Tao Wanniang had assessed Zhao Yongsheng's culinary skills and determined that he was qualified to be a head chef. Since the goal was to compare their abilities, the same dish would best demonstrate their skill level.
"We have a guest, Zhao Yongsheng. Come with me to the kitchen." Tao Wanniang called Zhao Yongsheng to the kitchen as soon as the guest entered.
"Use whatever you like here. I'll have someone check if they're regular customers. If they are, you can cook the dishes they order today and let the customers judge whether today's dishes are better or the ones they ate before. Then we'll know who's better," Tao Wanniang said lightly.
"You make it sound so easy. It's the most unfair thing to use the customers to judge. What if the customer liked the previous taste? Does that mean I'm not as good as you?" Zhao Yongsheng retorted.
"Didn't you say you wanted a competition? Then tell me, how can it be fair?" Tao Wanniang retorted. "Oh, didn't anyone tell you? I own the majority of this restaurant. I'm the manager, and I cook for the customers myself!"
Zhao Yongsheng was taken aback. Wasn't this the restaurant in Prince Rui's mansion? But seeing Tao Wanniang's appearance, he stubbornly said, "Alright, then we'll do as you say."
Everyone else in the kitchen watched Tao Wanniang and Zhao Yongsheng talk quietly, and went about their work in silence.
When the waiter came over with the menu, Tao Wan Niang casually asked if she was a regular customer.
"Yes, sir," the waiter replied immediately. "He's a long-time member who brought a business friend with him."
"Okay, I understand!" Tao Wanniang took the menu and handed it to Zhao Yongsheng.
"What does 'May you have abundance every year' mean?" Zhao Yongsheng asked Tao Wanniang, looking at the menu.
Sweet and sour carp.
"Rising steadily higher?"
"Fried pork ribs with soy sauce flavor".
"May you be blessed with good fortune!"
"Homemade soft tofu".
Zhao Yongsheng and Tao Wanniang had a question-and-answer session about the names on the menu. Finally, Zhao Yongsheng chuckled. "Fancy! Light the fire, heat the pot..." With that shout, he started cooking.
Her wok-tossing skills looked like they'd been around for years. Tao Wanniang didn't argue with Zhao Yongsheng. When other dishes came over, she started cooking as well.
"Look, who's more capable?" Liu Yueniang leaned closer to Wang Hongyu and asked in a low voice.
"I had no idea," Wang Hongyu said with a wry smile. How could she possibly know?
As the two of them started cooking, the kitchen became busy. Zhao Yongsheng finished cooking one dish after another. Suddenly, he saw that Tao Wanniang had also made a home-style soft tofu dish, so he called out, "These two dishes are the same. Why don't I have a taste first?"
"Please go ahead," Tao Wanniang readily agreed.
Zhao Yongsheng tasted his own, then tasted Tao Wanniang's. His brows furrowed and then relaxed. He smacked his lips and looked at Tao Wanniang, saying, "It's about the same."
"Serve the food!" Tao Wanniang didn't bother arguing with Zhao Yongsheng about such a trivial matter as tofu. She was the manager, and it was her kitchen. Regardless of whether Zhao Yongsheng won or not, she would ultimately be in charge. She didn't need to tell Zhao Yongsheng that directly!
After watching his own dishes being taken out, Zhao Yongsheng began to watch Tao Wanniang cook. Sometimes he couldn't help but frown, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he held back.
"I'll go out and take a look." Zhao Yongsheng felt it was about time, so he took off his apron and went out.
Shandong Luneng was seeing off a group of guests when they turned around and saw Zhao Yongsheng, which startled them.
"Chef Zhao, what are you doing?"
"Is Tao really the head manager of this restaurant? Does she own more than the Prince Rui's mansion?" Zhao Yongsheng asked in a low voice.
Luneng nodded and whispered, "Yes, we all get paid wages, but Manager Tao gets paid from the restaurant's profits."
Zhao Yongsheng frowned. The Prince Rui's Mansion hadn't told him about this, but when he thought about how Tao Wanniang cooked all the dishes in this restaurant by herself, he realized that the food was just as good as his own.
"You know why I couldn't make it in my old place, right?" Zhao Yongsheng asked again in a low voice.
"I've heard that you don't like people interfering in your kitchen," Luneng replied.
“No, I don’t like incompetent people bossing me around in my kitchen, but if they are really capable, I don’t mind!” Zhao Yongsheng said calmly.
Shandong Luneng was taken aback at first, then nodded admiringly at Zhao Yongsheng, thinking to themselves, "Indeed, those who know when to yield are the wise ones!"
"Manager Lu, where are these guests? If they enjoyed their meal, could you please tell me how the dishes were?" Zhao Yongsheng asked, finding the menu he had prepared.
Shandong Luneng was puzzled, but could guess what was going on, so they tentatively asked, "Did you prepare this table?"
"That's right, it's me. Manager Tao asked the guests to judge whether my skills are better than hers. I think we are about the same, but a good man doesn't compete with a woman!" Zhao Yongsheng said to himself, trying to comfort himself.
Luneng couldn't help but take another look at Zhao Yongsheng. Although he was not good-looking and short and fat, he seemed quite interesting!
"Don't worry, Chef Zhao, as long as the guests enjoy their meal, that's all that matters," Lu Neng said with a laugh.
Just then, the waiter came over to get the menu, saying that the customers wanted to pay the bill, so Luneng took Zhao Yongsheng with him.
"Master Yao, how do you like today's dishes?" Lu Neng asked with a smile.
"It's not bad, but did they change the chef? This 'Year After Year Abundance' fish dish seems a bit sweeter than the previous one."
"You're truly impressive, sir. You can even taste such a slight difference," Lu Neng said with a slight smile. "What do you gentlemen think of the other dishes?"
"Not bad, quite good, especially the 'Starry Night' dish, it's absolutely delicious." The speaker was another customer at the same table, who looked like he hadn't had enough of the food.
That's a spicy and sour mixed pearl soup. Zhao Yongsheng muttered to himself, "This name is so weird, it's hard to tell what it is."
"Yes, this dish is better than the previous one, but as for the 'Rising Step by Step' version, I think the previous one was better." Master Yao spoke with great confidence. "Manager Lu, the chefs at your Zhaixinglou Restaurant are truly skilled!"
"That's right. If our Zhaixinglou Restaurant weren't so impressive, how could we keep such a distinguished guest as Master Yao?" Lu Neng was very adept at dealing with guests. In the midst of their conversation, he had already collected the bill for the meal and made sure the guest left the restaurant feeling comfortable.
"So, things are really neither here nor there between us!" Zhao Yongsheng murmured. "Fine, let her win!"
Shandong Luneng also admired Zhao Yongsheng's self-talk and said with a smile, "Chef Zhao, then..." Luneng made a gesture of invitation.
Zhao Yongsheng went to the kitchen and saw Tao Wanniang busy. He said to her, "The names of your dishes are a bit fancy. If you want me to cook, you have to let me know what these dishes are first."
"Ruyue, you should explain this properly to Chef Zhao!" Tao Wanniang instructed her apprentice Tang Ruyue. "Chef Zhao, take a good look at it and get started as soon as possible."
Tao Wanniang likes people who are sensible and capable. Zhao Yongsheng has probably thought things through after his trip and decided who should be in charge of the kitchen!
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