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Su Pingnan turned his head and shot an annoyed look at Guo Guangyao, who immediately behaved himself and kept signaling Li San with his eyes to order dishes.
Li San could only force a wry smile and fidgeted awkwardly as he walked into the cafeteria.
Lin Zunli had been in a bad mood these days — the factory he’d worked at for nearly twenty years was rumored to be closing just as his eldest son was discussing marriage. If he lost this job, he didn’t know how his family was going to survive.
“Master Lin, sorry to trouble you,” Li San said, tiptoeing closer with a wary expression as he addressed the sour-faced Master Lin.
“Hm?”
Lin Zunli at first didn’t take it seriously, but when he received the order, his eyes went wide and his temper instantly flared, “How many of you are there?”
Li San smiled along and said, “Three.”
Lin Zunli’s face trembled with anger, his fat cheeks shaking. “You brat, three people and you order this much? Are competitors here to mess up my place? Or are you trying to test my skill?”
Li San didn’t know what to say — he hadn’t expected the old man’s reaction to be so strong, so he forced a smile and said, “Master Lin, someone’s paying anyway, so just cook it.”
Lin Zunli shot him a cold look without replying, then tapped the big iron pot in the kitchen with his ladle. Immediately, several apprentices gathered around.
“I’ve taught you all for years, and now we may not have many days left together — today someone is here to measure my skill, so I’ll take this chance to show you all. Watch carefully and learn!” With that Lin Zunli, his tone harsh, turned to Li San, “My family’s cuisine isn’t limited to this. Brat, ask that fellow outside — I can make three or sixty dishes, every one a specialty. Ask him if he dares to order them all.”
Li San looked helpless. Master Lin’s prestige was not something a newcomer who’d been at the factory two years could dare challenge. Hearing this, he had no choice but to walk back out.
After listening to Li San’s account, Su Pingnan wasn’t angry — he looked intrigued. He pressed down with his hand to restrain the nearly enraged Guo Guangyao and said with a smile, “People with real skill are often proud. Take me in and I’ll talk with this Master Lin.”
In the cafeteria kitchen, Master Lin was spitting fire, “The factory says it’ll close and all of you are panicking? Whatever for! If those people out there dare to order all those dishes today, I’ll show you the secret recipes I’ve kept under lock and key. If you learn them you won’t starve! No need to keep putting on a long face every day!” As he said this, he saw Li San leading over a sharp-faced, short-haired young man in a black coat.
“I’ve heard Master Lin’s skills are excellent, so I thought I’d like to try it for myself. Apologies for being rude, please forgive me,” Su Pingnan said.
Su Pingnan grinned and cupped his hands toward Lin Zunli as he spoke unhurriedly.
Some of Lin Zunli’s apprentices had been mixing in rough circles and immediately recognized the lately high-profile Su Pingnan. They went pale with anxiety and frantically gave their master frantic looks.
Lin Zunli ignored them — his craft was his lifeline, and someone questioning it cut him deeply. His tone was curt.
“My family’s recipes number over three hundred dishes, each a masterpiece. Since you’re here to test my skill today, do you dare to try the whole set?”
Su Pingnan wasn’t offended either. Still smiling broadly he said, “There aren’t many things in the world I wouldn’t dare to do, but I do wonder if Master Lin actually has that many ingredients?”
Hearing that, Lin Zunli’s old face flushed — in his anger he’d forgotten that many of those dishes required ingredients he simply didn’t have.
Su Pingnan looked at the old man, smoothed his sleeve, and said calmly, “Since Master Lin is willing, why not draw up a list and see if I can help you find everything?”
For the first time, Lin Zunli looked at the young man seriously: “What exactly do you want?”
Su Pingnan smiled: “Nothing much — I simply want to see Master Lin’s skill.”
“Fine!” Rage rose in Lin Zunli, and he barked at his eldest apprentice, “Bring paper and pen here.”
Li San didn’t know how a meal had turned into this. He watched as Master Lin handed a thick stack of papers to Little Red Robe.
Su Pingnan took the papers, flipped through them, nodded, and said, “No problem.” Then he walked out and tossed them to the stupefied Guo Guangyao at the table.
“Get them all gathered — fast.”
Guo Guangyao immediately stood, nodded, and dashed out at full speed.
Stifling his temper, Lin Zunli strode over to the calm Su Pingnan at the table. “I can make the dishes, but they mustn’t be wasted.”
Su Pingnan smiled and nodded leisurely. “Thanks for your trouble, Master Lin. Today, I will take advantage of your lovely place to treat all my brothers to a good meal and, incidentally, taste your cooking.”
Lin Zunli stared at the smiling Su Pingnan for a few minutes, stamped his foot, and said, “Fine.”
Su Pingnan smiled at Li San and said, “Brother San, please go out and get my phone from the driver.” Lin Zunli replied coldly, “No need to bother — there’s a phone inside.”
Su Pingnan stood up with a smile. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
The call connected quickly. Su Pingnan said just one sentence into the phone, “It’s me, get everyone to the knit factory for dinner.”
……
What happened next Li San would never forget in his life — in the years that followed, he recounted it many times, with unabated delight.
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