It was not until Tangli demonstrated his cooking skills that Ma Cheng realized the meaning of "don't judge a book by its cover".
The shopkeeper's cooking skills are obviously better than his!
Ma Cheng is a bit timid and was very cautious when talking to Tang Li, but when it came to cooking, he suddenly became talkative and asked Tang Li many questions.
He asked about many small details and then tried to cook a rice wine fish dish.
The food he made tasted good, but it couldn't compare to the one made by the shop owner. If you were a gourmet, you would be able to taste the huge difference between the two.
Ma Cheng started thinking in the kitchen.
Tang Li has seen many people who are obsessed with something and will work hard to do it well. She thinks Ma Cheng is such a person. She admires such people very much. She gave the kitchen to Ma Cheng and walked out of the kitchen.
Tangli sat on the first floor of the restaurant and continued to recruit people.
Zheng Ding had already arranged the purchases for her. After Lu Ling's people were trained, their official identities would be store workers, so she only needed some kitchen helpers.
The requirements for a kitchen helper are much lower than those for a head chef. He just needs to be clean and work efficiently.
So, the kitchen helpers were quickly recruited.
Just then, a man walked in with a swagger. He was very thin, with high cheekbones, and looked like a shrewd person.
He walked around the lobby, took a look around, and then his eyes fell on Tang Li.
"Where is your boss?" the man asked.
"It's me." Tang Li said.
"You are the owner. Your restaurant looks nice." said the man.
Tangli didn't like this person very much and didn't want to talk to him.
"Such a big restaurant must have cost a lot of money. If its reputation is ruined by a villain chef, it will not be worth it." The man continued.
Tang Li looked at him: "What do you mean?"
"What do you mean? Is Ma Cheng here with you?"
"What happened to Ma Cheng?"
"You've just arrived in Hedong County, right? You don't even know Ma Cheng's name? He's a thief who stole the recipes of my Golden Chef Ding family! The dishes he can cook are the results of our Ding family's ancestors' practice. Most of Hedong County knows that he is a shameless thief. No one will eat the food he cooks. I advise you to change a chef as soon as possible." The man said.
Tangli didn't say anything.
Ma Cheng? Stealing the recipe?
Mr. Jiang had mentioned the Ding family, the golden chefs of Hedong, to her before.
The Ding family's ancestors were once imperial chefs, their culinary skills passed down through generations, making them renowned throughout Hedong. The Ding family is a living trademark; any restaurant that hires a Ding family member as chef is guaranteed to be packed. Currently, there are two direct descendants of the Ding family, two brothers, but they are rarely hired, and at best, they are merely figureheads.
The novel briefly touches on the founder of the Ding family, the imperial chef. It's said that after eating his cooking, one feels as if they were in heaven, unable to taste meat for three months.
Mr. Jiang said that if Tangli’s restaurant wanted members of the Ding family, he had connections with the Ding family and could go and invite them.
Tang Li thanked Mr. Jiang for his kindness and did not let him ask.
The most powerful one is Ding the Imperial Chef, but no one knows how the descendants of the Ding family are doing.
Moreover, if we really invite someone so famous and arrogant, he might be treated like a master. It would be better to find someone with real talent.
Now it seems that her decision was probably the right one.
"Who are you from the Jinchu Ding family?" Tang Li asked.
"I am Ding Deren, the eldest son of the Ding family." He announced his identity arrogantly.
He felt that the young shopkeeper would be very shocked when he heard his name, and would then treat him as a guest of honor.
However, he waited for a while, but the other party did not move.
Is he so excited that he's gone crazy?
"How are you going to treat customers in this restaurant you're about to open? Why don't you even offer us a seat? You don't even offer us a sip of tea..." Ding Deren complained. Suddenly, he saw a figure and stared at it, saying viciously, "Ma Cheng, what are you doing hiding there? You little thief, you have the nerve to come work in this restaurant? Are you trying to cheat us?"
Ding Deren said righteously, "Anyway, I'm here, and I will never let you hurt anyone!"
Ma Cheng's face looked very ugly.
He originally thought that Ding Deren had let him go, but he didn't expect that Ding Deren didn't want to give him a chance to live at all!
