Chapter 126 - 112: What the Heck! Reversed Celestial Spirit! I’m Teaching My Master How to Cook?
Chapter 126: Chapter 112: What the Heck! Reversed Celestial Spirit! I’m Teaching My Master How to Cook?
"So many customers! Zhou Yan, your restaurant is doing so well!" Zheng Qiang was stunned, looking at the nearly full dining room.
This was just a small town!
Even in Jiazhou, you’d rarely find a small restaurant with business this good, right?
"If his business wasn’t good, the factory cafeteria’s stir-fry station wouldn’t have been driven out of business," Xiao Lei said with a gratified smile.
Nothing made him happier as a master than seeing his own disciple succeed.
"Master Xiao! You’re here to eat too?"
"Master Xiao, where are you working now? Or did you open your own shop?"
The moment Master Xiao entered the restaurant, he immediately drew the attention of many customers, several of whom proactively greeted him.
Most of the workers who came to eat at Zhou Yan’s restaurant had been loyal customers of the cafeteria’s stir-fry station, so they were all familiar with Xiao Lei.
The ripples from Wang Defa’s imprisonment and Xiao Lei’s resignation had gradually subsided with the deep reforms at the factory cafeteria.
But the workers still often thought of their former head chef. When he was around, even the food from the big pots tasted a little better.
Xiao Lei smiled and nodded in response. After reaching his seat, he remained standing and announced, "Thank you all for your concern. I haven’t taken a new job, nor have I opened a restaurant. I’m now working as a country-style chef with my junior colleague, the Third-level Chef Zheng Qiang. If any of you need to host a country-style banquet, we take bookings for five tables or more. If you just need us to cook, it’s three yuan per table. You all know the quality of my cooking."
"A country-style chef!"
The workers’ eyes showed their surprise.
Everyone was indeed familiar with Xiao Lei’s culinary skills. He was a national Second-level Chef and had been the head chef at the textile factory’s cafeteria for over a decade—unquestionably the top chef there.
Everyone had said he’d gone to work at a big restaurant in Rongcheng. No one expected him to stay in Suji as a country-style chef.
Three yuan per table was the highest rate for a country-style chef in Suji Town.
But could Zhao Si’s cooking compare to Master Xiao’s? Not by a long shot!
Xiao Lei and Zheng had just sat down when a worker came over to ask, "Master Xiao, are you free on the third of next month? It’s my father’s birthday, and I want to host about ten tables..."
With one person taking the lead, a few others quickly came over to inquire as well.
Zheng Qiang was a little surprised. ’Master Xiao’s influence at the textile factory is incredible, isn’t it? He got orders with just a few sentences?’
In the kitchen, Zhou Yan heard every word his master said and was quite surprised. ’Is that really my master?’
’He’s improving so fast!’
’He’s actually advertising on his own now, and to a crowd of textile factory workers, no less.’
’A few days apart and he’s a completely new man.’
Striking while the iron was hot, Zhou Yan brought a dish out to a customer’s table, then walked over to his master’s table and announced loudly, "My master’s ’Nine Great Bowls’ are the absolute best in Suji. And my senior, Zheng, is a top chef from Rongcheng Restaurant. His braised fish is incredible. They’re a dream team.
"If you hire them for a country-style banquet, your guests will be satisfied and you, the host, will look great. Even if you don’t need their services right now, please help spread the word.
"Any customers who are interested don’t need to go looking for my master. Just come to my restaurant and tell me, and I’ll help you check if there are any scheduling conflicts."
"You got it!"
"We’ll definitely help spread the word!"
"My older brother has an event next month. I’ll go back and ask him if he’s booked a country-style chef yet."
The customers all responded with smiles, showing their enthusiastic support.
Good country-style chefs were already in high demand, let alone top chefs like Master Xiao and Master Zheng.
If you wanted to book them for an auspicious date, you’d probably have to do it several months in advance, or you’d be out of luck.
Xiao Lei, who was in the middle of taking down a customer’s booking time, nodded at him, his eyes full of amusement.
"Junior Brother, you’re really something else." Zheng Qiang gave Zhou Yan a thumbs-up, his face full of gratitude.
