The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Liu Zhangpeng glanced at the time, it was already six-thirty in the evening.

He was instantly a bit flustered: ”Xiaozhang, why did you take the order directly? My master isn’t here, the boss hasn’t come, and this dish simply can’t be made!”

Zhang Conglin looked troubled: ”Chef Liu, who dares not to take an order from Shen the Third...”

You really can’t blame Zhang Conglin for this.

Shen the Third’s family is powerful, even though Shangshi Private Kitchen specializes in private cuisine and never takes customer orders. The kitchen always cooks according to the restaurant’s daily menu.

But there are always a few privileged individuals that even Liu Yunong, the boss, can’t afford to offend.

When they come, they must be well entertained with good food and drink.

Not to mention allowing customers to order at will, they might even want to have the chef come to their home to cook a meal, and you’d have to serve them respectfully, making sure they’re pleased.

This kind of person who cannot be offended got blown to Bei’an by some unknown gust of wind.

Liu Zhangpeng naturally knew that what Zhang Conglin said was right, he just felt anxious.

Don’t panic!

Right now, he’s the only one in the kitchen who can take charge.

The first thing Liu Zhangpeng did was call his master, Wang Yulong.

The call was quickly answered.

Wang Yulong didn’t wait for Liu Zhangpeng to speak and asked proactively: ”What’s going on? Is there something wrong at the restaurant?”

Liu Zhangpeng hurriedly explained the situation.

Hearing this, Wang Yulong immediately said anxiously: ”They want to dine at the restaurant by eight? I’m out on the lake with friends today, still on my way back, and I won’t be in the city until eight at the earliest.”

Liu Zhangpeng felt his heart sink.

If he only gets into the city by eight, and then heads to the restaurant, it would be at least eight-thirty.

Definitely too late.

After explaining his situation, Wang Yulong advised: ”Do this, contact the boss now, see if she can come over.”

That’s the only option for now.

Liu Zhangpeng ended the call and quickly tried dialing Liu Yunong.

But for some reason, Liu Yunong didn’t answer, no matter how many times he called—three times in total.

Holding the phone tightly, Liu Zhangpeng anxiously paced around: ”That’s it, the boss isn’t answering, and my master can’t make it back!”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Conglin was dumbfounded: ”What are we going to do?”

Liu Zhangpeng shook his head: ”I can make the Golden Soup Jade Tofu, but I really can’t make the Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck.”

Zhang Conglin, who came over from the main restaurant, naturally knew that this dish was a special reserve dish at the main location, one that no rookies have had a chance to learn the method for.

Suddenly, Zhang Conglin felt utterly exasperated: ”Such bad timing!”

Liu Zhangpeng said helplessly: ”If it doesn’t work, we can only wait until Shen the Third arrives and see if we can temporarily change the order.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Conglin quickly responded: ”That definitely won’t work, did you forget what happened before?”

Remembering what the boss personally instructed when entertaining Shen the Third, Liu Zhangpeng suddenly became stern.

The boss repeatedly warned them to ensure the guest was well catered to, under no circumstances could they offend him.

As employees, they dared not offend him even more.

The two of them were desperately circling around, without any viable solution in sight.

Fu Yu had already understood the situation; this guest, who had suddenly pre-ordered, had the privilege to order anything in the restaurant.

But now Liu Yunong wasn’t answering the phone, and Wang Yulong couldn’t make it back in time.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhangpeng could only prepare one of the two dishes; the other one he didn’t know how to make at all.

Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck?

Since Qianlima mainly focused on seafood, Fu Yu wasn’t too skilled in dishes like the Soy Sauce Duck.

While Liu Zhangpeng and Zhang Conglin were talking, Fu Yu quickly looked up the classic old flavors recipe.

Wouldn’t you know, it actually had the dish.

If they were at Qianlima or the Music Restaurant, Fu Yu would definitely step up without hesitation.

But here it was the Shangshi Private Kitchen.

The dishes cooked here were all Liu Family Cuisine, with its own unique cooking style.

Who knew if the Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck here had any special seasoning or cooking method?

At this point, with no other help available, Liu Zhangpeng desperately turned to Fu Yu, standing nearby.

If this were a few days ago, Liu Zhangpeng definitely wouldn’t have considered asking Fu Yu for help.

But after spending time together, Liu Zhangpeng had personally witnessed Fu Yu’s exquisite cooking skills.

What if Fu Yu knew how to make this dish?

Almost instinctively, Liu Zhangpeng turned and asked: ”Chef Fu, do you know how to make Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck?”

Looking at Liu Zhangpeng’s anxious face, Fu Yu thought for a moment and then cautiously replied: ”I do know how to make this dish, but...”

Upon hearing that Fu Yu could make the dish, Liu Zhangpeng felt strangely reassured.

Although Fu Yu was even younger than him, and they’d known each other for less than a month,

as soon as Fu Yu said he could make the dish, Liu Zhangpeng’s first reaction was relief, thinking there was finally a solution.

He didn’t even consider whether Fu Yu’s words were reliable.

Instinctively, he felt if Fu Yu said he could do it, then he must be able to.

Fu Yu continued: ”But I’m not sure if the method I’m proficient in is the same as the one used here.”

Liu Zhangpeng was taken aback.

Damn!

How could he forget about this?

The reason Liu Family Cuisine is so famous is because it embodies the culinary insights of several generations of the Liu family, improved through repeated research and refinement, passed down through the ages.

If the Liu Family’s Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck tasted the same as elsewhere, it wouldn’t be called a signature private dish, would it?

Liu Family Cuisine has never been a common dish.

Without dining in person at the restaurant, you absolutely couldn’t taste such a unique and authentic flavor outside!

Realizing this, Liu Zhangpeng suddenly felt despair.

Unless his master came back, or the boss came over, there really was no way to solve the issue today!

Just then, he heard Fu Yu say: ”But I can give it a try; we can explain to the customer that it’s a newly launched improved version of Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck.”

Liu Zhangpeng was startled: ”Can...can that work?”

Fu Yu lifted his gaze: ”Do we have any other options?”

No...no!

”There’s still time now, let’s try it first, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll figure it out from there.”

Fu Yu looked at Liu Zhangpeng.

Before Liu Zhangpeng could say anything, Zhang Conglin chimed in: ”Let’s do it this way; I’ll keep trying to reach the boss. No matter what, we need to serve the dish on time when the customer arrives.”

Liu Zhangpeng could only nod: ”Alright.”

There were only two head chefs in the kitchen.

Fu Yu had to focus on making the Soft Braised Soy Sauce Duck, which meant the front order slips had to be handled solely by Liu Zhangpeng.

The previously relaxed atmosphere instantly vanished.

Everyone in the kitchen went about their duties, urgently bustling around.