Chapter 992 Having Eyes for Work

When Shen Lu left Shenjia Village, she really took Tao Song with her.

My second aunt also brought a lot of local products. If her trunk hadn't already been full, she probably wouldn't have stopped.

"When asking someone for a favor, no matter how much goodwill you have, you still have to offer some perfunctory gifts."

“Things in our village aren’t expensive. You mentioned that your father has some kind of illness, so I’ve packed some wild medicinal herbs that your second uncle dug up in the mountains for you. See if they work.”

In Shen Lu's case, the entire mountain belongs to the old lady, and they can freely take any medicinal herbs from the mountain.

However, even Shen Lu was reluctant to give away those medicinal herbs.

When Shen Lu found out what her second aunt had packed, she was speechless.

She even said it wasn't valuable, but she put a ginseng root that was at least sixty years old in the bag.

It was packed in a wooden box.

This wooden box was supposedly made by my second uncle when he had free time.

It doesn't cost money, but it takes a lot of effort.

"I won't give this old ginseng away for now."

"If Tao Song's apprenticeship is successful, this old ginseng can be used as a gift for the apprenticeship."

"Otherwise, giving it to them now would put pressure on them as well."

Second Aunt nodded repeatedly: "Okay, you can arrange it."

Second Aunt never had any doubts about Shen Lu's work.

The young girl is mature and composed; she doesn't seem like someone her age at all.

Shen Lu is a very good driver, and they arrived in the city by noon.

She took Tao Song directly to Youranju.

It's lunchtime now, so we can go over there for a meal, and let Tao Song experience the difference between himself and a renowned chef.

Shen Lu took Tao Song to the back kitchen and found Pang Lüzhi.

It is said that there are several important figures present today, so Pang Lüzhi is cooking herself.

"Aunt Lvzhi, this is Tao Song, whom I told you about."

Pang Lüzhi glanced at Tao Song briefly: "The young man looks to be in good shape."

Tao Song scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

However, he quickly found his place in the kitchen.

This kid has a knack for things.

As soon as Pang Lüzhi said there were no more shredded potatoes, he immediately went to shred them.

It looks quite professional.

Later, they even killed fish and loaches in the kitchen.

"These loaches were brought by a customer who asked us to process them, saying they were local products."

Pang Lüzhi managed to cook three pots all by herself with ease.

I can also chat with Shen Lu for a few minutes when I have some free time.

Shen Lu admired her greatly.

However, now that she's standing here, she's the only one who's alright.

"I fried a plate of crispy pork at noon. Lulu, have some if you're hungry."

Shen Lu didn't stand on ceremony and filled a small plate for herself, eating it outside in the courtyard.

Besides crispy pork, there are also fried lotus flowers.

They were all made for the guests; we kept some for ourselves.

She had originally planned for Shen Lu to arrive at noon, so she made extra of each dish.

"I almost forgot, there's a basket of wild mushrooms in the car. Aunt Green Branch, would you like some?"

Upon hearing this, Pang Lüzhi became interested: "Yes, it's perfect for our guests to try today."

It seems that today's guests are quite familiar with Pang Lüzhi, and she takes them very seriously.

"Who is today's guest?" Shen Lu asked curiously.

“Some old friends, one of whom is the top official in the province.”

Pang Lüzhi smiled.

Shen Lu stopped asking, because there really wasn't much overlap in her life.

Pang Lüzhi had someone ask the people in that private room, and only after they confirmed they wanted mushrooms did she ask Tao Song to help wash them.

Pang Lüzhi doesn't receive many guests during the day; once she finishes serving one table of guests, she has some free time.

When she had some free time, Pang Lüzhi naturally cooked delicious food for Shen Lu and also took the opportunity to test Tao Song's knife skills.

She found that the young man Shen Lu brought was indeed diligent; he not only had an eye for work but also worked efficiently.

The knife skills were good; the potato shreds were cut very finely and evenly, and the loach was killed cleanly and efficiently.

He sliced ​​fish quite well.

At least based on preliminary assessment, Tao Song is qualified.

You cook for Shen Lu, because she needs to eat too.

So in addition to her making them, Tao Song was also asked to make two.

"Make the stir-fried wild mushrooms with cured pork and the wild mushroom soup that I just made."

Pang Lüzhi and Tao Songdao.

Tao Song hadn't expected to have another chance to try, and he hesitated, "Aren't you worried I'll mess this up?"

"I've heard that your customers are very picky eaters."

Pang Lüzhi crossed her arms and laughed, "Don't worry, we're eating this ourselves, that's why I let you help."

“That’s how my senior apprentices all do; they cook for their own people first.”

Only by gaining the approval of one's own people can one take on important responsibilities.

However, Grandpa Pang only took on two apprentices, neither of whom were particularly outstanding in their culinary skills.

All I can say is that they have their own signature dishes.

Only his youngest daughter, Pang Luzhi, was able to learn about 70-80% of his skills.

Moreover, Pang Lüzhi also has her own innovations.

Although she can't compare to Grandpa Pang, she can keep up with the times.

Therefore, it's not fair to say that he's worse than the old man.

Many people inquired whether Pang Lüzhi accepted apprentices, and naturally wanted to send their own people to her.

Pang Lüzhi brushed them off.

If we want to acquire Tao Song now, we still need to investigate for a period of time first.

In just one or two days, you can only see his basic abilities.

But we still need to assess their character.

The two apprentices that the old man took in were honest and kind-hearted, and never had any disloyal intentions.

Moreover, the old man didn't restrict them, allowing them to go out and make a living after they completed their apprenticeship.

Both senior apprentices were excellent people. Only after Pang Lüzhi completed her apprenticeship and the father and daughter were able to work together in the kitchen did they go out to take on apprentices.

I heard that the old man has bone cancer, and the eldest and second eldest brothers are taking turns coming back to help.

Not only that, they were also afraid that Pang Lüzhi would be too busy, so they would also call on their apprentices to come over.

Pang Luzhi offered good treatment, and the two apprentices of those two senior brothers also worked as assistants here.

For them, this is also a learning opportunity.

"Then I'll give it a try?"

Tao Song was not intimidated.

Shen Lu specifically mentioned that Tao Song's cold dishes have a unique flavor.

Pang Lüzhi also asked him to make a Sichuan pepper chicken.

Because Tao Song cooked several dishes, this meal was quite sumptuous, with eight dishes and a soup on the table.

Fortunately, the kid knew there weren't many people eating, so he halved the portion size.

After eating the dishes Tao Song prepared, Pang Lüzhi had a new opinion of him.

This child watched her cook carefully in the kitchen and was able to replicate her wild mushroom soup almost perfectly.

In terms of culinary skills, he is indeed a promising talent.

"Xiao Song, your mushroom soup is very good."

Pang Lüzhi praised him.

Tao Song scratched his head, looking a little naive: "It's probably because my family often makes this dish."

“We may not have many other things, but we have a lot of wild mushrooms.”

Pang Lüzhi affirmed his decision, but also told him, "You need to work for me for six months before I can decide whether I can accept you as my apprentice."

"In other words, for the past six months, we have been choosing each other."

"You can also see if my skills are good enough for you to become my apprentice."