It was a little past eleven in the afternoon, exactly the busiest time during meal hours.

Fu Yu was focused on the wok, moving quickly.

Next to him, Sun Qingning was adeptly assisting in the kitchen, the two working in perfect harmony, delivering dishes at a quick pace.

Yao Shi was also taking orders, using a slotted spoon to fish out some shrimp from the pot when his phone suddenly rang.

Yao Shi picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID; it was a call from the boss, Dong Jun Tian.

Yao Shi turned and instructed, “Xiaozhang, come over and drain the oil from the shrimp. I need to take a call!”

Zhang Jinyu quickly responded, stepping forward to take the slotted spoon and continuing to fish all the shrimp out of the oil pot.

Yao Shi walked towards the back door, answering the call as he went.

“Hello, boss?”

Dong Jun Tian asked, “Are you in the back kitchen? Old Yang is here, and we’ve just come out from the office!”

Hearing that, Yao Shi quickly replied, “I’m in the kitchen, I’ll head to the front right away!”

Hanging up the phone, Yao Shi returned to the kitchen counter and told Fu Yu, “Cover for me for a bit, I’ll go to the front hall, is that okay?”

Fu Yu nodded, “No problem!”

They had just completed an order for Zhao Meng’s old customer, and two more orders had come in after that.

One was a large banquet, the other a smaller one.

Both tables had three to four dishes served already; the rest could be interspersed in preparation.

…

In the hallway in front of the boss’s office!

When Yao Shi hurriedly arrived, Dong Jun Tian was talking with a middle-aged man at the landing of the staircase.

Yao Shi walked up and greeted with a smile, “Boss Yang, long time no see!”

Boss Yang’s full name was Yang Zhifang, and he was a childhood friend of Dong Jun Tian.

His family was quite well-off, with all four siblings doing well in their own right.

Yang Zhifang nodded, “Yao Shi, I heard Zhao Meng is sick? How is he doing?”

Yang Zhifang came specifically for Zhao Meng this time, only to suddenly learn that he had fallen ill.

Yao Shi stepped forward and said, “It’s nothing major, just a potassium deficiency that needs some recovery, I suggested he take a couple of days off.”

Yang Zhifang nodded, “I’ve heard of potassium deficiency before, usually overlooked until it becomes severe. Once it hits, it feels like being paralyzed, no strength to move.”

Dong Jun Tian echoed, “Exactly! So, Yao Shi, Old Yang wanted Zhao Meng to provide a private service at his place. His Old Man is coming back tomorrow and they want to host a banquet at home.”

Elder Yang is a retired senior official.

Back in the day, when the family was doing well, they occasionally dined at the Qianlima Restaurant as kids with their parents.

After working abroad for decades, he has now retired and is visiting his younger son, Yang Zhifang, for a short stay.

Knowing that the Old Man is nostalgic for Qianlima’s old flavors, Yang Zhifang promptly sought out Dong Jun Tian to invite a skilled chef to arrange a banquet.

Given the Old Man’s special status, this visit was meant to be low-key.

Dong Jun Tian initially planned to recommend Gu Yunwu for the job.

On one hand, Yang Zhifang’s family is wealthy and generous, so the service fee would surely be substantial.

On the other hand, with Elder Yang’s status, if served well, just a casual mention of Qianlima could be better than a TV commercial.

However, Yang Zhifang mentioned that his Old Man likes heavily seasoned, spicy food, while Gu Yunwu specializes in stews—which means a heavier taste calls for stir-frying techniques.

Previously, when there were no separate orders, in Dong Jun Tian’s view, Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu had comparable culinary skills.

Aside from specializing in different dishes, they were quite similar.

Unexpectedly, this small gap became apparent almost immediately after they started taking separate orders.

Clearly, more of the restaurant’s old customers were requesting Zhao Meng.

What does this indicate?

It indicates that Zhao Meng’s culinary skills are more refined!

Considering Elder Yang’s status, having tasted numerous gourmet dishes, if he remembers this old flavor, they must find a way to satisfy him.

Thus, Dong Jun Tian promptly changed his idea and suggested Zhao Meng to Yang Zhifang instead.

But alas, just as they made the agreement, Zhao Meng suddenly fell ill.

Dong Jun Tian hoped to wait a couple of days for Zhao Meng to recover and then have him serve.

Yang Zhifang, however, wanted to surprise his Old Man during the welcome banquet.

Finding himself cornered, Dong Jun Tian called upon Yao Shi, hoping he might persuade Yang Zhifang.

In reality, if anyone could truly recreate Qianlima’s old flavors, the most skilled person would undoubtedly be Yao Shi.

Yet, from the start, Dong Jun Tian never considered having Yao Shi step in front of Elder Yang.

Why?

While Yao Shi holds the position of Qianlima’s head chef in name, he is in fact the owner of a musical restaurant.

Everyone is self-interested, and if Yao Shi gets in close with Elder Yang, what role would Qianlima have left to play?

Dong Jun Tian disclosed Yang Zhifang’s request to have Zhao Meng cook for them.

“My idea is to wait until Old Zhao is fully recovered and then have him go over to help with the cooking, but Old Yang insists on having the welcome banquet right away. What do you suggest?”

The implication being that Yao Shi should say a few words, as Old Yang seems to be quite stubborn at the moment!

Yao Shi turned to look at Yang Zhifang.

If the timing wasn’t pressing, it would surely be best to wait until Zhao Meng recovered to serve them.

After all, it is a rare opportunity, too precious to miss.

However, because of his relationship with Dong Jun Tian, Yao Shi was quite familiar with Yang Zhifang, knowing that he could be rather stubborn, sticking to his decisions despite others’ words.

Now that Yang Zhifang is set on organizing a banquet to welcome his Old Man, there’s little chance of changing his mind.

If forced, the task might end up in Gu Yunwu’s hands.

Why let a good opportunity slip into outsiders’ territory?

Besides, even Dong Jun Tian preferred to wait for Zhao Meng to recover rather than ask Yao Shi for help.

Yao Shi, being extremely astute, quickly realized Dong Jun Tian’s intentions.

Thinking quickly, Yao Shi turned to Dong Jun Tian and said with a smile, “Boss, this is actually easy to handle. Zhao Meng’s condition prevents him from cooking now, but there are other capable people!”

Listening, Dong Jun Tian knew Yao Shi was probably going to suggest Gu Yunwu.

Gu Yunwu could indeed fill in.

Perhaps he might be slightly less adept at stir-frying compared to Zhao Meng.

Nevertheless, his culinary skills are superb, fully capable of handling a full banquet.

Dong Jun Tian wavered; if needed, Gu Yunwu could be the one.

After all, once Yang Zhifang got stubborn, persuading him was no easy feat.

Yao Shi continued, “Fu Yu would be a good choice, he even has previous experience in private dining and his culinary skills are excellent.”

Yao Shi introduced Fu Yu to Yang Zhifang, “He’s a student personally trained by Zhao Meng, well-versed in making the restaurant’s featured dishes.”

Hearing this, Yang Zhifang perked up with interest.

Meanwhile, Dong Jun Tian widened his eyes, “Yao Shi…is this really suitable for such a significant event, the welcome banquet for Elder Yang, to let Fu Yu handle it?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep