The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 51: Chapter 50: Quibbling Is Useless

Family scandals should not be spread around.

Zhao Meng dismissed Zhang Jiaxin and said loudly, ”I’m going to the pantry; we’re running out of ingredients!”

After speaking, he gave Fu Yu a look.

Fu Yu felt a chill in his heart and quickly said, ”Chef Zhao, I’ll go with you to see if I can help.”

Zhao Meng nodded, his gaze at Fu Yu seemed to shoot fire.

[Ding! Favorability with NPC Chef Zhao Meng -5]

Fu Shou: ”...”

Inside the pantry.

Once the door was closed, there was no one else around.

Zhao Meng asked seriously, ”What exactly happened?”

There are only four stoves; even if all four clay pots were used to cook congee simultaneously, it’s impossible to have made 80 servings of seafood congee for delivery in just three rounds.

Fu Yu knew that arguing was useless.

Besides, lies, once started, would only need more effort to cover up in the future.

It’s truly not worth it.

Fu Yu spoke honestly, ”Cooking congee with the clay pot is too slow, and time was tight, so I used a wok for faster speed.”

Zhao Meng was furious: ”Even so, you can’t use a wok, can you? Congee cooked in a wok, is that even drinkable?”

Fu Yu quickly defended himself, ”The taste is really good, truly no worse than in a clay pot. Chef Zhao, why don’t you try it?”

Zhao Meng was so angry his eyes were turning black, he pointed at Fu Yu from a distance, furious, ”Just you wait until this matter is resolved and see how I deal with you!”

Zhao Meng grabbed some coriander randomly from the pantry and hurried back to the kitchen.

The cool evening breeze failed to extinguish the raging fire in his heart!

This is simply nonsense!

If a wok could make congee, then what’s the point of a clay pot?

Zhao Meng has always been an outspoken person.

He charged back to the kitchen, unable to hide the anger on his face.

Gu Yunwu had just finished stir-frying a dish and was wiping his sweat with a towel. He glanced up to see Zhao Meng entering through the back door.

Gu Yunwu asked out of concern, ”How’s the preparation for the delivery?”

Zhao Meng wore a grim expression, ”Don’t even bring it up!”

”Huh?” Gu Yunwu looked puzzled.

Zhao Meng said no more and headed straight to his cooking station.

Fu Yu followed behind, facing Gu Yunwu’s questioning gaze, awkwardly called out to Chef Gu, and hurried over.

Gu Yunwu was at a loss, turned around, and called over Zhang Jiaxin, who had been helping just now.

”What’s up with Chef Zhao?”

Zhang Jiaxin spoke truthfully, ”It might be because Fu Yu used a wok to make seafood congee, which made Chef Zhao angry after he found out.”

Gu Yunwu was astonished, ”What? Using a wok to make seafood congee?”

Zhang Jiaxin said, ”Time was running out, and there weren’t enough stoves, so Fu Yu used a wok to make the seafood congee.”

Gu Yunwu couldn’t help criticizing, ”This is reckless! How can you make congee with a wok? How are the rice grains supposed to look?”

Hearing this, Zhang Jiaxin couldn’t help but defend Fu Yu, ”Chef Gu, the seafood congee Fu Yu made is really good. The rice soup is thick, the grains are distinct, no worse than from a clay pot.”

The key point is, Fu Yu only stirred the pot once from start to finish, yet not a single bit was burnt at the bottom.

Such a technique, it’s simply amazing!

At least Zhang Jiaxin had never seen someone control the heat so skillfully!

After hearing this, Gu Yunwu’s eyes widened in amazement and disbelief, but since it didn’t concern him directly, he managed to maintain his composure, though he didn’t agree in his heart.

Gu Yunwu quickly adjusted his expression and instructed Yao Yihang, ”You keep an eye on things here; I’m going over to take a look.”

Zhao Meng looked at the bowl of seafood congee, his expression serious.

This congee...

It wasn’t quite what he had imagined!

Cooking congee with a clay pot instead of a wok is because clay pots heat more evenly, resulting in distinct rice grains and thick, fragrant rice soup.

The wok, on the other hand, is the opposite; if the heat isn’t controlled well, it easily burns, and the rice can become too soft and overcooked.

However, this bowl of seafood congee cooked with the wok looked quite good.

The rice soup was thick, and the fragrance was wafting.

Zhao Meng scooped up some rice grains with a spoon and took a closer look; the grains were distinct.

