Chapter 47: How Is My Daughter Any Worse?

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The Hall of a Hundred Flavors.

Cheng An had never wanted to come.

According to his original plans, his main task over the next few years was to study and prepare for the provincial examinations three years from now. As for how much money he made, that was hardly important.

But time waited for no one!

If he kept dragging things out...

His senior apprentice sister’s child would soon be old enough to buy soy sauce.

“Young Master Cheng has arrived.”

The moment he entered, Manager Niu came out with a smile.

Then, with an apologetic look, he said, “The proprietor was supposed to come as well, but something came up at the last moment... Still, rest assured. From today onward, the Hall of a Hundred Flavors will be entirely at your command.”

“Oh, it’s nothing...” Cheng An shook his head with a wry smile.

Inwardly, he thought, How can she simply be unable to come? She’s clearly angry.

But when it came to marriage, there was no way he could compromise!

Gu Xiaorou was certainly an excellent woman.

But if he had to choose, he would choose his senior apprentice sister without hesitation!

After a few words of idle conversation, Cheng An went straight to the point.

“Has the iron wok I ordered been made?”

“It has.”

Manager Niu carried a large iron wok out from beneath the counter.

A newly forged iron wok could not be used immediately. In those days, iron was rarely pure, and no one knew how many impurities it contained.

If it were used without preparation, it might even cause poisoning.

“Let’s season it first.”

Cheng An went to the kitchen.

The cook, however, was baffled. Looking utterly bewildered, he asked, “What does ‘season it’ mean? It’s already been forged. Can’t we just use it? What else needs doing?”

“Why are you spouting so much nonsense?” Manager Niu glared at him irritably.

Then, with a trace of ingratiation, he added, “Young Master Cheng is the youngest scholar-candidate in Pinggu County, and even the recipes were written by him! What, you don’t believe him?”

“I do!”

“This humble one spoke out of turn. I deserve to be punished.”

The cook was thoroughly intimidated, and his attitude instantly became respectful.

That was the power of status.

Cheng An, however, was already accustomed to such flattery. He merely said calmly, “Seasoning the wok allows it to heat more evenly and keeps food from sticking when you cook.”

“Yes.”

“Please enlighten me...”

The portly cook’s eyes burned even more brightly.

Just from those few words, it was obvious that Cheng An truly understood cooking.

Next came lighting the fire.

“Make it hotter!”

Standing on a stool, Cheng An held the iron wok aloft with both hands, straining beneath its weight.

“The first seasoning has to burn the wok thoroughly. Otherwise, it won’t heat evenly, and fixing it next time will be even more troublesome!”

“No problem!”

“Just leave it to us.”

Several assistants joined in as well.

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After a while, Cheng An handed the wok over to the portly cook.

“Follow this process exactly.”

“Once the wok is thoroughly heated, wipe it twice with rendered pork fat...”

In his previous life, Cheng An had worked as a waiter at a five-star hotel to help pay his tuition. He had seen how the master chefs seasoned their woks and prepared their dishes.

He might not have been able to manage overly complicated cuisines, but he was perfectly capable when it came to ordinary home cooking.

The head cook, however, could not read.

Cheng An had no choice but to teach him step by step.

“First, slice the cooked meat. Don’t make the slices too thick, or the meat will turn tough. Keep the heat high, and stir-fry it a few dozen times.”

Once the scallions, ginger, and garlic hit the hot oil, the aroma burst forth at once.

Gradually...

The fragrance drifted from the kitchen into the dining hall.

“What a wonderful smell!”

“What dish is that? The flavor is so rich!”

Several diners could not resist coming over to take a look.

Cheng An hurriedly waved them away.

“Quick!”

“Send the customers outside...”

Manager Niu, who had been dazed by the aroma, finally came to his senses.

With an ingratiating smile, he ushered them out.

Then he returned and barked at the assistants and the portly cook, “All of you, remember this! Stir-frying is the absolute secret of this establishment. If anyone dares reveal it, you’d better watch your heads!”

There were no labor laws in those days. Assistants and servants were hardly any different.

