Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 427: Disciple's Troubles
Yan Jiekuang pulled Wei Xiaobao into another room and asked him what was wrong. Wei Xiaobao then told him what was troubling him.

It turned out that the problem lay with his apprentices. Wei Xiaobao, like his master, had three apprentices at the beginning. One of them was a pair of brothers, one named Li Hongjun and the other named Li Honggang. They were both from their village and knew each other well. The two brothers were also very good and obeyed Wei Xiaobao's words. The problem lay with the third apprentice.

The third apprentice was called Song Gang, who came to Wei Xiaobao with skills. Wei Xiaobao accepted him because he was very talented. Moreover, Wei Xiaobao was a very upright person. He would not teach cooking skills like He Yuzhu did, as he also had some hidden skills. Wei Xiaobao taught Song Gang with all his strength, and Song Gang grew up very fast. He was able to take on the main responsibility within two years. Wei Xiaobao then confidently handed over Chunfenglou to him and made him the head chef.

But he never expected that just a few days ago, Song Gang found Wei Xiaobao and said bluntly: "Master, I want to open a restaurant by myself. I want to quit Chunfenglou."

Wei Xiaobao was stunned at first, then he got furious and said, "What did you say? Say it again, you've only been the head chef for a year, and you want to quit? Did I train you for nothing?"

Song Gang said, "Master, I know what I do is a little unauthentic, but my family has always wanted me to open a restaurant of my own. You trained me, and I am grateful to you, but you can't tie me down in Chunfenglou, right?"

Wei Xiaobao got even angrier and said, "Okay, now you're strong enough to start your own business. How could I have thought I was blind and accepted an ungrateful person like you? You, you, if you leave, don't call me Master anymore."

Song Gang said, "You will always be my master, but Master, times have changed. You see, many people have made fortunes by doing business on their own. You can't force others to do things against their will. I am very grateful to you for being able to learn from you, but everyone has their own path to take. You can't stop me from achieving my own goals."

Wei Xiaobao didn't want to hear what he said anymore, and shouted directly: "Get out, get out, I don't want to see you."

Seeing that his master was on the verge of exploding, Song Gang left first.

Wei Xiaobao was very angry and called Qi Li to tell her about this. Qi Li said angrily, "He didn't leave alone, he took two people with him. Your disciple is really a jerk. I don't know what to say."

For several days, Wei Xiaobao was filled with sorrow and depression. He kept thinking about this matter and felt very uncomfortable.

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiekuang said, "Is that it?" Wei Xiaobao nodded. Yan Jiekuang took out a cigarette and handed it to Wei Xiaobao. Wei Xiaobao took out a lighter and quickly lit it for his master.

Yan Jiekuang said: "If it rains, it will rain. If my mother wants to marry, let her marry. But this incident also reminds us that when we are looking for apprentices, in addition to the traditional apprenticeship, we must also write a labor contract clearly, specify the time required for the apprentice to work, and stipulate the penalty for breach of contract. Only in this way can we avoid such things from happening again."

Wei Xiaobao nodded and said, "I've been thinking about this these days. What if this happens again? I won't dare to accept any more disciples."

Yan Jiekuang chuckled and said, "We still have to accept disciples, but we can avoid losses by making the ugly words clear up front when we accept them."

Wei Xiaobao nodded and said, "I will make it clear to those managers right away to prevent this from happening again. The existing kitchen staff will sign new contracts."

Yan Jiekuang said, "This kind of thing happened frequently in the past, and the way we dealt with it in the past was to exclude people. But society is different now, and we don't do that anymore. Okay, don't take it to heart. Come on, show me the vegetables. My parents are going to have hot pot for lunch."

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "Master, we just brought some from Fangshan this morning. They are all rare vegetables. Come on, I'll take you there."

Wei Xiaobao took Yan Jiekuang to the warehouse. Wei Xiaobao had renovated the warehouse into a cold storage and installed refrigeration equipment.

Yan Jiekuang picked a small piece of winter melon, as well as coriander, chives, lettuce, Chinese cabbage and bok choy, and also picked a piece of frozen tofu and sauerkraut. Then he asked Wei Xiaobao to find someone to take them home. He went to the grocery store at the entrance of the alley and bought a bag of Longkou vermicelli and sesame paste, and also bought a box of chili sauce, and then returned to the west wing.

Yang Ruiping was washing vegetables in the sink, and Yan Jiekuang asked, "Mom, are we going to eat in the restaurant or in the backyard?"

Yang Ruiping said, "Let's go to the backyard. We need to light a fire before we go to the restaurant."

"Okay, I'll go cut the meat. By the way, I also brought some fried lamb tripe, which we can eat later." Yan Jiekuang said.

The mother and son went through several rounds before they finally placed the vegetables and meat on the table in the middle hall in the backyard.

Yan Jiekuang said, "Mom, I'm going to get the pot. You go get my dad."

