The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

It was almost five o’clock.

Fu Yu still had two tables’ worth of dishes unfinished.

He hurriedly tried to make up for lost time, aiming to finish all the dishes on the order in half an hour, or else he wouldn’t be able to leave work on time.

Just as the oil started to heat up, Fu Yu’s phone suddenly rang.

He took it out and glanced at it; it was Yao Shi calling.

Fu Yu quickly answered the call, ”Hello?”

”Fu Yu, come to the boss’s office immediately!” Yao Shi’s voice was noticeably shaky with urgency.

Fu Yu hadn’t even had a chance to respond when an electronic notification sound chimed in his ear:

[Ding! NPC Chef Yao Shi’s Task: Assist Yao Shi in creating a birthday feast that would move the retired teacher Wu Fan to tears. Task reward: 100 RMB, task experience +50]

Fu Yu was momentarily stunned; it was the first time he received a task without seeing the person.

Fu Yu chose to accept.

”Okay, Chef Yao, I’ll come over right away.”

...

Wu Fan worked at Bei’an First Middle School. After retiring, he was rehired by his former school to continue teaching.

Though his re-employment was as a temporary worker, the school provided him with the same benefits as before.

This year, he turned eighty.

With age, he could no longer stand on the podium, which was why he officially retired last semester.

He dedicated his entire life to the cause of education.

He originally had a son, who passed away from illness ten years ago, and his wife three years ago.

Previously, he could occupy himself with teaching; now, having left school, life seemed to have become stagnant and uneventful.

As a distinguished teacher, he received countless accolades and honors, and his students were spread all over the world.

This time, however, it was a few of his former students who wanted to organize a special celebration for his treasured 80th birthday.

As the saying goes, living to seventy is rare in ancient times; since the old man was already eighty, the students cherished him even more and wanted to celebrate it grandly.

Given the celebration, it naturally had to be well-prepared.

Such a revered old teacher, now alone in his advanced age, had his former students, who respectfully addressed him as ’teacher’, seek out Qianlima, a renowned old restaurant, to host a grand and lively birthday feast for him.

Among these students was Gray, the boss of Jinxin Real Estate, a top company in the city.

Also, there was Wang Hongwei, the director of the orthopedic department at the central hospital.

Nayalin, the vice president of the Municipal Calligraphy Association.

And Ji Maomao, the director of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference.

With these people taking the lead, the birthday feast was quickly organized.

Initially, they proposed holding the birthday dinner at the Music Restaurant, given that it’s the most famous place in the area for hosting large banquets.

It’s upscale, and the dishes are also very good.

But due to the somewhat special identities of these people, it was not appropriate to be too ostentatious.

In the end, after much discussion, they decided to keep it low-key and set the birthday banquet venue at Qianlima.

With the location set, the next issue was the dishes for the feast.

Since it was the teacher’s birthday, they had to order the old man’s favorite dishes.

Originally, it was not a big deal; just order a few of the restaurant’s specialty dishes, delicious and authentic.

Then someone suggested that the teacher was from Baishui and had previously mentioned his nostalgia for his hometown during his school days.

It was said that there was a type of feast called the ’Three-Turn Banquet’, specifically for hosting banquets in Baishui. If such a feast could be arranged for the birthday, the teacher would definitely be overjoyed.

The idea was good.

The key was that the ’Three-Turn Banquet’ was not a local specialty, and whether the kitchen at Qianlima could pull it off was also a question.

But this wasn’t their concern.

Once the leaders uttered a word, those underneath had to find a way to get the job done, no matter what.

So, Liu Changqing, the deputy head of the Commerce Bureau, and Wen Zhiming, the deputy director of the Tax Bureau, hurried to Qianlima Restaurant during their lunch break after receiving a call from their superiors.

These two were old customers of Qianlima, usually arranged in room 401, considered high-level VIPs.

They explained the situation and handed the difficult task directly over to Dong Jun Tian.

Dong Jun Tian was dumbfounded upon hearing this.

It was good to have customer orders.

Especially such high-level ones with status, it was a great opportunity they couldn’t ask for.

But the problem was, their restaurant had never made the ’Three-Turn Banquet’ before.

This order couldn’t be taken.

Dong Jun Tian quickly and tactfully refused the order, ”We can’t make the ’Three-Turn Banquet’ here! It’s not like we’ve ever done it before; we haven’t even heard of it - it’s not our local dish.”

Liu Changqing chuckled, ”Boss Dong, can’t you think of a way? Remember, when you acquired Dayu Mall, I also came up with some ideas for you, right?”

Dong Jun Tian was momentarily speechless.

Reciprocating favors and helping each other out—if it could be done, he would certainly be willing.

But cooking is not like other things; you need at least to know what the dish looks like and what it tastes like to replicate it accurately.

Now, they had just dropped a line about Baishui’s characteristic feast, the Three-Turn Banquet, and wanted their restaurant to handle it.

How was the dish to be made?

Wasn’t that a tall order?

Wen Zhiming then casually remarked, ”The banquet is being organized by Director Ji of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference, and all the arrangements have been made for tonight. We’re just here to help place the order; if it’s really impossible, you should explain it to Director Ji.”

Feeling squeezed from above and pressed from below, that was how it was.

They couldn’t afford to offend big leaders, so a small restaurant owner like him couldn’t settle this?

They had delivered the message; whether the matter succeeded was not their concern.

Both of them brushed off their hands and walked away leisurely.

Leaving Dong Jun Tian, holding such a mess, not knowing what to do.

...

In the boss’s office at Qianlima Restaurant.

Dong Jun Tian and Yao Shi sat with their faces set, saying nothing.

They both knew very well the current situation in the restaurant.

Zhao Meng’s old ailment had flared up, making him unable to wield a ladle.

Gu Yunwu had to deal with the existing orders in the restaurant and couldn’t spare any time.

The only person they could count on now was Yao Shi.

And Yao Shi clearly stated that he wouldn’t and couldn’t take on this banquet.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take it; it was just that he had really never heard of the Three-Turn Banquet before.

How could he make a feast he had never even heard of?

What a joke!

Yao Shi sat silently, confronting Dong Jun Tian.

For the first time, he deeply felt that Dong Jun Tian was a fool!

Just because the customers placing the order had status and background, they didn’t dare to refuse an order?

What about knowing one’s own limits?

Don’t attempt to do what you can’t handle!

Dong Jun Tian also knew the matter was too tricky, but he really had no choice!

The customers placing the order were all people he couldn’t afford to offend.

Who could he refuse?

Who dared he refuse?

Living in this region, who knows when he’d need to turn to someone?

Especially since they’re in the service industry, everyone who enters is like a lord, and they all have to be served with care!