Let's see how you handle this later.
1017 Words
"Mr. Su, what do you mean by that?"
Liu Yumin and the lobby manager looked at Su Chen, puzzled.
She knew about Su Chen and his incredible medical skills, which had cured many stubborn illnesses that even specialists couldn't handle.
Could it be that he had a way to solve this problem too?
"Ms. Liu, if you trust me, maybe I can make a dish that will satisfy the old gentleman."
In the past two years, Su Chen had been studying cooking as well. The prison warden even considered him the culinary god of the prison.
Whenever important guests visited, the warden would ask Su Chen to cook, and the results were always impressive!
"Mr. Su! You really have a way?"
Liu Yumin was surprised. She had been in Ku Jing County for several years and had never seen a young man as confident and assured as Su Chen.
He seemed humble but clearly had skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken up.
"The hotel can't make a dish that satisfies the customer right now, so I want to give it a try. If I fail..."
"Fail or not, please help us!"
Liu Yumin interrupted Su Chen. He had to make this dish.
"Alright."
Following Su Chen's suggestion, the dish had to be made with the fish he brought.
The lobby manager quickly ran to the entrance and drove the old motorcycle to the back kitchen. He still didn't understand who Su Chen really was until he saw him clean the fish skillfully.
Liu Yumin and the hotel manager personally supervised in the kitchen, drawing the attention of all the kitchen staff. Even the idle waiters came to watch.
They saw a young man in a work uniform handling the knife deftly, making a few cuts on the fish, adding some simple seasoning to remove the fishy smell, and using some common spices. Then, he placed the fish in the steamer.
"Is that it?"
"Manager Zhao, who is this guy? Is he here to mess things up?"
"Who cooks fish like this anymore? Only villagers do that."
"If this fish tastes good, I'll shave my head!"
The kitchen staff were already frustrated by the repeated returns from the customer and were now more agitated, thinking Liu Yumin had brought in a top chef, only to find it was a young man from the countryside.
This wasn't just a joke; it felt like an insult to the entire kitchen staff.
"Everyone, quiet! Mr. Su is a guest of Ms. Liu, and if it weren't for him, you'd all be in trouble today!"
The lobby manager quickly intervened, signaling the kitchen staff to calm down.
The kitchen team, feeling the pressure, realized they had to keep their cool, regardless of Su Chen's performance.
Eventually, they even started to praise Su Chen, recognizing him as their savior for taking the heat off them.
"Ms. Liu, can he really do it?"
This question came from the hotel manager, Yang Juan. She had just reassured the old gentleman, only to receive instructions from Liu Yumin that they could meet his expectations.
"If not, our hotel's reputation could be damaged."
"Don't worry. I trust him."
Liu Yumin couldn't fully explain her confidence but felt assured about Su Chen.
"Alright, let's hope he can impress. Otherwise, our hotel's name will suffer."
"Don't worry. I'll take full responsibility."
With Liu Yumin's promise, Yang Juan said no more, and everyone waited silently.
Ding.
The steamed fish was ready.
There was no overwhelming fragrance or stunning appearance, just an ordinary steamed fish.
"Mr. Su, is it ready?"
Su Chen nodded. "Yes, you can serve it to the guest."
"Alright."
Liu Yumin personally covered the dish and had a waiter bring it out of the kitchen.
She, Yang Juan, and the lobby manager all went out to hear the old gentleman's feedback.
"Kid, thanks to you, we won't get scolded badly."
This comment came from Liu Guo, a kitchen helper nicknamed "Pot Cover."
Other kitchen staff were also gleeful.
"Thanks, kid."
"You think a country bumpkin like you can take our jobs? Let's see how you handle this later."
"Don't be so harsh; at least he's taking the blame for us."
Liu Guo felt some sympathy for Su Chen and planned to give him some herbal medicine if things went badly.
Among all the staff, Su Chen found Liu Guo the most agreeable.
So he kindly explained, "I didn't intend to take your jobs. It's just that your head chef isn't here, and Ms. Liu needed help, so I stepped in. I'm just a fish seller."
"Pfft!"
"Damn! You're just a fish seller?"
"You must be kidding!"
Everyone was stunned by Su Chen's words.
Because he really showed them the fish he brought from his motorcycle.
In the private dining room, Hong Xunlong was looking at the dish seriously.
The previous dishes were either too heavily seasoned or too fishy, making them unappetizing.
But this dish was different from what he expected from a high-end hotel.
"Mr. Hong, this is a new dish from the hotel. Please try it and give us your feedback."
Liu Yumin said gently.
"Thank you, Ms. Liu."
Hong Xunlong nodded and took a bite.
As he tasted the fish, Yang Juan and the lobby manager held their breath, hoping there would be no issues.
Liu Yumin also closely observed Hong Xunlong.
"Hmm! This fish!"
Hong Xunlong didn't explain further but kept eating, finishing nearly half of the fish quickly.
Liu Yumin smiled, knowing that Su Chen's dish had passed the test.
"Mr. Hong, how is it? Does the fish meet your expectations?"
Hong Xunlong put down his chopsticks, and Liu Yumin asked.
"Excellent! The quality of the fish from Ku Jing County, with its top-notch water quality, is beyond words. I feel that my vocabulary isn't enough to praise its beauty."
"Really? Is it that good?"
Yang Juan was shocked. She had researched Hong Xunlong and knew he was extremely picky.
Even famous restaurants couldn't escape his criticism if the food wasn't up to par.
Moreover, he had never given such high praise before.
- Writer
