Chapter 11: This Is More Than Just a Dish

Watching Hu Daniu’s expression, Xi Jiu’s face shifted several times, still unable to believe as he asked, “That’s impossible. Who’s like that? Don’t joke with me.”

“If you think I’m joking, just go see for yourself,” Hu Daniu replied. “Little Chen’s future is limitless. There’s no way your little diner can keep him. Build a good relationship while he’s still unknown—when he makes it big, he’ll never forget you.”

Xi Jiu was about to respond when his daughter, Xi Lanlan, rushed into the bedroom with her schoolbag, only to dash toward the kitchen seconds later.

“Lanlan, why aren’t you doing your homework? Why are you running around?” Xi Jiu called out loudly.

“Oh, I’m going to help Brother Chen in the kitchen,” Xi Lanlan replied, glancing back with a mischievous smile. “Dad, I give you a thumbs up!”

Xi Jiu was bewildered. He knew Lanlan often slipped into the kitchen, always for one reason: pestering Old Hu to make her special dishes. But today, for her to volunteer to help in the kitchen—it was as if the sun had risen in the west. Wait, what did she mean by giving him a thumbs up?

“Old Xi, set out all the spare tables. I reckon tonight we’ll be busy enough to break our legs,” Hu Daniu said, standing up. “To eat cuisine prepared by a near-master chef in such a humble diner—just thinking about it makes me nervous.”

...Xi Jiu felt his mind falter. What was all this about? How had things leapt from apprentice cook to near-master chef? Little Chen was just a young man, barely grown—how could he possibly possess near-master level culinary skill, even if he’d started in the womb?

“Boss, the usual three, plus three bottles of beer!” Before Xi Jiu could think further, the restaurant door swung open and the vendors, tired from a day’s work, came in one after another.

“Alright, Old Hu—no, Little Chen! One garlic eggplant, one stir-fried bean sprouts, one stir-fried chives,” Xi Jiu shouted toward the kitchen.

“Got it!”

“Little Chen? Who’s that?” a customer asked curiously. “Did you hire a new chef?”

“Haha, Little Chen is my new apprentice. I’m letting him cook tonight for practice,” Hu Daniu replied with a smile.

“Old Hu, that’s not very fair. We don’t have high demands for the food, but you can’t just let a new apprentice cook for us. Will his food even taste good?” one customer complained.

“You mean the apprentice who got knocked out by Wang Dana this afternoon? That one’s so frail, can he even lift a wok?”

Suddenly, the customers began to chatter, their doubts and questions aimed at Hu Daniu and the owner, Xi Jiu.

“Rest assured, everyone! My apprentice’s cooking will surely satisfy you,” Hu Daniu declared loudly.

“If anyone finds tonight’s food unsatisfactory, I won’t charge you,” the owner said, though he harbored doubts about Little Chen’s skills. Still, with events already in motion, he bit his lip and promised.

“Alright, Old Xi, I trust your word. But let’s be clear—if the food isn’t good, I really won’t pay.”

In the kitchen.

Xi Lanlan gazed in fascination at the three finished dishes, wishing she could devour them all at once. She’d sneaked a taste earlier while Chen Yun was cooking, and the flavor was simply celestial, unmatched anywhere on earth. She had never eaten anything so delicious.

“Alright, stop drooling. When we finish, I’ll cook some dishes for us to eat together. Take these out,” Chen Yun said with a smile at Xi Lanlan’s longing look.

“Mm-hmm, Brother Chen, your cooking is amazing!” Xi Lanlan beamed as she carried the dishes away. “Off I go!”

The restaurant’s main hall was already crowded with curious customers. Tonight, Hu Daniu wasn’t cooking; instead, his apprentice was. Everyone wondered just how bad the apprentice’s food would be.

But when Xi Lanlan emerged carrying three dishes that looked like works of landscape art, every gaze was transfixed.

“Who ordered these three dishes?” Xi Lanlan asked.

“I did,” the customer replied, snapping back to attention.

Xi Lanlan set the dishes down, saying, “Uncle Li, you’ve hit the jackpot!”

“What do you mean, jackpot?” Uncle Li asked, bewildered.

“Fifteen copper coins for such delicious food—isn’t that a bargain?” Xi Lanlan quipped, then headed back to the kitchen. Despite her young age, she was clever enough to realize tonight would be busy.

No sooner had she left than the customers couldn’t sit still. They gathered around, marveling at the three dishes.

“These are beautiful! Old Hu, your apprentice made these?”

“A marvel, truly a marvel. Just the appearance alone is worth more than five copper coins.”

“Oh heavens, that knife work, that skill—surely it’s beyond the level of a senior chef? Old Hu, did you take a master chef as your apprentice?”

That last question struck like a fuse, and the hall erupted.

“What did you say? Did you say this food was made by a master chef? That’s impossible!”

“Exactly. There are only so many master chefs in the entire Tianlong Empire. How could one come to a small county like ours?”

“Even if a master chef did come, would he cook for us in this tiny diner? That’s beneath him!”

“Old Hu, is he really your apprentice?” An elderly customer, well over seventy, asked gravely.

“He really is. I just took him in today,” Hu Daniu replied with a wry smile. “I hadn’t known his skills were so extraordinary.”

“In that case, I suspect your apprentice hasn’t received his chef’s certification yet. Old Hu, you’re lucky. I’ve seen master chefs in other provinces. Not speaking of taste—just appearance—your apprentice’s dishes are on par with theirs. Guess how much a dish like that would cost outside?”

“At least one hundred copper coins?”

“One hundred? You’re joking. I’d say at least ten silver coins!”

“I once ate a senior chef’s food—ordinary dishes cost ten silver coins each.”

“No way, fifty silver coins per dish? That’s more than half a year’s income for me.”

“Everyone, quiet down.” The elderly customer rose, his voice commanding. “You all lack vision. There are countless senior chefs in Tianlong Empire, but only a handful of master and grandmaster chefs exist. At their level, their food isn’t merely food. For commoners, eating their dishes can prolong life; for cultivators, it can enhance their abilities. Such food isn’t sold for a mere few dozen silver coins. I tell you, the starting price for a master chef’s dish is one hundred gold coins! For a grandmaster chef’s dish, it’s one hundred purple gold coins at least!”