Chapter 24: A Little Beef, a Kind Gesture
In the kitchen.
Liang Heng said, "An Intermediate Pastry Chef, Qu Feng?"
Jiang Caidong nodded. "Do you know him, Master Liang?"
Liang Heng mused, "I’ve never met him, but I know of him. Qu Feng is quite famous in the culinary circles of Heyang City. Several years ago, before he even turned thirty, he earned his national certification as an Intermediate Pastry Chef. I hear there’s a good chance he’ll successfully challenge for the Senior Pastry Chef certification."
Jiang Caidong said, "It seems his four consecutive wins in the other two districts and two counties are a true testament to his skill."
Liang Heng said, "Without a doubt."
Jiang Caidong asked, "So, are you going to compete against him, Master Liang? Are you confident you can win?"
Liang Heng replied, "Since he’s come all this way to issue a challenge, I have to face him, whether I’m confident or not. If I avoid this battle, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold my head high in the culinary world again."
Jiang Caidong nodded slowly. "I understand."
Liang Heng added, "As for my confidence... a few days ago, I really couldn’t say what my chances were. But now, I think it’s probably fifty-fifty."
"Only fifty-fifty?" Jiang Caidong was a bit surprised.
’That’s much lower than I expected. I thought Master Liang’s chances of winning were at least seventy percent.’
’It seems Qu Feng’s skill is even greater than I imagined.’
’No wonder he dared to come to Xingshui City all by himself to challenge all its Yangchun Noodles masters.’
After a moment, Liang Heng spoke again. "Since Qu Feng has already won four matches in the other two districts and two counties, this news must have already spread throughout the culinary circles of both cities. I’ve been so focused on improving my Yangchun Noodles these past few days that I haven’t been paying attention."
Jiang Caidong said, "Master Liang has indeed worked hard these past few days."
Liang Heng replied, "You can’t really say that. As a pastry chef, my duty and my pleasure is to research these things. Boss, let’s go. I’ll go with you to meet Qu Feng."
Jiang Caidong nodded.
The two of them walked out of the kitchen and into the main dining area.
At this moment, the customers eating noodles in the dining area were all quietly discussing what had just happened.
The earlier conversation between Jiang Caidong and Qu Feng hadn’t been intentionally kept from the dining customers.
So, the customers had heard everything.
"An Intermediate Pastry Chef is the real deal! Master Liang is probably a Junior Pastry Chef, right? I bet Master Liang is going to lose."
"That’s not a sure thing. The Yangchun Noodles Master Liang has been making these last two days are way better than before. I think Master Liang has a better chance of winning."
"The other two districts and two counties already lost. Now it’s all up to our Changxi County. Are Changxi’s noodles the best in all of Xingshui City?"
"I hope Master Liang wins! Our Xingshui City’s Yangchun Noodles have to be tastier than Heyang City’s."
"Exactly."
"..."
Although the customers’ discussions were quiet, most of their words still reached the ears of Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng.
Of course, they also reached Qu Feng’s ears.
Qu Feng just listened. Even though everyone hoped he would lose, his emotions didn’t waver.
He completely understood where the customers were coming from.
This was Changxi County. It was only natural for the customers to support the local chef, not him.
It would be strange if they rooted for him instead.
’However, I have at least a ninety percent chance of winning.’
He was quite confident in his own abilities.
’I’ll use my skill to prove to these customers that the Yangchun Noodles of Changxi County are no match for mine.’
Meanwhile, Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng suddenly felt the pressure mounting.
So many customers were watching. They didn’t want to let them down.
All they could do was prepare to give the battle their all.
They walked over to Qu Feng, who stood up.
Jiang Caidong made the introduction. "Master Qu, this is our chef here, Liang Heng."
Liang Heng extended his right hand and said, "I’ve long heard of your name, Master Qu. It’s a great honor to finally meet you today."
Hearing that Liang Heng knew of him, Qu Feng was very pleased and a little smug inside, but he kept his expression neutral. He shook Liang Heng’s hand and said, "I’m very happy to have the opportunity to exchange pointers with you, Master Liang."
Liang Heng then asked, "When do you plan to compete, Master Qu? Are there any ingredients you need us to help prepare?"
Qu Feng replied, "If possible, I’d like to start right now. As for the ingredients, I’ve brought my own."
Liang Heng nodded. "Since you’re ready, Master Qu, then I have no problem either. Regarding the judge, do you have anyone in mind, Master Qu?"
Qu Feng smiled and said, "Let’s trouble Boss Jiang. I trust that Boss Jiang can be fair and impartial."
Liang Heng said, "I have no objection."
Jiang Caidong nodded. "In that case, I will take the liberty of being the judge."
And with that, the Yangchun Noodles competition between the two officially began.
Qu Feng carried the ingredients he had brought with him and followed Liang Heng into the kitchen.
"Boss, how much time do the two masters need? When will we have a result?" the customers all asked Jiang Caidong.
Jiang Caidong replied, "The main thing is that simmering the broth is very time-consuming. It will probably take four or five hours."
"That long?" The customers were a little dismayed.
They had thought there would be a result soon.
However, now that they knew about it, they definitely wanted to see the outcome.
It was 11:30 AM now, so they would just have to come back at 4:30 PM.
...
「Jiulong Gorge.」
After finishing his noodles, the old man was resting at the shop’s entrance.
His electric tricycle needed to charge for at least an hour to ensure he could make it home.
Li You also made himself a bowl of Yangchun Noodles for lunch.
After eating, he chatted with the old man at the entrance.
An hour slowly passed.
The old man said, "Young man, it’s been charging for a while now, it should be enough to get me home. Could I trouble you to pack up a large bowl of Yangchun Noodles for me to go?"
Li You nodded. "I’ll get right on it."
He walked into the kitchen and took a takeout container from the Storage Pavilion.
The container was colorless, odorless, completely eco-friendly and healthy, and heat-resistant.
After a series of practiced movements, the noodles were ready.
Li You intentionally added an extra portion to the already large-sized bowl.
He also scooped some beef from the beef broth and added it on top.
He only added the beef, not the broth, so as not to affect the flavor of the Yangchun Noodles.
Then, he secured the lid on the container and placed it in a bag.
He handed the bag to the old man. "Sir, here you go."
The old man said, "Thank you, young man. Here’s the money."
The old man handed over 26 yuan.
Li You said, "Sir, one large bowl and one small bowl come to 21 yuan."
Li You handed five yuan back to the old man.
The old man refused to take it. "This five yuan is for the electricity. You charged my tricycle for so long, I have to pay for it."
Li You said, "Sir, you really don’t have to. Besides, it didn’t even use five yuan worth of electricity."
Li You was determined not to accept payment for the electricity.
After a bit of friendly "arguing," the old man finally took the five yuan back and said, "Well then, thank you so much, young man."
Li You said, "Sir, there’s really no need to be so polite. Let me help you ride the tricycle over to the parking lot."
"Okay, okay. Thank you, thank you."
He unplugged the charger and put it away. Then Li You rode the electric tricycle to the parking lot.
"Take care, Sir."
"Okay, okay. Thank you so much, young man."
After watching the old man ride off into the distance, Li You returned to the shop entrance.
He checked his mission progress.
A notification sound for his mission progress had just played.
"Main Quest: Achieve a total revenue of 2,000 yuan within one week.
Current Progress: 21 yuan."
"Random Quest: Complete takeout service for ten customers within two days.
Current Progress: One customer."
Although he had only completed a tiny fraction of each, it was at least a start.
There was still plenty to look forward to!
...