The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

A rare day off, Fu Yu didn’t rush back to Qianlima.

Work had been too busy lately, and he hadn’t found time to go to the supermarket.

He planned to buy some daily necessities.

Although there was plenty to eat and drink in the store, he still needed to buy some fruit.

Fu Yu wandered around, and when he went to buy fruit, he happened to pass by the fresh produce section.

The supermarket’s soft-shelled turtles were on special offer, and many customers were gathered around selecting them.

As Fu Yu passed by, he happened to overhear a conversation between two older ladies.

"These soft-shelled turtles aren’t the ones fished out from the reservoir, are they?"

"Reservoir? What do you mean?"

"You didn’t know? Yesterday was Bodhisattva Guanyin’s Enlightenment Day, and many people went to release animals into the reservoir!"

"Oh! Really?"

"Yes indeed, my neighbor went to join the fun and told me about it. Those wealthy folks released them, but soon after, others went fishing with tools and caught a whole bag of soft-shelled turtles!"

"Oh dear! What a sin! If you don’t release them, that’s fine, but how can you catch them? It’s just..."

"Isn’t that the truth? So many of them, they’ve definitely entered the market, don’t you believe it?"

After hearing a few lines, Fu Yu shook his head.

Even at the lowest price, a soft-shelled turtle costs a hundred bucks.

To release them just like that!

Truly wealthy!

Fu Yu then headed towards the fruit section, bought some for himself, and picked up a similar amount for Zhao Meng.

Zhao Meng was on the morning shift today. When he received the fruit, he didn’t stand on ceremony and, while eating, casually asked Fu Yu about the school anniversary.

Fu Yu recounted the events truthfully.

Zhao Meng listened with delight, feeling proud that Fu Yu had made an impression.

However, he couldn’t help but remind him, "Principal Li is a nice person, you should be mindful of your attitude."

Fu Yu nodded, "Got it, don’t worry."

Fu Yu felt especially at ease spending time with Zhao Meng, speaking casually.

Zhao Meng treated Fu Yu better and better. They were not just colleagues but had a father-son bond.

Fu Yu took advantage of being at Zhao Meng’s place to take a shower, then called home, and was asleep by nine in the evening.

He felt mentally exhausted.

Even though he knew that the experiences in the teaching practice class wouldn’t impact him in real life, he still felt like he had been through an ordeal and needed to be kinder to himself.

He had a good night’s sleep until morning.

Now that Fu Yu was the lead chef, he no longer needed to get up early to go inventory with the buyers.

By the time he clocked in and went to the kitchen, breakfast was already prepared.

After eating, he carried out his usual checks on the pickling of side dishes and supervised the prep work of the junior staff.

While busy, a junior staff member who went to the order area to get some river shrimps came running back excitedly, "Hey! We have a new order clerk, and she’s really beautiful!"

As soon as they mentioned the new beautiful order clerk, everyone in the kitchen perked up.

"Really? How old is she? What’s her name?"

The junior staff said, "I didn’t have the nerve to ask, but I heard others calling her Xiaoqing!"

"Xiaoqing? Wow, that’s a lovely name already!"

Among the junior staff in the kitchen, except for Sun Qingning, all were single.

Hearing that there was someone new, they were eager to see the beauty for themselves.

Fu Yu was also intrigued.

The truth was that the restaurant held high standards for the appearance of order clerks—not only did they need to be attractive and have a good figure, but most importantly, they had to be outgoing and sociable.

If these factors were scored, they usually wouldn’t rate less than 70 points.

"Why are you all getting so worked up? Remember, her ambitions don’t lie with Qianlima!"

Zhao Meng suddenly chimed in.

The lively atmosphere in the kitchen momentarily stalled.

A few years ago, a junior staff member had quite a crush on one of the order clerks, always showing concern.

He finally mustered the courage to confess, and she replied, "Sorry, my ambitions don’t lie with Qianlima."

It hurt the young man deeply, and he eventually left the job in disheartenment.

That order clerk didn’t work long afterward either, and it was said she found a wealthy boyfriend.

Fu Yu came late and missed that, but he had heard it recounted as a joke.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Fu Yu quickly added, "That’s just her lack of vision. With our great body and looks, any single guy for twenty years, where else would she find such good guys?"

"Hey! Who are you talking about?"

"You’re the one single for twenty years!"

Everyone else immediately protested, playfully pouncing on Fu Yu to energize him.

Amid the laughter and teasing, an order clerk came with a slip, "Chef Zhao! A new order request!"

Zhao Meng took it, glanced over, then instructed, "Alright, cut it out. Let’s get the ingredients for this order ready!"

Everyone quickly returned to their duties.

Fu Yu returned to his station to prepare shrimp paste.

The shrimp paste at Qianlima is different from the kind used for pickling spicy cabbage.

Here, it’s made by mixing chili powder with river shrimp, adding cilantro and scallions, various seasonings, mixing well, and then steaming in a pot.

The finished shrimp paste is fresh and spicy, with a unique taste.

After preparing the shrimp paste, Fu Yu placed it in the pot.

Twenty minutes later, it was steamed and handed to Zhang Jinyu to be set aside to cool.

The morning prep time in the kitchen was always plentiful.

By eleven o’clock, the front dining area began receiving order slips one after another.

Fu Yu had just completed one order when another order clerk arrived.

As he was about to receive the order, the clerk anxiously said, "Chef Fu, please come over quickly. There’s a customer insisting on seeing a chef!"

Fu Yu was puzzled; see a chef?

Zhao Meng, busy with steaming abalones, asked, "What’s happening?"

The order clerk explained, "The customer wants the chef to help select seafood."

Fu Yu quickly said, "No problem, I’ll go take a look."

Hearing it was about selecting seafood, Zhao Meng nodded without saying more.

It wasn’t that he harbored ill intent toward customers, but simply put, with all sorts of people around, caution was sometimes necessary for one’s safety.

Fu Yu proceeded to the front dining area.

At the order area, an elderly man was talking incessantly to an order clerk.

The order clerk was tall, and her back seemed unfamiliar, likely the new order clerk.

The old man was well-dressed, but his manner of speaking seemed rather agitated.

The order clerk, maintaining a gentle and patient demeanor, listened attentively and occasionally agreed, without arguing with the customer.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a troublemaker.

Fu Yu let out a sigh of relief and approached, "Hello sir, I’m the chef here."

Upon hearing his voice, both the old man and the order clerk looked up and turned towards him simultaneously.

Initially, Fu Yu’s attention was on the old man, but as the order clerk turned around, he couldn’t help but take an extra glance.

The new order clerk was indeed beautiful, with an oval-shaped face, large eyes, and a high nose bridge. Her hair was styled in the store’s standard low bun, revealing a slender neck.

Though wearing a simple uniform, it suited her so well that it was hard to look away.