Chapter Eighteen: Gathering Disciples

  The first update is over 4,000 words, so be sure to collect and recommend it! Chen Zhiyuan saw that these old men were up to no good, and he had already guessed their plan. However, he didn't expose their thieving behavior because the medicinal materials needed for the seasoning required a unique processing method before they could be successfully made. Even if these old men knew what ingredients were used, they wouldn't have the special technique to process the medicinal materials, so it would be impossible for them to replicate it.

  Fat chef walked over to Chen Zhiyuan and said, "Little brother, we can't beat you guys, but just now Old Man Su said that your roasted lamb tastes even better. Can you let us try some?"

  Magistrate Chen looked at the fat man's sincere attitude, and considering today's successful advertisement, his anger had dissipated. He nodded and said: "I have no problem with that, but the sheep was bought by those old men, you should ask them!"

  The fat chef let out a sigh in his heart, this is really people die from comparison, goods are still from comparison, this little guy just rushed to him with that seasoning, absolutely a master of the culinary world. This master called those famous Tai Shan Bei Dou in the national culinary world as old men, and those old gentlemen were smiling. If he called himself like this, he would be beaten to death and kicked out of this circle.

  Su Lao Yezi said: "Just now, Chen Xiao's friend was alone in roasting five ingredients. The fire control is really not good, and you won by relying on the flavor. You try his roasted lamb and you will know. This little friend can't grasp the fire, it's just that one person can't handle five ingredients at all. After tasting, you will lose and be convinced. However, don't touch that lamb leg, this little friend still has a killer move that hasn't been revealed!"

  Several fat cooks looked at each other and walked over to taste the roasted lamb, while Mr. Chen was adjusting this chicken, the one he had just tried to make, although the flavor was not bad, but because of the fire control problem, it did not reach the perfect level, Mr. Chen wanted to do an advertisement, of course, he had to bring out the best thing for these people to taste.

  After Chen Zhiyuan roasted it, he distributed it to the crowd. There were over a hundred people around, and each person only got one piece. Some people didn't even get that one piece. Those who ate it found that this roast chicken was even more delicious than the previous one, and they exclaimed in praise. They immediately asked Chen Zhiyuan to roast another one. The people at the back who hadn't eaten yet heard the commotion from the front and were eager to try some too, so they also started shouting.

  Chen Zhiyuan pressed his hands down to signal everyone to quiet down, then said: "That's all for today, if you want to eat, you can go to my store, it's in the city!" After finishing speaking, he handed out the small promotional leaflets that had been prepared earlier one by one.

  Everyone listened to this young man having a storefront, and it was right in the city, which made things easier. If you wanted to eat, you could just go there directly, and then calm down to look at the flyer in your hand. But as soon as they looked, the crowd erupted into a burst of gasps.

  This is also too expensive, in the crowd, except for a few rich people, most people's minds are thinking about this, a roasted lamb 8888, a chicken costs 500, and the rest of those vegetables are also ridiculously expensive.

  "Everyone just heard, my ingredients are all made from traditional Chinese medicine, the price is expensive because of these medicinal materials. However, with these medicinal materials, you not only satisfy your appetite but also bring great benefits to your body." Mr. Chen immediately poured out a string of diseases that could be cured by eating roasted lamb and chicken, leaving everyone stunned and half-believing.

  At this time, the fat cook walked over with a serious face and said to Chen Zhiyuan: "The craftsmanship of you young brothers is impressive, every piece of meat on this lamb has a different flavor, and the taste is so good that we can't find words to describe it. To be able to make a lamb like this, in our brother's opinion, no one has ever done it before. And these seasonings are all made from medicinal materials, I suppose eating this will not only satisfy your appetite but also cure some diseases. This is another level of craftsmanship compared to us brothers, we admit defeat, whatever you want us to do, we'll do it without a second word!"

  Many of the people gathered had also tasted the barbecue treated by these few chefs, and although the taste was far inferior to Chen Zhiyuan's, it was still a rare delicacy. Now, he first acknowledged that his craftsmanship was not as good as others, and then pointed out that Chen Zhiyuan's thing could also cure some diseases, which also matched what Chen Zhiyuan had just said, dispelling the last bit of doubt in people's minds.

