The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Wang Nuannuan had set the dinner time for five in the evening.

Fu Yu was punctual, making sure to have all the hot and cold dishes on the table by around five o’clock.

The only thing left was the chicken stew with hazelnut mushrooms, which was simmering in the pot. Once the Wang Family was seated, he added the noodles and brought it over.

It was the first time for the Wang Family to experience the Eight Dishes and Eight Bowls banquet. Upon seeing it, everyone except Wang Nuannuan, who had seen the patterns before, was taken aback.

This was mainly because the Eight Dishes and Eight Bowls banquet is an authentic Manchu table feast.

The style and cuisine match the Man People’s straightforward nature.

The plates were genuinely large plates.

The bowls were deeply set large bowls.

When these large items were all set on the table, it indeed seemed a bit excessive.

The dishes were typical Northeastern cuisine.

No matter how clever the names, dishes like ”New Year Pork Stew” were clearly pork stews, and things like ”Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork” were just braised meat, weren’t they?

Wang Nuannuan’s father-in-law, Li Xiangjin, chuckled, ”So this is the so-called Eight Dishes and Eight Bowls banquet?”

Wang Nuannuan hastily explained, ”I also heard it from a friend. When the Guan Family held an engagement banquet, the main house ordered this specifically for two tables, saying it’s cuisine fit for royalty.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangjin became interested, ”Oh? The Guan Family... then it must be genuine.”

The Guan Family is reasonably famous in Bei’an, mainly because the recent generations have been quite ambitious.

The older generation were scholars, and in their youth, the younger generation were top scorers in both the middle and high school entrance exams.

The family could hardly go a day without being on television.

Whenever you passed by the city’s key high schools, you’d always see banners celebrating their children’s achievements.

The school puts them up every year for admissions; it’s hard not to be famous.

Wang Nuannuan’s mother-in-law, however, frowned slightly.

She really couldn’t stand her daughter-in-law’s tendency to spend money carelessly.

The older generation had a habit of being frugal.

Now that the family was doing better financially, that ingrained habit was hard to change.

She looked at the table filled with Northeastern dishes with a cold eye, and her dissatisfaction skyrocketed.

”How much does this table cost?”

Wang Nuannuan quickly said, ”The original price is 1200, but there’s a Mid-Autumn Festival promotion going on now, so it’s 888 per table.”

After speaking, she made sure to add, ”Mainly, the Guan Family even praised the authenticity of the taste, saying such dishes could only be found in their hometown. So I thought it’d be different from ordinary Northeastern restaurants, and you all could have a taste.”

Wang Nuannuan knew her mother-in-law was picking a fight and didn’t dare mention the additional service fee on top of the table cost.

If the old lady found out, she’d probably be furious.

Seeing the atmosphere stiffen, Wang Nuannuan’s husband hurriedly tried to smooth things over, ”Let’s talk after we eat, the dishes are fresh out of the pot, come on, let’s taste them first!”

Wang Nuannuan’s father-in-law’s curiosity was piqued, so he picked up his chopsticks and went through the dishes, finally picking out the most visually pleasing chicken with hazelnut mushrooms, and took a piece.

The noodles were made of sweet potato starch, and the mushrooms were dried hazelnut mushrooms.

The old man first tried the chicken, chewing it carefully.

The chicken was tender and juicy, with a rich, aromatic broth.

Not bad, delicious!

Then he tried a piece of hazelnut mushroom.

The dried, then stewed soft hazelnut mushrooms had a unique savory aroma, with a slight chewiness. Upon the first bite, the freshness of the chicken broth was evident, and as he savored it, the unique flavor of the hazelnut mushrooms filled his mouth.

But in fact, the most essential part of this dish was the well-cooked sweet potato starch noodles.

They were smooth and delicious, absorbing all the flavors of the chicken and hazelnut mushrooms. A single bite left a lingering taste.

”Dad, how is it? Is it good?”

Wang Nuannuan’s father-in-law nodded, his chopsticks already reaching out for another piece. After taking two more bites, he began sampling other dishes.

Their family was well-off, and they were long used to having rich and sumptuous meals.

However, at this banquet filled with hearty dishes, the old man’s appetite was thoroughly whetted.

Seeing this, Wang Nuannuan’s heart settled, and she attentively said to her husband, ”You should pick a piece of the Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork for Mom, you’re closer!”

Her husband had tried a piece and found it quite tasty. Following her suggestion, he picked up a piece of Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork and placed it in Wang Nuannuan’s mother-in-law’s bowl.

Wang Nuannuan chuckled, ”Mom, this Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork is also known as Golden Pork, and it’s the most expensive dish on this table. Have a taste and see if it’s worth it?”

Wang Nuannuan’s mother-in-law still hadn’t softened her expression. Seeing a piece of braised pork placed in her dish, her temper flared up again!

What Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork!

No matter what fancy name you give it, it’s just braised pork!

This stuff looked greasy and fatty, and she never ate fatty meat!

At this moment, Wang Nuannuan’s husband chimed in, ”Mom, this meat is really delicious, try it! I specifically picked one with less fat!”

The old lady swallowed back the reprimand she was just about to utter.

This meat was given to her by her son, she couldn’t embarrass him.

With a face full of disdain, Wang Nuannuan’s mother-in-law picked up that piece of Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork and reluctantly took a small bite with the tip of her teeth.

She didn’t eat much of the meat, but she did get the sauce around it in her mouth.

This Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork was stewed using a special spice bag recipe that Fu Yu learned from a specialty banquet cookbook.

The meat was cooked soft, flavorful, and intensely aromatic.

Even with just a small taste, Wang Nuannuan’s mother-in-law found it surprisingly pleasant.

Her chopsticks were about to touch the plate, but she couldn’t help but lift them again.

The old lady thought to herself: This banquet was paid for, it’d be a waste not to eat. Especially this Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork, her daughter-in-law mentioned it was the most expensive dish! If anything is left over, this shouldn’t be; otherwise, it would feel like such a loss!

With that in mind, she took a full bite of the Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork.

Indeed, there was a reason it was called Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork; it was different from ordinary braised pork, the flavor was quite nice.

She picked up a piece of Imperial Court’s Spring Fish.

Upon tasting it, she was taken aback.

This Imperial Court’s Spring Fish didn’t contain any fish meat, it was just Chinese toon leaves coated in batter and fried to look like fish.

However, the Imperial Court’s Spring Fish was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and had a subtle, refreshing aroma of Chinese toon, which was surprisingly delicious!

Wang Nuannuan’s mother-in-law tried each dish one by one.

Just in time to hear her husband praise, ”Truly worthy of being a royal banquet, the Guan Family sure knows how to eat! This is authentically prepared!”

The old lady silently chewed the cold pork aspic, outwardly impassive but inwardly agreeing wholeheartedly.

The food was genuinely delicious!

She had eaten plenty of Northeastern dishes, but none compared to this banquet!

Seeing her family satisfied, Wang Nuannuan was naturally happy.

After the meal, she actively transferred the remaining service fee to the music restaurant.

Additionally, she specially gifted a bottle of wine to Fu Yu.

It was rare for Wang Nuannuan to gain face in front of her mother-in-law, and she was so pleased that she warmly said, ”Chef Fu, thank you for your hard work today, a small token of appreciation you must accept! Next time we host a banquet, we’ll specifically look for you!”

Seeing that it was wine and that Wang Nuannuan was sincere, Fu Yu graciously accepted it with thanks.