Yan Jiekuang went to the kitchen and put the charcoal that had been lit earlier into the middle of the pot. Then he brought it to the backyard, filled it with water, and added green onions and ginger. At this time, Yan Bugui and his wife and Jia Zhang all came in.

Jia Zhang smiled and said, "As long as the third child comes, there will definitely be delicious food."

Yan Bugui took out a bottle of Lianhua Bai. The price of this wine has increased. It is now four yuan a bottle. Yan Bugui said, "How does the saying go? Eating hot pot and drinking a little wine in winter is so comfortable."

After preparing their own seasonings, the four of them sat together, and when the water boiled, they put the meat in. Soon the whole room was filled with the aroma of mutton. Yan Jiekuang asked his mother, "My little sister's due date is this month, right?"

Yang Ruiping nodded and said, "Yes, I went to see Zhibin's parents two days ago. They didn't need me, so I didn't stay there for long."

Jia Zhang said, "Jie Di is about to have a child. No, it should be said that she finally has a child. Now both of you have no more worries."

Yan Bugui said: "That's right, I am most worried about this girl."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Mom, please tell me when my little sister is sent to the hospital. As her brother, I must go to see her and keep her company."

Yang Ruiping nodded and asked, "You didn't go to Madam Wanzhi's place?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "Since Xixi is gone today, I don't need to accompany her. I feel like the old lady likes Xixi more now. If Xixi hasn't been there for a few days, she will ask me."

Yan Bugui drank some wine and said, "The old lady has had a hard life. We should take better care of her."

Jia Zhang didn't understand what was said, so she asked Yang Ruiping, "Who is Madam Wanzhi?"

Yang Ruiping told Jia Zhang about the fact that Yan Jiekuang had adopted a grandmother, and also briefly explained the origins of Madam Wanzhi.

Jia Zhang opened her mouth wide and said, "Wow, this is a royal relative, and a genuine one, not some distant relative. This old lady is not simple, and she can't be an ordinary person if she can live on Nanchizi Street."

A few people were chatting and drinking. Yan Bugui also asked Jia Zhangshi how Jia Dongxu was doing and whether he came to see her often.

Jia Zhang curled her lips and said, "The couple is obsessed with money, so they don't have time to look at me. But Jia Dang and Huaihua often bring their children to see me at night. They know that I stay in the teahouse during the day and don't go back."

Yan Jiekuang also asked, "What about your two grandsons? How are they doing?"

Jia Zhang said, "It's still the same. Xiaobao followed Jia Dongxu to open a store. Jia Geng wanted to quit his job and start his own business, but Huairu refused to let him. The mother and son are fighting, and I don't care."

Yang Ruiping said to Jia Zhang: "I heard that Xu Damao has already registered with Guilan?"

Jia Zhang said, "Yes, the Xu family finally succeeded. I heard that the Xu family moved into Guilan's yard. According to the neighbors, they are living in harmony. Especially Xu Damao is surprisingly good to Guilan's children."

Yan Jiekuang shook his head and said, "Xu Damao and his father are still the same."

After lunch, Yan Jiekuang took a nap with his parents. In the afternoon, he took his teacup and went to the teahouse to listen to storytelling. The leisurely day passed like this.

Near the end of the month, Yan Jiekuang went to the hospital to visit his sister. His sister was 42 years old this year, which was considered an advanced maternal age, so both families were very careful. Yan Jiekuang brought her some supplements. Looking at his sister's happy face, Yan Jiekuang was also very relieved.

Within two days, Yan Jie Di received a call from her mother with the good news that she had given birth to a big fat boy. Both mother and child were safe. Yan Jie Kuang was also sincerely happy for his sister. After hanging up the phone, Yan Jie Kuang called Ji Lian directly and decided to visit his sister together tomorrow and asked her to prepare a gift.

That night, Ji Lian found a Guanyin jade pendant from her collection of jewelry and carefully put it into an exquisite box. This was a gift for her little nephew.

Early the next morning, Ji Lian drove Yan Jiekuang to the hospital. If they didn't go today, they would probably have to go to her house to see her.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, they saw both parents were there, including Shi Xiaoya. Ji Lian gave the gift to Yan Jiedi who was lying on the hospital bed, and whispered to her. Yan Jiekuang looked at the little person in the crib next to him. It was very cute. Although it was wrinkled, it was chubby. It seemed that Yan Jiedi was well nourished.

Yan Jiekuang and his wife stayed for a while and then left. Ji Lian still had to go to work. Yan Jiekuang's store had been closed for two days. It would be unreasonable to not open it again as there were still old customers who came to support it.

Yan Jiekuang went to pick up Mrs. Wanzhi first. When the two of them entered the store, Yan Jiekuang began to get busy, while Mrs. Wanzhi was reading a book at her seat. On the table was a fruit plate made by Yan Jiekuang for her and a cup of warm water.

When the music started, Yan Jiekuang walked out of the door and turned the sign over, marking the official opening of the store.

(End of this chapter)