The Show-off Chef and the Improvisational Savior

"How come the chef hasn't started cooking yet?" someone muttered quietly, "It's almost noon."

"He said he'd show off his skills today; what time is it now?" Old Wang moved the fruit stall's chair closer to the shop's entrance.

"Could he be studying the recipes?"

"Study what? He's a chef who returned from the island country," the clothing store owner's wife said while tidying up clothes and looking around.

"I heard he ran a Michelin-starred restaurant over there."

"I've heard," Xiao Zhang from the barbershop said mysteriously, lowering his voice,

"He was even on TV in the island country, teaching people how to make sashimi.

He might be a bit rusty with our local cuisine."

"What rust?" Aunt Liu immediately disagreed,

"Our Xiao Sheng has been learning cooking from his mother since he was young; his skills are definitely inherited.

He even won gold and silver awards in the island country."

"But why hasn't he started cooking now?" an impatient woman waiting for lunch asked,

"It's almost twelve; if he doesn't start, we won't have lunch."

"What do you know?" Aunt Liu continued to defend,

"He's preparing the ingredients!

Michelin restaurants pay attention to the ratio, not a single gram can be off.

It's not like our casual stir-frying."

"You can't say that," the old man selling pancakes at the entrance interjected,

"Our local cuisine is about the heat and the feeling. After staying abroad for so long, he might not have the knack for it."

"Exactly," Old Wang also nodded,

"I heard he's been there for several years; he probably can't even make twice-cooked pork smoothly, right?"

Aunt Liu was not pleased with this remark:

"What do you mean by that?

Our Xiao Sheng is professional; even a simple side dish is a hundred times better than these street-side shops!

Just wait and see."

Someone in the crowd muttered quietly: "Professional or not, we're almost starving to death; even if he's professional, lunchtime is over..."

Inside the tent, Chen Zisheng was still gesturing,

Sometimes complaining that the radish flowers were not delicate enough,

Sometimes saying that the cucumber rolls were not pretty enough.

Chen Zisheng examined the white radish in his hand, which was carved into a lotus shape, with a furrowed brow:

"No, no, the petals are not three-dimensional enough; they need a sense of hierarchy!"

Saying that, he picked up the carving knife and started to fix it.

"Master Chen, this... it's almost noon..." an assistant reminded cautiously.

"What's the rush?" Chen Zisheng didn't even lift his head, focusing on the radish,

"Art cannot be rushed. Look at this petal; it should be like this, gently..."

Another assistant came over with a bunch of cucumbers: "Master, these cucumbers are rolled into flowers."

Chen Zisheng glanced and immediately frowned:

"Too rough! Look at this pleat; there's no aesthetic sense.

In the island country, this level wouldn't even make it to the appetizer."

He put down the radish in his hand, picked up a cucumber, and started to demonstrate:

"You should do this, first cut the cucumber slices transparent, like cicada wings. Then your hand should be light, slowly roll like this..."

The four assistants looked at each other, but no one dared to remind this "Michelin chef" that the guests outside were almost exploding with impatience.

"Right!" Chen Zisheng suddenly remembered something, "Carrots can also be carved into goldfish! I learned a unique skill in the island country..."

He was completely immersed in the art of food carving, as if he had forgotten that this was an ordinary Chinese restaurant, and even more forgotten that there was a group of diners waiting outside.

In his eyes, every piece of vegetable was a work of art, and every piece of radish was material to be fully utilized.

"Master..." another assistant timidly spoke up, "How about... we start cooking a few dishes first?"

"What's the rush!" Chen Zisheng waved his hand,

"You know what refined cuisine is? Just the arrangement of this appetizer takes two hours in the island country..."

The four assistants were busy around him, and they hadn't even started the fire.

"Mom, I'm hungry..." a child pulled his mother's corner and complained.

"Wait a moment, it will be ready soon..." the mother could only comfort like this.

"Is this chef a bit too..." Grandpa Wang said in a low voice.

"Shh, this is art; it's all about the mood," someone quickly chimed in.

Li Sheng looked at the situation in front of him and felt a bit restless.

It was his mother's 90th birthday, and the chef was only showing off, with no food in sight, and his mother was hungry, what was going on?

The guests under the tent were getting restless, and many secretly glanced at the small shop across the street.

The fragrance from the other side had already drifted over, and just smelling it made people swallow their saliva.

"Wait a bit more," Aunt Liu awkwardly made peace,

"This is authentic Kaiseki cuisine; it can't be as crude as those big-pot dishes..."

Before she finished speaking, another enticing fragrance drifted from the other side, covering her words.

"How much longer will the dishes take..." Li Sheng looked at the time on his phone and smelled the fragrance drifting from the other side, feeling uneasy.

He quietly walked to the back and pulled his wife's corner: "Why don't you ask Xiao Sheng about the dishes..."

