you feed the fish." Xiao Lei picked up the enamel basin from the table, walked over to the fish pond, and grabbed a small handful of rice grains to scatter into the water. This sent a school of fat koi into a frenzy, fighting for the food. They were all of excellent quality.

"Xiao, that basin should be enough. Don’t go and stuff my fish to death!" Shanyu Zhang called out, then took a fish basket from the corner wall and headed out the door.

"He’s not even changing his clothes or shoes?" Zhou Yan watched Shanyu Zhang leave, dressed in white with cloth shoes, carrying a fish basket. His expression was a little strange. ’If he goes into the fields and comes back covered in mud, isn’t his wife going to tear him to shreds?’

"I don’t know when it started, but for years now, this guy has loved wearing all white and a pair of cloth shoes when he goes to the fields to catch eels," Xiao Lei said with a laugh, continuing to scatter the grains. "He can walk a lap around the ridges of half a paddy field and catch all the eels in it, and his white clothes won’t get a single speck of mud. When he gets back, he just scrapes the mud off the soles, and the tops of his shoes don’t even get dirty."

"How do you think he got the nickname ’Shanyu Zhang’? It’s all because of this unique skill. He once said that if his clothes get even a single drop of mud on them, he’ll release all the eels he caught that day. Not a single one kept."