The Gourmet Customizer

"I’ll grant you that. I recognize Boss Su’s skill, but we in Lu Cuisine emphasize using superior-quality ingredients. The dishes should use salt to enhance their flavor and broth to fortify it. The seasoning focuses on a pure, savory quality that highlights the food’s natural taste."

He then looked at the dual-soup dish on the table. "This... I suppose I can recognize it as Clear Soup with Bird’s Nest and Creamy Soup with Cattail."

Su Chen didn’t say a word, just listened quietly.

"The key to both these soups is the stock. The fact that you’ve put them in the same bowl—never mind the flavor profile—the very fact that they’re separated by a clear boundary means this dish is ruined."

Liu Fu sucked in a breath. "Third Junior Brother, what do you mean by that? The dish looks fine to me! How could it be ruined?"

’Heh,’ Su Chen laughed to himself. ’What a double act. They’ve even got a hype man.’

Su Chen had remained silent during the critique, even when they were insulting his food. But the moment he heard Liu Fu playing the part of the hype man, he cut right in, interrupting this "third junior brother."

"Shuting, go to the kitchen and get Ling Shuyu and the others. Our guests are giving a critique; what is everyone doing, hiding out in the kitchen?"

The third junior brother nodded, satisfied. "Boss Su, for your willingness to learn and improve, regardless of how the food turns out today, I have to give you props! This dish..."

"Oh, that’s not it." Su Chen cut him off again. "I’m not having my staff come out to learn. You are all renowned masters of Lu Cuisine from a prestigious lineage. I have no master, no lineage; I’m completely self-taught and just cook because I enjoy it. I’d actually appreciate it if you could point out my shortcomings. As for my staff... they’re a bunch of slackers. I called them out to watch the show."

"A show?" The third junior brother’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"It’s a comedy routine. And we don’t even have to go to Jinmen to see it. How nice."

"You!"

"That’s enough." Cui Yufen tapped the table lightly. "Let’s stick to the topic. Boss Su, that deep-fried watermelon dish was indeed a bit careless. My apprentices are all head chefs at major restaurants, so their standards are quite high. I hope you can understand."

"Yes, I understand."

Su Chen wasn’t about to coddle these people.

’If they wanted a friendly exchange, like when Lu Yongliang visited, we could have had a proper discussion. I wouldn’t have even minded if they genuinely wanted to compare skills.’

’Cuisine, after all, only improves through exchange.’

’But for that fat guy to immediately start playing the hype man... that was really irritating.’

Lu Yongliang, who was standing to the side, felt his heart leap into his throat. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Cui Yufen hadn’t slammed the table, glared, and started shouting at the top of her lungs.

Having been chided by his master, the third junior brother gave a slightly apologetic nod.

"Boss Su, let me explain why I said this dish is ruined. First, the flavors of bird’s nest and cattail clash horribly. Putting them in the same bowl will only have them working against each other."

In the corner, Liu Ahbao covered his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.

’He fell for it, just as I expected!’

’My boss didn’t use real bird’s nest, he used mock bird’s nest!’

’Let’s see you try to talk your way out of this one!’

The third junior brother continued his lecture with self-assurance. "Furthermore, clear soup and creamy soup have roughly the same consistency. To make them stay separate like well water and river water, you must have added a thickener to each base. That goes against the very tenets of our Lu Cuisine. If this were a Huaiyang Cuisine dish, I’d say you were a genius. But since it’s Lu Cuisine, all I can say is... what a shame."

All the employees of Delicious had come out by now. Hearing the third junior brother’s evaluation, they all looked at each other in dismay.

They cast worried glances at Su Chen.

Ling Shuyu, standing just behind Su Chen, mustered her courage and squeezed the hand he held behind his back. "You don’t have to take this," she whispered, her voice so low only he could hear. "We can forget the money. I’ll cover the loss for you."

’Little miss moneybags...’

Su Chen gave a faint smile but said nothing.

’For this ’third junior brother’ to make such pronouncements without even taking a bite... he was probably just trying to get revenge on Wang Peixing’s behalf. Besides, his whole crew, banking on their years of immersion in Lu Cuisine, probably thought there weren’t many people out there better than them.’

’At least, in their minds, how skilled could this young Boss Su possibly be? He was only in his twenties.’

’That’s why he dared to criticize it from top to bottom without a single taste. After all, the man had been making superior stock for over twenty years. Even if Su Chen’s was good, finding some fault with it would be child’s play, wouldn’t it?’

When the third junior brother finished his critique, all eyes turned to Su Chen.

Except for Wang Peixing.

He was seated at another table and didn’t approve of his third senior brother’s reckless behavior in the slightest.

Of everyone in their group, he was the only one who had witnessed Su Chen’s sublime skills at Cuihua Building. Based on that craftsmanship alone, it was highly unlikely he would have ruined a dish.

With all eyes on him, Su Chen didn’t refute the third junior brother. Instead, he maintained a polite smile. "In that case, why don’t you have a taste?"

Seeing that Boss Su hadn’t refuted him, the third junior brother nodded in satisfaction, shooting a deliberate glance at Cui Yufen.

His gaze seemed to say, ’See, Master? I didn’t let you down! But the rest of the dishes are up to my brothers!’

The third junior brother picked up a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other. He deftly reached into the creamy soup side, scooping up some broth while using his chopsticks to place a small piece of cattail into the spoon.

He brought the soup and cattail to his mouth, ready to deliver his final verdict.

Suddenly!

The smile on the third junior brother’s face froze. He shot Su Chen a look of utter disbelief, then his eyes snapped back down to the dual-soup in the large bowl.