The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Bei’an Town left a very good first impression on Yu Han.

When he first arrived here, his first stop was the famously known Sifeng Mountain, where he went sightseeing.

During the day, he got by with a piece of bread at the scenic area, but in the evening he hailed a taxi to the well-known traditional barbecue shop, and thoroughly enjoyed a delicious meal of fragrant barbecue.

The next day, he strolled around the city center, and for lunch, he had the lamb spine hotpot at Four Seas Banquet.

In the afternoon, he went to the riverside, took a ferry, and rode a camel to enjoy the scenic beauty on a small island in the river.

In the evening, he took a taxi to the renowned seafood restaurant, Qianlima.

In recent years, Yu Han often traveled around, paying a lot of attention to the local customs and practices of different places.

This time, while passing through the provincial capital, he inadvertently saw some introductions about Bei’an Town while searching for related travel information online.

What left a particularly deep impression was the Red House Barbecue, the lamb spine hotpot at Four Seas Banquet, and the Qianlima Seafood Restaurant.

It’s said that the Qianlima Seafood Restaurant is a century-old establishment.

What makes people linger on is that the dishes crafted by this restaurant are incredibly authentic and genuine.

Despite its fame and continuous flow of customers, it hasn’t resorted to cutting corners, skimping on ingredients, or slacking in service.

On the contrary, the restaurant has always adhered to the business philosophy of using real ingredients and being fair to all customers.

Hence, both its reputation and prestige are very good.

The online reviews are also particularly positive, which is why Yu Han made a special visit to the restaurant for a meal check-in.

When Yu Han finally walked through the gate of the Qianlima Restaurant, looking at the quaint and antique architecture around and the neatly dressed waitstaff, even before tasting the food, a sense of admiration arose in his heart.

This storefront looks like an old shop, exuding a particularly nostalgic style, but upon closer inspection, all the facilities are clean and brand-new.

Especially the ordering area, which is evidently newly constructed, with various fresh seafood displayed in glass tanks.

The order taker followed behind, smiling warmly, helping with the order.

The service indeed was very meticulous and attentive.

The only issue was that there were too many diners in the restaurant, and one had to queue up to Order.

Just as Yu Han was in line, two elderly gentlemen came up behind him, appearing in their seventies or eighties. Their hair was gray, but their postures were still upright, wearing comfortable, clean clothes, and walking very steadily.

These two exuded an extraordinary aura; Yu Han glanced back at them and sighed inwardly.

Look at them, at such an age, yet their bodies are still so well-maintained.

Then look at myself.

Yu Han glanced down at his beer belly, thinking of his jowly face, really...

Alas... let’s not mention it.

In front, the ordering area was bustling with people; Yu Han craned his neck to look at the abundant selection of seafood, contemplating what he should eat.

There were quite a few introductions online about the dishes at this restaurant, with many reviews, very comprehensive.

But precisely because this is a century-old shop, there are so many specialty dishes.

Trying to taste all the specialty dishes in one meal, that’s impossible.

So, he could only select based on his own tastes.

Yu Han gazed eagerly at the various fresh seafood.

The two elderly gentlemen behind, feeling bored waiting, started chatting.

The taller of the two had a loud voice, articulating clearly: ”To be honest, I haven’t dined here for two years.”

The other gentleman, smiling, said, ”I haven’t either, after being hospitalized last year. Let alone my family, even I thought I wouldn’t make it out. Unexpectedly, after undergoing Dr. Xiao’s rehabilitation, not only did I leave the hospital smoothly, but my body is noticeably stronger.”

The taller gentleman scolded, ”Nonsense! It was just a minor illness, common old age issues. Never heard of anyone in serious trouble because of it!”

The shorter gentleman chuckled, ”They say at seventy-three or eighty-four, if the King of Hell doesn’t invite you, you go on your own! I just turned 84 last year, hit that bump, and felt a bit unsure in my heart. But was lucky enough to get Dr. Xiao’s appointment, and after nurturing under his care for over half a year, he resolved quite a few of my long-standing issues.”

The taller gentleman seemed intrigued and asked, ”Are you talking about Dr. Xiao Jiping, the old Chinese medicine doctor from the Provincial Third Hospital?”

The shorter gentleman nodded, ”Yes, that’s him!”

The taller one clapped his hands, ”Hey, if you want a consultation with him, just tell me! He’s somewhat related on my second uncle’s side, although we don’t interact much, my mother’s generation still keeps in touch with their family. Previously, when I had stomach discomfort, I contacted him, and he helped prepare a prescription.”

The shorter gentleman hadn’t expected this, surprised, ”Really? Oh dear, I didn’t know! My son had to pull many connections just to get his appointment. The in-patient arrangements at the Provincial Third Hospital are tough, back when I was getting treatment, if not for this connection, I wouldn’t have even had a place to stay in the hospital.”

After lamenting, the shorter gentleman casually said, ”When I was in the hospital, it was Dr. Xiao who talked about Qianlima’s dishes that made me crave, keeping in mind that I must come over for a meal after discharge.”

The taller gentleman perked up upon hearing this, ”Really? You’re saying Dr. Xiao Jiping also had Qianlima’s food?”

The shorter one said, ”Yes, he did, that’s why I’m keen on ordering from their Chef Fu later; Dr. Xiao personally said that Chef Fu’s skills are absolutely remarkable!”

”Think about it, given Dr. Xiao’s stature, what good stuff hasn’t he tried? For him to praise this much, it shows how excellent Chef Fu’s culinary skills truly are!”