The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

The customer finished their meal and left satisfied, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

If it weren’t for Fu Yu today, with both Liu Yunong and Wang Yulong absent, things definitely wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

After all, even a clever housewife can’t cook without rice.

The Soft Braised Sauce Duck is a staple dish at the main restaurant. Besides the veteran chefs, newcomers at the branches haven’t even touched it!

This management style has too obvious drawbacks!

In the past, they hadn’t encountered any issues, so it didn’t seem like a problem.

It seems that a change in methods is needed in the future.

Because of today’s unexpected event, Liu Yunong was prompted to rethink and potentially change her conservative mindset about the Liu Family Cuisine’s heritage.

Times have changed. Some traditions still need to be strictly kept within the family, but some old rules need to be broken and rebuilt.

The old rules set by ancestors, besides the intent of orthodox apprenticeship, had another reason: to prevent outsiders from casually altering cooking methods, turning original private recipes into common, everyday dishes.

No matter when, rarity is always a value. Culinary skills especially need to follow this principle.

Honestly, Liu Yunong had never thought she’d take on apprentices one day.

But now, she not only took Fu Yu as her apprentice but also plans to teach him everything.

Isn’t this what inheritance is all about?

In this environment, if one wants the Liu Family Cuisine to continue to thrive, a decisive choice must be made.

And Fu Yu has the capability for that.

She needs someone like him to assist her in promoting and preserving Liu Family Cuisine.

...

10:30 PM.

Shangshi Private Kitchen closed on time.

Wang Yulong left early.

He arrived in a hurry, and the car at home was waiting in the parking lot outside the restaurant, never leaving.

Fu Yu finished his shift on time and got a ride from Liu Yunong.

Liu Yunong dropped Fu Yu off at the side street before driving home.

The night was already deep.

When Liu Yunong opened the door and entered, the lights in the house were all on.

Her sister Liu Yuqing was curled up on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. Hearing the noise, she quickly went to the door.

”Sis! How did it go? Did you solve it?”

An elder sister is like a mother.

Liu Yuqing was raised solely by her sister Liu Yunong. In her heart, Liu Yunong was both her sister and almost like a mother.

She both respected and loved her sister dearly.

Liu Yuqing was restless inside; she knew her phone on silent mode earlier had caused trouble for her sister.

She just wanted her sister to take a proper rest, not expecting the timing to be so unlucky when something did happen at the restaurant.

Since her sister rushed to the restaurant, she had been on edge, afraid that the issue wasn’t resolved easily, which would upset her more.

During the long wait, Liu Yuqing’s mind was filled with worry: ”It’s over! I’ve messed up! My sister’s going to kill me!”

The family business in dining was always managed by Liu Yunong, while Liu Yuqing wasn’t very involved with the restaurant’s affairs.

However, conversations with her sister before she left made it clear that tonight’s customer from the main store had authority and influence, not someone they could afford to upset.

If tonight’s issue wasn’t resolved smoothly, it would significantly impact the restaurant.

Now her sister finally came back, and after asking, Liu Yuqing looked at her sister with hopeful, yet anxious eyes.

Liu Yunong casually took off her coat and explained, ”The problem has been solved.”

Liu Yuqing exclaimed in surprise, ”Solved? How did you solve it? Wasn’t it said that no one in the kitchen knew how to make the dish they ordered?”

Liu Yunong, a bit weary, came over and sat next to her on the sofa.

”Chef Wang was off today, so only Liu Zhangpeng was handling the kitchen. But the Soft Braised Sauce Duck wasn’t something Liu Zhangpeng had learned since it’s reserved for the main restaurant.”

”When it happened, they couldn’t reach me, and Chef Wang couldn’t make it back either. In the end, Fu Yu took on the task...”

Liu Yunong roughly explained what had happened.

This left Liu Yuqing stunned, her mouth agape, because she couldn’t believe Fu Yu even knew how to cook Liu Family Cuisine.

Although she knew Fu Yu’s culinary skill was impressive, Liu Family Cuisine was their ancestral heritage.

Even though they no longer strictly adhered to the tradition of not teaching outsiders, it still wasn’t easy for an outsider to learn to cook these signature dishes.

Moreover, Liu Yuqing was even more astonished to learn that Fu Yu was now coming to their restaurant every day after work to learn how to cook Liu Family Cuisine from her sister!

”Sis, are you really planning to take Fu Yu as an apprentice?”

Liu Yuqing was a bit dumbfounded.

She knew about Fu Yu formally acknowledging Liu Yunong as a mentor during the cooking competition.

Back then, her sister saw it as more of a promotional event for the ceremony.

How was it that in less than two months, her sister had already started teaching Fu Yu the Liu Family Cuisine hands-on?

Liu Yunong nodded, ”Yes, Fu Yu is very talented in cooking, and he’s hardworking and diligent. He’s truly a promising prospect in cooking.”

Liu Yuqing was stunned: Wow, to be genuinely praised by her sister, Fu Yu must be amazing!

Liu Yunong pulled out her phone and began editing the Soft Braised Sauce Duck recipe in her notes.

Liu Yuqing peeked over, curiously asking, ”Sis, what are you doing?”

Liu Yunong typed on the keyboard, ”It’s Fu Yu’s method for cooking the classic-flavored Soft Braised Sauce Duck.”

”He’s very smart and creative. This classic method closely resembles our family’s recipe. You can see he referenced the Thunder God Duck method, but he made slight adjustments in seasoning ratios and timing.”

”I think his cooking method’s pretty good too. I want to try it sometime. I’m curious about the taste differences between this classic flavor and our ancestral recipe!”

Liu Yuqing blinked, her inner voice exclaiming, ”Fu Yu’s amazing!”

To make something so close to their ancestral recipe’s flavor?

That’s incredible!

...

Meanwhile, Liu Zhangpeng and two other dormitory residents finished their simple washing-up and gathered to chat about tonight’s events.

Liu Zhangpeng came from out of town, unlike Wang Yulong, whose hometown was Bei’an.

When Liu Yunong established the branch here, Wang Yulong volunteered to be the head chef.

Liu Zhangpeng followed as an apprentice under Wang Yulong. If the master leaves, naturally, he follows.

But he also has his own plans; if he does well here in Bei’an, he might have the chance to run a new branch as the head chef someday when things stabilize, then bring his family over to live together.

The other two workers weren’t local either, just finding work here in Bei’an, and they happened to land jobs at Shangshi Private Kitchen.

Boss Liu Yunong was very considerate, renting a two-bedroom apartment in the restaurant’s complex as staff quarters.

Though the place wasn’t spacious, it was free accommodation, and the three were pleased with it.