The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Yao Shi was quite satisfied with the current situation, but he maintained a pensive expression.

After thinking for a moment, he announced, ”Just right, I have time this morning to stay in the kitchen. Once the order list comes over, Fu Yu will take charge. If he can really handle the orders independently, then your chances here are quite good.”

The implication being, if Fu Yu can fill Zhao Meng’s role.

Then, with Yao Shi’s support, it would be a breeze to win over Gu Yunwu’s side, wouldn’t it?

Of course, everyone had no objections.

So this matter was settled just like that.

During Zhao Meng’s two days off, all the old customers and orders that came for Zhao Meng would be handled by Fu Yu.

If Yao Shi had time, he’d lend a hand; if not, there was nothing he could do.

The morning went as usual.

The apprentices prepared the ingredients as they should, and Fu Yu took over the task of restocking the pickled vegetables in the storeroom.

This task was done in rotation between the two sides.

Today it was Zhao Meng’s side’s responsibility; tomorrow, it would be Gu Yunwu’s turn.

After all, small dishes needed to be sent to every table, and they were consumables that both sides used quite a lot.

At 10:30 in the morning, orders started coming in.

First, there were the rotational orders, and Yao Shi kept his word and handed them directly to Fu Yu.

Fu Yu didn’t stand on ceremony, selecting five out of the eight dishes for himself and leaving the other three for Yao Shi.

The two were clear in their division of labor, with Fu Yu as the head chef and Yao Shi as his assistant.

Though they were each busy with their own tasks, there was quite a bit of tacit understanding between them.

Fu Yu kept the more complex dishes for himself, with different types, mainly to have Yao Shi keep an eye on him. If there were any shortcomings, he could get some guidance.

Although Fu Yu’s cooking skills were already quite good, his culinary techniques still had room for improvement.

Especially since Zhao Meng and Yao Shi had both been working in the kitchen for many years, each had their own unique cooking techniques and experience.

Occasionally, they would point out his deficiencies spot-on, offering straightforward and reasonable advice, and even teaching him a trick or two from their personal experience.

Of course, beyond that, Fu Yu’s main goal was to test the effect of his newly acquired [Title of Kitchen Artisan].

With the variety of cooking methods he used, he might activate the abilities of this title at any moment. If he could get Yao Shi’s heartfelt guidance, it would definitely be immensely beneficial!

Yao Shi felt quite gratified seeing the remaining menu in his hand.

No wonder Zhao Meng had such sharp eyes!

Fu Yu really was a good kid.

Look at the dishes on this menu—he took away all the tricky ones that were troublesome to cook, leaving behind easy stir-fry and steaming dishes.

Handling these dishes was a breeze for Yao Shi, so he could focus on cooking and keep an eye on Fu Yu’s techniques at the same time.

Upon closer observation, Yao Shi actually noticed something remarkable.

In just these few days, Fu Yu’s cooking skills had clearly improved!

To others, Fu Yu’s cooking might look simply smooth and fast.

But to Yao Shi, whether it was his spoon-tossing technique or his plating skills, the progress was visibly swift.

Yao Shi inwardly marveled at Fu Yu’s incredible talent in cooking, all while keeping his hands busy.

Once a few dishes were finished, and seeing that no new orders were coming in, Yao Shi took the opportunity to head over to Gu Yunwu’s side to explain what was mentioned at Zhao Meng’s place this morning.

Gu Yunwu naturally had no objections.

After all, about Yao Shi’s situation, outsiders might not know, but he understood perfectly well.

With Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Qianlima was hosting events, and the music restaurant was likely getting ready too!

Yao Shi was too busy to be in two places at once, and if he could stay at Zhao Meng’s side to help in the kitchen, being there for even an hour a day would be considered quite the blessing!

Without Zhao Meng overseeing things and lacking Yao Shi’s help, Gu Yunwu didn’t really take the remaining staff seriously.

In his mind, Fu Yu might have some talent, but without the tempering of time, it’s all wasted!

Perhaps in three to five years, Fu Yu might be able to handle things independently.

But for now... ha!

Once Yao Shi finished sorting things out with Gu Yunwu, he made another round to the boss’s office.

As expected, when Dong Jun Tian heard about the competition, he was very supportive.

If they could indeed boost the enthusiasm in the kitchen and take advantage of the influx of customers during the Mid-Autumn Festival to attract a wave of returning patrons, he was quite happy to consider offering bonuses!

After returning from the boss’s office to the kitchen, Yao Shi was about to check for any new orders when the food runner handed over a list.

”Chef Fu! An order from Chef Zhao’s old customers!”

Fu Yu took it, glanced over it, and was quite surprised.

The menu items were quite unique, totaling six dishes and a soup, all of which were specialty dishes of the restaurant.

Interestingly, the note specially indicated: Serve as usual, all should be the classic flavors!

Yao Shi walked over and saw Fu Yu looking thoughtfully, so he asked casually, ”What’s up? What dishes were ordered?”

Fu Yu handed the order over, ”This guest is quite interesting; they’ve ordered all the restaurant’s specialty dishes.”

This clearly was a regular customer who knew what was special here.

These dishes, each one, weren’t specially marked on the menu.

Because, although they appeared ordinary, the cooking method particularly tested the chef’s skills!

And Zhao Meng was always more prominent in controlling the heat.

Therefore, for stir-fried dishes or others that required distinct techniques, he had his unique cooking methods—ones Gu Yunwu wasn’t skilled in, which could also keep knowledgeable customers asking for more.

”Oh! This must be a real gourmet!”

Yao Shi, having worked in this field for many years and made countless connections, truly had some sharp-eyed, discerning, and well-heeled friends.

So he understood that the more someone enjoyed good food, the higher their demands were for ingredients and cooking techniques.

After taking a closer look at the dishes, Yao Shi returned the order to Fu Yu and asked, ”Can you handle this table of dishes?”

Fu Yu nodded, ”Yes!”

The dishes weren’t difficult. While there were seven items with the cod dumplings being done by the pastry section, only six required cooking—and one of them was a soup.

This was a perfect opportunity for Yao Shi to assess Fu Yu’s cooking skills.

While preparing the ingredients, Yao Shi called Zhao Meng.

Training Fu Yu was one thing, but adhering to the customer’s order requirements was also necessary.

When Zhao Meng received Yao Shi’s call, he quickly asked, ”Chef Yao, what’s up? Is there something going on in the kitchen?”

He was currently resting in his dormitory.

The electrolyte replenishment had improved his condition, but his body still felt somewhat weak.

Yao Shi said, ”Nothing major, it’s just that one of your regular customers placed an order.”