The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Strange Mother and Son

A middle-aged woman skillfully took out her phone.

She opened the camera.

The lens focused on the butter-baked lobster on the plate.

Click! Click!

Took two consecutive shots.

Then the camera turned, and the other three sisters quickly gathered around, all four smiling faces facing the lens.

Took pictures of the dishes and the people. The middle-aged woman’s eyes swept over, spotting the young handsome chef standing in front of the dining table, and she snapped another photo.

Then she found a picture from her album that was taken last year on a plane and two more restaurant pictures taken somewhere she couldn’t remember.

She arranged the photos into a nine-grid collage.

In her social media moments, she carefully typed: In my leisure time, take a stroll, hang out, taste delicacies with my sisters, enjoy life, cherish myself!

Almost within seconds, notifications of new messages in her moments started pinging one after another.

Friend One: Liked it.

And commented: Oh my, where did you go? Wow, this restaurant looks pretty high-end.

Friend Two: Liked it.

And commented: Butter-baked lobster, this presentation looks like Michelin, right? You went to Shanghai again? You’re so carefree!

The middle-aged woman replied to Friend One: Just out for a bit of relaxation.

Then she replied to Friend Two: The taste is amazing!

Then she admired it with self-satisfaction.

Her vanity was once again satisfied.

Fu Yu watched as the guests started tasting the food, secretly letting out a breath of relief.

”How does it taste?”

Fu Yu looked at the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman swallowed the food in her mouth, nodded: ”Mm, it’s delicious.”

Having accomplished his task, Fu Yu said, ”Please enjoy, I’ll head back now.”

The middle-aged woman, conquered by the delicious food, nodded absentmindedly.

The next second, an electronic prompt sounded in Fu Yu’s ear:

[Ding! NPC customer mission: Taste the butter-baked lobster comparable to Michelin, successfully completed, received reward: a random prize]

[Draw a random prize: Yes or No]

Fu Yu was grinning from ear to ear.

These random prizes were anything but random.

The first time was mission points.

The second time was a non-stick skimmer.

The third time was an incredibly amazing craftsmanship badge.

He wondered what he would draw this time.

Fu Yu was full of anticipation and was just about to choose to draw a random prize when a server delivering dishes tugged at his sleeve.

Fu Yu turned his head.

The server delivering dishes looked at him with a perplexed expression.

Confused about why Fu Yu, after greeting the customer and saying he would leave, suddenly froze in place and was smiling so confidently.

Only then did Fu Yu realize he had lost his composure, and he quickly left the private room with the server.

”If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now.”

Fu Yu was eager to go back and claim his prize.

The server delivering dishes blocked his way with a curious look.

”Chef Fu, you said before that all the chefs in the music restaurant were trained by Chef Yao, is that true?”

Fu Yu froze.

Only then did he remember that he had made up this excuse to retain customers before.

He quickly whispered an explanation: ”No, I made that up on the spot to trick them. If we really let them leave, not only would this table of dishes be lost, but our restaurant’s reputation would surely be affected too.”

After all, there were quite a few onlooking customers at that time, and rumors could be powerful; who knows what might have been said in the end.

The server delivering dishes immediately looked at Fu Yu with admiration.

She thought the young back kitchen chef in front of her looked much more impressive in her eyes.

The server delivering dishes had to stay at their assigned private room door, ready to serve the customers.

After saying goodbye to her, Fu Yu turned and walked towards the dormitory.

Just as he reached the corner of the stairs on the second floor, he ran into Gu Yunwu coming down from the third floor.

Gu Yunwu was chatting and laughing with a middle-aged man of similar age.

Several companions were following behind them.

Seeing Fu Yu, Gu Yunwu hesitated for a moment and asked, ”Xiaofu, why are you here?”

Fu Yu shook his head, didn’t mention what had happened earlier, and politely called out to Chef Gu.

Gu Yunwu smiled and introduced to the others: ”This is our back kitchen’s young chef, Fu Yu.”

