The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

”What time did you get back last night?”

Zhao Meng specifically checked Fu Yu’s complexion, and he looked quite spirited.

They are doing the late shift today, so there’s plenty of time.

After clocking in, Fu Yu walked side by side with Zhao Meng to the kitchen.

”Almost midnight.”

Before Zhao Meng could ask, Fu Yu quietly explained what happened at Shangshi Private Kitchen last night.

After listening, Zhao Meng frowned and said, ”How could you alter the dishes that the customers ordered?”

Zhao Meng is straightforward by nature and is very meticulous and serious about work.

At Qianlima, there’s a rule that as long as a dish is ordered, even if only a deposit is paid, the corresponding ingredients must be prepared in advance.

The deposit amount already includes the cost of ingredients, so the store doesn’t really incur any loss.

This is to prevent incidents like what happened at Shangshi Private Kitchen.

”You were lucky this time, if you were late cooking, it would be hard to explain to the customers!”

But after all, it was an issue at Shangshi Private Kitchen and had nothing to do with him.

Zhao Meng merely reminded Fu Yu to learn diligently from Wang Yulong.

”Wang Yulong isn’t a local, so I don’t know much about him. But since he has been assigned to manage the branch kitchen, his cooking skills must be good.”

”Since he’s willing to teach you, learn well. It’s always good to be proactive in picking up tasks; everyone likes to hear good things. I’m not asking you to suck up deliberately, just be a bit more serious and diligent during work. No one is a fool; everyone notices.”

Fu Yu nodded; when it comes to handling things, he always listens to Zhao Meng’s advice.

They stayed busy throughout the morning.

At 1 PM, Fu Yu received a call from Liu Yunong.

”Xiaofu, try to come over earlier today! I’ll probably be at the store by 3 PM.”

Having just finished plating and handing the dish to the server, Fu Yu immediately nodded and agreed, then asked, ”Chef Liu, is there something wrong?”

Liu Yunong said, ”Today’s menu includes Pagoda Meat, one of our very special signature dishes. According to our custom rotation, it’s only made once every six months.”

Fu Yu’s eyes lit up. Given that Liu Yunong called it a signature dish, it must be very distinctive. This was an opportunity to learn how to cook a new dish.

The Liu Family truly has a rich legacy, with enough tradition that they can avoid repeating dishes for six months.

After explaining, Liu Yunong added: ”Today we’re using a firewood stove and earthen pot steaming.”

Fu Yu acknowledged it, but the next second, he was stunned!

”Using a firewood stove? Earthen pot steaming?”

Holy crap!

Fu Yu suddenly got excited.

Recalling why Liu Yunong instructed him to come early, Fu Yu couldn’t help but swallow.

The kitchen at Shangshi Private Kitchen is unlike those at typical restaurants; on his first visit, Fu Yu noticed a room specifically for an old-style hearth.

It mimicked the traditional rural wooden stoves made of mud bricks, which required wood to be burned for cooking.

Having worked in the kitchen for quite a while, Fu Yu had some understanding of these stoves.

He knew that dishes cooked on these stoves indeed had a different aroma compared to regular stovetops and tasted better.

The firewood stove provides ample heat, unlike a gas stove where the flame can only be turned up to a certain point. With wood burning, the heat is abundant, and the temperature in the pot rises, allowing food to cook faster and with better wok hei.

Besides the authentic stove, a cast iron wok is also indispensable.

Iron conducts heat quickly, so when using the earthen stove, the temperature inside the wok can rise quickly, enhancing the wok hei.

And as the stove maintains high temperatures for extended periods, combined with the strong heat conduction of the iron wok, it preserves wok hei for longer, making the dishes more flavorful.

Additionally, the unique factor is that earthen stoves usually rely on various woods for fuel. As these woods burn, they release fragrances, and as ingredients get stir-fried in the iron wok, they absorb some of these aromas, making the food even more delicious.

Having spent time studying classic recipes of old flavors, Fu Yu had mastered such culinary knowledge.

He was crystal clear on which utensils were suitable for each kind of dish.

So, thinking about this, Fu Yu became even more eager: ”Chef Liu, I promise to be there before three!”

Liu Yunong was clearly very pleased with his attitude and made sure to add before hanging up, ”Eat a light lunch; tonight’s menu will be good.”

Seeing Zhao Meng free up a bit, Fu Yu hurriedly went over to request leave.

After hearing him out, Zhao Meng laughed and said, ”Liu Yunong is quite interesting; maybe this is her reward for how you handled things last night?”

Fu Yu hadn’t thought of it that way before, but hearing Zhao Meng’s hint, he felt maybe there was something to it.

Zhao Meng continued: ”Since she’ll be there by 3, you should tidy up and get going.”

Zhao Meng was quite pleased with Fu Yu learning from Liu Yunong.

Considering Liu Yunong’s stature, many would love to learn from her.

Fu Yu was fortunate to catch Liu Yunong’s eye and learn Liu Family Cuisine, which felt like a dream come true.

After getting Zhao Meng’s permission, Fu Yu handled his remaining orders, cooking what he could and leaving the rest to Zhao Meng.

Once he organized everything, he quickly said goodbye and left.

Since the addition of the roasting section, the work allocation in the red kitchen changed entirely.

Fu Yu busily shifted between the two areas; in the red kitchen, he had some concerns, but the roasting section was entirely his domain.

After all, when it came to roasting, he was the only one in the entire kitchen who could manage it.

Whether it was procuring, ordering, or cooking, everything passed through his hands.

Essentially, he was fully responsible.

In the red kitchen, Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu minded their own businesses.

Yao Yihang often lost to Fu Yu. Now, apart from grumbling behind his back, he preferred to avoid Fu Yu altogether.

Gu Yunwu enjoyed being lazy, finding ways to boss around his subordinates, and ignored Zhao Meng’s affairs.

And Zhao Meng, as Fu Yu’s mentor, practically ruled the roost.

In the kitchen, Fu Yu felt second only to Zhao Meng!

No matter what others thought, Fu Yu felt like Zhao Meng’s almost protégé!

...

Taking a cab to Shangshi Private Kitchen, he arrived at 2:30 PM.

When Fu Yu entered the kitchen, Liu Yunong had also just arrived and was checking the prep situation.