Chapter 154 – Actually, I’m Just a Chef

Translated by Kitchennovel dot com

 

“Is it really that delicious?” Andrew raised his eyebrows at the quietly happy Bernice with some wariness. He muttered some incomprehensible words under his breath and scooped a large spoonful of the [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] into his mouth.

Those done with their [Juicy Burgers] were attracted by the antics of these two, they could not help but swallow at the sight of Bernice’s ecstatic expression.

Of them all, Bernice had to be the pickiest eater. Things that tasted too heavy were rejected outright, the same goes with greasy or oily food. It was rare to see her eating with such a blissful expression on her face. Even when she had declared [Juicy Burger] to be delicious, this quiet happiness was absent from her face. Could be possible that the [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] actually tasted better than the [Juicy Burger]?

None of them could quite believe this after personally feeling the impact of the [Juicy Burger], but… their gazes shuttled over to Andrew, awaiting is evaluation.

After eating the [Juicy Burger], Andrew felt that his blood was still rather agitated. Despite being a fatty, Andrew was rather sensitive to the changes in his body and had especially sharp sense of taste, touch and smell.

He had the curious feeling that his strength had actually increased, but since this theory felt a little absurd, he kept quiet about it.

Nevertheless, he chomped into the large spoonful of the [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] and, woah, he had half expected something made with so many different ingredients to clash with each other, but, it would appear that he was wrong.

The various ingredients somehow managed to harmonize with each other in his mouth, the fragrance of the rice, savoury mouth feel of the ham, the sweet crispness of the winter bamboo shoot, the fragrance of the shrimp… flashed their flavours brightly, somehow heightening each other’s taste as well.

He swallowed, and felt the food melting into a warm sensation within his body. The fatigue he had felt that morning after butchering a large pig had diminished by a lot. It was so comfortable that he was tempted to close his eyes and sigh.

“Could it be that this restaurant’s dishes have some curious effects on the body?” Andrew snapped opened his half closed eyes. He starred deeply into the depths of the [Yang Zhou Fried Rice], if the [Juicy Burger] was a meal that increases strength, then, the [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] must have the ability to reduce fatigue. He was sure of it, sure of his body and of his senses.

Andrew experimentally clenched his fists, and his eyes grew bright, though it was not a whole lot, he could tell that his strength had truly increased.

“Andrew, what’s with you?” Miles asked curiously, why had this guy just stopped eating after one spoonful and was now clenching his fist for no reason?

“Have none of you noticed? The [Juicy Burger] actually increases one’s strength.” Andrew looked at the people around him, then pointed at the [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] and said, “also, this [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] has the ability to reduce fatigue, it’s just too magical.”

“En?” the rest of them were surprised, though they had felt a little odd after eating the [Juicy Burger], none of them had really noticed the changes. They all clenched their fists experimentally and, would you believe it? There was an actual, if slight, increase in strength.

[Tang]

At the light chime of spoon against an empty plate, Bernice found herself looking down at a perfectly clean plate. She licked her lips and looked up at the rest of the table with a face that was fairly brimming with happiness. “I think, we may see a new Top 3 candidate, it’s only a matter of time. This [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] is the most wondrously delicious food I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

“As for me, I still like the [Juicy Burger] a bit more. There’s something really satisfying about feeling meat juice gush out when you bite into the burger. Though I must say that [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] really is incredibly delicious.” Andrew said as he scooped more fried rice into his mouth. As he ate, he could feel his fatigue disappearing.

“Well, since you put it that way, I must try this [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] too.” Miles said with a smile.

The others also ordered the fried rice, and the table soon fell silent as they sank into a delicious haze. While each had different thoughts about the rice, even a casual onlooker could tell that they really enjoyed it.

Mike carried over a takeaway box of [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] for Wayson Neo, who had already eaten two portions of the fried rice.

“Boss Mike, your [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] is really effective.” Wayson Neo’s face was flushed with energy and happiness as he flashed his thumb at Mike. He was truly ecstatic, delicious taste aside, he felt quite energetic after his meal.

Even the those medicines and folk cures he used to take did not offer such immediate effects, moreover, it had to be taken over and over again. The backlash from those weird medicines was part of the reason he was so weak and seedy now.

However, this [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] was just too amazing, he could feel himself getting more alert the more he ate, and could actually feel it nourish his half crippled body as it slowly recover. It was almost like spring had come to him, he was a sprout, a bud poking out of the soil after a long drought. If he was not limited by the capacity of his stomach, he would be tempted to eat another plate of rice then and there.

“Wish you luck.” Mike received the gold coins with a smile.

“Hah, tonight, I’m not stopping until that old lady of mine beg for mercy!” Wayson Neo received his takeaway box and confidently strode out the door.

Mike could only shook his head, this little brother had it tough, hopefully he’d be able to make it to the restaurant for dinner tonight.

“Boss Mike, Amy will be starting her classes with me tomorrow, I shall let you know where we’ll be having our classes tonight.” said Klaus as he settled the bill with Mike.

“Very well, thank you for your hard work.” Mike said with a little smile. No matter what, Klaus was still Amy’s master, and he should treat the man with respect. Moreover, he was almost the master of the elf princess.

Vaguely, Mike wondered what these grandmasters would think if they knew that this little girl was the daughter of the elf princess they tried so hard to recruit all those years ago.

“Goodbye, little Amy.” Klaus waved at Amy.

“Goodbye, Master Halfsies Beard.” Amy waved her hand energetically.

Julian also stood up, leaving the exact amount of money on the table for his meal.

“Looks like Amy had properly inherited all her magical talents from her mother. I wonder if she’ll have any interest in swordsmanship?” Mike thought as he escorted both Klaus and Julian to the door. It was a question worth considering, even though he could no longer lift a sword, he still have quite a lot of knowledge of swords and swordsmanship technique left to him from Michael.

“Check please,” Andrew called out to Mike.

“The total for one [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] and one [Juicy Burger] is nine gold coins. Will you be paying together, or will you have separate checks?” Amy hopped down from her tall stool, her her little hand at them. Collecting money was already old hand with the job and was had become very skilled at it.

“Ah, so Amy is our little cashier. Well now, we’ll be paying separately, it’s something that we’ve always done.” Bernice reached into her money bag, fished out 9 gold coins and pressed them into Amy’s hand. She rubbed Amy’s head and smiled cheerfully, “Next time when auntie comes over I will bring you a little flowery apron.”

“Thank you Flowery Apron Auntie.” Amy said happily.

The others had no objections, they’ve always paid by separate checks whenever they ate out together. After paying for their own share, they all stood up and made their way out.

“Boss Mike, you’re a true genius. You might have actually ushered in a new kind of cooking into this world.” Miles stopped before Mike to give his passionate opinion.

The group of owner chefs who were about to leave all looked back at Mike, they were all in agreement. The food provided by Mickey restaurant was a like a revelation to them. A star of chaos or opportunity that completely disrupts the fixed idea of what delicious cuisine was.

“I’m really just a regular chef.” was Mike’s serious reply to Miles.

 

[Gumihou: I hope things stay nice and wholesome like this, although I’m looking forward to the impact of the Beancurd]

  ^_^

Translated and edited by Gumihou from kitchennovel dot com.

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