Chapter 240 (Part 1): Ya Zi’s Report [1]
[1] Ya Zi’s Report – Petty vengeance. The word Ya Zi is actually the name of the second son of the dragon. A dragon son that is most famous for his ferociousness. Therefore a Ya Zi’s Report is kind of like an incredibly annoying ancient China Dragon Karen reporting every tiny problem that may or may not exist. Lol!
Translated by Gumihou
Edited by Onionpi
Please read this at kitchennovel dot com
“You just watched me make this from beginning till the end, still don’t know how?” Su Nuan Nuan was in shock.
Chu Xiu lowered her head guiltily and whispered, “I still don’t know how. In fact, I think I’m even more confused now. Sister must be truly gifted in cooking. I really can’t- I’m too stupid and careless. I can’t even properly simmer a pot of chicken broth…”
“Ah, well if that’s the case, hmm, I’ll just teach you some simple soup-making techniques. Looks like complicated dishes just aren’t suitable for you. Those An Le Lou chefs are professionals, so they understood the principle of the dish immediately after a brief explanation.” Su Nuan Nuan said, cheerfully honest in her assessment of their skills. Well, it was true that some semblance of talent is needed when it comes to cooking.
Take Duan Tingxuan for example, no matter how gifted he was in his scholarly matters and martial pursuits, didn’t he set a kitchen on fire? Miss Chu came from a farming household, so I thought she must at least have some basic cooking skills, but it looks like it was all in vain.
Author White Pear Flower: Ah ah ah, when I reached this part, I suddenly thought of my own miserable cooking skills, I was so upset that tears fell from my eyes…
[Gumihou: … I’m starting to understand why goat meat is included in Nuan Nuan’s Buddha Jumps over the Wall. Reader DO NOT use goat or lamb or beef in your Buddha Jumps over the Wall]
After lunch, the group headed over to the second floor and were just in time to spot the dozen over judges wobbling out of their seats, their bellies full to bursting. One after another, the judges filed out of the private dining room, hands against the wall to keep themselves upright. When they saw Su Nuan Nuan, the judges forced pained smiles onto their faces and cupped their hands in silent salute before shuffling outside, one hand against the wall.
This unusual scene caused Su Nuan Nuan, Duan Tingxuan and others to blink in confusion. Just what is going on? Were these people suffering from a stomachache? No, people with stomachache tend to run (for toilets), but these people were just waddling about like they had all the time in the world, so, what happened?
While they were still pondering over this mysterious sight, a very cheerful Li Qiushan came out from the private dining room. The smile on his face could be described as the cat who ate the canary. No, no, that smug and self-satisfied look would better be described as a face of someone who had just ‘Avenged Himself Against a Great Wrong’. In contrast, Fu Sheng Xiang’s manager, Fatty Wang, drooped like a cabbaged left out in the frost.
“Manager Li, what happened?”
Duan Tingxuan stopped Li Qiushan to question him. The young brat cupped his hands in a salute and grinned, “My lord, there’s nothing to worry about. Manager Wang and I have received the judges’ verdict, and we are now going to explain it to the people.” With that, he accompanied Manager Wang to the balcony overlooking the crowd of people below them. At the sight of the two managers, busybodies who had been chattering with each other like a simmering pot of stew quieted down to hear the verdict.
“Elders and fellow countrymen. We, of the Fu Sheng Xiang, recognise skills and the people behind them. The skills of the great chefs of An Le Lou surpasses the chefs of Fu Sheng Xiang by a hundredfold. We embrace our defeat wholeheartedly having being bested by the best. Therefore, we, of the Fu Sheng Xiang, gladly recognise An Le Lou as the No.1 Restaurant in the World! If anyone is not happy with this declaration, you may challenge them yourselves.”
Manager Wang proved himself to be quite the man. It’s a rare man indeed to be able to accept a defeat as gracefully as he did. Look at how spiritedly he announced his loss. It was quite a contrast against his earlier, drooping cabbage countenance. However, once the announcement was made, he deflated back into his original wilted cabbage form. After losing on such a grand stage, it was no wonder that he would be so upset. Still, one has to commend him for his showmanship.
