Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

The A-level Four Happiness glutinous rice balls tasted bland to Qin Huai. As he ate, he regretted waking up so late today, feeling it was too impulsive, while simultaneously reminiscing about the absurd and bizarre dream he had last night, as well as yesterday's baffling experience of chopping vegetables.

Eating breakfast, he was utterly absent-minded, so much so that he didn't notice when Cao Guixiang approached him.

"Don't space out while eating. The rice balls are made of glutinous rice, and it's easy to choke if you're not focused," Cao Guixiang gently reminded him.

Qin Huai quickly chewed and swallowed the rice ball in his mouth, then said embarrassedly, "Sorry, Master Cao, I won't do it again."

"Apologizing again, the first thing you said this morning was sorry, now you're saying it again. Xiao Qin, why do I feel like you've become distant from us since you came back? Is there really that much to apologize for?"

Qin Huai hurriedly explained, "No, it's just that I..."

"Just that what? You feel guilty about accepting so much from us that you've become shy in front of me and Grandpa Zhang?"

"Or do you think your progress in knife skills is too slow, and you're sorry for those online lessons I've been giving you every day? Or maybe you're puzzled by my sudden enthusiasm, one moment giving you secret recipes, another teaching you thickening techniques, and you can't figure out what I'm up to?"

"I..." Qin Huai opened his mouth, not knowing what else to say. Cao Guixiang had summed it up so accurately. He could only nod, "A bit of everything perhaps."

"I just feel that Master Cao, we're not related, yet you've been too kind to me, and it makes me unsure how to..."

If Zheng Da took the initiative because he wanted to take Qin Huai as an apprentice, and Huang Shengli's enthusiasm was due to Zheng Da's connection and his own personality, then Cao Guixiang was certainly overly proactive and enthusiastic.

So proactive that if placed in a system novel, one couldn't help but suspect she too had a system, tasked with increasing Qin Huai's favorability score.

"So you got up early, made two big boxes of snacks, and took care of half a month's breakfast for my family," Cao Guixiang joked, waving a hand, "Don't feel burdened, and certainly don't have these wild thoughts like you're disappointing me if you don't learn fast enough."

Qin Huai nodded and ate his rice ball.

"I'm not completely selfless either; I actually quite want to take you as my disciple."

Qin Huai almost choked on the rice ball.

"Don't get excited, I just quite want to," Cao Guixiang said, "When you told me you felt you had a knack for thickening, and after watching your technique, I must admit I was really tempted."

"When you maintained that status practicing your knife skills so long last night, it made me even more tempted."

"But this morning, as I ate the Four Happiness rice balls you made, I thought it over and realized there's no need."

"Your Four Happiness rice balls are delicious; you're a pure pastry master, while I'm a pure meat chef. And I feel like you and I are somewhat alike in that we both have talent but our aspirations lie elsewhere."

"I worked as a chef until I was in my thirties, felt I had made enough money to spend more time with the kids, and I retired even though the boss offered me better pay, promised me a house, a shop, shares—I didn't continue being a chef."

"I think you're a bit better off than me; at least you could probably work until you're about 50."

"If I were to take you as my disciple, I would have expectations of you. I would hope for you to achieve great things in this industry, wish for you to devote all your time and energy to being a chef. I might hope for you to become a top chef, someone truly dedicated to the craft, to reach the pinnacle of this field, to shine brightly like every parent who hopes their child gets top marks and succeeds."

"But that wouldn't be fair to you."

"Because your aspirations may lie elsewhere, I can't impose these expectations on you just because I'm impressed by your talent."

"Just like when I insisted on leaving the state-owned restaurant job to go to the countryside for Old Zhang, my mentor and senior couldn't understand. They advised me for a long time, thinking if I stayed in Beiping at the state-owned restaurant, I would certainly become an outstanding female chef, even the best in the country, but I insisted on leaving. Ultimately, they respected my choice."

"I know you certainly don't want to acknowledge a mentor, and it's impossible for you to abandon pastry for meat cooking, nor can you ignore pastry to focus on practicing meat cooking intensively. So I think I should respect your choice, just like my mentor and senior respected mine back then, even if you don't actually have to make those choices."

Cao Guixiang saw Qin Huai's stunned expression and burst into laughter: "Do you think your Master Cao is particularly strange, suddenly going on about all this? Maybe I'm trying to play hard to get, advancing by retreating. The purpose of saying all this is to make you ask to become my disciple on your own, so it's not me pushing it, but you wanting it."

Qin Huai: ...

Cao Guixiang had said it all, what could he say?

At this moment, Qin Huai felt that even a master-level lie wasn't enough, his skill level needed to rise further, there were actually times when words failed him.

"No, no, that's not what I mean," Qin Huai could only say.