The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

In the private room, with no outsiders present, Liu Yu explained in a low voice, ”These three dishes are quite popular in the music restaurant. Didn’t you hear Tang Jian mention that Qianlima is doing well with them? I wanted to try them myself to see what they’re like.”

Liu Yu’s wife, upon hearing it was about business, noticeably cooled down but still couldn’t help but grumble quietly, ”But you ordered this three-dish course and added so many dishes! We can’t finish it all! You could order fewer dishes and try some of the restaurant’s specialties instead. Wouldn’t that be better?”

Liu Yu listened to his wife getting angry, but he wasn’t upset at all.

After all, his wife was angry because his father couldn’t eat the dishes he wanted.

This was out of filial piety.

Elder Liu cheerfully advised, ”I was just mentioning it casually. Whenever you want to bring me back here to eat, I’ll be happy to come along. I heard Liu Yu’s friend talk about the three-dish course, and it made me want to try it too. Back in the day, when I went with family to visit relatives out of town, it happened to coincide with a celebration, and we ate this.”

Recalling those days, Elder Liu chuckled, ”I remember there was a sweet and sour soup. After just one sip, it really got my appetite going, so the memory is very vivid!”

As they were talking, a server brought in a plate of cold tossed bean curd sticks.

At first glance, the way the dish was presented appeared tidy and clean, with a certain cleverness to it. Although seemingly chaotic, you could clearly see what ingredients were within at a glance.

The carrots were carved, the cucumbers were neat and uniform in size, coriander sprinkled with sauce, paired with fresh chili, making it look particularly appetizing.

Then they took a bite.

The texture was chewy, full of the fragrance of beans, with a hint of the unique aroma of sesame oil amidst the mild spiciness.

The flavor was refreshing and just right.

Just this simple cold dish was prepared so authentically, who was the chef?

Yao Shi?

Doesn’t seem like it.

Yao Shi traditionally liked to add sugar to cold dishes, which makes them slightly sweeter than this, easily noticeable.

Zhao Meng?

I heard his hand was injured?

Could it be Gu Yunwu?

Most likely, didn’t expect his skills to be so good!

As he was continuing to take bites, the server brought more dishes to the table.

This time, two more cold dishes were served in succession.

One was mustard vermicelli, the other sweet and sour peanuts.

And they even had a thoughtful order in the serving sequence.

Liu Yu slowly ate and tasted carefully.

Liu Yu’s wife was initially a bit upset, but when the duck web came to the table, she took a bite, and her mood inexplicably improved.

The duck webs were truly delicious!

Aromatic, spicy, full of flavor.

After finishing one, she couldn’t help but want another.

But there were only six on the plate, and they were a family of four...

Liu Yu’s wife paused for a moment, then decisively moved her chopsticks away.

Fortunately, at that moment, the server brought another dish.

Liu Yu’s wife took a peek.

Oh, it turns out to be ham slices.

These are also quite tasty.

She picked up a piece and tasted it, fairly standard.

Ham, well, it tastes just like that, what else could they do with it?

Liu Yu’s wife tried the pig face salad and fried small fish in turn.

Then she saw a server bring a bowl of soup to the table.

Ah, this...

In a usual course, if the soup is served, it means the dishes are basically done.

After the server left, Liu Yu’s wife couldn’t help but ask, ”Why are they serving soup already?”

Liu Yu was just helping his father with some soup, and he smiled at her words, ”This is called the opening soup. The main dishes come after this!”

Sure enough, the next dish was Wu’an Stir-Fry brought to the table.

Elder Liu, getting on in years, preferred lighter flavors, and this dish was just to his taste.

Before Liu Yu could react, his wife had already turned the dish to place it in front of Elder Liu.

Liu Yu smiled slightly.

Elder Liu felt a warmth in his heart.

As the family was happily enjoying the food, the main event arrived.

The server brought a hot dish to the table.

Liu Yu’s wife looked at it and immediately frowned.

Is this braised pork?

It looked quite good, but she never liked these overly greasy dishes.

Liu Yu, on the other hand, looked at this fermented bean curd pork and nodded approvingly.

Indeed, the dish was well-made, bright and appealing in color, prepared with premium pork belly, evenly fatty and lean. The only question was how it tasted.

Liu Yu’s family had always been well-off, and with wealth comes enjoyment. Since he ran a restaurant himself, he always had high standards when it came to food and drink.

He picked up a piece of the fermented bean curd pork and chewed it...

Hmm.

Rich but not greasy, soft and tasty, the dish was very authentic!

Especially with the sauce poured over it, perfectly seasoned with salt and flavor. It had the unique fragrance of fermented bean curd and a rich meat aroma.

Delicious!

Still, no matter how delectable the meat, eating too much could become cloying.

And at that moment, sweet and sour rice was served.

One must say, Qianlima really mastered the timing of serving dishes exceedingly well.

Grasping each stage of a customer’s tasting journey perfectly.

Making the dining experience both satisfying and relieving.

The sort of fulfilling satisfaction in indulging in gourmet food was easy to leave a lasting impression for returning customers.

Especially since the dishes were so flavorful.

Finish a meal with this kind of experience, and it will undoubtedly leave a deep impression on the customer.

At the very least, recalling any dish from this table, the first thought would surely be of this restaurant.

Liu Yu had always known how tough Yao Shi’s current situation was.

Yao Shi was keen on leaving Qianlima to focus on running his own business.

But Dong Jun Tian was silently pressuring him, refusing to let him go.

Previously, Liu Yu just felt that Dong Jun Tian was unreasonable.

The favor was such that it pushed people to repay a debt beyond measure, compelling them to ”offer themselves up”, bound here for a lifetime!

But now...

As a businessman and a boss himself, Liu Yu was, for the first time, considering the situation from Dong Jun Tian’s perspective.

Even he had to admit.

If he were Dong Jun Tian, he probably wouldn’t be willing to let someone like Yao Shi go either.

After all, Yao Shi was extremely valuable!

Capable, resourceful, a good manager, and loyal.

Having someone like that working alongside, what boss would want to let them go?

Just look at the kitchen management.

Even Liu Yu was impressed!

He had once persevered, both persistent and persuasive, arguing with Yao Shi for quite some time, and still thought what he did back then was wise beyond comparison.

Let alone Dong Jun Tian!

Liu Yu while eating, was pondering over it.

No.

No matter what, he had to find a way to rescue Yao Shi from here!

Even if it meant working hard, it should be for the growth and success of his own business!

How does helping someone else build a family fortune make any sense?

Especially when that person was Dong Jun Tian!

Liu Yu really couldn’t stand Dong Jun Tian’s manipulative behavior!

If only back then, he had met Yao Shi a bit earlier, no way would it have been Dong Jun Tian doing him that favor.

Thinking of this, Liu Yu could only regret!

Truly…

It’s a pity they met so late!

Sigh...

If only it had been a little sooner...