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As an outsider, Xia Yu saw everything clearly.
He had tasted the dish and could rate it as quite delicious.
So, he could conclude that these three guys were clearly up to something—whether it was extortion or some other purpose, their motives were impure.
Blame only lay with the middle-aged chef's lack of experience.
"You think your word is enough? I only trust the inspectors from the Food Association!" The troublemaking bald diner shouted at the young boy who hadn't even grown all his hair yet.
"Alright."
Xia Yu ignored this guy, brought the plate to the two female Chinese tourists, winked at them, and said in standard Mandarin, "Ladies, could you give me a hand by tasting this dish and giving your most honest opinion?"
"Oh, by the way, if you're satisfied, please say it out loud in English—"
Hearing someone speaking Mandarin in a foreign land, especially during such an unexpected event, the two female tourists snapped out of their daze, exchanged glances, and nodded in agreement.
One picked up chopsticks, and the other a fork, each took a piece of the well-cut beef. As they chewed slowly, there was no painful expression from eating something bad; instead, there was a little pleasant surprise.
The round-faced, cute female tourist put down the fork and said, "It's delicious!"
Saying this, she suddenly recalled Xia Yu's earlier reminder, turned to the middle-aged chef of the restaurant, gave a thumbs-up, blushing, and repeated, "Delicious!"
"Tasty!"
The other lady also gave her opinion. Though not as exaggerated as her companion, the joyful smile on her face couldn't lie.
The middle-aged chef at the restaurant froze, and the troublemaking diners exchanged glances.
"You see…"
Xia Yu spread his hands. "These are two Chinese tourists. If you don't believe their evaluation, we can take the plate outside and have passersby judge."
"You could even call the Food Association and have them come over," Xia Yu said, looking at the troublemaking diners, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, placing his hand on the chef's shoulder and signaling him to stay calm.
The waitstaff looked at him with respect and admiration.
Clear thinking, logical reasoning, experienced handling.
It was hard to believe he was just a teenager.
"You think I won't dare?"
The bald diner shrieked, quickly dialing, and then he deliberately turned on the speakerphone, letting the slow beeping sound out.
Cold sweat trickled down from his forehead, dripping off his chin.
The middle-aged chef reached out, seemingly wanting to plead, but the hand on his shoulder patted him. Xia Yu gave the man a reassuring look, "Trust me!"
"Sigh…" The middle-aged chef also gave up, slumping his shoulders, his face looking bleak.
Regarding the middle-aged chef's performance, Xia Yu only had one comment in mind: impatience leads to confusion.
On one hand, the middle-aged chef lacked experience, and his character tended to be weak and easily agitated, making him easy to manipulate.
On the other hand, in this parallel universe's Japan, the status of the Food Association was too high.
The current Food Association was mostly run by graduates from Far Moon, and both the inspectors and judges were professional chefs, with the government only placing a few officials to handle day-to-day affairs within the association.
Being serious and meticulous was the association's motto.
No restaurant wanted to be rated "unqualified" by the Food Association's inspectors, which could lead to a forced closure for rectifications or even the loss of the chef's license. Worse still, if the news leaked to food media, public opinion would crush them, making it impossible to reopen the restaurant or continue as a chef, cutting off their livelihood entirely, which was quite cruel.
So, Xia Yu understood the middle-aged chef.
On the contrary, he had more than a little disdain for those who exploited chefs' weaknesses and used the Food Association as a cover to bully others.
The restaurant sank into an eerie silence.
Shortly after dialing, the slow beeping turned into a busy signal with no response.
Xia Yu's lips curled. He was not surprised by this result since he had clearly seen earlier that the bald diner hadn't dialed the Food Association's complaint hotline at all.
The middle-aged chef also realized this, angrily glaring.
"You guys..."
The bald diner put away his phone, glaring furiously at the young boy who had ruined their setup. Those in this line of work had thick skins, and even though their trap had been uncovered, they had no intention of leaving. Instead, they sat there with a rogue-like nonchalance.
"We are customers!" the bald diner shouted. "We've paid, so we have the right to demand a western dish that suits our taste! Hurry up and bring another serving of Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef until we're satisfied!"
"Suit your taste? Haha, this is a public restaurant, not a private custom kitchen... However, I can agree to your request."
Xia Yu glanced at the middle-aged chef, who was wiping sweat, "May I use your kitchen?"
The chef stared incredulously, "You can cook?"
"A little bit."
"Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef is a western dish. You can make it?" this middle-aged chef, whose face appeared scholarly and clean, asked.
"I have some experience."
"Uh..."
Under normal circumstances, the middle-aged chef would have outright refused, but recalling the young boy's earlier performance, he blushed and decided to show respect to this savior. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Follow me."
"Hey!"
The bald diner and his two burly companions shouted from behind, "Brat, think it over. If your dish isn't up to standard, we'll complain to the Food Association!"
The restaurant's staff gathered to discuss, their faces full of confusion and concern.
"Oh no!"
"The chef shouldn't have agreed to that kid."
"Our chef is a student from Far Moon. Even though he hasn't graduated, his skills are strong. Why would he give the kitchen to a teenager?"
The two Chinese ladies didn't understand, seeing Xia Yu leisurely walk into the western restaurant kitchen, they exchanged looks of astonishment.
In the back kitchen.
The setup was clean and orderly, giving a refreshing feeling, without any greasy smell.
"How should I address you?" the middle-aged chef asked.
"Xia Yu."
"I am Xiazhiqiu Yingshu, pleased to make your acquaintance," the middle-aged chef politely said, surprising the two assistant chefs.
"Prepare ingredients for three servings of Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef!"
Chef of Xiazhiqiu called the two assistant chefs, then turned back to see Xia Yu at the sink, carefully washing his hands. The devotion in his expression was akin to fasting, piously ensuring no dirt was left unnoticed.
Keeping your hands clean was an essential etiquette for chefs.
Seeing this, Chef of Xiazhiqiu inexplicably felt much more at ease, thinking, "Maybe he'll give us a pleasant surprise?"
The assistants moved the beef, bacon pieces, and other ingredients, like large onions and carrots, onto the kitchen counter, all cleaned.
"Prepare another identical set of ingredients."
While donning an apron and chef's hat, Xia Yu casually instructed the two assistants.
Facing the perplexed looks of the assistants and Chef of Xiazhiqiu, Xia Yu smiled, "I'm still hungry, and the two lady tourists outside haven't eaten yet. Might as well fix that. I hope my Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef will satisfy them."
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