I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 241: Chapter 237: As Long as Boss Li You Is Willing to Act, It’s a Guaranteed Win

Jiulong Gorge.

A little after 11:00 AM, customers started arriving for lunch.

Li You, Ye Shengge, and Ling Xiaoru finished their work.

Li You told Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru to go upstairs and rest for a bit. He said he would call them when it was time to eat.

Of course, lunch today was on Li You.

Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru went upstairs. Li You headed into the kitchen and got to work.

At 12:30 PM, he found a spare moment to cook their meal.

Three servings of Chopped Pepper Fish Head, a plate of Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes, and a dish of Cabbage in Supreme Broth.

They weren’t drinking today, so this was more than enough food.

He called Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru down for lunch.

...

Heyang City.

He Ting Hotel.

Head Chef He Xianfei received a phone call. ”Lao He, I need to ask you for a favor. Are you free in the next couple of days? Could you find some time to come over here and cook a dish for me?”

The caller was Chen Wen, the head chef of the five-star Jincheng Hotel in the capital of Chuansheng Province. He was a Senior Chef.

He Xianfei was puzzled by the call. ”Old Chen, what’s going on?” he asked. ”What dish do you need me to cook?”

Over the phone, Chen Wen continued, ”Mapo Tofu. Here’s the situation: a Senior Chef from Zhejiang Province, Yu Hong, has come to town. Have you heard of him?”

”Yu Hong?” He Xianfei replied. ”I’ve heard the name, but we’ve never spoken or met. What’s this about? He came to your Jincheng Hotel?”

”He’s here, and not on friendly terms,” Chen Wen said. ”He came to challenge our Mapo Tofu. Of course, he *claims* he’s here to ’exchange ideas’ on the recipe, but we all know an ’exchange’ is just a challenge in disguise. Mapo Tofu is a famous dish from our Chuansheng Province. How can we let a chef from Zhejiang Province best us at it? So, I took him on myself. And the result... well... AHEM...”

Needless to say, he had lost.

He Xianfei now understood the whole situation and why Chen Wen was asking him to come and cook Mapo Tofu.

Still, He Xianfei was surprised. ’Chen Wen actually lost?’

Chen Wen’s mastery of Mapo Tofu was exceptional. He was one of the top chefs in all of Chuansheng Province when it came to that particular dish.

At least, that was the public consensus.

’And yet, he lost?’

He Xianfei asked, ”Old Chen, did you just have an off day, or is he really better than you in terms of raw skill?”

Chen Wen sighed. ”I wish I could say I just had an off day, but the truth is, my performance was flawless. I was cooking at my absolute best. His raw skill is genuinely superior. I just don’t get it—why is a chef from Zhejiang so skilled at Mapo Tofu? He’s not *that* much better, though. Lao He, your mastery of Mapo Tofu surpasses mine. If you have a good day, you might be able to beat him. I have to ask you to do this. We can’t let a chef from Zhejiang show us up on our own signature dish!”

He Xianfei said, ”Old Chen, when it comes to Mapo Tofu, our skills are about on par. I’m not any better than you! If you couldn’t beat him, I most likely can’t either.”

Chen Wen pleaded, ”Lao He, now’s not the time for modesty. When it comes to just Mapo Tofu, you really are better than me. As long as you perform well, there’s a real chance you can win.”

He Xianfei said, ”Old Chen, look at it another way. He’s a chef from Zhejiang, yet he loves to study our Chuansheng cuisine. That shows just how appealing our food is. We should be proud of that.”

”That may be true,” Chen Wen replied, ”but I still don’t want to lose to him! Besides, we can try to see it that way, but what will the other chefs from Zhejiang, or from other provinces, think? What will they say? We have no way of knowing. I doubt it’ll be anything good. So, it’s best if we don’t lose at all.”

He Xianfei said, ”If you’re so set on not losing, I know a chef who’s a guaranteed win against him. As long as he’s willing to cook, victory is certain. What’s more, he’ll leave his opponent utterly convinced of his defeat.”

