Capítulo 1037: Chapter 1036: It’s Time

“Here it comes, here it comes!”

“Serve the dishes…”

Outside the restaurant, customers lined up in a long queue, while inside, the diners eagerly awaited their meals. Fortunately, Chef Xia’s culinary skills had vastly improved. When he revisited the old menu of the restaurant, not only was his technique more refined, but many processes were also inadvertently streamlined and combined under his hands.

Lei Aoxue was responsible for chopping the vegetables, while Xia Yu took charge of the cooking. Although Lei, the direct descendant of the Lei Family, could no longer keep up with Chef Xia’s knife skills, she was more than capable as an assistant chef.

Holding the knife, Lei Aoxue paused slightly and glanced at the young chef who was opening the glass window of the bar to pass a steaming dish outside. Her face showed an expression of amazed realization: “Now, this person is getting closer and closer to those from the White Jade Tower and Mr. Yan, and Mr. Xia.”

What exactly was this feeling? Watching Chef Xia cook up close, Lei Aoxue couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

It was a subtle sense of harmony.

It was like an old Taoist in a mountain temple, sitting cross-legged on a stone slab, a sense of the Tao naturally emanating from them, and a glance gives an understanding: so this is the profound ‘Way.’

In fact, Lei Aoxue wasn’t the only one amazed.

From start to finish, a group of distinguished guests at the bar witnessed every moment of Chef Xia’s cooking, not missing a second, absorbing it all.

As dish after dish arrived, the restaurant was bustling, while the group at the bar was enveloped in an eerie atmosphere.

“Ahem!”

After a long while, Tiqie Xianzuowen finally shook off his tangled thoughts, lightly cleared his throat, and was the first to pick up a pair of chopsticks.

As he reached for the food, others followed suit. The dishes at the bar were different from the large plates at the tables; they had a hint of the Japanese kaiseki dining style, presented in delicate vintage dishes and bowls, with portions of rice about the size of a fist. Dishes like Moo Shu Pork, Dongpo Pork, and West Lake Vinegar Fish were like items produced on a conveyor belt, with the same portion size and plating style across the board—astonishingly consistent, even the degree of ‘exquisiteness’ was uniform!

The onlookers drew a sharp breath through their teeth.

Unbelievable.

Through a layer of transparent glass, they watched the young chef with a refreshing smile. These dishes and their presentation were all the handiwork of Chef Xia. By the time the bigwigs at the bar returned to their senses, the dishes were already laid out before them, while the plating of dishes before serving seemed to have been erased from their memory.

Aoki Motota clicked his tongue, rubbing his bald head, with a faint sheen of sweat saying, “Naturally perfect?”

Next to him, the higher-ranking individuals like Eriina, Dojima Yin, and Saito Chiyokuro had a thoughtful look.

After quite a while, Saito Chiyokuro sighed, “It’s so ‘harmonious,’ there’s not a hint of incongruity… that’s why, from a visual perspective, it’s subconsciously overlooked?”

For Tiqie Xianzuowen, whose experience and insight surpassed those present, his pupils contracted slightly, thinking to himself:

‘Silver Chopsticks Ten Wok Turn’?

This is the only explanation. Xianzuowen had a deep friendship with Mr. Xia and had heard him explain this technique before. At its highest levels, one could manage to cook ten identical, high-quality dishes at once with multiple woks, and the ‘plating’ aspects are included in this mastery.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why this banquet of conveyor belt-style gourmet food before them seemed to be stamped out from the same mold in terms of exquisiteness.

The steaming dishes were of course, incredibly delicious.

Xianzuowen’s appetite was whetted, devouring three bowls of rice, and the small dishes before him were also emptied, as the meats, fish, and vegetables transformed into an endless stream of warmth within his belly.

With a thud, the last rice bowl landed on the table. Xianzuowen set down his chopsticks, palms pressed together, while the steam rising from his head gradually dissipated, relieving the customers who had been watching from outside and taking photos. They were greatly relieved; they thought to themselves, take it easy, don’t let off too much steam, or if he suddenly drained himself, then what to do?

“The Moo Shu Pork, not bad,” Xianzuowen commented.

