Siheyuan: Tanjia Cuisine He Daqing, destroying Yi Zhonghai

The meat was soft and tender, with a moderate sweet and salty taste, and a hint of vinegar. After taking a bite, he felt that the braised pork he usually ate was not even one ten-thousandth as delicious as this bowl.

"Dad, this is so delicious!" He Yuzhu's eyes flashed with surprise and admiration. "This is just the basics, there are many variations, you will learn slowly in the future. Try frying sugar color today and see if you can master it."

Next, He Yuzhu followed the steps his father taught him and began to try to stir-fry sugar color himself. He carefully controlled the heat and stared at the sugar liquid in the pot, not daring to relax. The color gradually darkened, approaching red, and his heart was in his throat. But just as he was about to add water, the sugar liquid suddenly burned and emitted a pungent smell.

He Yuzhu frowned, feeling annoyed, "Dad, I didn't master it well. I failed this time."

He Yuzhu stood in front of the stove, looking at the burnt sugar color he had just fried, feeling mixed emotions. He was originally looking forward to this braised pork dish, thinking that as long as he followed his father's instructions, he would definitely succeed, but reality dealt him a heavy blow. This sense of frustration made him feel uneasy and self-blaming, as if his efforts had been brought back to square one.

"Dad, I...I really didn't do well this time." He Yuzhu said in a low voice, with a hint of regret in his tone.

He Daqing looked at his son, his expression more serious than usual, "Do you think cooking is just reading formulas from a book? Cooking is not something you can do well just by reading it a few times and remembering the steps. Stir-frying sugar color may seem simple, but to do it well, you need meticulous observation and precise control of the heat. It's not something you can do by just remembering a few steps."

He Yuzhu was a little dissatisfied when he heard his father's reprimand, but he knew that his father was right. Since he started learning to cook, he rarely saw his father being so strict. This failure made him realize that he might be too confident and thought that as long as he studied hard, he could easily master it.

"You have to understand," he said in a stern tone, "cooking is a delicate job that cannot be sloppy. The moment you hesitated just now, the sugar burned. This tiny mistake is enough to ruin the whole dish."

He Yuzhu lowered his head, feeling a little ashamed. Every word his father said seemed to be blaming him for his carelessness and negligence, making him realize that he still had a long way to go on this path.

"But, Dad, I've tried my best..." He Yuzhu defended in a low voice, unwilling to admit defeat.

He Daqing glanced at him, and his tone softened a little, but still carried a stern tone, "Try your best? Trying your best does not mean doing it well. You have to learn how to find the root cause of the problem in failure, instead of thinking that you can stop making progress because you have tried your best. Failure is not terrible. What is terrible is not thinking and not making progress after failure."

This sentence hit He Yuzhu's heart like a hammer. He always thought he was smart and could learn anything faster than others, but at this moment, he realized that he was not as good at cooking as he had imagined. This change in self-awareness gave him an inexplicable awe and a deeper understanding of this craft.

"Do it again." He Daqing said coldly, without a trace of room for negotiation in his tone.

He Yuzhu took a deep breath and nodded. He didn't dare to relax this time. He prepared the materials again and started the operation again according to his father's instructions. This time, he was extremely cautious in every move, his heart beat fast, but he forced himself to stay calm.

When the color of the sugar began to change again, he felt that his palms were sweating, but he didn't dare to wipe them, for fear that this short moment would make him make another mistake. When the sugar liquid gradually turned red, he added water without hesitation, and a white mist and steam instantly emerged from the pot, but this time, he succeeded.

"Good, you mastered it well this time." He Daqing looked at his son's performance and nodded, with a hint of approval in his tone, but his expression remained serious.

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief but did not feel too happy. He understood that his father's strict requirements on him were not only for him to learn how to cook, but also for him to learn how to deal with failure and challenges in the process.

"Dad, I understand. I underestimated the enemy this time." He Yuzhu lowered his head, his tone becoming more mature.

He Daqing stared at him, his expression relaxed a little, "Yuzhu, cooking is not only a skill, but also a mentality. You have to learn to sum up experience from every failure, and not be impatient, so that you can truly master this skill. You are my son, of course I hope you can surpass me, but first, you have to correct your attitude."

He Yuzhu nodded, feeling heavy in his heart, but also determined to start over. He understood that behind his father's strictness was his expectation and love for him. Since he had chosen this path, he could not give up easily, and he could not be discouraged by one or two failures.

In the following days, He Daqing's requirements for He Yuzhu became more and more strict. He no longer let him play freely as he did at the beginning, but required him to be precise in every step. He Yuzhu also began to get used to this high-pressure training. Although there were new challenges every day, he gradually found confidence in the process.

One day, He Daqing decided to teach He Yuzhu to make a more complicated dish, Kung Pao Chicken. This dish required more demanding knife skills, heat control, and ingredients, and was an important test of He Yuzhu's learning results.

"The key to Kung Pao Chicken is the tenderness of the chicken and the sauce," He Daqing said seriously. "The chicken cubes must be cut evenly and the heat must be controlled well when frying. It should not be overcooked or undercooked."

He Yuzhu knew that he couldn't be careless this time. He cut the chicken carefully, and kept thinking about every detail his father had taught him. After cutting the chicken into cubes, he began to mix the sauce, and the proportion of each seasoning was strictly in accordance with his father's requirements, for fear of making the slightest mistake.

During the frying process, a pair of eyes closely watched every change in the pot, occasionally offering some suggestions and reminders. He Yuzhu was so nervous that his back was sweating under this pressure, but he did not dare to slack off at all. He had only one thought in his mind - he must do it well.

Finally, the Kung Pao Chicken was ready. He Yuzhu put the dish on a plate and brought it to his father, his eyes full of anticipation and anxiety.

He Daqing picked up a piece of diced chicken, put it in his mouth, and savored it carefully. He Yuzhu stood aside, so nervous that he even slowed down his breathing, fearing that he would hear his father's criticism.

"Well, the heat is well controlled, the chicken is tender and tasty, and the sauce is basically prepared." He Daqing nodded, and his tone finally had a hint of praise, "But it can be better. You can adjust the ratio of sweet and sour. The sweet and sour taste is a little unbalanced."