Being a kitchen hand is hard work. This is something that is undisputed.
Even if an ordinary person did not do any work, and just stand for one whole day, their calves and legs will ache. For the kitchen helpers in the kitchen who are extremely busy at work, this doubly true.
As these kitchen helpers or the great chefs, their eyes, hands, and legs were constantly moving.
In her past life, although Wen Rou had a.s.sisted her father in the kitchen numerous times, right now she is only 12 years old, very skinny, and finds the work tough.
The waters in winter are so cold that they chilled to the bone.
Wen Rou"s small hands were washing the vegetables in the cold weather. In a short while, her hands were red and swollen from the cold.
"Sister Rou Er, you put that down. I will come and help you shortly!" Fang Dashi pulled Wen Rou"s sleeves, took off his ap.r.o.n and used it to cover Wen Rou"s baby carrots fingers.
"Quick, wipe your hands dry, then warm it by the fire!"
This man, who is as steady as a mountain, is like a brother to Wen Rou. He cares and tries his best to help with anything he could. In his past life, he was this way. In this life, he remains unchanged.
"Brother Shi Tou, you go and do your own ch.o.r.es! I will help out!" Xiao Wu shook dry his hands which were wet from washing fish, and came over to help out.
Wen Rou could not stop these two men, and could only retreat. Seeing that she could not wash the vegetables, she squatted down to pick up some of the vegetables.
In his past life, Xiao Wu, because of his Shifu, was always lukewarm to her. She could not imagine that giving the half-pot of chestnuts and the method of peeling chestnut had already brought this kid to her side.
Looking at the two men who were helping her, her eyes turn moist and she felt like crying.
Maybe it was because she had been reborn. That is why when Wen Rou saw the familiar faces and familiar sights, she would become more sensitive.
If the kitchen could be considered extremely busy, then the dining area is chaos.
As the finest restaurant in Xianyang, Drunken Immortal Restaurant attracted countless numbers of foodies to try the food it offers.
Even the prefectural governor of Xianyang, Lord Zhao, is a regular customer of this restaurant.
"Quick, serve this dish!"
"Do not dilly-dally, that customer wants to place an order!"
"Hey, where is the waiter? The customers in the "Moon Pavilion" private room want to pay their bill!"
"Are there any living creatures here? Quick, go and warm the wine!"
…………
The waiters in the Drunken Immortal Restaurants were so busy that they wished that they could spilt their bodies into multiple selves.
Manager Lee was so anxious that he was covered with sweat.
"Manager, please wipe your sweat!" Zhu Zi suggested.
"Great… Great fart! [2] What is this smell?" Manager Lee was furious.
"Sorry! It is a mistake! This is the cloth that I just used to wipe the table."
"Darn it! Get out of my face!"
"Chef Wen, is it all right with you if I request Wen Rou to help out in the dining area? Today, there are too many customers and I am short-handed." Manager Lee rushed into the kitchen, and asked Chef Wen.
"All right!" Wen Shouzhen did not mind and happily agreed.
In the second floor of the restaurant, in the "Peony Hall" private room, Zhu Zi and Wen Rou were in charge of serving the very important guests here.
"Lord Zhao, why are you so grumpy?" A fat man who was as round as ball stood up, and slowly poured a cup of wine for Governor Zhao.
"Landlord Zhang, did you know that the military rations that were supplied from the imperial court were stolen by a group of bandits near Xianyang?" Government Zhao replied, and his face revealed how worried he was.
There are bandits! Landlord Zhang was shocked. For someone like him who is rich and trade extensively, this news is considered the worst news he could receive. He was about to say something, but at this time, he heard Government Zhao continued.
"If this is a normal situation, it would not be so bad! This group of bandits should leave after a while to avoid pursue. It would not create much trouble."
"Government Zhao, d.a.m.n you! What do you mean by "it would create too much trouble? My caravans enter and exit the town at least 10 or more times a day! What if they got robbed?" Landlord Zhang was silently scolding Government Zhao.
"Recently there is news from the imperial court. The teacher of the previous crown prince, the grand tutor of the current king, the great learned man, the leader of the scholars, Sir Song Tao [6], will retire and will be returning to his hometown, Xianyang."
"The emperor valued this teacher and greatly respected him, and had commanded me to make all preparations to receive him. But at this time, the bandits have to create trouble in the vicinity of Xianyang!"
"If these bandits alarmed Sir Song Tao or harm him in any way, the officer hat that I am wearing now will change heads [3]. Urgh…." Government Zhao immediately sighed.
"Lord Zhao need not worry. I have just returned from a trip from the Capital. I heard that his Majesty, the king, has ordered the son of Prime Minister Shen, Shen Yaoshan, to personally come here to exterminate the group of bandits!" Landlord Li, who was sitting beside him, immediately consoled him.
"Oh, the son of Prime Minister Shen? The famous "6 likes gentlemen" Shen Yaoshan?" Government Zhao was shocked.
"That"s right!" Landlord Li nodded his head.
""6 likes gentlemen?" What is that?" Landlord Zhang was curious.
"The 6 likes are
Use soldiers like G.o.dKill evil like revengeLove wine like lifeSpend money like dirtRighteous like the mountainsTrustworthy like the sea. "Government Zhao"s eyes revealed how much he respected this man.
He stood up, took two steps back, and praised, “This Shen Yaoshan is a natural expert in martial arts. He is a chivalric man, and resembles the heroes of ancient times."