  A middle-aged man in the crowd shouted at this time: "Little brother, I'll order a roasted lamb first, and five roasted chickens. I'll give you the deposit later, and I'll bring a few friends over tonight!" This person is also a wealthy owner, feeling that just for this deliciousness, the price is worth it, as for what disease it can cure, it's not on his mind.

  There are certainly more than one person with money in the crowd. After he said it, someone else wanted to order roasted lamb, and soon there were over a dozen people who wanted to place an order.

  Mr. Chen couldn't help but burst out laughing in his heart, but then he thought about the remaining herbs he had left, which were only enough to treat one sheep and a dozen or so chickens. He felt a pang of pain at the thought that this was all the silver he would get, and reluctantly said: "I'm sorry, everyone, because our roasted lamb is quite special and requires a lot of herbs, we can only accept one reservation for roasted lamb and ten reservations for roasted chicken per day. That gentleman just made the first reservation, so the rest of you will have to wait!"

  People are like this, the less you have of something, the more precious it becomes. As soon as Chen Da Guan Ren said that only one was produced per day, several people wanted to place an order. The few who were shouting from behind didn't dare to show weakness either, and suddenly the area around the cold spring became lively.

  Mr. Chen today experienced what it's like to count money until his hands cramped up, as these people came one by one to pay the deposit, each not more than 5,000 yuan, with over 20 people making a deposit, over 1 million yuan let Mr. Chen count, this is called happiness.

  A few old men yelled at him to get the lamb leg, but Chen Da Guan ignored them, feeling very unhappy in his heart. Can't you old men wait a bit? You just ate so much mutton and now you want to eat lamb leg again, a group of old gluttons.

  After all this was done, two hours had passed. The fat chef and his gang were finally satisfied today. Others would invite them to try dishes and give them a lot of money, but these old guys still had to be in the mood. Who dared to make them wait? Today was good, spending money to invite this kid over wasn't enough, making them wait for two hours, these old guys didn't show any impatience at all, quietly sitting there waiting obediently, people are really dead!

  Mr. Chen put the money away, feeling great, and turned his head to see several old men looking at him with a sorrowful expression, which made Mr. Chen's hair stand on end, so he quickly went to get the mutton leg ready.

  Apart from Old Man Su, the remaining old men had never eaten this dish before. They just ate a lot and started with an attitude of trying it out, but they couldn't stop eating once they found it delicious. They wolfed down the food until it was all gone, and even licked their lips afterwards, looking very satisfied. But not long after, they all looked unwell, why? Because they had eaten too much and were bloated!

  A few people saw this scene, and Xiao Xin's heart skipped a beat again. What kind of delicious food could make these big shots in the culinary world behave like this?

  Su Lao Ye Zi had eaten once yesterday, so he didn't have the same lack of energy as those few old things. He puffed out his chest and looked at the fat chef and a few people standing there awkwardly, then walked up to Chen Zhi Yuan and said: "Little Chen, you guys just tried it out, what do you think we should do about this?"

  "What's going on? What can be done? It's already been compared, what else can be done?"

  Mr. Su looked at Chen Zhiyuan and saw that he was not pretending, so he felt a bit puzzled in his heart. This kid really doesn't understand any rules. Could it be that this kid's school is not from the culinary world? If that's the case, then things are easy to handle. Thinking of this, he asked: "Little Chen, isn't your school from the culinary industry?"

  In the culinary world? Sect door? If you must say so, my master should be considered a gluttonous freak, but that old man is not from the culinary world, but rather from the Taoist world. However, this Old Su and those few old men are up to something, they don't directly say they want to buy those recipes, but instead try to pry into my sect's affairs in a roundabout way. Strange, can't figure out what these old guys are thinking. Might as well continue to muddle along... Chen Da Guan Ren suddenly piped up: "As for whether it's from the culinary world or not, I'm not clear, Master never mentioned it!"

  Old Master Su was also confused by these words, what is going on? If it's not that, then the matter of buying those prescriptions would be easy to explain. But if it is, then it would be troublesome. It seems that in the future, he will have to continue to investigate this young man's background. However, from the current situation, at least this young man is not a member of their circle. If he's not, then they can just pull him down and make things easier for themselves when dealing with that matter later on. Thinking of this, Old Master Su explained some of the rules of their circle to Chen Zhiyuan in detail.

