Beijing, Red Maple Hotel.
This is a very famous restaurant in Beijing. Its most famous thing is that in this restaurant, you can eat top-notch dishes served at state banquets.
Even the hotel's kitchen is divided into different cuisine groups similar to those used in state banquets.
The dishes that have won praises from foreign guests at some state banquets can almost all be tasted in the Red Maple Hotel, and their flavors are almost the same.
The overall design of the hotel is not traditional, but follows some modern and diverse styles.
Each private room in the hotel is decorated with the characteristics of different countries.
So even if you don’t eat in the restaurant, just taking photos in the restaurant is really an attractive sight as it incorporates diverse decorations with characteristics from all over the world.
Zhuang Zhebin came to the Red Maple Hotel early this morning.
He had an important task today, which was to find the deputy chef here, Shi Jinbin.
Zhuang Daozhong did not call Shi Jinbin directly because Shi Jinbin is a person who is very obsessed with cooking. Now that he is almost 70 years old, he spends most of his time in the kitchen, studying various dishes with his apprentices.
So many times, you may not be able to find someone by calling them.
Moreover, Zhuang Daozhong felt that some things might not be explained clearly over the phone, so he asked his great-grandson Zhuang Zhebin to come to him specifically.
Because of his family connections, Zhuang Zhebin could move freely in the kitchen of the Red Maple Hotel.
As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, which was where Zhuang Zhebin was responsible for the cuisine, he immediately heard a voice.
"You guys must remember that cooking requires skill. You must constantly hone yourself in normal times so that you can ensure that you don't perform poorly at critical moments."
Hearing the voice, Zhuang Zhebin knew that his Grandpa Shi was teaching his apprentice again.
But before Zhuang Zhebin could speak, Shi Jinbin spoke first: "Xiao Zhuang, did your great grandfather or your grandfather ask you to come here today?"
When Zhuang Zhebin heard what Shi Jinbin said, he immediately greeted him with a smile: "Good morning, Grandpa Shi. You've been in the kitchen all day. My great grandfather couldn't find you even if he wanted to, so I had to run over. But you should also take a proper rest."
Shi Jinbin put down the work in his hands and let his apprentices do it first. He washed his hands and led Zhuang Zhebin out of the kitchen.
After coming out, Shi Jinbin asked seriously: "Master, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Zhuang Zhebin didn't waste any words and directly told Grandpa Shi about some of the things he saw when he followed his great-grandfather to Huaicheng.
After finishing the story, Zhuang Zhebin said seriously: "Grandpa's intention is that if you have time, Grandpa Shi, you should go to Huaicheng, firstly to meet Grandpa Rong, and secondly to be a witness."
Shi Jinbin looked serious and said in a deep voice: "Su Lanxin is back, and she made Jinrong so angry that he had a stroke?"
Zhuang Zhebin quickly said, "Grandpa Rong didn't blame Grandma Xin, and it was Grandpa Rong's health that was not very good."
Shi Jinbin's face was already showing anger. "Humph, if Su Lanxin hadn't dragged those brothers away, how could your Grandpa Rong lose the opportunity to attend the state banquet? How could Su Ji still be such a small restaurant until now?"
Seeing that Grandpa Shi was angry, Zhuang Zhebin said again: "Grandpa Shi, you older generations should go and tell the story of what happened back then. It just so happens that my great-grandfather is here this time. I heard that Grandma Xin also asked your other brothers to testify together."
Shi Jinbin sneered and said, "Those ungrateful bastards, how dare they serve as witnesses?"
This sentence was harsh, but Zhuang Zhebin knew some things about the division of Su's family from his great-grandfather and his grandfather, so he could understand Shi Jinbin's resentment towards those brothers who left Su's family.
Zhuang Zhebin thought for a moment and asked, "Then, Grandpa Shi, are you going?"
Shi Jinbin responded seriously: "Go, why not? Those idiots can go as witnesses, why can't I go?"
Zhuang Zhebin breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, you must know the location, and the time is on Children's Day."
Shi Jinbin was a little surprised: "Why did you choose Children's Day?"
Zhuang Zhebin was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "Grandpa Shi, the uncle from Grandpa Rong's family, who is now the chef of Su Ji, loves his daughter very much, so this competition is for his daughter's birthday."
Shi Jinbin was stunned at first, then he started to laugh: "Hahaha, good, good, this is interesting. I have never seen the granddaughter of Jinrong's family. I must meet her this time."
