Yuan Zhou wasn't really trying to invade his privacy by asking that . He was just puzzled why this middle-aged man would end up in such a predicament since he had such skill .
It was the very first time that Yuan Zhou had seen this kind of middle-aged person . His clothes were plain and old while his gaze was clean and experienced . He simply carried a look of "I have a story" on his face .
That made Yuan Zhou almost bring out the word like "I have liquor . "
"I'm new here and haven't found an appropriate job . " The middle-aged man didn't really eat elegantly, but ate ordinarily instead . Hearing the question, he said straightforwardly .
"You can look for one carefully . There are many opportunities in this place . " Yuan Zhou said kindly .
"Um . " The middle-aged man gulped down the meal in his mouth and then nodded his head .
Following that was the sound of the two people picking and chewing the dishes continuously . The middle-aged man ate swiftly .
"Your craftsmanship is really great! Thanks . " Only after he finished eating the plain cooked rice did he set down the bowl .
"Thank you for your compliments . " Yuan Zhou nodded his head .
"I'm telling the truth . " the middle-aged man said earnestly .
Neither of them were talkative, therefore the restaurant was lost in silence .
It was the middle-aged man that broke the silence first in the end .
"My name is Du Sheng . May I know your name?" The middle-aged man asked .
"My name is Yuan Zhou, the chef of this restaurant . " Yuan Zhou answered courteously .
"Since we have all known each other's name, we are friends now . " The middle-aged man said that .
"Of course . " Yuan Zhou nodded his head .
"In order to thank you for your treating, I'd like to play the Erhu, again . " While the middle-aged man was saying that, he wasn't really excessively proud of his ability and showed off . He just said it matter-of-factly .
He spoke as if it were very common to play the Erhu to express his thanks to Yuan Zhou . He didn't specifically explained that he had no money or anything else to thank him, merely appearing indifferently .
"Thank you so much, Du Sheng . " Yuan Zhou got pleasantly surprised at first and immediately nodded his head and agreed .
"The tune is Two Springs Reflect the Moon . " The middle-aged man reported the name of the tune first before he started to play .
Afterwards, the beautiful melody of Two Springs Reflect the Moon passed from the Erhu that had been properly maintained .
Yuan Zhou didn't actually know about the melody . However, the middle-aged man just played so well . Even the unknown tune played just caused Yuan Zhou to be immersed in that beautiful melody, let alone this more popular one .
The two people sat separately . Yuan Zhou got seated in the chef's chair of the kitchen and listened to the tune earnestly and blissfully while the middle-aged man sat on a chair in the main hall and played the Erhu earnestly, tilting his head .
Actually, Yuan Zhou wasn't guessing wrong at first . Du Sheng indeed hadn't eaten anything for two days except for some snacks . Without a job and without money with him, he had only got an Erhu that worth some money .
Theoretically, the middle-aged man could at least dress warmly and eat his fill if he sold his skill somewhere since he had that ability .
However, Du Sheng didn't do that as imagined . What's worse, he walked to such a quiet alley at the back door of Yuan Zhou's restaurant and played the Erhu in this place that nobody passed . It was more like he played for himself .
A tune of Two Springs Reflect the Moon could be finished in no more than a few minutes, therefore Du Sheng finished playing very soon .
"Xi Xi Suo Suo", he cleared away the case quickly and prepared to leave .
"Sorry to bother you, Yuan Zhou . I'm leaving now . " Du Sheng walked to the door and then thanked him .
Of course, he went out from the front door of Yuan Zhou's restaurant this time .
"I should thank you . Be careful . " Yuan Zhou sent him to the door courteously .
As a chef, Yuan Zhou could tell that Du Sheng was very hungry and also he didn't have money with him . Actually, Yuan Zhou was a little curious about that .
"If he sells his playing techniques, he definitely can make a lot of money . After all, his techniques of playing Erhu are so good that even I, this layman, could recognize it . " Yuan Zhou muttered to himself .