  Chen Zhiyuan was also stunned after hearing this, he didn't know these rules, and he didn't know that winning would also smash the other person's rice bowl. Looking at the fat chef and others, he felt a bit unbearable: "I don't understand these either, I think those rules can be ignored, you guys should just focus on being chefs!"

  "This won't do. These are the rules passed down by our ancestors. Since you've won against them, they can no longer work as chefs unless..."

  "What if?" Chen Da Guan Ren was a bit tender after all, and this little bit had already walked into the trap set by Su Lao Hu Li.

  "Unless you take them as apprentices and let them help with cooking in your restaurant, then people in the circle won't be able to say anything!" Old Master Su laughed like a sly old fox.

  "What? Take them as my apprentices? Get out, old man, are you kidding me? In this day and age, you're still stuck on those old rules, no way, no way!" Mr. Chen shook his head like a rattle drum, just thinking about how his small shop could support so many people.

  "There's no square without rules, and these rules must be followed. Since you won't accept them, those few people can just fold up their knives and go find other work!" Old Su said with a sigh.

  At this time, the fat chef and several others looked very ugly. The fat chef gritted his teeth and said: "Since little brother looks down on us few useless people, then we brothers also have no face to continue working in this line. We'll fold our knives and go find other jobs!" After finishing speaking, he took big strides and left.

  "Hold on!" At this time, Old Su shouted to stop them and leaned into Chen Zhiyuan's ear: "Your roasted lamb production is too low, only one a day. After selling out, what do you do with the rest of your time? Just stand there? These people all have skills, and that barbecue skill of yours is also impressive. You should take them in, so your store can offer many more dishes. The more dishes you have, the better business will be, silly kid!"

  Chen Da thought about it and agreed with himself. He would be going to the capital city to study soon, and by then Li Jian could learn the skills of processing medicinal materials from him. However, the yield would definitely be lower than his own, and those medicinal materials wouldn't keep up. It was already good if they could produce one sheep in two days. Would they have to close the business every other day? By taking in these few people, they could help his cousin later on. Even if the sheep were gone, their skills would still be worth something, which was also a considerable income. Later, he could teach them some culinary skills.

  "Alright, I'll take you all in!" said Chen Da Guan Ren loudly.

  Several fat cooks heard this and were overjoyed, rushing over to kowtow and shout "Master", then they also gave Old Man Su a grateful kowtow.

  Just then, the fat chef and a few others had lost their minds to try out, just thinking of folding their knives and finding another job. But Old Man Su told him that there was a way to let Chen Zhiyuan take them as apprentices. The craftsmanship of Chen Zhiyuan was something that these people had experienced before. If they could learn a little bit from it, in the future, in this catering industry, even if they didn't become famous, they would still be considered someone. You say that these few people wouldn't be grateful to Old Man Su?

  Su Lao Ye Zi exchanged a glance with several old men, smiled complacently, and said: "With the help of these people, plus your craftsmanship, your store will surely become more prosperous. By then, you'll be one of us in this circle. When that time comes, I'll mention that matter to you again, and I'm sure you won't decline!"

  In the afternoon, Chen Zhiyuan brought a few people including Fat Chef back to his small shop, called Li Jian back, and asked Fat Chef and others to name some signature dishes. He then asked Li Jian to print menus and prepare ingredients for these dishes. After that, he rented a house nearby for Fat Chef and others, settled them in, before returning to Xiaojie's home.

  Mr. Chen is extremely tired today, but his heart is blooming with joy. Not only did he make over 100,000 yuan quickly, but he also brought in a lot of business and even got these few big chefs to work for him at a low salary of 3,000 yuan. To know that these people's monthly salary at the tourist farm was not less than 5,000 yuan, but they said they came to learn from Chen Zhiyuan and didn't even want a salary at first. It was Chen Zhiyuan who insisted on giving them one, so they settled on 3,000 yuan. This day has been a huge gain for him.

  With these people, Chen Zhiyuan planned to expand the store before leaving and put his business on track. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he fell asleep in a daze.