This junior brother of his was just too kind-hearted. Their country-style chef business was able to get off to a running start entirely thanks to his tireless promotion.
This sincere camaraderie between fellow disciples truly moved him.
"We’re all on the same team, no need to be so polite. I’ve gotta get back to it." Zhou Yan smiled and patted his shoulder, careful not to interrupt his master’s conversation with the customers, then turned and hurried back to the kitchen.
In truth, he was a little nervous.
This was the first time his master had come to his restaurant to eat.
He could pass off the braised meats and cold dishes as family recipes, but how was he going to explain his stir-fries?
’The tides turn every three months, so don’t underestimate a rookie chef?’
’It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to be the prodigy of our school!’
’No more pretending. I’m laying my cards on the table.’
Zhou Yan really didn’t have time to overthink it. It was the peak of the dinner rush, and his spatula was practically creating sparks. He’d worry about it after he was done.
Xiao Lei booked two orders: one for this month and one for the next.
One potential order had to be regretfully turned down due to a scheduling conflict.
Another was for next November, a full year away. It was simply too far in the future, so he politely declined it, stating that he only took reservations up to six months in advance.
"This success rate is insane! Master Xiao, your reputation is the real deal." Zheng Qiang was energized. Two orders—a ten-table birthday banquet and a thirty-two-table wedding feast—were considered large bookings!
"I didn’t work for over twenty years for nothing," Xiao Lei replied with a calm smile.
There were only about a hundred people in the restaurant right now. He figured that once word got out tomorrow, even more workers would come to Zhou Yan’s restaurant to book banquets.
He was quite touched that Zhou Yan had stepped up on his own to help take reservations and promote their business again.
This disciple of his was truly a class act.
"Master Xiao, we’ve been out shopping all day, and I’m starving. What should we order?" Zheng Qiang asked with a smile, looking at the menu on the wall. "What’s Zhou Yan’s specialty? I haven’t had a chance to try his stir-fried or braised dishes yet."
"Shredded Cucumber?" Xiao Lei’s brow furrowed slightly.
"What?" Zheng Qiang paused, his gaze shifting from the menu back to Xiao Lei’s face. His expression was a bit odd. "Shredded Cucumber?"
Xiao Lei fell silent as well. Back when Zhou Yan was his apprentice, he had studied for two and a half years. His Knife Skills were decent, but his Fire Control and seasoning were truly lacking. He couldn’t even manage a simple stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings.
That was why Xiao Lei had been against it when Zhou Yan said he wanted to open his own restaurant. He had even planned to write him a letter of recommendation to go to Rongcheng and continue his training under his senior brother.
But he couldn’t win against the stubborn mule, who was determined to open the restaurant even if it meant borrowing money.
He had kept an eye on news about the restaurant these past three months, but he had never once visited.
This was his second time setting foot in the restaurant, but his first time coming to eat.
Looking at the customers, who all seemed quite satisfied with their meals, he was rather surprised.
’Could it be that in these three months, Zhou Yan reflected on his shortcomings and had some kind of epiphany, causing his skills to advance by leaps and bounds?’
’But that doesn’t align with the fundamental principles of improving one’s cooking skills.’
"Take a look at the menu and order whatever you want. It’s my first time here too," Xiao Lei said, turning his gaze to the menu to study it carefully.
"Your first time..." Zheng Qiang’s expression grew even stranger. ’When a disciple opens a restaurant, isn’t the master supposed to come and show his support?’
’When he resigned at the end of last month, his own master had specifically told him that he would take time off to be there for his restaurant’s grand opening.’
’But looking at the relationship between Master Xiao and Zhou Yan, they don’t seem to be at each other’s throats like fire and water, do they?’
"I’ll order the Braised Pork Liver. You pick another dish. Two dishes should be enough for the two of us," Xiao Lei said. ’The kid actually dares to put Braised Pork Liver on the menu.’ He noticed the adjacent table had ordered it; they were eating it piece by piece, and it looked like it went well with rice. He wondered how the Fire Control was.
Zheng Qiang looked around and said, "Then I’ll get the Huo Xiang Carp. Let’s try our junior brother’s skill with fish."
Their school of cooking was most famous for its fish dishes. He hadn’t yet had a chance to taste Master Xiao’s fish, so he’d start by trying his junior brother’s skills today.
