The story of a cook

Chapter 104

I don't know how other people's emotional paths are, anyway, mine is quite bumpy.

The first time I went to Yaru's house, Yaru's mother told me that Yaru was engaged, and my first relationship failed; the second time I went to Lin Yan's house, Lin Yan's mother disagreed with my marriage with Lin Yan, and directly rejected me.

At that time, I was thinking, is there true love in this world?
Maybe there is, maybe my fate has come or not.

Back to work at the hotel on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Huang Ping saw that I was a little unhappy, and asked me: "Tan Zi, how about going to Lin Yan's house?"

I said, "Her mother disagrees."

Huang Ping asked, "What about Lin Yan? What's her opinion?"

I said, "She didn't say anything, she seemed to listen to her mother."

Huang Ping said, "Why are you still like this?"

I said, "That's it."

Then I started working.

After I came back, Master Sui and Wang Xiaodong left, Zhan Ze, Zhan Gang, the cold dish master, and sister Cui 28 left. They all went home for the New Year.Sister Zhang, Aunt Wang and I were left in the restaurant, and the bar counter, Brother Gao, and Yanhua from Hangobing were left at the front desk.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and it's time to celebrate the New Year.

I was very confused and didn't know what to think.My mother didn't go back for her birthday. She originally planned to go to Lin Yan's house. It should be good. Lin Yan will spend a new year at home and will go home with me after the year. It was a good idea at first, but the reality is cruel. Agreed, beat me back to before liberation in one fell swoop.At that time, although I had confidence in Lin Yan and felt that Lin Yan could convince her mother that we would be together, but with the lessons learned from Yaru, I had no idea.Especially Lin Yan's family has only one mother, and without a father, she is more likely to choose to listen to her mother and not continue to be with me.

Think about it, sort out your thoughts, and tell yourself, don’t think so much, what should you do, what do you want to do, anyway, I can’t go home during the Chinese New Year, and it’s useless to think about it, just treat yourself as a lovelorn again Son, what's the matter, can't find a partner for the rest of my life and can't be called a daughter-in-law?Work, everything is nonsense, work is the most important thing.

That's all I'm good at, Wuluan can comfort himself in any situation and tell himself what to do.After so many years, I am very glad that I have this benefit, because in many cases, I will quickly enter the working state and tell myself what to do.In fact, people are like this. Sometimes it is normal for things to happen beyond our expectations. Nothing will be shifted by our thoughts and will, nor will it develop according to our thoughts and will, unless we are god.

When something unexpected happens, just accept it, because whether you accept it or not, it has happened, and it has something to do with you, so you have to face it, and you can’t escape it.The so-called escape is nothing more than self-deception. In the eyes of others, it is your business and you have to face it.When I was at home, I knew that my family was very poor. I was born in this poor family. Poverty is the reality that I need to face. It’s not that I don’t want to live in poverty. and change it.Only when people face the reality, can they have a solution, have the courage and strength to live, and feel that life is so enjoyable when they keep moving forward.

I don't believe in fate, but I vaguely feel that the occurrence and development of many things are inevitable, and there is a causal relationship among them.Simply put, if you treat others well, others will treat you well, and if you scold others, others will scold you.If you work hard in the face of poverty, poverty will change and give you the life you want. If you bow your head in front of poverty and think that you are destined to be poor, then you will have to be poor for a lifetime.

My mother often said, to be a human being, don’t lose your conscience, we don’t deceive or harm others, if you treat people well, they will treat you well.The same is true of life, as long as you have the heart and lungs and are willing to endure hardships and work hard, God will open his eyes, and one day he will make you live a better life.

I firmly believe in my mother's words, because I am a mother's son.

Sister Zhang, who was washing the dishes, saw that I was not happy, and asked me, "How about going to Lin Yan's house?"

I said, "It's okay, her mother disagrees."

Sister Zhang said, "Why doesn't her mother agree, you and Lin Yan are so nice."

I said: "If you don't agree, then don't agree, let's talk."

Then go to work.

29. There are few customers and no table reservations.At noon, there were five reservations for the New Year's Eve dinner, all of which were [-] set meals.

In the mid-90s, people in provincial capitals began to eat New Year’s Eve dinner in restaurants during the Chinese New Year, and it was only just emerging, and it has not yet reached the point of popularization. Most families still like to eat New Year’s Eve dinner at home, which seems to have an atmosphere and a New Year’s flavor.

Starting from noon, I prepared the ingredients according to the set meal. Sister Zhang helped me, and Aunt Wang came to help me prepare the dumplings after preparing her dumplings.By four or five o'clock in the afternoon, all the raw materials for the five tables were ready.There were also several tables of guests in the evening, all of which were small tables. There were only three or two people at a table, and the most was five people. It was all over by nine o'clock.

I made a working meal and took it to the front desk to eat.

It was just me, Sister Zhang, and Yanhua who ate the work meals, the three of us.Huang Ping went home, Aunt Wang went back to eat with her wife, girl and son-in-law, and Brother Gao and the bar went back to Brother Gao's house.The remaining three of us did not go home and depended on each other.

Working outside is actually quite hard, especially during the Chinese New Year holidays when I can’t go home. Living outside alone makes me feel very uncomfortable and bitter.The bitter taste is indescribable, even the delicacies in the mouth are not delicious.

I drank the strongest wine, and I couldn't get drunk with homesick people.

To be honest, who doesn't want to go home for the New Year, who doesn't want to go home to spend time with parents and say hello to them.However, sometimes I just can’t go home, so I have to spend the New Year outside alone, thinking about my father and mother in a foreign land.

At that time, my parents also missed us at home.