Li Qiushan smiled and cupped his hands, saluting the cheering crowd in all directions before loudly declaring, “Manager Wang is too kind, too kind. We were just lucky, Manager Wang flatters us too much. It was just a newly added signature dish our restaurant had been planning for a while now. The ‘Buddha Jumps over the Wall is certainly delicious, if I may say so myself. It contains treasures of both the mountains and the seas, incredibly nourishing and, of course, very delicious. Elders, fellow countrymen, do come and have a taste in the future.”
He had just finished speaking when the dozen over judges ambled out of the restaurant, still supporting their bulging stomachs. He laughed cheerfully and said, “Oh dear, it’s so delicious that the judges could not help but eat too much. I’m afraid everyone is so overstuffed that they can only shuffle home slowly. I do believe that this dish is just too delicious for words, don’t you think so?”
As the crowd burst into waves of laughter, Su Nuan Nuan chuckled into Duan Tingxuan’s ear, “I see, I had been wondering why that fellow hunted down two enormous wine jars. Looks like he’d been enlightened by yesterday’s dinner and intentionally made those judges go through the same experience. It looks like he’s really angry about them chumming up with Fu Sheng Xiang to kick An Le Lou’s hall. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this little brat is basically a bag full of evil intentions, ah”
“En, incredibly ruthless, I like it. Hahaha! That brat shows great promise.” Duan Tingxuan was laughing happily on the side.
In contrast, Long Pingzhang was shaking his head sympathetically, “Isn’t it too ruthless? These judges, they are all local noblemen and officials, ah. For An Le Lou to cause an entire group of local tyrants to lose face by making them gorge themselves like starving beggars at a banquet… What kind of vengeance would they harbour in their hearts, ah?”
Chu Xiu coughed delicately. She cast a careful eye at Manager Wang, whose face was blacker than the bottom of a pot, and said softly, “Young master Duan, Brother A-Niu, I believe we’re still… on the second floor of Fu Sheng Xiang. Is it really alright for you to discuss matters like this so openly?”
Duan Tingxuan, “… …”
Su Nuan Nuan, “… …”
Long Pingzhang, “… …”
Li Qiushan, “… …”
Manager Wang: ╰_╯
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Once they were out of Fu Sheng Xiang and were making their way back, the lord heir of Marquis of An Ping praised Li Qiushan for his petty mindedness and his eye for detailed revenge. Li Qiushan looked at this master in aghast and said, “But, my lord heir, I have no such petty intentions, ah.”
“Hahaha, aren’t I commending you for your act of vengeance over a minor fault? I know you went after those men with less than noble intent.” Duan Tingxuan laughed heartily.
However, Li Qiushan’s smile was bitter, “Really, ah. Lord heir, this one really didn’t go after them over any small fault. While it’s true that I deliberately planned for the judges to stuff themselves full, I wanted them to be living signboards for our restaurant. Did you not see the crowd of people below? If the common people could see the rich jaded upper crust, bored by all kinds of good food and delicacies, stuffed themselves nearly to death. How could they resist the need to find out for themselves just how delicious ‘Buddha Jumps over the Wall’ is, right?
The reason why I bought those large wine jars today is to make two enormous jars worth of ‘Buddha Jumps over the Wall’ every day. One jar will be filled with special treasures of the land and sea, to be served specially for the noblemen and aristocracy in banquets. The other jar would be served to the commoners who could not afford the price of one whole jar but could spend a small amount of money for a bowl of assorted good things which they could then take home for their wives and children. Of course, this method could only work in such a prosperous city like Lin Qing, with plenty of rich merchants eager to try new things.
If this is a poor city where the poor would be happy to have enough to eat and cloth themselves, this would never have worked. Those kinds of people find it difficult to spare money for even a luxurious bowl of hot soup, how could they afford to eat ‘Buddha Jumps over the Wall’? In fact, the average commoner here did not have a lot of money to spare, but they can still purchase one bowl for special occasions. I do think that this Buddha Jumps over the Wall has great selling points.”
Author White Pear Flower: Hohoho, looks like our Manager Li is quite a detailed person, ah!
[Gumihou: Woah, what a graceful way of accepting defeat. Gumihou salutes you, Manager Wang. *claps* Everyone, please recognise this rare species of character and give him a standing ovation.
Manager Wang: ╰_╯ ]
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Translated by Gumihou from kitchennovel dot com.
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