Xiao Lei nodded. ’I never taught Zhou Yan this dish, so I have no idea where he could have learned it.’
’Did he find another master behind my back?’
The food arrived quite quickly.
The Braised Pork Liver was served first, along with a bowl of rice.
The portion was generous, steaming hot. The brownish-red pieces of liver were slightly curled, coated in a light sauce, their surfaces faintly seared. Green and red peppers, along with white scallions, provided a vibrant contrast. At the bottom of the bowl was just a shallow pool of oil. The color was incredibly appetizing.
"This presentation is really something! At Rongcheng Restaurant, Lin is best known for his Braised Pork Liver and Braised Pork Kidney, and the liver he makes comes out looking just like this! Most chefs’ liver ends up a bit soupy," Zheng Qiang exclaimed in admiration. His own stir-fried liver always had too much moisture, a flaw his master had often scolded him for.
After all, Braised Pork Liver was also one of his master’s specialties. It was a notch below Lin’s, but still absolutely top-tier.
"The presentation is good, it smells fragrant, the color is perfect, and the cuts are just right." Xiao Lei nodded. He used to make several thousand orders of Braised Pork Liver a year, so he knew what he was looking at with a single glance.
’This Braised Pork Liver can’t be bad!’
Zhou Yan had cut plenty of liver and kidneys for him in the past. His Knife Skills hadn’t gotten rusty; in fact, they had improved.
"Let’s try it." Xiao Lei picked up his chopsticks and lifted a piece of liver. His hand trembled slightly, and the liver quivered with it. This was a sign that the inside was tender. If it were stiff and unmoving like a wood chip when picked up, it would mean it was overcooked.
The moment the liver entered his mouth, an explosion of wok hei erupted.
Savory! Tender! Silky!
These three characteristics were exceptionally prominent, and there wasn’t a hint of gaminess.
A numbing, spicy, and savory fragrance blossomed between his teeth. The seasoning was perfect, the light sauce was executed beautifully, and the silky-tender texture demonstrated precise Fire Control.
This Braised Pork Liver was practically perfect!
Xiao Lei even felt it was better than his own.
It had that quality he had always been striving for but could never quite grasp—that next level he wanted to reach.
The faintly seared exterior from the explosive heat of the hot oil formed an ultimate contrast with the silky, tender interior. The aroma and texture collided and merged on the tip of his tongue, creating a beautiful symphony.
His thoughts were pulled back more than twenty years, to when he was a boy learning to make Braised Pork Liver from his master for the first time. His master had demonstrated for him and his senior brother: the lard was heated until scorching, thinly sliced liver was slipped into the wok, and the oil splattered. His master used the spatula to quickly separate the pieces as they cooked, added the side vegetables, stir-fried everything, and then plated the dish. The entire process, from start to finish, took only a dozen seconds or so.
That had been the best Braised Pork Liver he had ever eaten, just like the one he was having today.
Silky-tender, with a hint of a seared fragrance.
More than twenty years had passed, and his master was gone. That taste, which he had sought for so long but could never replicate, had become an obsession.
’How did Zhou Yan figure it out?’
Zhou Yan had watched him make this dish countless times, and he had taught Zhou Yan just as many.
But his control over the heat was terrible. He would either rush to plate it, leaving it undercooked, or overdo it, resulting in a grainy, sandy texture.
His seasoning was even more of a disaster—it was different every single time, and never once to his satisfaction.
In just three short months, he had managed to produce such a perfect plate of Braised Pork Liver?
Xiao Lei fell silent, beginning to wonder if he should ask Zhou Yan to teach him.
[Ding! Side Quest triggered: The Master’s Obsession.]
[Quest Description: Your master, Xiao Lei, has a deep-seated obsession with creating the perfect Braised Pork Liver. He has sought it for years to no avail, and it has become a weight on his mind. Please teach him the perfect method for making Braised Pork Liver and help him fulfill his obsession.]
[Quest Reward: Unknown Special Reward. Accept: Yes/No]
In the kitchen, Zhou Yan’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening:
"Holy crap! Reversed Celestial Spirit! I’m supposed to teach my master how to cook?"