Does he have to be forced to cut off his hands and become a beggar?
When Ding Deren arrived, Ma Cheng knew that he had lost his job.
Ding Deren is the descendant of Jin Chu and has a high status in Hedong County, and I... the shopkeeper must believe in Ding Deren!
This had happened several times before. Every time he found a job, Ding Deren would come out to interfere! And the shopkeepers didn't listen to his explanations at all, and all believed Ding Deren's words!
Ma Cheng took off his apron silently, bowed to Tang Li, and prepared to turn around and leave.
Ding Deren gave a triumphant smile.
Unexpectedly, Tang Li suddenly said, "Ma Cheng, there's still a problem with this menu. I need to discuss it with you. Where are you going?"
When Tang Li said this, Ma Cheng was stunned.
Shopkeeper Tang, do you still want him?!
The shopkeeper actually believed him?
Ma Cheng's eyes sparkled with hope.
"You little shopkeeper, I've already told you he's a thief, why do you still want him? No one will eat his food, don't seek death." Ding Deren said unhappily.
Tang Li looked at him. Her magical power had recovered to the point where she could distinguish between good and bad people. Good people were surrounded by a faint light, while those with malicious intentions were surrounded by black. The stronger the malice, the darker the light.
Therefore, she could tell the good from the bad of Ma Cheng and Ding Deren at a glance.
Tang Li really dislikes Ding Deren.
Looking at his hypocritical attitude, Tang Li wanted to slap him in the face.
"Do I have to believe everything you say? I think you are more like a frame-up." Tang Li looked at Ding Deren and said impatiently.
"You! You!" Ding Deren was almost mad at her, "I'm the heir of the Golden Chef!"
"The descendant of Chef Jin is actually framing others. It really brings shame to our ancestors." Tang Li retorted without any hesitation.
Ding Deren gasped in anger and pointed at Tang Li: "Just wait!"
After saying that, he ran away angrily.
Tang Li turned around and saw Ma Chengzheng looking at him with sparkling eyes.
Being stared at by a tall and strong middle-aged man with eager eyes, Tang Li got goosebumps.
"Ahem, Chef Ma, tell me about you and the Ding family." Tang Li said.
Although Tang Li chose Ma Cheng, she still had to find out the dispute between Ma Cheng and the Ding family, so that when Ding Deren came to cause trouble, she would be able to deal with it.
Ma Cheng nodded.
"I didn't steal the Ding family dishes I know how to cook. My master taught me!" Ma Cheng said, "Ding Deren and Ding Deyou are very unfilial. They don't care about my master at all. They left him alone in the old house with only one servant. That servant bullied my master every day. I couldn't stand it, so I helped look after him."
"Master wanted to pass on his skills to the two brothers, but they had no talent and no desire to learn. Instead, they wanted to use Master's and the Ding family's reputation to make money. Master was very unhappy because his cooking skills were not passed on. Later, Master saw that I had a natural talent for cooking and decided to pass on the skills to me."
Ma Cheng recalled that his master treated him like a teacher and a friend, and those days were the happiest days of his life.
"Master wanted to formally accept me as the Golden Chef's successor, but Ding Deren and Ding Deyou started a big fight, which made Master..." There was some gloom in Ma Cheng's eyes.
He took a deep breath and calmed his anger.
"The recognition ceremony didn't take place, and my master was so angry that he fell ill. They wouldn't let me see him, not even his last. I could only fulfill his last wish and carry forward Ding's cuisine to ensure its continued legacy. I sold the house and opened a restaurant."
"But Ding Deren and Ding Deyou turned against me, saying I stole the Ding family's recipes and was a thief, and that they had ruined my restaurant. After that, no matter which restaurant I worked for, Ding Deren and Ding Deyou would come out and accuse me of being a thief. Gradually, I couldn't find any work anymore..."
"Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't be a chef anymore, but if I don't, I'll be letting my master down and myself down..."
After Ma Cheng finished speaking, he looked at Tang Li with sparkling eyes again.
Shopkeeper Tang is the only one who believes in him and is willing to employ him.
Tangli gritted his teeth. These Ding brothers were truly shameless!
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