C49 (1/2)
CHAPTER VI DEAL OF POWER
Xiao Li wrote, ”You're right. It seems that we have to muddle the waters in order to do our job.”
The little monkey said in his heart: What you said really suits my heart. I, Little Monkey, am not interested in anything else, but this troublemaker is the only one I like. However, he said, ”Since Senior says so, Little Monkey will do his best.”
Seeing his crafty eyes, Xiao Li knew that this kid must be really happy. He hurriedly wrote on the ground, ”We must not let anyone find out our purpose. We must borrow some power in the dark. We must avoid appearing in person as much as possible.”
Little Monkey said, ”Yes, this brat has already made some calculations.”
Xiao Li wrote, ”Alright, let me know as soon as there is any news. If we go back now, we'll just pretend that nothing has happened today. ”
Little Monkey said, ”I understand. This brat is under the protection of the heavens today, I wonder who was the one who saved him out of the kindness of their hearts. ”
Xiao Li nodded his head in approval. After he retracted his body, he silently climbed up the tree and left. The little monkey stared at the tree for a long time before it shook its head and sped away.
The next day, Xiao Li and the little monkey were still squatting around to wash the dishes. Xiao Li and the little monkey were still squatting around to wash the dishes. Xiao Li couldn't help but praise the little monkey in his heart.
However, Old Zhao did not come today. He just told everyone to do their work properly. He was the one who cooked. It was said that he was very sick.
Xiao Li and Little Monkey knew that Old Zhao might have been severely injured last night, so they didn't dare to come out to be afraid of being discovered. However, the two of them ignored him.
Thus, in the past two days, people from all sides came to the kitchen to report that the dishes tasted terrible. Everyone's reactions were getting more and more intense, forcing Old Zhao to step out to take charge. If he didn't come out now, someone would come visit him.
Xiao Li and the others saw that Old Zhao's face was pale as a sheet. Indeed, he looked like he was gravely ill. It seemed that his injuries from that night were truly too severe. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to not have recovered with his cultivation.
Old Zhao personally came, but he still did not cook. He only instructed his subordinates, but those who did it often did not meet his requirements. He was so angry that he kept coughing.
Old Zhao scolded, ”You idiots, how do you usually get me to teach you all?! We can't help you at critical moments, what's the use of keeping you alive? I make a lot of mistakes every time I get sick. Does that mean everyone doesn't need to eat every time I die? Do you think you guys are cooking or eating pig food? No wonder people say every day that you don't have to taste it yourselves, can you eat it yourself? ”
At this time, someone stuck his head out and whispered, ”Elder Zhao, it's not that we're not diligent, but we've already done our best. You know our stuff. ”
Old Zhao became even angrier and shouted, ”Did I not usually teach you guys? Did I hide something? I can do it. Why can't you? ”
That person said in a low voice, ”How can we compare to your age?”
Old Zhao roared, ”Stop putting me on high. If you can't do it well today, all of you...” ”Cough, cough, cough …” He was too excited to stop coughing.
Everyone had bitter expressions on their faces. It had to be known that this place was a place for food and accommodation. Every month, there would be a lot of wages and the ability to learn some skills was something ordinary people yearned for even in their dreams. However, the appetite of the people here was too high. As long as there was the slightest deviation in their dishes, they would not be able to meet these requirements. In fact, if these people were placed outside, they would definitely be considered as head chefs.
Old Zhao coughed for a while before he stopped and waved his hand, ”Everyone... All of you, hurry up and do it... ”Work.” Next, he would patiently instruct the ingredients of each dish, the size and time of the heat, the degree of stir-frying, the order of cooking, the cooking method, etc. Each step could not be too much or too little, neither too fast nor too slow. However, everyone was still making mistakes and could not fully grasp the situation. Old Zhao stomped his feet in anger.
There was nothing Old Zhao could do, he could only drag his sick men away and personally cook a few dishes. However, his breathing had quickened and he couldn't continue. He could only wave his hands at them to get on.
Even though Xiao Li had been making fun of Little Monkey, he was also listening to the commotion over there. He thought to himself, ”It seems like it's time for me to show off my skills and mix myself in with this situation.” He patted the little monkey and told it to come with him.
Xiao Li came to Old Zhao's side and indicated for him to try it out. He had also learned some culinary arts before and wanted to see if they could meet his requirements. He then asked Little Monkey to translate them for Old Zhao.
Little Monkey said to Old Zhao, ”Old Zhao, he said he can cook and help you.”
Old Zhao glared hatefully at the little monkey the moment he saw him. However, the little monkey pretended not to see him at all as he earnestly translated for Xiao Li. Old Zhao stared at Little Monkey for a long time. Seeing that Little Monkey was only smiling in return, he turned to Xiao Li and asked, ”You can cook?”
Little Monkey gestured to tell Xiao Li and Old Zhao that he was just putting on an act. He knew that Xiao Li could hear him. Xiao Li gestured for a while more, which meant that he could give it a try. He hoped that the requirements would be met.
Little Monkey said to Old Zhao, ”He said yes, his cooking skills are quite good.”
Old Zhao already knew that Xiao Li was recommended by Second Donkey to be his opponent. However, seeing that Xiao Li was deaf and dumb, it was inconvenient to train him. Thus, he completely ignored him and only asked Xiao Li to do some menial work. Now that he saw his subordinates' actions, he was completely speechless from anger. He could only give it a try in front of everyone and waved Xiao Li to give it a try.
The other men were overjoyed to see that someone was here to be the scapegoat, and were eager to escape. In fact, Xiao Li had been paying attention to the cooking methods in this place for the past few days. He had long planned to cook here as a chef so that he might be able to tamper with the dishes in the future. He used to cook when he was at home. Although those were only superficial skills, now that he had learnt kung fu, he had a good grasp on the heat and was very meticulous in his observation.
As soon as he started, he began to cook the various dishes like flowing water. Although there were some mistakes, with Old Zhao correcting him, it was quite quick to correct them. Old Zhao applauded and praised him for his high comprehension ability, which was the highest among all his apprentices. As long as he gave some pointers, he would be ready for any dish. Moreover, the ingredients used were quite good. The dishes cooked by him were almost 80% Old Zhao's in taste. He believed that he would be able to master the other dishes in just one or two days.
Old Zhao was quite happy. He patted Xiao Li and gave him a thumbs up, encouraging him, before snorting at the others, ”Look, he's only used one or two hours worth of time compared to you two. Now, don't say that he can't do it.”
Everyone lowered their heads, ashamed.
Old Zhao instructed coldly, ”Why aren't you helping out? Don't tell me you want me, a sick person, to work? We need to hurry up and prepare today's food, otherwise you'll suffer if you're late. ”
Everyone was greatly alarmed and quickly began to work on their own. One must know that if the dishes were not delivered on time, it would be a huge mistake. If they were careless, they might even lose their lives. Although the living conditions here were very comfortable and the wages were quite high, the master here also had very harsh requirements.
These past few days, Xiao Li had been cooking in place of Old Zhao, and Old Zhao had been giving him pointers from the side. Xiao Li pretended to be quite good. Old Zhao didn't understand sign language, so he had Little Monkey translate from the side, saving it a lot of hard work.