Chapter 990 Tao Song's Request
Although she knew that the people in her village were not short of money, Shen Lu still led a few of them to ask from house to house.
As soon as they heard that Shen Lu wanted to buy mushrooms, everyone offered to give them away for free.
Shen Lu quickly refused: "No, no, no, you have to pay. I don't want money."
"They bought these to give away as gifts, so please don't give them away for free. They're not short of money."
Shen Lu felt that the villagers would be happy if they earned money. Although they usually did not lack money, the money was deposited into their bank accounts and they only received cash during the Chinese New Year.
So they should be happy to earn some money normally.
However, many young people in the village have returned, and they want to share the mushrooms with their own families first.
After accepting two or three offers, Shen Lu and his team stopped accepting offers.
Let's go to the neighboring village to collect it; we can't make things difficult for the people in our own village.
When her second aunt heard that she wanted to go to the next village to collect mushrooms, she offered to lead the way.
“My family is from this village, so I asked them for help.”
My second aunt is really kind-hearted. With her help, all the mushrooms they received were of good quality and the price was fair.
Shen Lu and the others didn't try to haggle too much; the seller just rounded down the price. After all, it was money they found on the mountain, free money.
Shen Xuejiao and the other two all gained a lot.
Shen Lu didn't buy anything. It didn't rain yesterday, but she doesn't know if the weather will change this afternoon.
If it rains this afternoon, we should be able to pick up some more tomorrow.
She'll have the children go find it, and she'll collect it from them to give them pocket money.
Don't underestimate the children who grow up in the village. They've been going up the mountain to steal birds' nests and down the river to catch fish since they were little. They're very good at activities like picking mushrooms.
She's much more efficient than Shen Xuejiao and the other city folks.
Even Shen Lu felt inferior to him.
Although she has a sharp eye, it's only because Teacher Huang took her to the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs.
When it comes to finding mushrooms and wild fruits, she can't compare to those children.
"Shen Lu and his group couldn't move so many mushrooms, so it was my second aunt's nephews who helped carry them back to the truck."
My second aunt's little nephew was full of curiosity about Shen Lu and the others.
To be precise, it's a deep longing for big cities.
He wasn't good at studying; he just graduated from high school this year, and he only managed to finish because his family forced him to continue his studies.
He didn't want to go to university; instead, he wanted to help his family prepare large banquets.
He called Shen Lu "Sister Shen" because he heard she was very capable and wanted to learn from her.
"Sister, with my grades, going to university is really pointless, but my parents insist on making me study. Do you have any ideas?"
"Or could you give me some advice?"
"You don't want to study anymore, and you prefer cooking?"
Shen Lu looked at the younger brother's physique and found him to be quite healthy; not fat, but definitely strong.
The muscles in his arms are very firm.
My 18-year-old brother, with that physique, would definitely be very popular if he went to university.
"Yes, I enjoy cooking. I feel a great sense of accomplishment every time I see others praise my cooking."
Tao Song truly loathed reading.
Shen Lu had no idea how good his cooking was.
"I made that Sichuan peppercorn chicken yesterday, did you guys eat it?"
Sichuan peppercorn chicken?
Speaking of this, Shen Lu immediately remembered it.
"Your cooking skills are not bad, that dish was pretty good."
Shen Lu remembered the Sichuan peppercorn chicken. Although the portion at each table was small, everyone finished all the chicken, which showed that the person who prepared the dish was quite skilled.
Moreover, not only is the Sichuan peppercorn chicken delicious, but the onions mixed in are also sweet and refreshing, without being pungent.
"I also think the Sichuan pepper chicken is good. You have a bright future, little brother. You are so good at cooking at such a young age."
Shen Xuejiao slapped the other person on the shoulder.
Tao Song blushed instantly, not from pain, but from embarrassment.
He had never been this close to a girl before.
Shen Xuejiao was also very beautiful, so much so that he dared not look directly at her.
"Shen Xuejiao, just say what you want to say, don't bully people." Shen Lu noticed Tao Song's discomfort.
Shen Xuejiao immediately apologized: "I'm sorry, little brother, I didn't mean any harm."
You certainly didn't mean any harm, but the younger brother felt embarrassed.
"The Sichuan pepper chicken was really good, but they didn't leave us many." Feng Tian also expressed her approval of Tao Song's cooking skills.
"Do you sisters think I can open my own restaurant in the future?"
"I want to become a chef, but I don't want to keep cooking large banquets in the countryside."
When he hosts large banquets, the same people come and go, so there's no way for more people to taste his cooking skills.
His cooking skills are unlikely to improve.
Shen Lu and the others nodded, indicating that Tao Song could definitely do it.
"Go to a school to learn cooking, or find a master to teach you. Your family should have already taught you what they know, right?"
Therefore, Tao Song had no room for improvement at home.
He has mastered all the skills, and as long as he practices hard, he will eventually reach the level of his father and grandfather.
However, to go further, one needs to learn systematically.
"I really want to become an apprentice, but I'm afraid I won't be able to find a reliable teacher."
Tao Song felt that Shen Lu and the others, being from a big city, should have good suggestions.
"Sis, do you think it's a good idea for me to work at one of those restaurants that's basically hiring chef apprentices?"
After all, I'm just a student, and I'm still very cautious about making decisions about my future.
"Generally speaking, it depends on luck." Shen Lu had no experience either.
Tao Song fell silent; this involved an element of luck.
He's still young; he can afford to gamble.
But his family was against it; they still hoped he could repeat a year and go to university.
Once he finishes his studies, he can do whatever he wants.
The second aunt glanced at her nephew. In fact, she knew what he was thinking, and she also knew that he was too embarrassed to speak up.
"LuLu, Aunt Qi is very familiar with the owner of Youranju. Have you heard them mention taking on apprentices?"
In fact, families that pass down their traditions in this way generally do not accept apprentices from outside the family.
My second aunt had eaten there once before, and when she went back to her parents' home, she praised Youranju highly.
The dishes and the quality of their food were indeed different from their grand banquet.
Perhaps Tao Song fell in love with You Ran Ju after hearing her praise it.
It is said that the last time he went to the city, he secretly visited Youranju.
He got a free meal at You Ran Ju thanks to one of his wealthy classmates, and it became a place on his mind ever since.
He longed for You Ran Ju, but he had few opportunities and couldn't find anyone there.
It took a lot of courage for him to ask Shen Lu.
"I haven't heard of that before," Shen Lu replied, realizing what was going on.
So, Tao Song's long-winded explanation was simply that he wanted to become an apprentice at Youranju?
To be honest, families like You Ran Ju usually find successors within their own families. As for apprentices, Shen Lu had never heard Pang Lüzhi mention them.
However, no one in the next generation of the Pang family is willing to learn to cook.
The person helping Pang Lüzhi in the kitchen was also an apprentice taken in by Grandpa Pang.
They did take on apprentices, but they won't inherit Youranju in the future, so Shen Lu doesn't know how much they've learned.
"I can help inquire about this, but I'm not sure if it will work."
"Tao Song, don't have too much hope for this."