“This Moo Shu Pork is a dish from Shandong cuisine, specifically from Kong Mansion Cuisine,” Dojima Yin wiped the sweat from his forehead with a napkin, a peculiar red flush on his face, though one couldn’t be sure if it was due to the heat of the weather. “The ingredients are simple, just pork, eggs, and wood ear mushrooms.”

“Simple?”

At the table behind, a group of diners exaggeratedly widened their eyes. Among them, a female office worker with red lips parted excitedly, “But why have I never had such delicious Chinese cuisine before?!”

At this time, in Xia’s Restaurant, aside from a group of notable figures, there were quite a few ordinary patrons as well, either single or in pairs, making it necessary to share tables to fill them up. After all, it was a special time, and getting a dining spot was difficult to come by. Neon’s usual habits of separated meals and sitting alone were put aside.

An elderly person seated at the same table shook his head repeatedly, “It seems simple, but there are luxurious details everywhere. In any other Chinese restaurant, this ‘Moo Shu Pork’ would certainly be the signature dish, not something you could enjoy for a mere few thousand yen.”

“Like what?”

Many diners perked up their ears.

The bigwigs at the bar also looked on approvingly as the old man, full of vigor, said, “Moo Shu Pork is also called ‘Mu Xi Pork.’ What is ‘Mu Xi’? In Chinese, it generally refers to a fringe flower. Do you know osmanthus flowers? When osmanthus blooms, its shape resembles cherry blossoms: tiny, dotted, and its color similar to the yellow of eggs!”

“Oh—” a high-school-aged diner shouted, “I get it, so in this dish, the eggs look finely scrambled like osmanthus flowers, which is why it’s called ‘Mu Xi Pork’?”

A lot of the diners were bewildered: “Ah, those tiny things were eggs?”

“Can’t be.”

“I think it’s not just eggs. The eggs are fragrant, but when I ate it, my mouth felt fresh, and there was a crunchy texture…”

The old man, seeing all the guests’ attention on him, became more animated, clearing his throat and speaking with more vigor: “Of course, it’s not just eggs, otherwise, how could it be filled with luxurious details? Besides pork, wood ear mushrooms, and eggs, it also includes lily bulb slices and daylily flowers.”

This old man was clearly a food connoisseur, deliberately teasing the crowd, while also playing tricks on them.

“What are lily bulb slices?”

“Daylily flowers?”

Seeing a bunch of young folks gathered around him seeking explanation, Xia Yu chuckled quietly to himself. This old man looked generous, but was actually crafty. Hell, daylily flowers and golden needles, they’re the same thing with different names. A group of young folks seeking knowledge might stay perplexed for a while before they slap their foreheads in enlightenment, damn, the crafty old guy fooled them for years!

“Alright.”

Xia Yu said to Eriina and Sen Tian Makoto: “They’re finished eating, time to switch to the next batch of customers, we’re only operating until six this afternoon, so let’s keep the pace tight!”

Tiqie Xianzuowen watched as the young chef turned to continue working, a look of cautious contemplation in his eyes. Is it time?

Meanwhile.

On the shopping street, Si Yingshi’s white castle-themed restaurant was nearing the final stages of renovation.

A few people from Polar Star Dormitory were helping out, with Tanaka Hikari cleaning and Xingping Chuangzhen climbing a ladder with a paint bucket and brush, adding some white paint to the restaurant’s sign. Si Yingshi’s attention to detail in the renovation was as rigorous as he was in the kitchen.

“Yes, yes, paint it thinner.”

“The left side, there’s a color difference.”

“Ah, it still doesn’t feel perfect. Xingping, we might as well repaint the restaurant sign completely white.” Xingping Chuangzhen almost lost his balance on the ladder.

Hey, hey, hey, if it weren’t for the fact that senior promised him the position of head chef once the restaurant officially opened, he would have chosen to work with Master Shigong, believing there would be a place for him there too.

Xingping Chuangzhen glanced over at the handsome young man with silver hair at the bottom with resentment.

It was then that he finally noticed the unusual crowd gathering on a distant part of the shopping street. “Why did a big group suddenly gather over there?”

At this moment, Yoshino Yuuki came running up, exclaiming breathlessly, “That shop… is open for business!”

Xingping and Si Yingshi looked at each other and, in unison, asked, “Which shop?”

The paint can fell to the ground with a thud.