Chapter 137: Inviting Master Quan

Two days later, Zhou Yimin returned to the city early and headed straight to the courtyard next door to look for Master Quan.

His grandmother’s sixtieth birthday was coming up, and he needed a skilled chef. If the current circumstances didn’t restrict grand celebrations, he’d definitely throw a proper banquet. This time, he just planned to set up a few tables in the village to mark the occasion.

A short while later, he arrived at Master Quan’s front door.

These days, Zhou Yimin was something of a local celebrity—everyone on the street knew him, let alone those living next door—so no one stopped him on his way in. On the contrary, people greeted him along the way.

He knocked on the door and called out loudly, “Master Quan, are you home?”

The door opened and a little boy came out, asking, “Big brother, what do you need my dad for?”

Zhou Yimin smiled. “Hey there, is your dad home?”

As he spoke, he pulled out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from his pocket and waved them in front of the child. This trick always worked on kids—it was foolproof.

The moment the boy saw the candy, his eyes lit up. After all, sweets were a rare treat usually reserved for the New Year, and he’d never tasted a White Rabbit milk candy before. He immediately turned and dashed inside. “Dad! Someone’s here to see you!”

The candy wasn’t handed over yet, so Zhou Yimin tucked it back into his pocket.

Soon, a middle-aged man walked out—it was Master Quan. Upon seeing Zhou Yimin, his expression brightened. “Yimin! What brings you here today?”

Zhou Yimin was known for his generosity, and Master Quan knew that maintaining a good relationship with someone like him could be very useful.

“I’m here to ask for a favor,” Zhou Yimin said. “My grandmother’s sixtieth birthday is coming up, and I’m planning a small celebration in the village. I’d like to invite you to be the head chef. Would you happen to be free?”

This was a great chance to strengthen ties, and Master Quan wasn’t about to miss it. Even if he wasn’t free, he’d still say he was. “I’ve been pretty free lately. How many tables are you thinking? I might bring one or two helpers along, if that’s okay?”

As a master chef, he certainly couldn’t handle everything alone. Tasks like chopping and washing vegetables were usually handled by apprentices or assistants.

“No problem,” Zhou Yimin replied. “Do you have any menu suggestions, Master Quan?”

He wasn’t familiar with these things, so he preferred to leave it to the professionals. The key was to find out what dishes the chef was best at.

Master Quan didn’t know Zhou Yimin’s current financial status too well, so he thought for a moment and said, “How about three-vegetable stir-fry, braised pork, steamed fish, stir-fried beef, and longevity buns? What do you think of those?”

If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t dare offer such a meat-heavy menu. Apart from the three-vegetable stir-fry, the other dishes all included meat, and meat was a scarce commodity these days—anyone who had some would rather keep it for themselves.

Zhou Yimin thought it sounded good, but added, “Let’s do one more dish. Six dishes for good fortune—‘six-six brings success.’ I just got hold of a batch of large shrimp. How about adding oil-braised prawns?”

Master Quan was briefly stunned. He had already assumed Zhou Yimin was doing well, but clearly, he had still underestimated him. This confirmed he needed to maintain a good relationship. He nodded. “No problem. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Master Quan,” Zhou Yimin said, getting ready to leave.

At that moment, the little boy panicked. “Wait! Weren’t you going to give me White Rabbit milk candy?”

Master Quan’s face darkened immediately. He smacked the boy lightly on the head and scolded, “You little rascal, what did I tell you about asking people for things?”

He was a chef, so they never lacked food, but they didn’t have spare money to splurge either. A pound of White Rabbit candy cost about 2.25 yuan, and he only made around forty yuan a month.

Zhou Yimin smiled apologetically. “Sorry, little guy. Big brother forgot.”

He pulled the candy from his pocket and placed it into the boy’s hands.

Master Quan was startled. Zhou Yimin had grabbed nearly half a pound—it was worth more than a yuan! He hurriedly said, “Yimin, that’s way too much. A couple of pieces to taste would’ve been enough.”

Zhou Yimin just laughed and shook his head. “It’s just some candy, Master Quan. A friend gave it to me, and I don’t eat sweets much myself.”

The little one took the candy with both hands and couldn’t wait to try it.

With that done, Zhou Yimin didn’t linger. He still had other matters to handle.

Master Quan was quietly impressed—no wonder everyone said Zhou Yimin was generous. He then turned to his son and took away all the candy. “Kids shouldn’t eat so much sugar—it’ll rot your teeth.”

That said, he popped one in his own mouth. It was, indeed, far tastier than regular candy—sweeter and rich with creamy flavor. No wonder they said three White Rabbit candies equaled a cup of milk. Pricey, but worth it.

“Dad! That was a gift from big brother. You can’t eat it!” the boy shouted anxiously.

He had only eaten one piece, and there were only a dozen or so pieces total—not even enough for him, let alone anyone else. He had planned to bring them to school to show off.

Master Quan’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected his son to complain over one piece of candy.

If he didn’t give him a proper spanking now, the kid would turn out ungrateful.

Without hesitation, he smacked the boy’s bottom.

The little one burst into loud sobs, which drew the attention of the rest of the family.

A woman came rushing over when she saw their son being hit. “Old Quan, that’s enough! Stop hitting him.”

Master Quan shot her a glare. “Too much pampering ruins the child. Just look what a spoiled brat he’s turning into. If we raise an ungrateful son, I want to see how you deal with it!”

Ungrateful?

The woman was stunned—how did this become about being ungrateful?

Master Quan explained what had just happened. After hearing it, the wife not only took away the rest of the White Rabbit candies but gave the boy another spanking.

They could accept many things—but not raising an ungrateful child. How could they not punish him?

On a nearby street, there was a family who had done just that—their son sold off everything valuable in the house, then abandoned his sick and elderly parents. In the end, the two of them died with their eyes open, filled with regret.

That case had been a wake-up call for the whole neighborhood. No one wanted to end up like that.

The elderly family members didn’t interfere as their son and daughter-in-law disciplined the child. Only after the beating did they come out to play the good guys, the “saviors.”

They weren’t like some old folks who rushed out to stop their grandchildren from being disciplined.

As the older generation, they understood one truth very well: Spare the rod, spoil the child.

What kid doesn’t get a beating growing up? Wasn’t everyone raised like that?

(End of Chapter)