The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu had just checked the marination of the side dishes when he received a call from Yao Shi.

”Fu Yu, tidy yourself up and head over to the main entrance of Pangzi Cured Meat Shop. Zhang Zhen went to provide home service today. I’ll have him take you to the music restaurant when he returns.”

Fu Yu was a bit surprised: ”Now?”

Yao Shi said: ”Yes, now. After you get there, teach Zhang Zhen and the others how to make Ji Xiang Kou Three Shreds. There’s a banquet tonight, and I plan to promote this dish.”

Fu Yu agreed: ”Alright, I’ll head over there right now.”

After hanging up, Fu Yu went to the back door and found Zhao Meng, who was smoking, and explained the situation.

Zhao Meng nodded as if used to it, not forgetting to remind him: ”Work hard when you get there and make sure you establish good relations with Chef Zhang and the others. You’re young; you can do more work, and it won’t hurt.”

Fu Yu felt a warmth in his heart and joked, ”Chef Zhao, I should start calling you Mr. Zhao. You’re almost like my dad!”

Zhao Meng was amused and acted as if to kick Fu Yu: ”Stop dawdling and get going!”

Fu Yu changed clothes and hurriedly headed to Pangzi Cured Meat Shop on Qianlima Side Street.

Exiting the back door, he wound his way along the path and turned left into the side street.

From afar, Fu Yu saw a white Chevrolet parked in front of Pangzi Cured Meat Shop.

As he approached, Zhang Zhen stuck his head out of the car and greeted, ”Chef Fu!”

Fu Yu walked over with a smile and got into the car.

Just coming out of the supermarket with cigarettes, Yao Yihang paused in disbelief, watching Fu Yu get into the front of the white car.

What was Fu Yu off to do again?

Home service?

Yao Yihang stood in place, watching the white car drive off before he headed back to the kitchen.

Inside the door, he saw Zhang Jiaxin going into the pantry to get vegetables, and he hurried over to ask, ”Xiaozhang, I just saw Chef Fu went out?”

Zhang Jiaxin casually said, ”Oh, I heard from Sun Qingning earlier that Chef Fu took on a home service job.”

Yao Yihang suddenly felt a twinge of envy and frowned, half-heartedly saying, ”That’s great! I find Chef Fu quite impressive; he always gets home service jobs. Unlike me, I’ve been nearly a month after getting permanent status, and haven’t had a single home service opportunity yet.”

Zhang Jiaxin kindly said, ”Chef Fu is indeed very impressive! I’ve seen him cook before; his techniques are particularly skilled! However, Chef Yao, you’re not bad either! I think your cooking skills are pretty good. You can already handle orders independently; with a bit more practice, you’ll definitely get home service jobs too.”

Yao Yihang agreed wholeheartedly with Zhang Jiaxin’s words, and he also believed his cooking skills were particularly good.

If he could really get home service jobs and earn some service fees...

Yao Yihang glanced at the cigarette in his hand. If it could be upgraded to a packet of Zhonghua, not every day, but even every two days, it would be exciting enough.

Thinking this way, Yao Yihang couldn’t help but feel tempted.

...

On the way, Fu Yu listened to Zhang Zhen talk about today’s banquet.

The customer ordered a low-tier meal at the music restaurant, originally priced at 1888 yuan per table for the ”Prosperous Reunion Meal.”

However, just yesterday afternoon, the shop received a notice from the boss, temporarily changing the menu and upgrading the meal to a mid-tier level, now priced at 2888 yuan, renamed to ”Jin Yu Man Tang Reunion Set.”

When the order clerk introduced the set, they did so based on the new price and dishes.

The customer was very satisfied and arranged to try the dishes tonight.

If suitable, they planned to book 66 tables next week to entertain guests.

However, because the Ji Xiang Kou Three Shreds was a newly added innovative dish, Fu Yu was specially called over to be the head chef and teach the kitchen staff how to cook it.

Upon hearing this, Fu Yu silently clicked his tongue.

Yao Shi is quite the shark!

Just by changing one dish and renaming the set meal, they’ve lifted a low-tier meal to a mid-tier one!

With that business acumen, no wonder he’s destined to get rich!

At the music restaurant, Fu Yu changed clothes and headed to the kitchen.

Chef Liu and the others warmly greeted him, their words clearly tinged with respect.

After Fu Yu’s roasted duck demonstration last time, his status in the hearts of the kitchen staff at the music restaurant continued to rise.

The culinary field is a technical post.

Good or bad cooking skills and proficiency directly influence how others perceive you.

Even if you’re not the head chef or a formal employee, it doesn’t affect the respect others have for you.

Fu Yu, just entering his twenties, is even younger than most of the general laborers in the kitchen, yet this doesn’t influence how everyone sees him.

In fact, because he’s young and skilled, almost everyone believes he’s promising with a bright future.

The customer booked a tasting for this evening at half past five.

So there’s plenty of time.

Fu Yu went to select some prepared dishes first.

Zhang Zhen assigned a junior worker to assist Fu Yu.

This guy, Zhou Yesheng, was older than Fu Yu by two years, sharp, and articulate.

During the preparation of the side dishes, Fu Yu only needed to give a word, and Zhou Yesheng handled it all.

Whatever Fu Yu needed, the kitchen catered to him.

Fu Yu finally understood why the old saying goes, ’Endure the bitterest of hardships to become a superior person.’

With excellent cooking skills, you’re not stuck living below others, don’t have to watch others’ expressions, and can earn more money through respect.

Though there’s no shortage of work to be done, to live well, what can be achieved without effort?

For example, now, Fu Yu needs to be the head chef, orchestrating the Jin Yu Man Tang Reunion Set.

This banquet had Fu Yu as the head chef, Zhang Zhen as his assistant, and other chefs and assistants learning by watching from the sidelines.

First was the Ji Xiang Kou Three Shreds dish.

Fu Yu was very familiar with this dish now, well-acquainted with its preparation.

However, during cooking, Fu Yu deliberately slowed down the speed.

After all, having accepted Yao Shi’s teaching fee, he’s there to teach Zhang Zhen and the others how to make the dish, not just provide service, get paid, and leave right after.

Fu Yu took this very seriously.

You must be grateful for others’ kindness towards you.

Fu Yu understood well that he was just average; if it weren’t for the system he gained by chance, he’d still be just an ordinary, insignificant worker.

So he cherished every opportunity he got now.

The side dishes were all ready.

Firstly, process the dried mushrooms by soaking them in warm water for 20 minutes until fully softened, then cut off the stems for later use.

Fu Yu narrated as he went along, explaining in detail.

Including how to cut, and how to apply force.

Especially when it came to slicing into fine strips, swiftly cutting 6cm long slender strands to make the whole dish look more appealing.

How to effectively pair various ingredients together for plating.

The cooking process went smoothly.