Festivities on the Left, Upgrades on the Right

Chapter 9: Festivities on the Left, Upgrades on the Right

The next morning, Liu Yang stood at the entrance of his shop, satisfaction etched on his face as he surveyed the completely renovated interior.

The brand-new solid wood round tables gleamed with a soft luster in the morning light, complemented by snow-white porcelain bowls and shiny chopsticks, giving the entire shop a fresh new look.

Opposite, at Li's house, the excitement was akin to a small temple fair.

Neighbors carried gifts, walking in the morning light towards the Li's, and many couldn't help but stop and stare as they passed by the shop.

"Ah, look at that!" Aunt Wang almost dropped the gift box in her hand, "This shop, it's like a whole new world!"

"These tables and chairs, this tableware," Aunt Zhang peered closely at the entrance, looking around, "We were saying yesterday that they were going out of business, and now it looks like a high-end restaurant!"

But Aunt Liu snorted coldly: "What's the use of good decoration? The key is still the skill. I think it's just a facade..."

"Come on," Uncle Li interrupted her, "You were saying yesterday that they were going to close, and today you see them all renewed. Your words might get slapped in the face."

A burst of laughter came from the onlookers. Aunt Liu's face turned red, she grabbed the gift in her hand and quickly walked towards the Li's house, still muttering: "Humph, you'll see..."

Old Lady Li sat on a red soft chair, smiling at all this.

She had seen the ups and downs on this street for most of her life, and she loved to see these small changes in life.

The transformation of the shop across the street reminded her of the days when she was young and running a shop.

A group of old sisters surrounded her, chattering and saying blessings.

"The scene is amazing!"

"I heard that the chef who came back from the island country was invited!"

"That's right, he has real skills!"

As the sun climbed halfway up the sky, the whole street was boiling.

A black car slowly approached, with a momentum like a star in a big movie.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out, with an air as if he was here to inspect work.

Chen Zisheng walked into the shed slowly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd with a hint of condescending arrogance. He first went to Old Lady Li, bowed slightly, and the gesture was like performing some Japanese etiquette.

"Grandma Li, congratulations on your fortune as vast as the East China Sea and your longevity as high as the South Mountain," he said in his half-baked Mandarin, deliberately adding a bit of an island accent, "Today's birthday feast, I will definitely let you taste something new."

Old Lady Li smiled and nodded: "Xiao Sheng has a heart."

Everyone echoed: "This is called a level!"

"He has been in the island country for so long, it's different!"

"The momentum is amazing!"

Chen Zisheng straightened up, his eyes inadvertently swept across the shop opposite. Seeing the new decoration, the corner of his mouth slightly rose, revealing a disdainful sneer: "These days, anyone dares to open a shop and cook. No matter how good the decoration is, it can't cover up the rough skills."

This was said not too loud or too low, just enough for the people around to hear. Aunt Liu quickly chimed in: "That's right, that's right, our Xiao Sheng is right!"

Through the glass, Xiao Li inadvertently glanced at the person who got out of the car.

He was holding two plates in his hand, and his hand trembled, almost dropping the plates on the ground.

Liu Yang quickly caught the plates, but saw a trace of indescribable hatred in Xiao Li's eyes.

"This is not..." Xiao Li's voice trembled.

Liu Yang frowned, and his heart was full of doubts.

"Here it comes! This is Chen Zisheng, my cousin!"

Aunt Liu was so excited that she almost jumped up, for fear that others would not recognize this "big shot".

Chen Zisheng walked into the shed slowly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, with an expression as if he was inspecting the troops.

Followed by four neatly dressed helpers, they looked as if they were serving a crown prince with low eyebrows and eyes.

"I said, the food I cook is all about the artistic conception."

He said in his half-baked Mandarin, the tone of which made a group of aunts listen to a bit of "high-end" taste.

"Ah, Xiao Sheng's aura is amazing!" Aunt Wang nodded repeatedly.

"This is called professional!" Aunt Zhang echoed.

"He is the chef in the island country, can it be the same?"

Chen Zisheng smiled but did not speak, took out a set of shiny knives from his bag, and played with them as if performing magic.

He said lightly: "Today, I have prepared a signature dish for everyone - raw fish wrapped in pork. This is something I have created after studying in the island country for several years."

The four helpers immediately started to work: one chose vegetables, one prepared ingredients, one prepared the pot, and one was responsible for helping.

Chen Zisheng stood in the middle, gesturing, with an air as if he was conducting a symphony.

"Look, this is called professional!"

Aunt Liu showed off to the people around her triumphantly, "Unlike some wild roads, they can't even afford an assistant!"

This was obviously said to the shop across the street.

At this time, the shop was also ready to open, and a burst of tempting fragrance was wafting out, forming a sharp contrast to the lively scene here.

Liu Yang was busy, and he was thinking in his heart. He had put in a lot of effort these two days, and after closing, he began to develop new dishes, from sweet and sour pork to braised lion's head, from steamed fish to Beijing sauce pork, one after another, each dish received a lot of praise.

Today, he specially added five new dishes he had developed to the menu: minced garlic white meat, pan-fried hairtail, liver tip, oyster sauce lettuce, and soybean chicken. As long as these new dishes are well received, he can enter the master class!

"Ding!" The system prompt sounded.

"Current reward value: 45/100"

"Five new dishes added today, each praised can get 1 reward value."

"Reach 50 points to be promoted to the master class."

"Boss, table 4 wants a portion of minced garlic white meat!" Xiao Li's voice came from outside.

In the morning, the kitchen was "sizzling", and the pot gas was rising. He had to deal with three or four stoves at the same time, and he was sweating profusely.

"This is not a chef, this is practicing acrobatics..." He muttered while stir-frying,

"When I reach 50 points, I must recruit two apprentices. If this goes on, my hands may be scrapped before my cooking skills."

Finally, near noon, the familiar prompt sounded again:

"Ding! Get the last reward value!"

"Current reward value: 50/100"

"Congratulations to the host for reaching the master level!"

"Special reward: production time is reduced to one-third of the original."

Liu Yang was so excited that he almost threw the shovel in his hand, and he quickly held the stove to stabilize his body.