"He is very young and yet he had already achieved the first place in the military examination. He is familiar with the Art of War [4]. The commoners call him the "6 likes gentleman". Despite his age, he was a.s.signed as commander of the royal army" Government Zhao said, lifted the cup and took a drink, as if drinking in respect for this man.
Hearing this, Zhu Zi was stunned.
"Prime Minister Shen’s son? Yaoshan! He…he is coming to Xianyang?!"
Hearing this name, Wen Rou"s heart stirred.
The familiar face of the suitor in her past life immediately came to mind.
Wearing a green robe, with a heroic spirit, flying into the battlefield with courage, with the eyes of G.o.d.
And that smile of his is as warm as the summer sun.
Wen Rou was lost in her thoughts, and her eyes were unknowingly filled with tears.
"Sister Rou Er!" Zhu Zi called out softly.
Wen Rou was violently snapped back to reality.
“"Jia! [5] -” Just when they were speaking, and a loud and powerful voice was heard. It came from outside the window.
The sound of galloping horses rang out, it seems to be far, but is coming closer. The sound of the horseshoes on the stone pavement was getting clearer and clearer.
Government Zhao frown. He put down his pair of chopsticks, and coughed.
Landlord Zhang looked out the window with curiosity. If not for the fact that he is too fat, he would have lean over it to take a closer look.
Who is this man that dared to ride on the streets of Xianyang so quickly? All people are required to dismount and walk their horse when in the city to avoid accidentally knocking against pa.s.serby.
Government Zhao was very unhappy that someone dared to openly break the law, but as a government official, he could not lower his status and look out of the window by himself. He seated himself in front of the dining table, and endured the suspense. In his heart, he was just like Landlord Zhang and was filled with curiosity.
"Lord Zhao, it is Shen Yaoshan!" Landlord Li had already looked out of the window and leaned over it. He immediately reported what he had seen.
"Oh?" Hearing this, Government Zhao immediately stood up, and made his way towards the window.
Zhu Zi also followed.
Wen Rou followed after Zhu Zi. At this time, her heart was beating faster than the sound of the galloping horse.
She wanted to see, but dare not do so; not seeing would make her feel on pins and needles.
The conflict between the two emotions is just like a complicated knot. She wants to undo the knot, but did not know where to begin.
Finally, Wen Rou looked towards the source of the sound, and search frantically for the familiar figure.
A red colour flash of cloud, with a green colour flash on top of it, crept nearer and nearer, and finally enter Wen Rou"s sight.
"It"s him!"
In his past life, Shen Yaoshan loves to wear green colour red. His mount, "the red rabbit" is a gift from his Majesty, the king, and is a treasured companion for Shen Yaoshan.
The son of the prime minister, new clothes angry horse [1], the military examination champion, the envy of young men. This 16 years old teenager had accomplished what many could not ever hope to achieve.
In his past life, there were countless daughters of court officials, military families that wanted to marry him. But he had never loved any of them, and only love Wen Rou. For her, he was willing to break into prison to get her out. He injured his Pipa Bone, and lost all his martial arts skills, and had never ever regretted it.
Poem:
一山、一田、一竹篱，
惟愿伊人常相守。
A mountain, a field, a bamboo fence,
Who is willing to stay and wait for their loved one on the other side?
The green coloured cloud had drifted near, and the facial features of the man become much clearer. That man has long, black hair, eyebrows that are far apart, a glare of a warrior, fiery red lips, and a fine, handsome face. He was armed with a spear that he carried on his back, and its edge glimmered in the sunlight.
Wen Rou saw clearly. Shen Yaoshan - it is really him!
Shen Yaoshou was riding at the head of a group of soldiers. Behind him were two rows of cavalry that was trying to keep up with him. They left a cloud of dust behind them as they rode quickly.
""Jia! —" The roar of the rider was heard again.
The highly respected and valiant Shen Yaoshan!
The great teenage hero Shen Yaoshan!
Wen Rou just looked on, and felt that her eyesight is becoming more and more blurred.
The regrets of her past life flashed before her. Would she achieve happiness in this life?
Wen Rou did not know.
The son of the prime minister, with such a high status! In this life, maybe he would select the daughter of a court official to wed. This would allow him to be the dragon that he is meant to be, and summon the wind and rain at his will.
Wen Rou rubbed her moist eyes, mired in self-pity, and turned around.
He had come, at the sound of the whistle.
He had come, fast like the wind.
I did not expect that in this life, we would meet each other so quickly!
Wen Rou did not know what to do.
Notes:[1] 鲜衣怒马 translated directly as "Fresh Clothes, Angry Horse". It means to have a luxury lifestyle with new clothes, and good cars (in the past, horses are like cars.)
[2] 好……好个屁 Great…. Great Fart. The first great means "Great, thank you." The second part after the dots, Great Fart, is a slang in Chinese, and means ‘As great as a fart’ or ‘What is so great about farts?’. i.e. It is not great. In the context of this chapter, it means "What the *fart* is this?"
[3] 我这顶乌纱帽，想来也就到头了 - translated directly as "the officer hat that I am wearing now will change heads". In simple English, it means that "someone else will get the job."
[4] Fun Fact: Sun Tzu"s art of war is only available in 5 BC, over 200 years after the Zhou Dynasty had collapsed.