mesbooks Chapter 172 Specialized Cooking Instruction
Chapter 172 Specialized Cooking Instruction
When it was Zhang Jianjun's turn to estimate his score and fill out his college application, he had already made up his mind. He picked up his pen and filled in Yingtianfu Medical College, the predecessor of Yingtianfu Medical University. It used to be called the Provincial Medical and Political College. This school has a very long history and is considered one of the earlier higher education institutions.
The major I chose was clinical medicine, not traditional Chinese medicine.
Ding Tongguang has already taught Zhang Jianjun for so long; even if he goes to university to study traditional Chinese medicine, it will only be a waste of time. Zhang Jianjun is just going to university, which won't stop him from continuing to study traditional Chinese medicine under Ding Tongguang's guidance.
Ding Tongguang felt that he had nothing left to teach, but he still had other fellow students and other friends who were also skilled in traditional Chinese medicine, all of whom he could exchange ideas with Zhang Jianjun.
After the wind blew, the prejudices of social class seemed to have been blown away as well. At least in the last few years, everyone has been willing to communicate.
Zhang Jianjun's decision to study Western medicine was not an abandonment of traditional Chinese medicine, but rather an attempt to combine the two. This treatment approach was already very common two thousand years ago.
In mid-August, Zhang Jianjun received his admission notice. It was personally delivered by Principal She Niu, along with the news that Zhang Jianjun had achieved the highest score in the college entrance examination.
Zhang Jianjun never expected that the title of top scholar, which he no longer so desired, would fall into his lap like this!
The old principal patted Zhang Jianjun on the shoulder, praising Wu Fenglan's excellent teaching, which made Wu Fenglan so happy that two more wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.
The newspapers and television stations were thrilled—a prodigy, the top scorer! The hype was eye-catching. So they arrived very quickly; the old principal had barely left when they arrived.
Zhang Jianjun put on a mask, pushed Wu Fenglan to the front row, and while the reporters didn't recognize him, he secretly slipped to the back wall and, with a "wall-flying" maneuver, climbed over the back wall to Wei Shuying's house.
"Flying Over the Wall" was a name given to Zhang Jianjun by Qiao Simei. In recent years, Hong Kong and Taiwan culture has been spreading to the mainland, with Jin Yong's novels being among the pioneers. Qiao Simei only came up with the incongruous name "Flying Over the Wall" because she heard new terms like "flying on grass" and "skimming on water."
Qiao Sanli was washing clothes when she saw Zhang Jianjun suddenly come over. She quickly poured out the slightly reddish dirty water and then took two other clothes to cover the one she had just been washing.
"Brother Jun, you can hear a lot of people over there!" Qiao Sanli said, blushing, deliberately trying to divert Zhang Jianjun's attention.
Zhang Jianjun had already seen through Qiao Sanli's actions, but he still pretended to fall into the trap, saying, "Oh right, my college entrance exam results are out, and they're here to interview me!"
Qiao Sanli was having her first period and was terrified that night. She squatted on the ground, too scared to get up. Luckily, Wei Shuying saw her and explained it to her with a smile.
Qiao Sanli's intention was to divert Zhang Jianjun's attention, but Zhang Jianjun's words caught her attention instead: "An interview? Why would I interview you? Ah, could it be that you..."
"That's right, I got first place! I'm the top scorer."
Qiao Simei heard Zhang Jianjun's voice, woke up from her afternoon nap, and walked out sleepily. "What top scholar? Brother Jun!"
Qiao Sanli happily explained to Qiao Simei, "Brother Jun, he got the top score in the exam!"
"Ah!" Qiao Simei's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she suddenly jumped up and threw herself into Zhang Jianjun's arms. Her two short legs clung to Zhang Jianjun like she was climbing a tree. "Brother Jun! You're so amazing!"
"You child! Don't you know how much you weigh? Get down right now!" Wei Shuying walked in from outside the gate and scolded her troublesome youngest daughter.