How can parents not want their children, especially during the Chinese New Year?

I fried four dishes and brought them to the table.

I was not in a good mood, I couldn't go home to spend the New Year with my mother, and I just came back from Lin Yan's house, and the proposal was not successful, so I was a little bit uncomfortable.Yanhua and Sister Zhang sat across the table, looking at them, it seemed that they were not doing well, and they were also homesick.

I sorted out my emotions and asked, "Do you two drink?"

Sister Zhang looked at Yanhua and said, "Yanhua, if you can drink, please drink some."

Yanhua said, "Sister, you should drink some today."

Sister Zhang said, "I can drink a bottle of beer."

I said, "Just one bottle, let's drink some."

Pour all the wine on.

I held a glass of wine and said to them: "Sister Zhang, Yanhua, there are only the three of us today, and the Chinese New Year will be tomorrow, and the three of us have to be happy, come and have a drink."

After finishing speaking, he clinked glasses with the two of them and did it first.Yanhua saw what I did, so she followed suit.

Sister Zhang hesitated looking at the wine in the glass, and I said, "Sister, you can just take a sip, and you don't drink."

Miss Zhang took a sip.

I said, "Try how the dishes I cook are delicious."

Sister Zhang and Yanhua started picking up vegetables.

I said, "I've made a lot of progress now, and I can also be a chef."

Sister Zhang put the food in her mouth and said as she ate, "Tan Zi, in fact, if you don't go up to cook, you will be able to cook a long time ago."

I said: "Cooking is not the same as cooking, I'm almost there."

Yanhua said: "I eat delicious food, you can be a chef now."

I said, "That's fine. When you open a restaurant, I'll cook for you."

Yanhua said, "I can't open a restaurant. When you open a restaurant, I'll be your waiter."

I joked: "When I open a restaurant, you don't need to be a waiter, it's just right for you to be the proprietress."

Yanhua said, "Fuck you, talk about it and you won't be in shape."

I just laughed.

Sister Zhang said to Yanhua: "What's the matter, if Lin Yan really doesn't get along with Tan Zi, you can get along with Tan Zi, I think you two are fine."

Yanhua said: "Sister, you see that everyone is fine with everyone, but you still say that Zhanze and I are fine."

Sister Zhang said, "That's two different things. Zhan Ze is Zhan Ze, and Tan Zi is Tan Zi."

I said, "Actually, Zhanze is pretty good, but he needs a good person to take care of him. It would be great if there is a daughter-in-law like Yanhua."

Yanhua said, "Forget him in this life."

Drinking wine and talking to the sky gradually dilutes the feeling of homesickness.

Yanhua asked me: "Brother Tan, you go to Lin Yan's house, does Lin Yan's mother really say she disagrees with you?"

I said, "Yes, I disagree."

Sister Zhang said: "I don't know what Lin Yan's mother thinks, she doesn't want such a son-in-law, what else does she want."

Yanhua said, "I must be looking for someone rich."

I didn't speak, just took a sip of wine.

Sister Zhang thought of her two children and said, "It's the Chinese New Year, and I don't know what my two children are like. Does their father care about the children?"

I said, "Don't worry, people celebrate the New Year at home, and their father also buys clothes and eats dumplings for their children. They are better than you. You don't have to worry about it."

Sister Zhang said: "If you don't worry about it, there is no mother who doesn't miss her child. It's the Chinese New Year, and I think even more, if it's okay in normal times—" As she said, tears fell from Sister Zhang's eyes.

That's right, which mother doesn't want a child, it's the flesh that fell from her body, she was pregnant for October, and her bones were split into ten fingers, can she not?Seeing Sister Zhang cry, I felt a little uncomfortable. I wondered if my mother, like Sister Zhang, was eating at home by herself, thinking of me, and shedding tears.

Seeing Sister Zhang crying, Yanhua also had red eye circles, presumably also thinking about her old father at home.

I took a sip of wine, lit a cigarette, and handed it to Yanhua, who smoked one.

I said: "Sister, it's normal for you to think about children. In fact, seeing that you miss children, I also miss my mother a lot, and Yanhua also misses her father a lot. I didn't go home for the Chinese New Year last year. I lived here. It's not that good." It’s a good feeling—I also shed tears when I was thirty.”

I took a puff of cigarette, and then said: "If we don't go home for the New Year, we all have reasons for not going back. If we don't go back, we don't go back. That's one day. It's fine after thirty."

Sister Zhang wiped her tears and said, "I know that too, but I just can't help it."

I said: "No one can bear it, unless one has a heart of stone. This is human nature. I feel that this year is very good. I was alone last year. It was a worrying year. This year is going to be good, and you two will be with me to celebrate the New Year, I feel very happy."

Sister Zhang said, "Okay, I won't cry anymore, and it's hard to take you two with me."

Yanhua said, "Yes, I don't feel good seeing you cry."

I said: "Come on, they celebrate the New Year at home, and we celebrate the New Year too, let's have a drink."

Had a drink with them.

After eating and clearing away, I asked, "Do you two watch TV? We can watch TV in our private room."

Sister Zhang looked at Yanhua, who said, "Go back to sleep, it's past ten o'clock."

Sister Zhang said, "I don't want to watch it either, let's go back."

I said, "Then let's go back."

He took the fruit and melon seeds that Huang Ping had bought for them, and then closed the restaurant and went back to the dormitory.

Walking on the street, hearing the sound of firecrackers and fireworks rising into the night sky from time to time, and seeing the red lanterns hung by the residential buildings on both sides of the street, the new year is here.

Tomorrow is the New Year's Eve.

(End of this chapter)