The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

”When I used to go to the seaside, I’d drive to the pier before dawn. The captains of the ships returning from the sea would be loaded with seafood, we’d pick what we wanted right by the boat, then take it to the roadside stalls for cooking.”

Brother Pang had a nostalgic look on his face: ”Freshly caught seafood put in the pot to steam, watching the steam rise from the edge of the pot, it’s truly a ’tantalizing’ sight that makes your mouth water!”

As he spoke, he picked up a mantis shrimp: ”You see this? Out of season, the restaurant doesn’t sell it steamed. Wait until September, when you order a pot and try it, you’ll find that the so-called first cup of milk tea in autumn is nothing compared to this!”

Brother Pang held the mantis shrimp in his hand: ”The reputation of ’finger-licking good’ is well-deserved!”

An old friend used chopsticks to pick up a mantis shrimp for his young daughter: ”Here, try this and see if it’s delicious.”

The little girl held the mantis shrimp, unsure of how to start.

Brother Pang noticed and said with a smile: ”There’s a trick to eating this.”

He pointed to the sides of the mantis shrimp: ”See? Just cut straight along both sides with scissors, then gently lift it, and the whole shell comes off... where are the scissors?”

Brother Pang said, looking around for scissors.

Huh?

What’s with the server?

Usually, this dish is served with a pair of scissors, did they forget it today?

Brother Pang called out loudly: ”Waiter!”

The server standing at the door hurried in: ”Hello, what do you need?”

Just as Brother Pang was about to speak, the young daughter of his old friend suddenly exclaimed: ”Uncle Fatty! Look, is it like this?”

Brother Pang turned his head and saw the little girl holding up the hard shell on the back of the mantis shrimp with one hand and supporting the intact shrimp meat with the other, displaying it happily.

Brother Pang was surprised: ”Hey, where did you find the scissors?”

The little girl said crisply: ”No scissors needed, just a lift, and the shell comes off!”

Brother Pang looked down at the mantis shrimp in his hand, examined it carefully, and realized that there was indeed a very hidden seam along the sides, which was hard to notice without a close look.

He held the mantis shrimp by its sides, lifted the cover, and indeed, as the little girl said, the shell came off easily, revealing the entire shrimp inside without pricking fingers or wasting any of the meat.

Brother Pang was delighted, turned to the server, and said: ”You’ve done a great job with this dish! Just this little detail is well thought-out. I was wondering why there were no scissors this time, turns out it’s already prepared like this! Nice! Makes it so much easier!”

The server listened to Brother Pang’s praise with a smile and turned to leave the room, only to see the food runner Dai Li waiting anxiously outside.

Bewildered, the server asked: ”What’s the matter?”

Dai Li whispered: ”When I served the dish just now, I forgot to place the scissors, and when I went back to 215, I found the scissors were pressed under the napkin!”

The server was stunned: ”Scissors? For the salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp?”

Dai Li nodded: ”Yeah, did the customers not notice? I’ll take it in now.”

She was just about to enter the room, but the server stopped her.

”No need, the salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp has been improved in the kitchen, you can shell it without scissors now.”

Dai Li’s eyes widened: ”You can shell it without scissors?”

The server nodded and couldn’t help gossiping: ”Hey, who made this salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp? The customers had nothing but praise!”

Dai Li curiously asked: ”What did they praise? This table was Chef Zhao’s order, but this dish seemed to be made by Chef Fu just now.”

The server was surprised: ”Really? So it was Chef Fu? That’s quite a coincidence! The customers praised the kitchen’s attention to detail. With this preparation, they could easily peel the mantis shrimp shell with their hands without much effort!”

Realizing she could relax, Dai Li left the room and rushed to the kitchen.

Fu Yu can improve dishes now!

No way?

Seriously?

”Where’s Chef Fu?” Dai Li hurried into the kitchen, seeing Zhao Meng tossing a wok, while the helpers were busy working hard.

Zhao Meng turned his head: ”He went to check the side dishes, what’s it about?”

Dai Li quickly said: ”Chef Fu just improved the salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp dish, and the customers were very satisfied. They even praised your kitchen!”

Zhao Meng was stunned and widened his eyes: ”You mean... Fu Yu improved the salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp dish? What did he improve? How come I didn’t know?”

Dai Li confirmed her suspicion.

Apparently, the dish was indeed improved by Fu Yu himself, without passing through Zhao Meng.

Is Fu Yu really that capable?

Zhao Meng then turned to ask Sun Qingning: ”Did Fu Yu just improve the salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp?”

Sun Qingning quickly recounted the earlier situation.

Zhao Meng laughed after listening: ”This kid! He’s amazing!”

Dai Li left with a newly cooked dish.

Meanwhile, Sun Qingning stood by the dishwashing station, listening to Zhang Jinyu gossip: ”Qingning, did Fu Yu really improve the salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp by himself?”

Even Zhang Jiaxin, who was quietly scrubbing a colander nearby, looked doubtful.

After all, this guy has just recently been promoted and is already impressive.

Now, they found out he has secretly been honing his skills and reached a high level!

If you’re so outstanding, what about the rest of us?

Sun Qingning, while quickly scrubbing a pot, sincerely said: ”It’s true, Chef Fu is really impressive, his culinary skills are not inferior to Chef Zhao. Anyway, I’ve already made up my mind; from now on, I’m following him.”

These words left both of them stunned.

Zhang Jinyu, with no filter in her thoughts, spoke her mind directly: ”Wow! Seriously? Chef Zhao’s skill level is undeniable, not far behind Chef Yao! His cooking is exquisite, and he can make all the signature dishes of the store. And Fu Yu has just been permanent for how long? And he’s already on par with Chef Zhao? Are you kidding me?!”

Zhang Jiaxin couldn’t help but chuckle: ”Qingning, you’re flattering a bit too much! If you said Chef Fu compared to Chef Xiao Yao, that would be more believable!”

Sun Qingning, momentarily taken aback, said: ”Flattering? Who’s flattering? Let me tell you, Jiaxin, your Chef Xiao Yao is indeed quite good, but honestly, as it stands now, our Chef Fu has already surpassed Chef Xiao Yao by a long shot!”

”Also, Jin Yu, don’t underestimate Chef Fu. I’ll say it here today; believe it or not, if I just keep up with Chef Fu and not fall behind, it won’t be long before I become the first promoted assistant among us!”

Zhang Jinyu: ”...”

Zhang Jiaxin: ”...”

The two looked at each other.

Something seemed odd?

Was he praising Chef Fu?

Why does it sound like he’s praising himself?