Chapter 882 - The Sixth Flavor of The Spicy Boiled Fish (1/2)

For a moment, Little Zhao turned into the center of attention. Master Cheng was staring at him, Cao Zhishu was staring at him, and even Meng Meng was curiously looking at him. She was, after all, the witness of Master Cheng’s numerous attempts to become Yuan Zhou’s disciple yet still being refused.

If that chef with the surname Cao wasn’t lying, then what made this young chef called Little Zhao worthy of catching Boss Yuan’s attention?

Of course, everyone enjoyed being the center of attention, Little Zhao included. But this was definitely not the type of situation he should gain so much attention. Looking at Cao Zhishu’s encouraging gaze, Little Zhao felt like killing himself.

In truth, Little Zhao no longer dared to speak the truth at this point. He could only brace himself and spoke, “That was when both I and Head Chef Yuan worked in a three-star hotel. I was the sous-chef, and I learned a lot there.”

As an odd-job worker, Yuan Zhou was an extremely quick dishwasher. Therefore, Little Zhao convinced himself that he had learned how to wash dishes quickly from Yuan Zhou. That could be considered as having “learned a lot” as well.

Master Cheng snorted and muttered, “How lucky.”

Since Cao Zhishu was trying to maintain his politeness, he tried his best to control his facial expression. But a trace of smugness had still crossed his face. After patting Little Zhao’s shoulder, he started muttering. It looked like he was talking to himself, but he was, in fact, talking to Master Cheng.

He said, “Little Zhao’s foundations in cooking are truly decent. After all, he is a person who had once learned from Head Chef Yuan when he was young.”

As for Meng Meng, she had already came up with an entire story. Little Zhao had been learning from Boss Yuan. And after Boss Yuan left, he did not have anything else to learn. Thus, he left and ended up under the wing of his current master.

Little Zhao forced a smile onto his face. Inwardly, he was feeling bitter, but he did not voice that out.

Since Cao Zhishu gained an advantage out of his squabble with Master Cheng, he no longer bothered bickering with Master Cheng and focused on looking at Yuan Zhou as he cooked.

But Yuan Zhou’s cooking speed was very fast. By the time he looked over, Yuan Zhou had already kept his pot away and was preparing the rice.

“Head Chef Yuan sure is fast. It has only been about five or six minutes,” Cao Zhishu lamented after he checked the time.

“Of course,” Master Cheng remarked proudly.

“Not like I’m praising you,” Cao Zhishu replied.

“Since Boss Yuan needs to cook many dishes every single day, he has to cook quickly yet making sure each dish is delicious,” Meng Meng muttered silently.

“Making Spicy Boiled Fish so quickly? Does he think he’s cooking some vegetables?” Little Zhao berated inwardly.

Master Cheng remained silent and ignored Cao Zhishu. He continued looking at Yuan Zhou, preparing to help.

But Yuan Zhou did not seem to require any help this time. He personally carried the tray with the dishes over.

“Your Spicy Boiled Fish and plain white rice. Enjoy your meal,” Yuan Zhou said.

“Thank you, Head Chef Yuan,” Cao Zhishu said.

“You’re welcome,” Yuan Zhou said before he stood still, looking at Cao Zhishu waiting for him to eat.

That’s right. Yuan Zhou would always observe someone in this manner. Since this was an exchange, he would seriously observe the reaction of the customer.

“This dish is good in both smell and looks,” Cao Zhishu said.

That’s right. Anything Yuan Zhou cooked would always look presentable.

For example, this Spicy Boiled Fish was placed on top a fish-shaped pot with a pointy bottom where the belly of the fish rested. Markings of aquatic plants could be seen on the bottom of the pot.

And on top of the pot, the opened back of the fish could be seen. The tender meat of the fish was exposed, every part of it was sparkling and translucent with a red gloss of the chili oil on it. Some green chopped onions and tiny slices of garlic were sprawled all over it as some sort of decoration. Naturally, some dried chilies had been added as well.

Even now, the gravy was still boiling. That was the result of the heated oil being poured on the fish. The heated oil created a dense smell that wafted through the air, causing everyone to start salivating.

“Head Chef Yuan is quite meticulous in terms of dish decoration,” Cao Zhishu was a person with profound cooking skills. Even after smelling such an alluring aroma, he did not start eating. Rather, he leaned back before he gave a remark.