Then, Shi Jinbin asked Zhuang Zhebin: "Xiao Binzi, how is your uncle's cooking skill? Is he a match for Chen Wei?"
Zhuang Zhebin was a little surprised at first: "Grandpa Shi, how did you know it would be Grandpa Chen and my uncle?"
Shi Jinbin smiled and said, "Of course I know, because from Su Lanxin's side, only Chen Wei is qualified to compete. Su Lanxin's son can't cook at all, and Su Lanxin's last female apprentice is just a fancy move."
Zhuang Zhebin then told Shi Jinbin his great-grandfather's evaluation of Feng Yifan.
Shi Jinbin was a little surprised when he heard this: "Oh? Uncle Master actually thinks so highly of Jinrong's son-in-law?"
Zhuang Zhebin nodded: "Yes, Grandpa Shi, I have also been to Su Ji's kitchen. That uncle is really amazing. Whether it is knife skills or fire skills, he has mastered them very skillfully, and he is very calm and experienced in cooking."
Speaking of this, Zhuang Zhebin thought for a moment and said, "Watching him cook is like watching a master chef. It's really enjoyable."
After hearing what Zhuang Zhebin said, Shi Jinbin was full of curiosity about Feng Yifan, but on the surface he just nodded indifferently.
After all, he had not seen the real person yet, nor had he seen it with his own eyes, so he still held a little conservative attitude towards what Zhuang Zhebin said.
"Okay, Xiao Bin, you should go back first. You still have classes in the morning, right? Don't be late for school. If your dad finds out, he will definitely beat you up again. I know the time. Please make arrangements here. I will go over and meet up with my uncle."
When Zhuang Zhebin heard about the class, he felt a headache. He was an active person and had originally wanted to go with Shi Jinbin this time.
As a result, he was caught by his father, who ordered him not to go and to study hard.
Zhuang Zhebin had no choice but to say goodbye to Shi Jinbin, leave Hongfeng Hotel, go home to get his schoolbag and rush to school.
Shi Jinbin returned to the kitchen, still muttering in his heart: Is Jinrong's son-in-law really that capable? I haven't seen him for so many years, and I don't know how Jinrong is doing now
Thinking of this, Shi Jinbin actually felt deeply guilty towards his junior brother Su Jinrong.
He was originally just an ordinary cook. Later, by chance, he learned about Su Ji's existence, so he quit his job and went to Su Ji to study.
Although Shi Jinbin was ranked last among Su Ji's apprentices, he was actually already quite old when he went to Su Ji to learn cooking.
Among the ten disciples of Su Ji at that time, except for the eldest brother Chen Wei, Shi Jinbin was the oldest.
However, according to the order of becoming apprentices, Shi Jinbin was still ranked tenth.
However, Shi Jinbin and Chen Wei are different. Although Chen Wei was older when he became an apprentice, he had received systematic training before becoming an apprentice, so he has a solid foundation in many basic skills.
Shi Jinbin was originally a young chef who was self-taught and lacked many basic skills.
Plus, he was quite old, so it was actually quite difficult for him to learn.
So at that time, among Su Ji's ten major disciples, Shi Jinbin was the least noticeable, and his cooking skills were completely inferior to those of his fellow disciples.
However, Grandpa Su did not mind. He still treated all the disciples equally and taught each of them very seriously.
Therefore, Shi Jinbin was considered to be a very hardworking person under his master's guidance.
Later, the family split up, and Shi Jinbin was naturally unwilling to leave with Su Lanxin, so he chose to stay at Su's.
At that time, the master's health was not very good. Later, Shi Jinbin and Su Jinrong took over as chefs and supported Su Ji.
Later, the master passed away, and many of his good friends came to Su Ji to pay their respects, including Mr. Zhuang Daozhong.
After paying his respects, Mr. Zhuang invited Su Jinrong to follow him north.
However, Su Jinrong gave up the opportunity to go north, and instead gave the opportunity to Shi Jinbin and another senior brother who stayed in Su's family at that time.
This also made Shi Jinbin what he is today.
The other senior brother was also very close to Shi Jinbin, but unfortunately he has passed away now.
Looking back now, so many years have passed and my fellow disciples have all grown quite old.
The oldest two, Chen Wei and Shi Jinbin, are almost 70 years old.
Thinking back to the past, Shi Jinbin couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "Why bother? It's just a small part of the past."
