Siheyuan: Mastery started in the 50s

From that day on, Wang Qiang began to help He Yuzhu in his shop. Although He Yuzhu had a preliminary recognition of him, he did not relax his requirements for him. The daily workload was heavy. He had to go out to buy fresh ingredients in the morning, prepare various materials after returning, and clean and tidy up the kitchen.

Wang Qiang never complained and always maintained a positive attitude. He knew this was an opportunity to improve himself. Whenever there were not many customers in the store, he would take the initiative to ask He Yuzhu for advice and learn some of his unique cooking techniques. He Yuzhu saw this and gradually developed a liking for the diligence and steadfastness of this young man.

As time went by, Wang Qiang gradually adapted to the rhythm of He Yuzhu's store. He was busy every day purchasing, preparing ingredients, and taking care of the kitchen. What made him most satisfied was that he began to have the opportunity to participate more in the actual cooking work. Although He Yuzhu still controlled the core of the kitchen, he gradually handed over some relatively simple cooking tasks to Wang Qiang. Wang Qiang was full of fighting spirit. He secretly made up his mind to prove himself in front of He Yuzhu and strive to become the chef here as soon as possible.

However, just when everything seemed to be going well, Wang Qiang suddenly discovered a serious problem - there seemed to be something wrong with his sense of taste.

At first, Wang Qiang thought he was just too tired and his sense of taste was not as good. He tasted the dishes he cooked and felt that the taste was not right. At first, he thought he added too much salt because of his shaking hands or that the seasoning was not mixed well. However, as time went by, this feeling not only did not disappear, but became more obvious.

Once, He Yuzhu asked him to cook a signature dish, Kung Pao Chicken. Wang Qiang was already very familiar with this dish, so he shouldn't make any mistakes. But when he finished cooking, he took a bite and found it too bland. So he added some salt and soy sauce and tasted it again, but still found it not right. This made him a little flustered, but he managed to keep quiet and served the dish to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu took a bite and frowned slightly: "Is there too much salt in this dish?"

When Wang Qiang heard this, his heart suddenly sank. He secretly complained. It tasted bland when he tasted it, but why is it salty now? He felt uneasy, but he apologized hurriedly: "I'm sorry, Master He, I may not have controlled the heat well. I will pay attention next time."

He Yuzhu didn't say much, just nodded lightly, indicating that he should continue working.

Wang Qiang was in a state of confusion. He began to wonder if there was something wrong with his sense of taste. This was undoubtedly a fatal blow to a chef. He tried to verify his sense of taste many times. Sometimes he felt that the food was as bland as water, and sometimes he felt that it was salty and pierced his throat. He became more and more untrustworthy of his tongue. He became more cautious when cooking and had to think over and over again every time he added seasoning. However, even so, problems still occurred frequently.

This put Wang Qiang under great pressure. He did not want He Yuzhu to discover his problem, because he knew that once He Yuzhu knew that his sense of taste was impaired, the cooperation might be ruined. Moreover, he did not want to destroy the foundation he had worked so hard to lay.

At night, Wang Qiang returned to his rented house and sat alone by the bed, thinking about everything that had happened during this period. His mood became extremely heavy. As a chef, taste is his lifeline, but now, this lifeline seems to be breaking quietly. Wang Qiang silently asked himself in his heart: Could it be that all these years of hard work will eventually fail because of this sudden taste problem?

For several days, Wang Qiang spent his time in this state of anxiety. Every time he faced He Yuzhu, he tried to stay calm and suppress his inner anxiety and uneasiness, but in fact his state had been seriously affected. When cooking, he always unconsciously tasted the food repeatedly and adjusted the seasonings, but the result was often worse and worse. He began to lose confidence in himself, and every time he served the food, he was afraid to see He Yuzhu's frowning expression.

One day, He Yuzhu watched Wang Qiang repeatedly adjusting a dish, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Wang Qiang, what's wrong with you these days? I feel that you are absent-minded, and your work is not as neat as before. Are you in trouble?"

Wang Qiang was shocked and knew he couldn't keep it a secret any longer. He hesitated for a moment and decided to be honest: "Master He, I feel like there's something wrong with my sense of taste recently... Sometimes I can't tell the difference between salty and bland. I wonder if there's something wrong with my body."

He Yuzhu's expression turned serious after hearing this. He knew what this meant to a chef. He was silent for a while, then patted Wang Qiang on the shoulder and said, "You did the right thing. If you find a problem, you should speak up. You can't hide it. Let's find a doctor first. We can't delay this problem of your sense of taste."

Wang Qiang nodded, his heart full of gratitude and shame. He thought He Yuzhu would blame him, but he didn't expect him to be so calm and rational. The next day, He Yuzhu personally took Wang Qiang to an old Chinese doctor and asked the doctor to examine him. After a careful consultation, the old Chinese doctor prescribed some medicine for Wang Qiang, saying that it might be due to recent overwork and irregular diet, which led to a temporary disorder of taste and needed to be adjusted for a period of time.

He Yuzhu told Wang Qiang to take medicine on time, have a good rest, and not to push himself. Wang Qiang was relieved, but still full of worries, fearing that his taste problem would not recover soon. During this period, he could only help in the kitchen, responsible for some side dishes and cutting vegetables, while the real cooking work was given to He Yuzhu. Wang Qiang was anxious, he knew that time waits for no one, he must recover as soon as possible, otherwise his career as a chef might end here.

One night, Wang Qiang sat on the bed, looking at the night sky outside the window, his mind in a mess. He suddenly remembered the time when he was a child helping his father in the kitchen. At that time, he was just a little boy who was curious about cooking. Every time he saw the steam coming out of the pot and the food boiling, his heart was always filled with excitement and anticipation.

However, now, this simple happiness has been replaced by endless anxiety and pressure. Wang Qiang took a deep breath and vowed in his heart that no matter what, he would not give up easily. He must regain his confidence in cooking and the passion that kept him going through countless nights.

In the following days, Wang Qiang worked harder to adjust his condition. He strictly followed the doctor's instructions to regulate his body, started to have a regular schedule, and gave up some bad living habits.