”Really? Who?” Chen Wen’s voice was full of surprise and hope.

He Xianfei explained, ”In Changxi County, there’s a small town called Wenxian Town. About five kilometers east of there is a place called Jiulong Gorge. There’s a restaurant there, and the owner’s name is Li You. This owner, Li You, has unfathomable culinary skills. If he’s willing to cook, he is guaranteed to beat Yu Hong.”

Chen Wen listened in astonishment. He didn’t know what Jiulong Gorge was like, but it was clearly a very remote place.

’A restaurant in such a remote location has to be just an ordinary eatery.’

’The owner of an ordinary eatery has unfathomable skills? And he’s a guaranteed win against Yu Hong, a man even I couldn’t beat? Is Lao He sure he’s not joking?’

’Besides, I’ve never even heard the name ”Li You” before. How could someone like that possibly have unfathomable culinary skills?’

”Lao He, this is no time for jokes!”

”Old Chen, I’m dead serious. Boss Li You may not be famous, but you know the saying ’crouching tiger, hidden dragon.’ There are probably far more incredible, unknown chefs in this world than we could ever imagine.”

”Lao He, of course I know there are plenty of amazing unknown chefs out there. But our opponent is Yu Hong, someone neither of us can beat. A ’normally’ amazing chef, no matter how skilled, is going to be useless here!”

”Boss Li You isn’t just some ’normally’ amazing chef. He isn’t even a certified Junior Chef, but I believe his skills are superior even to those of a Special Chef. He’s absolutely one of the greatest chefs alive, if not *the* greatest.”

He Xianfei’s words left Chen Wen utterly shocked and incredulous.

’*The* greatest chef? Doesn’t that make him number one in the entire culinary world?’

’You can’t just throw a claim like that around. Who would dare call themselves the best in the world? Not even those few Special Chefs would make such a claim, would they?’

’Lao He’s got some nerve saying that!’

He Xianfei seemed to sense he had stunned Chen Wen, so he laughed and added, ”Of course, whether Boss Li You is truly number one in the culinary world is debatable. But he is, without a doubt, one of the greatest. Old Chen, I’m not kidding. If you want to beat Yu Hong, asking Boss Li You for help is your only real option.”

Chen Wen asked, ”Lao He, have you eaten at this Boss Li You’s restaurant?”

”Of course!” He Xianfei replied. ”I’ve even had his Mapo Tofu. Why else do you think I’d be so confident?”

Chen Wen pressed, ”Is his Mapo Tofu really on a level above ours?”

He Xianfei said, ”I hate to admit it, but Old Chen... his Mapo Tofu isn’t just a level above ours. It’s in a completely different league.”

Chen Wen was stunned once more. ”How is that possible? Not even the Special Chefs would claim to be that much better than us!”

”That’s why I said Boss Li You’s skills are superior even to a Special Chef’s!” He Xianfei insisted. ”When I said he might be the best in the world, I wasn’t joking. It’s a real possibility.”

Chen Wen fell silent. He wanted to believe He Xianfei, but it all just sounded too incredible. He didn’t dare to believe it.

”Old Chen, I know nothing I say right now will convince you,” He Xianfei said. ”So, how about this: go to his restaurant and try his Mapo Tofu for yourself. We can talk again after that.”

Chen Wen nodded slowly. ”Fine. I’ll head out right now. Jiulong Gorge in Wenxian Town, Changxi County, correct? I’ll leave immediately. I know Changxi County. It’s just over two hours by car, all highway.”

”From the Changxi county seat to Jiulong Gorge is another two-hour drive. But if you leave now, you should still make it before dinnertime.”

”It’s still that far from the county seat? No matter. I’m leaving now.”

”All right.”

...

The Provincial Capital.

Jincheng Hotel.

After hanging up, Chen Wen still couldn’t bring himself to believe He Xianfei’s words, but he immediately set off for Jiulong Gorge in Wenxian Town, Changxi County, nonetheless.

He really, truly did not want to lose to Yu Hong.

And so, even if there was only the slightest sliver of hope, he had to go see for himself.