Whether they had signed lifelong contracts or temporary ones made little difference.

Once they angered their master, being beaten to death would be considered a lenient punishment.

Cheng An, however, laughed.

He sighed and said, “It isn’t the recipe I’m worried about you revealing. Take a look at this kitchen yourselves. Is it fit for human eyes? If a diner saw it, they wouldn’t merely refuse to eat—their dinner from last night would come right back up!”

The portly cook’s old face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

He muttered under his breath, “But aren’t all kitchens like this? You’ve never been to Fragrant Gatherings. Their kitchen is even filthier than ours!”

“Are we competing to see who can be worse?”

Cheng An swiftly ladled the stir-fried pork onto a plate.

He handed it to Manager Niu and said, “Go on. It’s nearly mealtime anyway. Let the diners taste it and offer their opinions.”

“Yes.”

“Young Master is truly wise.”

Manager Niu’s smile grew even broader.

At first, he had thought the proprietor was merely fooling around by handing a restaurant over to a young boy. But Cheng An’s actions that day had won everyone over.

With a single sentence, he had grasped the essence of the food business.

A prodigy was indeed a prodigy!

Before long, waves of praise came from outside.

“Absolutely delicious!”

“Salty, spicy, fresh, fragrant...”

“Manager Niu, have you changed your cook? This tastes better than the dishes at the finest restaurants in the county seat! The recipes are novel too. It’s genuinely delicious!”

The compliments outside rose and fell without pause.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Cheng An was criticizing the portly cook’s lack of cleanliness.

“How many days has it been since you changed those clothes? And this stove—it's so black it reflects the light!”

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Though the portly cook was somewhat displeased, he did not dare argue.

“Yes, sir. I’ll clean it up immediately.”

“Remember this from now on...”

Cheng An spoke sternly.

“Cleanliness is the bottom line of the food business. If you want to build the establishment into something great, you must first hold yourself to the highest standards. Otherwise, even the finest recipes will be useless!”

...

The stir-fried dishes became an instant sensation, just as expected.

The diners were full of praise!

When Gu Changqing heard the news, he hurried over.

Standing behind the counter, he watched the steady stream of diners and murmured, “It’s truly this popular?”

“That’s not even the half of it!”

Manager Niu was so excited that spittle flew as he spoke.

“You didn’t see the scene last night. There was already a line outside the door!”

“A line?”

Gu Changqing instinctively asked, “Are there really so many wealthy people in Clear Water Town now?”

Clear Water Town was merely a remote border town. Its total population did not even reach ten thousand, and those who could afford to dine at a restaurant were few and far between.

Yet the bustle before his eyes was undeniable.

In the end, even Gu Changqing could not resist ordering a dish to taste.

After a moment, he set down his chopsticks.

Then he turned to Cheng An, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

“You... did well.”

There was no denying it.

His judgment of people was indeed remarkably sharp.

And Cheng An had not disappointed him. Every time the young man made a move, he left people speechless with astonishment.

What a pity.

Such a highly desirable son-in-law would never belong to him.

Remembering what his brother-in-law had said the previous day, Gu Changqing gave Cheng An another look, feeling a surge of indignation.

What a blind fool. My daughter has both beauty and good manners. In what way is she inferior to Du Xiu’s daughter?

“Master Gu, you shouldn’t set your expectations too high...”

Cheng An had not noticed his expression.

Instead, he calmly reminded him, “This popularity is only temporary. For now, people are merely drawn by the novelty. If we want it to last, we’ll have to spread the word far and wide.”

How many people were there in Clear Water Town?

Even if these people were willing to spend money, they could not possibly come every day.

“You’re right!”

Gu Changqing’s expression grew even more conflicted.

Suppressing his irritation, he said, “Once the restaurant’s clientele stabilizes, we’ll expand. Ideally, we’ll add an inn as well. That way, we can attract travelers from out of town.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Cheng An smiled.

Then his tone suddenly turned cold.

“Once the Hall of a Hundred Flavors has secured a stable clientele, we can raise our own ingredients. Any surplus can be sold at retail.”

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