The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu flipped through the menu: ”Let me introduce you to some of the more unique dishes we have here.”

”I’m not sure what kind of flavors you usually enjoy—do you like sweet and sour, or spicy and numbing? Do you prefer steamed or stir-fried dishes?”

”My favorite flavors?” Ma Hua Chao sighed deeply: ”Actually, I love spicy food, but I have superficial gastritis, and it makes my stomach hurt, so I can only eat bland food. Later, when I got sick and hospitalized, the doctor told me to avoid certain foods, and now there are only a few things I can eat. My mouth is like it’s been washed out by a bird!”

Seeing that there was more to this, Fu Yu quickly advised, ”In that case, you should really listen to the doctor. Actually, the dishes here are generally quite heavily flavored; they’re either stir-fried or sauced, and most of them are seafood-based.”

Ma Hua Chao looked down at the photos on the menu: ”I know, but I just want to have a good, hearty meal. I’ve almost forgotten what normal food tastes like!”

Fu Yu listened and couldn’t help but frown.

Jiang Mo looked at Ma Hua Chao with even more sympathy.

The thought of having to avoid certain foods because of illness and not being able to eat properly for so long was indeed painful.

But if the doctor told you to avoid, can you really just eat and drink recklessly?

Jiang Mo unconsciously softened her tone: ”Won’t eating so freely worsen your condition?”

Ma Hua Chao smiled wryly: ”My cancer cells have already spread; I don’t even know how many days I have left to live. Whether it worsens or not, it’s just a matter of dying a little earlier.”

With those words, Fu Yu and Jiang Mo both fell silent.

So, it turned out to be cancer.

Fu Yu advised: ”You don’t have to be so pessimistic. With today’s advanced medical equipment, many diseases can be effectively treated, and cancer isn’t as terrifying as it used to be. As long as it’s approached correctly, many people have successfully battled cancer.”

Ma Hua Chao sighed: ”I’m already in the late stages; even a god couldn’t save me. From diagnosis to the spread of cancer cells, it’s been only half a month. I’ve seen doctors at the Second Hospital, and they said in my case I must have surgery, but the success rate is only ten percent.”

As Ma Hua Chao spoke, his expression suddenly froze, and instinctively he looked down at the urine bag on his side.

Fu Yu noticed it too, as the urine bag visibly sagged again.

Ma Hua Chao looked embarrassed and awkward.

Fu Yu turned to Jiang Mo and said, ”Do as he says, pull out the ingredients, and send them to the kitchen. Tell Chef Zhao this order’s on me.”

Jiang Mo agreed and quickly went to get the tools.

Fu Yu then took Ma Hua Chao to the adjacent order counter.

Once they were alone, Fu Yu asked, ”After this meal, are you not going to continue treatment at the hospital?”

Ma Hua Chao nodded: ”There’s no cure for this illness; treatment means surgery, and basically, I won’t make it off the table. Since death is inevitable, I don’t want to suffer any more.”

Fu Yu: ”But what about your family?”

Ma Hua Chao sighed: ”All I do alive is burden them; I can’t do anything else. I might as well die and lighten their load. Do you know how much money I’ve spent in these half a month in the hospital? I had brought forty thousand yuan, and now I’m down to two thousand. This illness is a bottomless pit, dragging on a day wastes a day’s worth of money.”

”I’ve researched online, and in the final stages of this illness, one is pretty much paralyzed. I don’t want to become like that. Now I can still walk and move, so I want to have a good meal and see my family one more time.”

”I really crave flavorful food right now. Master, can you help me arrange a delicious meal so I can enjoy it one last time?”

[Ding! NPC Customer Ma Hua Chao’s Request: Enjoy a sumptuous and delicious meal. Reward: 50 yuan, one chance at a lucky draw, 100 experience points]

Getting a chance at a lucky draw!

This reward seems quite generous!

But Fu Yu didn’t feel particularly happy.

Fu Yu: ”Do you have any specific foods you should avoid? Will it make you particularly uncomfortable if you eat something? Unlike other ingredients, seafood can react with a lot of medications, and different constitutions have different sensitivities to it.”

Ma Hua Chao shook his head: ”According to the doctor, I shouldn’t eat anything; millet porridge and steamed buns every day would be best! Eating seafood would definitely make me uncomfortable, but I really want to eat. Maybe this is my only chance in this life to eat as I please. I don’t want to feel regretful at the end of my life, wondering why I couldn’t even satisfy my craving for good food while I was alive.”

Fu Yu’s heart softened: ”Alright, then. Order whatever you want, and I’ll do my best to make it for you!”

Ma Hua Chao nodded and began to seriously choose dishes.

As Fu Yu watched Ma Hua Chao, a sudden inspiration hit him; he thought of a recipe from the classic flavors cookbook.

Because of what Yao Shi had said that night, whenever Fu Yu had the time, he’d devotedly pore over the specialty banquet recipes and the classic flavors cookbook.

Just last night, he came across a dish called Three-Cup King Oyster Mushrooms.

The feature of this dish is that it tastes very unique, and its texture is similar to abalone.

Since Ma Hua Chao was yearning for a seafood feast, but his physical condition didn’t allow it, could he perhaps use other ingredients as a substitute?

While Ma Hua Chao was browsing the menu, Fu Yu quickly flipped through the classic flavors cookbook.

Search: Seafood dishes that can be made without seafood.

Surprisingly, there really were some.

Fu Yu looked through them one by one and felt reassured.

He selected dishes that were milder in spice and less stimulating.

He roughly decided on a few dishes.

Fu Yu smiled and looked at Ma Hua Chao: ”Since you want to have a good meal, let me introduce you to some of our most popular specialty dishes at the restaurant?”

Ma Hua Chao was already dazzled by the selection.

As expected, with a hundred years of history, Qianlima had over a hundred classic dishes.

He looked through each of them; every dish seemed especially delicious.

Upon hearing this, Ma Hua Chao nodded: ”Alright!”

Fu Yu, well-versed with the restaurant’s menu, quickly found the page with the Three-Cup Abalone.

”This Three-Cup Abalone is one of the most authentic classic dishes that’s been passed down for a hundred years at our restaurant. Its flavor is rich and aromatic, and the abalone’s texture is excellent. I recommend you try it.”

Ma Hua Chao glanced at the price and gritted his teeth: ”Alright, I’ll have the Three-Cup Abalone!”

Fu Yu quickly noted it down and continued: ”There’s also this fragrant fried ’fish steak,’ which is also one of our signature dishes. It’s made only with fish fillet, with a crispy aromatic exterior and a unique flavor.”

Ma Hua Chao hesitated for a moment, then nodded: ”Okay, I’ll have that too!”

Fu Yu pointed to a delicately garnished dish of fragrant ’eel strips’ on the menu and introduced it: ”This dish has been popular in recent years because of its rich taste and fresh flavor, and it has been a continuous hit at our restaurant.”