The Manager went into the kitchen slowly. Every step felt like traversing the layers of Cold and Hot Narakas; Soon he reached the kitchen, the chefs felt it peculiar seeing the manager in the kitchen this time of the hour.
The Head Chef, amiably addressed as "Old Mao" by everybody, was one of the best chefs in the entire Country Z. He looked at the Manager's face and carefully asked.
"Manager, what's the problem, is there anything wrong with the kitchen?"
"The Kitchen!?, nothings wrong with the kitchen, the thing that has a problem is my life.. why do things like these always happen to me?, Madam Feng has a foreign guest from Country B. He just ordered Fish 'n' Chips. Who in our restaurant can make that cuisine?" The Manager wailed.
Hearing the words Country B Cuisine, Old Mao's face turned solemn. The problem with Country B Cuisine is that the dishes in that cuisine are all simple, but a chef knows better; The easier something is to cook, the harder it is to make it delicious.
"We can search the internet for recipe and try, but the taste will be lacklustre." Old Mao said.
"No, we can't let that happen. We have to absolutely make it delicious or else, consider our jobs gone, damn, if only we had some international chefs who can cook Country B Cuisine." The Manager said.
Just then a voice reached everybody's ears.
"Oh!, Country B Cuisine?, I can cook." The source of this voice was none other than our dear Long Tian. He was in Chef's robes and his forearms were exposed, his muscular yet slender forearms, they looked like that of an experienced chef. He just finished changing and entered the kitchen and heard the Manager talk about Country B Cuisine.
After looking at him, the rest of the chefs including Old Mao had mixed feelings.
'This fellow obviously looks like he's not experienced, but on second glance he looks somewhat accomplished. The Chef robes fit him well too. He can't be that bad.' They all thought.
Long Tian mentally prepared himself, 'Ok, the plot says they will sneer at me and underestimate me and then I have to prove my skills and there will be a bunch of face slapping. This will be a pain in the ass, but a man's gotta do what he gotta do to earn money.'
Old Mao placed his hand on Long Tian's shoulder and asked.
"Lad, are you sure you can make this dish?"
Long Tian was take back by his words, 'Huh, now that's the wrong script' he thought.
"Sure, I can." he answered confidently.
"Fine, the kitchen is all yours so it better taste good." Old Mao gave all the Kitchen Rights to Long Tian.
Seeing that Old Mao had no problems, the rest of the Chefs and The Manager did not say anything either.
Few seconds later, Long Tian turned the stove on and started cutting the fish and potatoes. After seeing his actions all the Chefs, Old Mao included opened their mouths wide. Those skills, that finesse, it is definitely at the level of a top class Michelin Chef or even better.
Watching him cook was like watching a movie in itself, even the Manager was slack jawed. Soon a salty fragrance blossomed in the kitchen, everyone was drooling looking at the five servings of Fish 'n' Chips that Long Tian made. They kept 3 servings aside and tasted the extra 2 servings.
The Crisp texture from the fish broke and the tender meat melted in one's mouth. They felt as though it was summer and they were swimming in the cool ocean alongside the Salmons under the burning Sun. Everybody was left speechless.
"Boy, who is your teacher?" asked Old Mao.
"I learned them myself" said Long Tian.
Old Mao was stunned, learned them by yourself? yeah right, just say that you don't want to tell us.
"How many Cuisines can you cook?" Old Mao questioned yet again.
"Almost every cuisine." answered Long Tian honestly.
Old Mao and the other chefs felt that they have lived their lives in vain.
"How old are you?" one of the chefs questioned.
"I'm 18, just completed the Exams, I'll be chef here for a week or two."
"What??????" All the chefs shouted at once.
Long Tian took his time chatting and making friends with all the chefs while two waitresses took the three hot Fish 'n' Chips serving to the highest floor.
As soon as the dishes arrived, All three people at the table were dazed. Mr. Statham thought it smells rather good and looked forward to tasting it, while the Feng siblings didn't expect that there was a chef who can cook international cuisine in their own restaurant's remote branch.
They originally expected the Manager to call one from the bigger cities, although it would take time, it would've been worth it just to satisfy this old fellow in front of them. But they were given a pleasant surprise by the unexpected turn of events. Now they were only worried if this old fellow would like it.