The Gourmet Customizer

After Su Chen sent out the plate of stew, his White Jade Hand conveyed a single thought—it was a near-perfect stew.

’What a truly amazing Skill!’

This perceptive ability wasn’t just about touch or weight. Its truly magical aspect was its ability to perceive the state of an object!

Su Chen washed his hands, then pointed to a nearby towel. "Could you hand that to me?"

He Shuting: "Oh."

As she handed the towel to Su Chen, their fingers brushed against each other.

Su Chen: "You should drink fewer cold things for the next few days."

He Shuting: ?

’Damn it, how does the boss know about that? Has he been secretly watching me this whole time?’

’Ah, if that’s the case... Damn it, is an office romance really okay?!’

"Thank you for your concern, Boss~" He Shuting said with a sweet smile, much to the confusion of everyone else who saw it.

The White Jade Hand really was incredible. Su Chen had originally thought the Skill’s only major benefit was protecting his hands. He never expected that, on top of its uses in cooking, it could also perceive the condition of other things he touched.

’This is getting interesting.’

In the private room, the stew from the large tureen had been ladled into everyone’s bowls. The only sound in the room was the smacking of lips; all other noise had ceased.

A full five or six minutes passed.

Jiang Wensheng wiped his mouth with a napkin. "This stew is surprisingly delicious too. Especially the glass noodles—they’re chewy yet easy to bite through. And they’ve absorbed the flavors of all the other ingredients. Simply incredible!"

Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement. "But eating too many of these noodles makes you dumb."

It was a well-known fact that alum was often added to potato-based glass noodles. Eating too much of it could indeed make a person dumber.

"No wonder my brain’s been a bit fuzzy lately..." Brother Fang Chang slapped his forehead. ’Looks like I’ll have to cut back on glass noodles from now on.’

’But they’re just so delicious!’

"Fang Chang, ask your friend later how he makes this stew so delicious. I want to learn how to make it at home!" Mrs. Fang Chang was the most pleased with the stew.

When she was eating the Wanzi and the Squirrel Mandarin Fish earlier, she’d thought they were just okay, nothing special.

But after one bite of this bowl of potatoes, eggs, cabbage, and glass noodles, her rumbling stomach was instantly satisfied, leaving her feeling completely stuffed. It was so gratifying!

Now that everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Father Fang Chang stood up to take the lead. "Why don’t you two come back to our place for a while? We can have some tea and chat. Tomorrow, Fang Chang can show you all around Jingzhou."

"Yes, yes, you’ve come all this way. You should come to our home for tea first," Mrs. Fang Chang chimed in.

Jiang Wensheng nodded. "Let’s not rush home just yet. I’d like to meet the chef who made these dishes."

All eyes turned to Fang Chang. After all, he was the one who’d said the chef here was his friend.

Brother Fang Chang smiled. "No problem, let me go have a word with him!"

’Those Jingzhou Cuisine dishes were certainly good,’ Jiang Wensheng thought, ’but if I brought them to Yangzhou, I’m afraid the locals wouldn’t take to them.’

’But those Huaiyang Cuisine dishes were another story, especially the Squirrel Mandarin Fish and the Braised Dried Tofu.’

’To make those two dishes taste even better than they look... that takes extraordinary skill. No matter the cost, I have to poach this chef for my restaurant!’

A moment later, Fang Chang returned to the private room. "Uncle, there’s a lounge over here. Would you like to go there to chat with my friend?"

"Mm, that works."

For the first time, Jiang Wensheng was quite satisfied with Brother Fang Chang’s handling of the situation.

He had just been wondering about that. If the chef came directly to their private room, it would be rather inappropriate to talk about poaching him in front of so many people.

It was excellent that Fang Chang had arranged for a private lounge.

Following Fang Chang into Delicious’s only lounge, Jiang Wensheng saw a young man in a very formal suit, sitting with his eyes closed in repose.

’Looks like he’s already guessed what I’m here for.’

’He even changed into a suit. Not bad, not bad at all!’

’If that’s the case, this conversation should be very easy.’

Jiang Wensheng even began to suspect that Fang Chang must have told this young chef who he was. That would explain why the food today surpassed the chef’s usual standards. This desperate desire to show off—wasn’t it just a ploy to get him to offer a higher salary?

As long as the talent was there, money was no object. That was Jiang Wensheng’s philosophy.

"I haven’t had the pleasure of getting your name, young man."

Su Chen had only meant to rest his eyes for a moment but had unexpectedly dozed off while sitting. This was the downside of using the Gourmet Practice Room for extended periods.

Fortunately, there were no other side effects. He would be back to normal after a good rest.

"My surname is Su," Su Chen said, quickly pouring a cup of tea for his guest. "Please, have some tea."

After all, three S Level Huaiyang Cuisine dishes were bound to be impressive. Su Chen was very curious to hear the evaluation from this senior, who had been running a Huaiyang restaurant for decades.

Seeing this, Jiang Wensheng nodded with satisfaction.

It seemed his guess had been correct. The young man before him was sharp and perceptive. Such a humble attitude most likely meant he’d already decided on his asking price.

"Mr. Su," Jiang Wensheng said with a smile. "I’m a bit older than you, so I’ll just call you Xiaosu, if that’s alright. Were all of today’s dishes made by you personally?"

Su Chen grunted in affirmation. "Yes."

"Tsk. I’m especially curious about the Squirrel Mandarin Fish. How did you manage to keep it so crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, even after it sat for a while? And how did you make the sweet and sour sauce so subtle and restrained?"

This... Su Chen gave an awkward smile.

’How can he just ask for my secret techniques right off the bat? Being older doesn’t give him a free pass to do that.’

Seeing Su Chen’s intriguing smile, Jiang Wensheng slapped his thigh and burst out laughing. "My apologies, my apologies! That was presumptuous of me. But I must say, whether it was the Squirrel Mandarin Fish, the Lion’s Head, or the Braised Dried Tofu, they were all stunning—comparable to the standard of my own restaurant!"