The Gourmet Customizer

For a dish like Wen Si Tofu, as long as the knife work was perfect, the rest was easy.

Building on his experience with the tofu, Su Chen took the vegetables he had summoned, removed their stems to leave only the leaves, trimmed the tough center from the black wood ear fungus, and cored the carrots. He sliced everything into threads as fine as the tofu.

The rest was simple.

About fifteen minutes later, countless fine threads floated in a bowl of slightly viscous chicken broth. There were white threads of tofu, green threads of bok choy, black threads of wood ear fungus, and orange threads of carrot—a vibrant and beautiful medley of colors!

[Wen Si Tofu, Rating: A Level]

He wasn’t surprised by the rating. It was perfectly normal to get an A Level on the first attempt with a green-tier recipe.

Besides, Su Chen had deliberately skipped a crucial step. He wanted to conserve his energy for the next dish, so he would save that final touch for when he cooked it in the real world!

The second dish: Stewed Lion’s Head Meatballs with Crab Roe!

This famous Huaiyang dish was the definitive test of a chef’s skill in Huaiyang Cuisine, and the benchmark for any authentic Huaiyang restaurant.

Su Chen reviewed the recipe several times, making slight adjustments where he saw fit before he started preparing the meatballs.

Time flew by when he was focused. Su Chen lost track of how long he’d been working, only realizing it when his head started to feel fuzzy and strained.

That feeling usually meant he had been at it for at least sixteen hours straight.

"Whew... It seems A Level is the norm, and S Level is just a happy accident. Still, five hundred yuan for two A Level dishes... I’d say that’s a fair price for the customer."

After leaving the practice room, Su Chen closed his eyes and rested for ten minutes.

It was already six-thirty. If he didn’t start soon, he’d be out of time!

As he passed the office area, he noticed the man from the other day—the one in baggy shorts and a gray tank top who had lied to his wife about working overtime—was once again noisily eating fried chicken.

’So he’s the one who placed the order...’

Su Chen didn’t dwell on it and hurried back to the kitchen.

Right now, Ling Shuyu and Zhang Li were busy with the design work, preparing for the launch of the Delicious Kids’ Meal service.

Bai Xiaobo hadn’t shown up for work for some reason, which made Su Chen reconsider the bonus he was planning to give him. Now he felt like docking it instead.

A true case of Schrödinger’s bonus.

Liu Shengnan and Aunt Fang were both busy in the kitchen. Liu Ahbao had just finished helping stir-fry a dish and was now free.

"Thanks a lot," Su Chen said sincerely. "You’re a guest, but I ended up making you work today."

Liu Ahbao’s chubby face broke into a good-natured grin. "Don’t say that. My master told me to come here and learn from you. If I can pick up even a trick or two, it’ll be a success. So, Boss Su? Got a big order tonight?"

Su Chen first nodded, then shook his head. "Not a big order, just making a couple of Huaiyang dishes."

"Whoa! What dishes?" Liu Ahbao’s interest was instantly piqued.

When he was an apprentice, his first choice had been Hubei Cuisine, which made sense since he was studying under Lu Yongliang.

He also studied Lu Cuisine and Sichuan Cuisine on the side—one for its seasoning and the other for its techniques. His reason for not choosing Huaiyang Cuisine was simple.

It was too much trouble!

So, Liu Ahbao was a little surprised to hear that Su Chen was making Huaiyang Cuisine.

’Boss Su is so young, and his Hubei Cuisine alone was enough to shock Master Lu. How is it that he’s tackling Huaiyang Cuisine too?’

"Two classics: Wen Si Tofu and Lion’s Head Meatballs."

Liu Ahbao’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? If you get a picky customer, that’s not going to be an easy order to fill!"

"Heh, it’s no big deal." As he spoke, Su Chen went to check on the chicken broth.

Thanks to her recent experience with the Hubei dishes, Aunt Fang had done an excellent job with the broth.

"Alright, I’ll be your assistant chef." Liu Ahbao hadn’t even taken off his coat. "Just tell me what to do!"

Su Chen paused, then turned to Ah Bao. "Tell me the truth. What was Elder Lu’s real reason for sending you here?"

Su Chen had noticed over the past couple of days that Liu Ahbao would show up at the company right on time every morning and then hang around long after he finished eating.

He’d either be scrolling through short-form videos or playing games to kill time, waiting for the next meal.

This couldn’t go on forever.

"Heh heh!" Liu Ahbao gave his signature good-natured grin. "To be honest, my master told me to come learn from you and not to come back until I’ve succeeded. So I was wondering... are you looking for an assistant chef?"

Tsk!

Su Chen smiled. If it had been anyone else, he might have hesitated. But this was a master-level chef!

And Lu Yongliang’s personal disciple, no less!

But there was one problem.

"Alright, I’ll be frank too. I can’t afford to hire a chef of your caliber," Su Chen said, holding up his hands.

A chef like Liu Ahbao would be at least a head chef in a hotel. He definitely wouldn’t work for less than twenty thousand a month.

"Bringing money into this is just tacky!" Liu Ahbao’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious. "I don’t want any pay. Just walk me through your dishes, let me learn, and allow me to film some short videos. That’s all I ask!"

Seeing that Liu Ahbao didn’t seem to be joking, Su Chen asked again, this time more seriously, "For real?"

"More real than gold!"

"Alright, it’s a deal! But if you ever decide to leave, you have to give me a heads-up."

"No problem!"

They struck a deal on the spot.

Liu Ahbao was eager to learn and create content, while Su Chen was in desperate need of a capable hand in the kitchen—the kind of assistant who could whip up an A Level dish with just a little guidance.

He had originally hoped that Ling Shuyu’s stubborn personality might make her a candidate he could barely train, but it turned out she was all appetite and no aptitude!