The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu couldn’t tell Wang Yulong the exact reason.

From Wang Yulong’s perspective, his lecture to Fu Yu was also out of goodwill.

So even though Fu Yu was almost bursting with frustration, he still obediently agreed, ”Chef Wang, you’re right. I’m being a bit too hasty.”

Wang Yulong was very satisfied with Fu Yu’s teachable attitude. It’s good for young people to have ambition.

He thought about how he would often set a goal for himself when he was young to motivate progress.

The idea is ultimately good, and this method of learning is actually not bad; it just requires a slight adjustment in mindset.

In order not to discourage Fu Yu’s ambition, Wang Yulong casually offered a piece of advice.

Wang Yulong asked, ”Have you ever counted the holes in a lotus root?”

Fu Yu was taken aback, ”Huh? No, I’ve never counted.”

Wang Yulong explained, ”Common lotus roots have seven or nine holes. Without considering the size and position of the holes, the number of visible holes on a cross-section can reach dozens.”

”Seven-hole lotus roots have a brownish-yellow skin, also known as red-flower lotus roots. They are short and thick, and taste bitter when eaten raw. Nine-hole lotus roots are silver-white, also called white-flower lotus roots, smooth, slim, and crispy sweet when raw.”

”Although the nutritional value is the same, they are eaten in very different ways. Seven-hole lotus roots are high in starch and low in moisture, making them soft and perfect for soup. Nine-hole lotus roots are high in moisture, crisp, and juicy, ideal for salads or stir-fry.”

Fu Yu blinked, so that means...

Wang Yulong continued, ”Since hand speed can’t be improved much in a short time, you can sometimes take a shortcut.”

When stuffing, you need to avoid the holes, so to save time, you can choose lotus root slices with fewer holes.

Wang Yulong’s words were actually a slightly joking way to comfort.

After all, this is just a method of self-deception.

Rather than offering a suggestion, it was more of a friendly joke to lighten the previously heavy atmosphere from the lecture.

But in Fu Yu’s ears, it was an enlightening moment, a sudden realization.

Yes!

The task only required him to complete three stuffing operations within a minute, without specifying the ingredient types or stuffing method.

Changing ingredients at the last minute would surely be too late.

But picking out the lotus root slices is still an option.

Fu Yu quickly rummaged through the remaining lotus root slices and, sure enough, as Wang Yulong said, while most were nine-hole slices, there were still a few with fewer holes.

After some selection, Fu Yu found four nine-hole lotus root slices and also two seven-hole slices.

Previously, he used a lot of eleven-hole lotus root slices for stuffing.

More holes naturally mean more time spent on stuffing.

Truly, old ginger is indeed spicier; a casual pointer can offer substantial benefit.

Fu Yu gathered his spirits and continued the stuffing operations.

He filled the lotus root slices with prepared meat stuffing, ensuring there was enough filling while exposing all the holes in the lotus root slices.

After a minute, the three filled lotus root combinations were done.

The next second, a digital prompt sounded in Fu Yu’s ear:

[Ding! NPC Renowned Chef Liu Yunong’s task: Improve stuffing speed, complete three stuffings within one minute, has been completed successfully. Reward: A key to the stuffing practice classroom]

Finally!

Fu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

It felt like the two plus hours of stuffing practice tonight were even more thrilling than participating in a chef competition back in the day.

The sense of helpless incapability to complete the task smoothly left him quite frustrated at times.

And now, although he completed the task requirements and received the long-anticipated reward,

Fu Yu didn’t feel any joy at all.

Looking at the lotus root combinations in front of him, Fu Yu sighed softly: In the end, it’s still because of lacking skills!

If not for resorting to trickery, it would have been impossible to complete the task so smoothly.

Holding onto this thought, Fu Yu hitched a ride with Liu Yunong back to Qianlima after finishing work at night.

The first thing he did when reaching the dormitory was to pull out the key and immediately unlock the practical classroom.

This time, the practical scene turned into the kitchen of Shangshi Private Kitchen.

Fu Yu skillfully walked up to the cooking station.

As soon as he stood still, all the information about stuffing automatically appeared in his mind.

[Stuffing: A skill in cooking, where prepared ingredients are blocked or stuffed into a main ingredient, or directly poured into it.]

[There are seven stuffing methods: stuffing injection, filling... pouring.]

[First lesson: Stuffing Injection.]

A plate of prepared eggplant slices appeared on the cooking station.

As usual, in the complete absence of human manipulation, all the cooking utensils seemed to have a life of their own and began cooking autonomously.

Fu Yu concentrated intently, carefully observing every utensil’s operation method and angle.

If the long and repetitive learning process in previous practical classes was a kind of joyful torture for Fu Yu,

Then this learning process turned entirely into a state of purity, where a Martial Fool only seeks culinary skills, having no other pursuits after getting the secret manual.

From entering the practical classroom, Fu Yu immersed himself entirely in learning.

In each practice, he internally evaluated his actions.

After the system made a summary judgment, he would further summarize and abstract the system’s suggestions and any issues he noticed.

Unconsciously, he discovered a rare bit of fun in the otherwise tedious learning.

Having an interest creates motivation.

With his culinary learning interests fully sparked, combined with the system’s robust practical environment, this time, Fu Yu’s learning process went exceptionally smoothly.

Moreover, both his learning independence and self-control significantly improved.

This high-spirited learning enthusiasm stayed until the completion of the final lesson [Lesson Seven: Pouring], which concluded with a perfect score.

Fu Yu’s ears rang with the electronic prompt once more:

[Ding! ”Stuffing” practical classroom learning successfully completed. Reward: Personal skill ”Stuffing” advanced level]

[Ding! Personal skill ”Stuffing” maxed out, experience points +666]

[Ding! Level upgraded to lv9, skill points +1]

[Ding! NPC Renowned Chef Liu Yunong’s task, master a perfect-level stuffing operation, has been completed successfully. Reward: Liu Yunong favorability +10]

Fantastic!

He finally acquired the long-coveted advanced stuffing skill.

Having experienced the repetitive grind of the practical classroom, although mentally exhausted, Fu Yu felt exceptionally fulfilled.

Especially at the thought that anytime after tomorrow, a chance to show his stuffing skills would leave Liu Yunong and others in awe, Fu Yu felt not tired at all. If it wasn’t for a lack of keys, he would still sneak in another lesson!