"Urge what!" Aunt Liu directly gave him a white eye, "This is art; what do you know!"

"But it's almost..."

"What's almost!" Aunt Liu lowered her voice, wanting to vent all her anger on Li Sheng,

"You want me to urge him? Isn't this slapping my face!"

But she also knew in her heart that the dishes should have been served.

It was the old lady's 90th birthday; she couldn't let a group of guests wait in vain.

"Oh! Alright, I'll go ask!" She shook off Li Sheng's hand and walked towards the kitchen angrily.

On the way, her facial expression was worse than if she had eaten three pounds of vinegar.

"Xiao Sheng," she forced a smile, "this..."

"Sis, don't worry," Chen Zisheng didn't even lift his head, directing the assistant to carve flowers,

"This dish is my unique skill; it requires meticulous work."

Aunt Liu stood there, neither advancing nor retreating, with a smile worse than crying.

At this moment, another fragrance drifted from the small shop across the street, and she almost fainted from anger.

Chen Zisheng was still in the kitchen fiddling with his "artwork,"

Unaware of the hungry guests outside, still directing the assistants:

"This radish flower needs to be more delicate, yes, like this..."

"Li Sheng," the old lady suddenly asked, "Have you ordered the longevity noodles for today? Serve them first~"

Li Sheng jolted, almost jumping off the stool.

He had really forgotten about it!

He had been busy with the tent and forgot about the longevity noodles that his mother loved the most.

"Ordered... ordered," he said with a stiff face,

"I'll have them delivered soon..."

But in his heart, he was worried: what if the longevity noodles for the birthday star were not available, how could the birthday banquet continue?

Just then, another fragrance drifted from the small shop across the street.

"Boss, another bowl of plain noodles!"

"Me too! These noodles are so chewy, amazing!"

Li Sheng's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a life-saving straw in the dark night.

He slapped his thigh and quickly stood up:

"Mom, you rest here for a while, I'm going out... to see if the noodles are coming soon."

After saying that, he rushed to the small shop across the street, thinking: today's longevity noodles might have to "take a detour."

However, judging by the fragrance, the noodles in this shop across the street seemed pretty good?

The old lady should... should not dislike them, right?

Li Sheng rushed to the door of the small shop, feeling uneasy: if he couldn't order the noodles, his mother's birthday banquet would be ruined.

The shop was bustling with noise, and Xiao Li was carrying several bowls of noodles through the crowd, like performing acrobatics.

"Xiao Li," Li Sheng stopped him, "Give me twenty bowls of noodles!"

"Ah?" Xiao Li almost dropped the tray in his hand,

"No... You have to wait, there are many guests ahead..."

"It's for the old lady's birthday banquet, hurry up..."

"But..." Xiao Li looked at the tray in his hand and the guests waiting for their meals, not knowing what to do.

Li Sheng couldn't wait and rushed straight to the kitchen.

Xiao Li wanted to stop him, but he couldn't put down the noodles in his hand, and could only watch him rush in.

"Boss Liu!" Li Sheng stood at the kitchen door, looking at the bustling scene inside.

Liu Yang was stir-frying, withthree stoves going at the same time, his movements so fast it was like watching a magic trick.

Hearing the voice, he responded without turning his head, "What's up?"

"Uh... could you make twenty bowls of noodles for me?"

Li Sheng rubbed his hands, his voice getting quieter as he spoke, "It's for my mom's birthday banquet..."

"Oh?" Liu Yang's movements paused slightly,

"Didn't you hire a big chef? Why are you ordering noodles from me?"

Li Sheng immediately felt his face burning as if he had been slapped.

But in this situation, he couldn't care about his pride: "Well... the chef is still busy with the carvings, and my mom wants noodles..."

"The old lady wants noodles?" Upon hearing this, Liu Yang's movements stopped for a moment, then he quickly plated the dish in the pan,

"Alright, you go out and wait, twenty bowls, right? Give me a few minutes."

With that, he lit a new stove, his actions neat and efficient as if he had transformed.

This left Li Sheng stunned –

This was no longer the young boss who couldn't even hold a spatula steady half a year ago.

"Th-thank you so much!" Li Sheng expressed his gratitude repeatedly, the weight on his heart finally lifting.

"You're welcome," Liu Yang smiled,

"For an elderly person's birthday, the noodles can't be taken lightly. Don't worry, I'll make sure the old lady is satisfied."

Li Sheng stood at the door, watching Liu Yang's skillful moves and smelling the wafting aroma, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed.

He remembered how he had previously agreed with his wife in mocking Liu Yang as a back-alley cook, but now he had to rely on this "back-alley cook" to save the day.

"Xiao Li, show Mr. Li out and find him a good seat," Liu Yang instructed.

Watching Li Sheng leave with a thousand thanks, Liu Yang's lips curled up slightly.