No one really knew why Du Sheng didn't make a living as a performer when he can't afford the meals . Yuan Zhou didn't know that, nor did others . He might not want to make money with his ability of playing Erhu or maybe he just didn't want to sell his techniques . Who knows!
There were always some craftsmen who had their own persistence, which made them not know where their next meal would come . However, such kind of persistence wasn't understandable by Yuan Zhou .
"Forget it . It's time to prepare the lunch . " Yuan Zhou managed to get rid of various speculations in his mind and started to prepare the lunch earnestly .
. . .
Time passed soon . When there was half an hour left before the lunch time, the master that took Yuan Zhou as his teacher came, quite a long time after the contest .
Of course, he had specially explain why he didn't come immediately . It was because he had intended to come over here to learn only after he resigned .
"Great Master Yuan, good afternoon . This is the tea I prepared for you with the shoot apices of Keemun . The temperature is just perfect for drinking immediately . " Once Master Cheng came over, he handed a ceramic pot respectfully .
"You don't need to do this . Just stand there and stay out of the way . " Yuan Zhou frowned, but didn't receive the teapot .
"I'm grateful that you can give me this opportunity to stay with and learn from you . " Master Cheng said with a solemn look .
With the respectful manner, Master Cheng was actually performing the disciple ceremony .
"I won't take disciples now, so you are not my disciple . Just watch by yourself . " Yuan Zhou said frankly and clearly and also cleanly .
"No problem . Now that Great Master Yuan doesn't like it, I won't do that next time . " Master Cheng appeared rather serious . He cleared away the teapot and just stood obediently at the segestes wall .
Standing at this position, he could take in the complete picture of the kitchen and meanwhile, didn't affect Zhou Jia's work .
"Did you resign?" Yuan Zhou suddenly raised his head and asked .
"Yes . I will stay here and won't leave until I feel it's good for me . I hope I won't disturb you, Great Master Yuan . " Master Cheng nodded his head .
"No, it's ok . Just come on time . If you want to eat, go line up . " Yuan Zhou shook his head and said that .
"Thank you, Great Master Yuan . " Master Cheng said courteously and respectfully .
"You don't need to call me like that . Just call me Yuan Zhou . " When Yuan Zhou heard the appellation again, he finally couldn't help saying that .
"Then I'm going to call you Boss Yuan . " Although Master Cheng was prideful and impatient, he was likewise stubborn .
Even if Yuan Zhou was reluctant to take disciples, letting him to watch was also a kind of learning . It was slightly disrespectful to call his name directly, thus he had to compromise and call him like that .
"Ok . I'm now preparing the ingredients required for lunch . " After a nod, Yuan Zhou continued his work .
Hearing that, Master Cheng immediately stared at Yuan Zhou process the ingredients without blinking .
It was during that contest of precious ingredients last time that he saw Yuan Zhou do the same work . At that time, however, he wasn't so close to Yuan Zhou .
The place where the contest was held wasn't like Yuan Zhou's restaurant which had facilities to stop any taste from spreading out and was free from any dust .
The restaurant was small, so Master Cheng saw Yuan Zhou process the ingredients so close for the very first time .
"Everybody, business hours commence now . The first ten customers, please come on in and take seats . " The clear and melodious voice of Zhou Jia passed from the door .
While they were talking seriously just now, Zhou Jia had already arrived and prepared everything .
"Boss, a serving of Phoenix Tai Prawns plus Egg Fried Rice . " Zhou Jia's voice of reporting orders passed to him soon .
"Ok . " Yuan Zhou nodded his head and then he started to scoop the prawns .
"Hua La", Yuan Zhou took the small fishing net and scooped up the exact number of prawns .
"He's going to process the prawns now . " As a master, Master Cheng actually specialized in Canton Cuisines . However, he was also clear about the cooking method of Phoenix Tail Prawns .
Normally, now was the time to wash the prawns one by one, take the veins out and then put them into the oil to fry . Nevertheless, Yuan Zhou's method of cooking was beyond his understanding .
"No wonder you are Great Master Yuan . You even wash prawns differently from others . " While concentrating his attention on the process, Master Cheng couldn't help saying that .
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