Yang Shuxin was far away and was unaware of what was happening at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant. He had a clear cut goal going online: to look for information related to ice sculpting.
And since he had already decided to go visit Chengdu, he would stop looking for Yuan Zhou’s information. And thus, he was unaware that Yuan Zhou had also became a master of cooked wheaten foods.
Yang Shuxin took his phone out and called his son. It was Saturday today and he had advised Yang Wansheng to stay in his hostel and study at this time.
Even though his son was already in the university, Yang Shuxin had still arranged the daily schedule of his son. This way, he could ensure that Yang Wansheng would not be like other youths that would be spoiled after entering university.
“Wancheng, have you completed your task today?” Yang Shuxin first asked about the task he assigned.
“Father, you are calling me just to ask about this?” Yang Wansheng said as he walked toward somewhere silent.
“Why else would I call you?” Yang Shuxin opened his eyes wide and asked unhappily.
“Yes, the task is completed. Don’t worry. I will recite it to you when I return for holiday,” Yang Wansheng said, a slight impatience in his tone.
“Ok. Book a ticket to Chengdu for me. Also, book a room there for me as well,” Yang Shuxin nodded in satisfaction before saying what he was calling for.
“You are going there personally?” Yang Wansheng had expected that Yang Shuxin would have his interest piqued, but he had never expected it to happen this fast.
“Yes. Book a flight tomorrow,” Yang Shuxin nodded.
“Father, I think you might need to stay a few extra days at Chengdu. How about I book 10 days of accommodation for you?” Yang Wansheng was overjoyed when he heard that and offered.
“No, it won’t take that long,” Yang Shuxin was confident about his reputation in the ice sculpting field.
“You see, the person I introduced to you is Yuan Zhou. He is a famous chef…” Yang Wansheng was about to introduce Yuan Zhou’s identity but was interrupted before he could finish his introduction.
“I know all that. With his talent in ice sculpting, he should focus on ice sculpting instead of wasting his time cooking,” Yang Shuxin said, still resentful.
To become an ice sculptor, one needed to be able to bear hardships and be equipped with the relevant talent. Ice sculpting was an artistic work and without talent, a person would at most be a second-rate sculptor. Yang Shuxin could not watch on as someone wasted his talent.
“That’s not the case. Boss Yuan has excellent cooking skills and is incredibly famous in the cooking field. Moreover, he is now a publicly known master of cooked wheaten foods as well,” Yang Wansheng finally got a chance to tell his father all that.
“Is that so?” Yang Shuxin frowned as he sank into contemplation.
When Yang Wansheng saw that his father had fallen silent, he became anxious. He started walking around with his mobile phone. After a while, his father was still in silence. Therefore, he spoke, “But I think you still have a chance. After all, your Nine Dragon Sculpture will be an extremely attractive project.”
Yang Wansheng spoke cautiously, worried that his father would give up going to Chengdu.
There were two reasons Yang Wansheng had introduced Yuan Zhou to his father. Firstly, his father needed a talent like Yuan Zhou. Secondly, Yang Wansheng had his own personal agenda.
“Moreover, apart from Chef Yuan, I don’t think anyone else is good enough to sculpt a dragon,” Yang Wansheng continued persuading.
“I think so long as you persuade him seriously and sincerely, you will be successful,” Yang Wansheng said.
“I know. Don’t worry too much about my affairs. Do what told you. I will deal with Chef Yuan,” Yang Shuxin said.
“Ok. So I’ll book a flight for tomorrow for you?” Yang Wansheng confirmed.
“Um, do it,” Yang Shuxin agreed.
“How many days of accommodation?” Yang Wansheng asked.
“Ten days for now. I will pay Zhou Shijie a visit and get him to introduce me to Yuan Zhou,” Yang Shuxin said.
“That’s right. Uncle Zhou is the chairman of the China Chefs’ Alliance. With his introduction, you will be successful,” Yang Wansheng said.
“Alright. That’s all. Study properly. Don’t be naughty and finish the books I told you to read on time,” Yang Shuxin started nagging.
Yang Wansheng was relieved to hear his father’s plan about Yuan Zhou. He started voicing his agreement when his father nagged him to study.
Yang Shuxin ended the call in satisfaction when he saw that his son was still as obedient as ever. He planned to call Zhou Shijie.
“Where’s his phone number?” Yang Shuxin started looking for Zhou Shijie’s phone number.
As a master in the ice sculpting field, Yang Shuxin was of similar status to Zhou Shijie. They had known each other when Zhou Shijie was looking for someone to complete an ice sculpting for his dish when he visited Harbin in the past.
Their relationship was rather good. During Chinese New Year and other festivities, they would exchange greetings with each other. But as Harbin was a perfect place for an ice sculptor, Yang Shuxin would rarely visit Chengdu.
Shortly after, Yang Shuxin found Zhou Shijie’s phone number and called it.
It was Saturday and Zhou Shijie was resting at home. Suddenly, his phone rang.
He was flabbergasted when he saw the name on his phone, “Why is this fellow calling me?”
He did not think much and answered the call.
“Brother Zhou, it has been a while,” Yang Shuxin greeted.
“What’s up? Are you going to gift me an ice sculpture or something?” Zhou Shijie teased.
“Sure. I’ll go visit you soon,” Yang Shuxin said.
“Wow, that’s a surprise. You are coming to Chengdu and are gifting me an ice sculpture?” Zhou Shijie was astonished.
His astonishment was understandable. He had invited Yang Shuxin to Chengdu in the past but had always been rejected. Getting an ice sculpture as a gift was something that had never happened to him as well.
As far as Yang Shuxin was concerned, Zhou Shijie did not know much about ice sculpture. Gifting him with one would be a waste.
“I need your help with something,” Yang Shuxin was trying his best for the sake of completing the Nine Dragon Sculpture.
“What is it?” Zhou Shijie asked.
“Is that Yuan Zhou a member of your Chefs’ Alliance?” Yang Shuxin asked.
“Oh, him? Of course. Why?” Zhou Shijie asked as he had not thought about the Nine Dragon Sculpture.
“I saw his ice sculpture and found it to be extremely remarkable. I am thinking of getting his help to complete the Nine Dragon Sculpture,” Yang Shuxin heaved a sigh of relief and explained.
“Ice Nine Dragon Sculpture? I doubt I will be much help in this,” Zhou Shijie started being on alert.
“First, Steamed Bun Ji from the cooked wheaten food field came. Now, someone from the ice sculpting field has appeared. What is wrong with this kid, Yuan Zhou? He seems to know everything and is good at everything as well. He’s like Xuanzang, everyone wants a taste of him,” Zhou Shijie thought helplessly.
“Forgetting everything else, as a friend, I can make an introduction. But whether he agrees or not will depend on him,” Zhou Shijie said.
“Thank you, Brother Zhou,” Yang Shuxin said.
“Don’t thank me yet. I am not finished with my words,” Zhou Shijie said.
“Please continue,” Yang Shuxin said patiently.
“As the chairman of the Chefs’ Alliance, I do not agree with Little Yuan dabbling in ice sculpting. His talent in cooking is extremely high. Doing anything else is a waste of time,” Zhou Shijie said frankly.
Zhou Shijie was trying to let Yang Shuxin know that even if Yuan Zhou agreed to the ice sculpting project, he was still a member of the Chefs’ Alliance. His main focus should be cooking!