Qiao Simei pouted as she climbed down, muttering under her breath, "Can't I even smell the top scholar's scent? If I smell it too much, maybe I can become a top scholar too!"
Wei Shuying ignored her and looked at Zhang Jianjun happily, "Xiaojun, what are you doing here? They've been looking for you all over the yard!"
"I didn't want to be interviewed by those people, so I secretly ran away!" Zhang Jianjun, without any sense of being an outsider, went to the stove and started boiling water. Qiao Sanli, being naive, still washed her clothes with cold water, so he boiled water for her to use.
After staying at Wei Shuying's house and having dinner, and hearing that there was no more noise from the house, he climbed over the wall and went back inside.
Less than a year later, Wu Fenglan held another banquet at that restaurant. This time, there were many more guests than before.
Relatives, friends, teachers, principals, hospital "colleagues," even Chen Lixin and Chang Huageng came. The small restaurant was packed to the brim.
Everyone knows that Zhang Jianjun did very well on the exam. Although they don't necessarily want to get anything from Zhang Jianjun, it's always good to maintain a good relationship.
Qi Weimin finally met Chang Xingyu, but there was no sign that the two recognized each other.
Almost everyone was happy. Even Qiao Erqiang, who hadn't passed any exams, was happy. Qiao Erqiang had also graduated from junior high school, and although his grades were much better than before, he was still some distance from getting into high school.
After seeing off all the guests, Wu Fenglan and Wei Shuying's families walked back together.
Zhang Jianjun asked Qiao Erqiang, "What are your plans for the future?"
Qiao Erqiang shook his head. "Let's see if I can find a job in a factory!"
“You’re not old enough, no factory would dare hire you.” Zhang Jianjun gestured to show their heights, Zhang Jianjun being a head taller than Qiao Erqiang. “Look, based on your height, no one would believe you’re eighteen.”
"Why don't we hang out with Brother Niu Ye? I ran into him on the street the other day and he said he could take me under his wing! I heard he's making a lot of money lately!" Qiao Erqiang was still envious of Niu Ye's carefree lifestyle!
Zhang Jianjun retorted irritably, "Following Niu Ye will definitely lead to disaster! If you don't believe me, just wait and see!"
Why not just live a normal life? Why do you have to get involved in this mess?
Qiao Yicheng understood Zhang Jianjun's meaning. "Xiaojun, do you have an idea?"
Qiao Yicheng wasn't too bothered by Qiao Erqiang's situation. He actually thought Qiao Erqiang could play for a couple of years and then go to work in the factory. Qiao Yicheng was still just the older brother, not the dual role of older brother and father.
Zhang Jianjun didn't keep him in suspense any longer and directly offered the solution: "Erqiang likes to learn to cook, and I think he's quite good at it. Why don't we have him learn to cook?"
The others didn't react much, but Qiao Erqiang raised his hand and said, "I'm willing! I'm willing to learn to cook!"
Zhang Jianjun then looked at Wei Shuying. Wei Shuying thought for a moment, somewhat puzzled, "Learning to cook is fine, it's a skill! But he's not old enough, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to find a teacher!"
Zhang Jianjun understood what Wei Shuying meant. In the past, learning to be a chef always started as a kitchen helper, but now it was different. "A chef school is opening in the capital, specializing in teaching people how to cook! You can go there to learn the basics for two years first, and after you finish learning, I'll ask someone to find you a master chef."
"There are schools that specialize in teaching people how to cook?" Wei Shuying said she had never heard of such a thing.
That's why I'm so surprised; I've never heard of the New Oriental or Lanxiang advertisements.
"Well then, let's make preparations in the next few days. Erqiang and I will go to the capital to check on the situation." Qiao Yicheng felt that Zhang Jianjun had already worried enough about this matter, and he couldn't very well let him take Qiao Erqiang to the capital! After all, they were just neighbors!