It was really just to prove himself, but this matter has continued for more than 40 years.
In the back kitchen, Shi Jinbin's disciples saw their master coming back from outside and standing there in silence, feeling a little strange.
After a long while, the eldest disciple finally asked, "Master, what happened to you? Are you okay?"
Shi Jinbin came back to his senses, glanced at his eldest disciple, and then said seriously: "Kang Chen, Master will take a leave of absence for about two to three weeks. During this time, you will be in charge of the kitchen."
The eldest disciple was a little surprised: "Master? You want to ask for leave?"
Shi Jinbin nodded: "Yes, Master is going out for a while. Remember, take good care of the brothers. I will leave the kitchen to you. If there is any trouble, I will not forgive you when I come back."
The eldest disciple Kang Chen quickly said, "Master, don't worry. My fellow disciples and I will definitely take good care of the kitchen for you."
Shi Jinbin nodded and glanced at his group of disciples.
Suddenly he said, "Master is old, and he should give up his position. Kang Chen, you have also participated in state banquets with Master. From now on, you will be responsible for the kitchen. Do you understand?"
Kang Chen was a little confused. He originally thought that his master was leaving for a while, perhaps to relax or something like that.
But now, listening to what Master said, why do I feel like retiring
Although Shi Jinbin has long passed the retirement age, Hongfeng Hotel still re-hired him with a high salary because of his skills. Maybe because of his age, his knife skills are not so good, but with him around, the hotel's reputation is there.
Now Shi Jinbin suddenly said that he would let his eldest apprentice take charge of the kitchen, which clearly shows that he is planning to step down.
Kang Chen and his fellow apprentices hurriedly said, "Master, please don't leave."
Shi Jinbin saw the looks on the faces of his disciples and immediately said sternly, "What are you doing? Many of you have already attended the state banquet. Are you still being pretentious with your master?"
Hearing these words, the disciples were instantly filled with awe.
Shi Jinbin continued, "You must remember that the kitchen is your place of business. You must live up to your clothes and your reputation as a state banquet chef."
After hearing these words, the disciples all became serious.
Shi Jinbin finally said: "All good things must come to an end. Master cannot guide you for your whole life. You should shoulder this responsibility yourself. Do you understand?"
The disciples responded in unison at this time: "Understood, Master."
Shi Jinbin took off his hat, walked over and put it on his eldest disciple Kang Chen, and patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, Kang Chen, you have to take more responsibility in the future. I'll leave the job of chef to you guys."
Kang Chen is also a man in his forties, and tears were welling up in his eyes when he saw this scene.
Finally, Kang Chen said seriously: "Master, don't worry, I will definitely not lose face for you."
Shi Jinbin nodded with satisfaction, and after saying goodbye to his apprentices one by one, he turned and walked out of the kitchen.
After finding the manager of the hotel, Shi Jinbin told the manager directly that he wanted to step down and leave more opportunities to young people.
The manager and Shi Jinbin were also very familiar with each other and knew the old man's temper, but they did not expect that the old man would suddenly retire.
Shi Jinbin did not give the manager a chance to persuade him: "No need to say more, I have already decided. As for me, I am selfish and I recommend my eldest disciple Kang Chen. You can discuss it and change someone else, but please leave some food for my disciples."
The manager immediately said, "Mr. Shi, what are you talking about? How could we change people at the Red Maple Hotel? Don't worry, we will do as you said and let Master Kang Chen take charge and take over your position. You are always welcome to come back whenever you want to."
Shi Jinbin nodded and said, "Okay, I'll leave first. I have to go back and pack my things before I go out. As for the retirement procedures, I'll handle them when I come back."
The manager naturally agreed immediately: "We will do as you say. We will wait for you to come back and then process your retirement."
After saying goodbye to the manager, Shi Jinbin left the Red Maple Hotel alone without any contact with other people in the kitchen.
After Shi Jinbin left, the manager quickly notified the boss and shareholders, and also notified the current head chef of Red Maple Hotel.
This incident happened very suddenly and was a bit unexpected for everyone.
But everyone can understand it. After all, Shi Jinbin is indeed old, and it is understandable that he wants to retire.
After leaving the hotel, Shi Jinbin took the bus back to his home.
After entering the house, he walked to the photo of his long-dead wife and said, "My dear, I am going back to Su Ji. You always asked me why I don't go back to take a look. This time I am going back to take a look."