The Gourmet Customizer

With five days left until Cui Yufen’s birthday, her disciples had almost all gathered in the Capital City.

The disciples were utterly baffled by the decision to travel to Jingzhou for her birthday banquet. But considering the old matriarch’s age, they all preferred to humor her rather than oppose the idea.

"Master, what’s the deal with this Boss Xiaosu? Is he really that incredible at Lu Cuisine?"

Cui Yufen scoffed. "Have Peixing tell you himself."

Wang Peixing stood up under the gazes of his senior martial brothers. "It’s all my fault!"

He was filled with remorse. If he hadn’t been so useless, his master wouldn’t have had to step in for him at her age. He’d not only troubled her but also dragged all his senior martial brothers along for the ride.

"One of my valued guests was hosting Boss Xiaosu here. Boss Xiaosu didn’t touch a single dish made by the restaurant’s chefs.

"I felt something was off. It was an affront to my guest, right? So I made a point of inviting them over again, and this time I personally cooked a full spread."

At this point, his eldest martial brother cut in. "And that still wasn’t enough?"

Wang Peixing sighed. "But Boss Xiaosu still wouldn’t eat. I was getting a little indignant, so I took him into the kitchen, and then..."

"And then what?" the Eldest Martial Brother demanded.

The Eldest Martial Brother was the first of the group to study under Cui Yufen. He was now the head chef of Yanxi Hall in Jinan.

Yanxi Hall had relaunched ten years ago. The Eldest Martial Brother had spent years pulling strings to get its "China Time-Honored Brand" status approved. Now that Yanxi Hall had just passed its renewal audit, his contributions were undeniable.

"In the end, Boss Xiaosu made a dish of Kung Pao Chicken, and I took a bite."

"Good?" the Eldest Martial Brother asked, feigning seriousness.

"Yeah." Wang Peixing grunted in affirmation, then shook his head. "It’s not that simple. He really managed to leave a sheen of oil on the plate without any pooling sauce, and the diced chicken was coated in the sauce, yet it was still crispy on the outside and tender on the inside."

Everyone present was an expert in Lu Cuisine. Hearing their youngest brother’s description, they all formed a rough estimate of this Boss Xiaosu’s skill, a man they had never even met.

The Eldest Martial Brother roared with laughter. "And here I was, thinking he was some big shot! I told you to study harder back then, but you wouldn’t listen! Now look, you’ve had your sign kicked down. Don’t worry, Peixing. Your big brother will win back your honor for you!"

Wang Peixing wanted to say that things weren’t at all what they thought, and besides, he had no desire to "win back his honor."

But the arrow was already nocked; there was no turning back. Cui Yufen had already spread the word. Now, they had to go, whether they wanted to or not!

"Alright." Cui Yufen tapped the table. "It’s getting late. Everyone go home and rest. We’re not going there just to pick a fight. Besides that, there’s one more thing for you brothers to discuss among yourselves."

"Master, are you referring to the competition?" the Eldest Martial Brother asked.

"Yes." Cui Yufen’s eyes fluttered shut. "The Chinese Division can send three contestants this time. I don’t demand that all three come from my school, but our Lu Cuisine lineage must have at least one representative. You all have the next few days to decide who it will be."

This competition, organized by the World Cooking Association, was taken very seriously by all chefs in the industry, though it had little name recognition outside of culinary circles.

First, the local Culinary Association would select three contestants for the Chinese Division, who would then go on to compete in the main event hosted by the global organization.

Therefore, the old masters from every major cuisine style would begin their scheming and maneuvering a good half-year before the event. None would yield to another, as each was determined to send their own disciples to compete.

Placing in this competition meant that one’s school of cuisine would, at least for the time being, be recognized as representing the pinnacle of Chinese culinary arts.

It would drastically increase their presence at all sorts of banquets for foreign dignitaries and domestic VIPs. This would not only provide an excellent platform for their chefs, but also allow their cuisine to make a huge name for itself in a short amount of time!

"Don’t you worry, Master. This isn’t the first time we’ve entered this competition. The brothers and I definitely won’t tarnish your ’Ironman’ reputation!" the Eldest Martial Brother said, brimming with confidence.

In the last competition, he had taken a junior brother to compete in Malaysia, where they had ultimately secured second place worldwide.

Cui Yufen grunted, her eyes still closed. "That’s all. You’re dismissed."

The late-night gathering at Cuihua Building came to a temporary close. After seeing Cui Yufen off, the brothers returned to the restaurant and resumed their dinner party.

For some reason, Wang Peixing felt a deep sense of unease about the upcoming trip to Jingzhou. He had a nagging feeling that something was bound to go wrong.

But his martial brothers hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and everyone was happily eating and drinking. He couldn’t bring himself to spoil the mood.

’I just hope this trip to Jingzhou doesn’t make things too tense...’

Wang Peixing knew that a few of his senior brothers had rather short tempers.

The brothers’ party didn’t break up until well after midnight. Wang Peixing was left alone in Cuihua Building, gazing out at the bustling Capital City, sleep far from his mind.

「The night passed quietly.」

In Yangzhou City, Jiang Wensheng was up and out the door at the crack of dawn.

"All you ever do is run off! Our daughter’s engagement is in a few days, and you haven’t offered to help me get things ready at all. Isn’t she your precious daughter?" Yuan Suzhen was truly at a loss for words.

Ever since returning from Jingzhou, Jiang Wensheng had been dashing off to the museum at the crack of dawn every day. He’d completely neglected the restaurant, and now he was even ignoring matters concerning the engagement of his once-adored daughter.

"What do you know! This is men’s business. Women shouldn’t meddle."

Jiang Wensheng tossed that line over his shoulder and hurried away. For the past few days, he’d been at the museum with his elder brother, studying recipes.