In the midst of Zheng Siyuan's bewilderment, Dong Shi's helplessness, and Dong Li's urgency, Master Huang successfully finished making the hot oil eel paste.
Dong Li saw his chance and tried to snatch the wok spatula from Master Huang's hand, only to have Master Huang deftly dodge it.
Master Huang was so nimble that Dong Li even began to doubt whether the rheumatism that had plagued him in the past few years was feigned.
"Master, I don't have any more orders on my side—just this one serving of hot oil eel paste. There's no use holding that spatula without any dishes to cook," Dong Li decided to lay out the facts and reason with his master, gently persuading him with both emotion and logic.
"Nonsense, I remember that little Shi still has two portions of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish!" Master Huang immediately exposed Dong Li's lie, his face clearly conveying his eagerness to continue cooking.
Dong Li: ...
Dong Shi: ?