The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Liu Yunong personally checked the damaged items. Apart from a few broken plates and bowls, there was no significant loss.

The room looked messy, but the wallpaper was washable, and the splattered soup could be handled by the staff later. It wasn’t a big problem.

It was just that one of the teapots customized by the restaurant had a crack—not too deep and not too shallow—but it couldn’t be used. They would just have to get a new set from the main store later.

Actually, the loss to the restaurant wasn’t substantial. The cost of the two customers’ dinner could easily cover it. Although it was quite a scene, the customers had decent manners and voluntarily offered to compensate. Here, compensation should be handled at the restaurant’s discretion.

Liu Yunong called over the staff to clean the private room.

After arranging everything, she went over to the front desk.

The woman stood at the front desk, holding the bill, not having left.

Seeing Liu Yunong approach, she spoke, ”I’m sorry for causing trouble. How much was lost just now? I’ll compensate according to the cost.”

Liu Yunong shook her head and said gently, ”Oh, no need. I checked—aside from a few plates and bowls, there was no significant loss. Let’s forget about it this time; it wasn’t intentional, and we understand.”

The woman was taken aback and hurriedly said, ”It’s okay, just say how much, and I’ll pay it. I don’t mind.”

Liu Yunong waved her hand, ”Just come by more often in the future. Plates and bowls are not worth much.”

Then, she asked with concern, ”Are you okay leaving straight away later?”

The woman smiled gratefully, ”It’s fine. Thank you.”

Liu Yunong nodded and, after the woman settled the bill, personally escorted her to the restaurant door.

After confirming that the issues at the front hall were resolved, Liu Zhangpeng took Fu Yu back to the kitchen.

Fu Yu took a sip of water and, thinking about earlier events, sighed, ”Now, this is true love!”

The woman looked about thirty-five or thirty-six, but she was actually in her forties.

The young man was just over twenty and hadn’t graduated college yet.

Regardless of age, just based on appearance, the two seemed quite compatible standing together.

Liu Zhangpeng also had a face full of thought, ”Yeah! His mom can’t just accept it—so what if she’s older? She’s young-looking and rich—what more do you need? Didn’t you see the car keys she held—a Cayenne? Being yelled at like that and still handling it gracefully—she’s obviously very cultured.”

”I say, as long as there’s love and money, age is not a problem!”

Fu Yu nodded in agreement.

That’s indeed how it is—the wealthier people tend to be more amiable.

It’s like Liu Yici, who’s much younger than that woman... If one day I don’t want to strive, maybe she could introduce me to a wealthy single lady in the circle...

”Phew, phew, phew!”

The thought had hardly surfaced when Fu Yu quickly shook his head, casting aside such a scary idea.

Liu Yunong had just returned to the kitchen when she overheard Liu Zhangpeng’s absurd talk about marrying a rich woman.

What kind of nonsense theory is this?

Her brow furrowed just as she saw Fu Yu spitting thrice, looking as if he had been poisoned.

In comparison, this made her impression of Fu Yu even better.

No wonder people say comparing oneself to others can make one want to throw. Look at Fu Yu’s moral standing.

And then look at Liu Zhangpeng!

Truly, the ugly are the most troublesome!

Seeing it now, it seems my sister does have good judgment.

I used to think Liu Zhangpeng seemed steady and reliable.

Turns out, he’s just another boor!

...

It was ten o’clock at night.

They were about to finish work.

Liu Yunong suddenly received a phone call, after which her expression changed. She just managed to say that a family member had been hospitalized and she needed to go immediately to look after them.

Without time to instruct others, Liu Yunong changed clothes and hurried out.

Fu Yu and the others made sure everything was in order in the front and back kitchens before going home to rest before ten thirty.

The next morning, Fu Yu was with Zhang Jinyu prepping in the roasting area, and when he looked up, he was surprised to see that the camera nearby was off.

He went forward to check and found out that the camera had run out of battery.

It seemed that Liu Yuqing forgot to take it back last night.

Fu Yu hadn’t thought much of it at first, but unexpectedly Liu Yuqing hadn’t shown up all morning to deliver any orders.

When others came to deliver the orders, Fu Yu couldn’t help but ask, ”Where’s Xiaoqing? I haven’t seen her today.”

The server replied casually, ”Oh, she’s on leave today. Seems like she caught a cold.”

So she was sick.

Fu Yu didn’t think much more and took a moment during the afternoon break to send Liu Yuqing a message to wish her well.

However, Liu Yuqing didn’t reply to his message.

After work in the evening, Fu Yu took a cab to Shangshi Private Kitchen as usual.

Only to find out upon arrival that Liu Yunong was attending to a sick family member and wouldn’t be coming today.

In the kitchen, only Liu Zhangpeng was there; Wang Yulong happened to have the day off today.

As usual, today’s menu had seven quick dishes and three freshly cooked hot dishes.

Fu Yu had cooperated with Liu Zhangpeng before, so they worked well together this time too.

The semi-finished dishes just needed to be fried before plating.

The freshly cooked dishes weren’t difficult either. The two took turns handling the wok, with a helper assisting. Although busy, they could easily handle the orders from the front hall.

However, kitchen work never truly lets you feel at peace.

Unexpected incidents always occur when we are unprepared.

For example, Fu Yu was laughing as he listened to Liu Zhangpeng bragging.

”I’m telling you, for a dish like deep-fried squab, if it weren’t for the store’s clear regulations, I could fry three at once in a single pot with my skills. I can ensure a crispy exterior with tender inside, from presentation to texture and cooking point—I’ve got it all down pat...”

Before Liu Zhangpeng finished his sentence, someone rushed into the kitchen.

Fu Yu’s face still wore a smile, and turning to look at the sound, he saw Zhang Conglin hurrying over.

Zhang Conglin looked unwell, his brow furrowed, and said somewhat anxiously, ”Chef Liu, Shen the Third just called, saying he’ll be here to dine at eight. We need to start preparing.”

As he spoke, Zhang Conglin handed the order list to Liu Zhangpeng.

Liu Zhangpeng’s face changed, ”Why is he coming here?!”

Complaining, he took the list, glanced at it, and was immediately dumbfounded.

The order list had two dishes.

One was Soft Braised Duck in Sauce, and the other was Golden Soup with Green Tofu.

He really knew how to order. Both dishes are specialities of the restaurant.

Golden Soup with Green Tofu was manageable; Liu Zhangpeng had cooked it before and knew how to do it.

But for the Soft Braised Duck in Sauce, it was a flavor reserved for the main store; only folks dining at the main store could enjoy it.

This branch never made it.

On one hand, there was a regulation that only the main store could prepare this dish.

On the other, it was that this dish was particularly troublesome to make, requiring very high skill from the chef.

Although Liu Zhangpeng had been studying Liu Family Cuisine for years, he hadn’t systematically learned how to cook this dish.

His mentor Wang Yulong could do it, but he was off today.

And the boss was busy too and didn’t come.

What to do now!