Chapter 277 - 167: Her Excessive Cuteness Makes the Kitchen Sparkle

Chapter 277: Chapter 167: Her Excessive Cuteness Makes the Kitchen Sparkle

"Keep those compliments coming, and I’ll make more for you all tomorrow morning," Mrs. Zhao said with a beaming smile.

After Mrs. Zhao finished making the flatbreads, Zhou Yan started to get busy braising the meat.

Mrs. Zhao and Zhao Hong peeled potatoes and lotus roots, Comrade Zhou was in charge of chopping, and Zhou Momo, having moved her little stool over, was responsible for providing emotional support from the sidelines.

"Sister-in-law, the potato peel you’re peeling is so, so long! Can we use it as a rope?"

"Mom, look, this potato is so round! It’s golden and shiny, just like Mr. Sun~~"

"Dad, why does the lotus root you’re cutting have so many holes? The potatoes don’t."

"Brother, it smells so good~~ I want some meat! Just a little piece, a tiny little piece will do."

Zhou Yan had just lifted the braised pork head from the pot. Seeing the little one staring at him with longing eyes, he smiled, took a knife, and sliced two pieces of the hot, braised meat, placing them on a small dish for her.

"Thank you, Brother~~ You’re the best!" Zhou Momo happily carried the plate back to her little stool and continued to supervise the work.

She was small, but she really knew how to praise people, providing emotional support in spades.

The kitchen filled with happy chatter and laughter, making the once tedious work seem much more lighthearted and enjoyable.

...

「In the back kitchen of Feiyan Restaurant.」

Li Liangcai walked into the back kitchen, a new magazine held in his hand behind his back.

"Li."

"Master."

In the kitchen, the prep cooks and chefs busy with their work all greeted him respectfully when they saw him.

Li the Third, who was off to the side teaching his apprentice how to fry scallion oil, turned at the sound. Upon seeing Li Liangcai, he immediately plastered a smile on his face and walked over. "Master, what brings you here today?"

"I haven’t been here in three days. I was passing by today and thought I’d drop in," Li Liangcai said, looking at him. "Have you been cooking yourself lately? Has your craft gotten rusty?"

"I have! Of course I cook every day!" Li the Third bobbed his head emphatically, looking at Li Liangcai with some nervousness. "Master, not only do I cook, I also teach my apprentices every day. I’ve been very diligent."

Li Liangcai’s gaze swept over the grand-apprentices behind him. The whole group immediately turned away and busied themselves—one wiping down a cutting board, another polishing a cleaver, and yet another sorting vegetables.

"So, when is one of your apprentices going to be featured in *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine?" Li Liangcai asked.

"Huh?" Li the Third was stunned. He stammered, "Master, you haven’t even been featured yet. How could it be my turn?"

Li Liangcai’s face darkened. "Which foot," he said grimly, "did you lead with when you entered the kitchen today?"

"My left... my left foot?" Li the Third said hesitantly.

WHACK! A magazine slapped him on the head. "How many times have I told you? You lead with your right foot when you enter the kitchen!"

Li the Third: ?

’Wait, had Master really taught him that?’

’But what could he do? In the end, whatever the master said, went.’

’When others called the man Li, it was out of respect. When he did it... it was because Li Liangcai was literally his uncle.’

"I understand. I’ll be sure to lead with my right foot next time," Li the Third said pitifully. He suspected his master had been provoked at Second Master Kong’s culinary exchange the day before.

’How could their Li Family possibly compare to the Kong Sect?’

’Back in the day, the Three Prodigies of the Kong Sect were renowned in Jiazhou, all of them big names in the Sichuan Cuisine World.’

’Now, only Kong Qingfeng—Second Master Kong—remained of the three. But among the second-generation disciples, Fang Yifei and Song Bo were gaining fame, Xu Yunliang had also become a First-level Chef, and even the least talented, Xiao Lei, was a Second-level Chef.’

’As for the Li Family... he himself was the only presentable one as a First-level Chef. He had two junior brothers who were Second-level Chefs, but their skills were still noticeably inferior to even Xiao Lei’s.’

"Master, as chefs, we shouldn’t care too much about fame. You’re the one who told me that back in the day," Li the Third said, trying to console him gently.

"Xiao Lei’s apprentice just got a feature in the latest issue of *Sichuan Cuisine*, and his Kneeling Beef is on the cover." Li Liangcai flipped the magazine in his hand and shoved the cover right in Li the Third’s face.

"What?!" Li the Third’s voice suddenly shot up an octave, almost turning into a shriek.

The kitchen suddenly fell silent as everyone turned to look in surprise.

From outside the kitchen, three heads suddenly poked in.

Huang He, Zhao Shulan, and Huang Ying all looked completely bewildered.

"What?"

"Who?"

"Zhou Yan?!"

Huang Ying had ridden her bike back from Suji, showered, and changed before coming to the restaurant to hang out with her mom and dad.

She had come in right after Li and was just about to say hello when she heard the explosive news.

Li had been the top dog in Feiyan Restaurant’s kitchen during the previous generation. After he retired the year before last, his apprentice, Li the Third, took his place.

Huang He stepped forward, greeted Li Liangcai, and took the magazine from his hand. Looking at the glossy cover, he saw the clear-broth beef in a Blue and White Porcelain Bowl—wasn’t that the exact Kneeling Beef that Zhou Yan made?!

"It’s Kneeling Beef! No doubt about it," Huang Ying nodded with certainty. Huang Bing loved Kneeling Beef so much that he had to order it every day, sometimes even two servings. She was already getting tired of it and would only eat it every other day.

As the restaurant’s operator, Huang He knew exactly how much weight *Sichuan Cuisine* carried. He’d just been scouring its pages a short while ago, looking for a master of braised dishes.

The chefs featured in this magazine were all of an extremely high caliber, usually older, and most were already famous in their own right.

He had heard that Second Master Kong of Le Ming Restaurant was going to be in the magazine, and he hadn’t slept well for the past two days, worried that Le Ming Restaurant would steal the spotlight and impact business at Feiyan Restaurant.

Who could have imagined that before Second Master Kong even got his feature, Zhou Yan—someone from the grand-apprentice generation—would get in first?

Huang He flipped to the two-page spread on Zhou Yan, his heart a whirlwind of emotions. ’This young man is just too incredible! Why couldn’t I manage to hire him for Feiyan Restaurant!’