He put it in his mouth to taste.

The unique fresh flavor of seafood immediately filled his mouth.

Zhao Meng’s expression froze for a moment.

The congee was genuinely well-cooked!

The seafood pieces were cut beautifully!

The rice was soft with a touch of smoothness!

If he hadn’t known beforehand that it was cooked with a wok, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

Zhao Meng turned to Fu Yu, his eyes piercing, ”This congee was cooked with a wok?”

Fu Yu nodded, ”Yes.”

Zhao Meng took a deep breath; though it was hard to believe, the evidence was right in front of him. Even if it was a bit difficult to accept, he was, after all, a chef managing several people, so he had to retain some adaptability.

Zhao Meng’s expression changed, ”This time it was an emergency, and you handled it as best as you could. Next time, be careful. I don’t need to keep reminding you that congee should be cooked with a clay pot, do I?”

When Fu Yu heard this, his eyes lit up, realizing Zhao Meng was ready to let this go and move on.

”Yes, Chef Zhao, I’ll make sure to pay attention next time.”

Zhao Meng was just about to speak when Gu Yunwu came over.

Seeing Zhao Meng with a stern face and Fu Yu looking like he was acknowledging a mistake, Gu Yunwu knew he was scolding his apprentice.

As a mediator, Gu Yunwu kindly advised, ”Chef Zhao, I just heard about this too, don’t be too hard on Xiaofu. They had no choice; the customer’s order was too urgent, and we simply couldn’t keep up. But I heard the seafood congee he made turned out well?”

Gu Yunwu peered into the small bowl of seafood congee.

Oh!

It actually looked pretty good; regardless of the taste, the appearance was impressive.

Gu Yunwu comforted him, ”You see, you’re just too diligent. It’s takeout, not dine-in; by the time it gets there, it’ll be cold and no one will notice the difference, don’t worry.”

Zhao Meng felt annoyed at this.

He had just decided to let it go, but here Gu Yunwu came, stirring things up again!

Damn it!

Just when he was feeling stuck, Yao Shi came back.

”What’s going on here?”

Yao Shi entered the kitchen, seeing Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu talking with serious expressions, and Fu Yu standing nearby looking like he was in the wrong.

Yao Shi’s heart sank slightly, and he approached, asking, ”What happened?”

With so many people in the kitchen, word quickly spread, and it was pointless to hide what had occurred.

Zhao Meng had no choice but to tell the truth, ”Fu Yu used a wok to make the seafood congee just now.”

Upon hearing this, Yao Shi, who was usually good-tempered, was surprisingly annoyed, and couldn’t help but glare at Fu Yu, ”How could you use a wok to make congee?”

Seeing Yao Shi about to lose his temper, Zhao Meng quickly spoke up to defend Fu Yu, ”Chef Yao, though Fu Yu cooked the seafood congee in a wok, the taste and texture are quite good, and he single-handedly completed 80 servings of seafood congee. We just need to package the side dishes now.”

Yao Shi frowned but remained silent. He understood Zhao Meng was trying to protect Fu Yu.

But was this the time to be protective?

Everyone in the kitchen was watching, and Gu Yunwu was right there observing.

While he usually showed some favoritism towards Zhao Meng in private, he had to remain impartial in public, as the head chef.

Yao Shi felt Zhao Meng was being somewhat indiscreet.

If a wok could produce excellent seafood congee, then what was the point of using a clay pot in the kitchen?

It was pure sophistry.

Yao Shi couldn’t help but blame Fu Yu.

He normally seemed steady and clever, but it turned out he was so unreliable!

He had been preparing to train Fu Yu well; if he let this go on, what would be the point?

Yao Shi decided to take it upon himself to instruct Fu Yu, instead of leaving it to the overly indulgent Zhao Meng.

”Alright, we’ll discuss this later. How many more side dishes are left?”

Yao Shi turned to ask Zhao Meng.

Zhao Meng replied, ”Fifteen are left.”

Yao Shi instructed, ”Hurry up, and have the supplier drive them over directly. I’ll contact Boss Pang.”

Zhao Meng hastily agreed.

Yao Shi suddenly turned to Fu Yu and said, ”Since your seafood congee came out well using the wok, let’s have it for a late-night snack tonight. You continue cooking it with the wok; I’ll try it myself.”

After Yao Shi said this, everyone turned to look at Fu Yu, their eyes full of sympathy!