Someone beside him scrutinized Fu Yu, somewhat surprised: ”Wow, he’s so handsome!”

Gu Yunwu chuckled, ”Xiaofu is well-known for being handsome in our back kitchen, very popular, and quite liked by the young ladies.”

Fu Yu: ”...”

How come I, the person involved, didn’t know about this?!

Gu Yunwu was there to see a friend off, and after Fu Yu greeted them, he stepped aside to make room.

After Gu Yunwu’s group went downstairs, Fu Yu followed slowly behind.

Upon arriving on the first floor, he politely said goodbye and then headed to the dormitory.

He was on a day shift today, and if it weren’t for the earlier incident, he would have gone back to rest long ago.

Thinking about the butter-baked lobster he had just made, Fu Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased.

Now, the ”baking” skill in his personal skill set had reached an intermediate level, so next time he encounters similar dishes, he no longer needs to worry about the cooking technique.

Especially since through the cooking just now, he found that whether it was his hand speed or the proficiency of his operation, it was as if he had been practicing for a long time.

As soon as he picked up the knife, his hand speed naturally increased.

It was truly amazing.

Fu Yu raised his hands, brought them to his eyes, and looked closely.

The lines on his palms were clear, his fingers long and slender, his knuckles well-proportioned, truly a pair of good hands!

With hands like these, in the future, he might be able to improvise freely.

Without brain control, his hands might be able to cook all kinds of top-notch delicacies on their own.

Thinking of this, Fu Yu couldn’t help but whisper encouragement: You guys are at least a pair of mature hands, be sure to work hard, and strive to cook on your own in the future, so I don’t have to worry.

Wang Yuxuan, who was rushing over, happened to hear what Fu Yu was muttering, and was startled.

”Fu Yu, are you okay?”

Fu Yu came back to his senses: ”Huh? Oh, I’m fine.”

”Did you see Chef Gu?”

Wang Yuxuan asked anxiously.

”Chef Gu?” Fu Yu was a bit taken aback, hurriedly saying: ”I saw him. He just went to see the guests off. He should be in the lobby now, right?”

Wang Yuxuan shook her head: ”No, I just came back from the lobby, and I didn’t see Chef Gu.”

Seeing her anxious look, Fu Yu asked: ”What’s going on? Why don’t you call Chef Gu?”

Wang Yuxuan quickly said: ”I did, but no one answered. Fu Yu, can you go and check for me?”

Fu Yu was also a bit curious, so he didn’t ask more questions and followed her to check room 105 on the first floor.

Inside the room sat a mother and son, the mother in her early forties, the son sixteen or seventeen, wearing a high school uniform.

The two sat side by side at the dining table, not speaking.

Hearing the movement, the boy was the first to look up.

He appeared somewhat mature for his age, with a square face and very short hair, a pale complexion with a thin face.

Wearing a red school uniform, he appeared with a big head and a small thin neck, exuding an unhealthy appearance from within.

Fu Yu looked at the mother and son and politely inquired: ”Excuse me, is there anything specific you’d like to communicate to the kitchen?”

The boy looked at Fu Yu and said flatly: ”I have an eating disorder, but now I suddenly feel like eating, so I hope your kitchen can speed it up a bit.”

Fu Yu was startled.

Eating disorder, and there’s a sudden urge to eat?

He nodded: ”Okay, I’ll do my best.”

The boy’s mother was obviously a bit anxious and was about to urge.

The boy turned his head and said softly, ”I’ve finished communicating, Mom, don’t speak.”

At this, the mother’s face changed immediately: ”The restaurant is busy, I’m worried that the dishes will take too long to be served.”

The boy said word by word: ”If you don’t listen to me, I won’t eat.”

After saying that, the boy turned his head.

Sure enough, the mother didn’t speak again.

Fu Yu was almost dumbfounded watching this; were they mother and son or more like father and daughter?