Chapter 146 - Correcting the Details
Chapter 146: Correcting the Details
Then, he turned around and looked at the supplier impatiently. “Who’s the one who received the payment yet deliberately caused trouble? Shouldn’t I know it better than you?”
“You only want to talk about the contract now?”
Lu Yuxi sneered and took the contract from the other party’s hands. She slammed it on the table and said, “If it weren’t for the fact that it’s my first time doing business and don’t have much experience, I wouldn’t have forgotten to add another clause. Otherwise, I would have made you pay the entire penalty fee!”
“You, you…”
“What about me?” Lu Yuxi raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. She said in a domineering manner, “You were the one who ended the deal because you did not deliver the goods. I didn’t break the contract. Luckily, I ended the collaboration with a short-sighted person like you. Otherwise, who knows how much losses I’ll suffer because of you in the future?”
The supplier was rendered speechless by Li Qing and Lu Yuxi. He could not help but curse, “No one told me that they were so difficult to deal with.” He turned around and saw Xu Le.
Xu Le was dressed simply. He raised his head and revealed an innocent look on his young face. The supplier seemed to have seen a life-saving straw and thought that the child was simple-minded and would definitely be easy to deceive. He hurriedly rubbed his hands and went forward, pleading, “Little Master Chef, we really didn’t do it on purpose. You also know that the amount of food we had that day was only enough to supply one restaurant. Moreover, didn’t you guys open for business as usual after that? It’s just a small mistake… it won’t affect our future collaboration together.”
“Mmm.”
Xu Le nodded and listened to his nonsense calmly.
“Xu Le!” Lu Yuxi said angrily, “They took bribes from Chen Yeqi and created a trap for us the other day. Now, they’re using the loophole in the contract as a threat. No matter what he says, just chase him out!”
Xu Le looked calm and collected. He took the contract and was about to read it when the man said cheekily, “Little Master Chef, can you read?”
“Yes, you don’t have to worry.”
The man said eagerly, “There’s an English label on it. I’ll translate it for you if you don’t understand.”
Xu Le took a quick look and said seriously, “I can let bygones be bygones.”
The supplier was overjoyed. Just as he was becoming happy, Xu Le continued, “The quality of the dishes you provide has dropped. They are not fresh, and the meat are all frozen products. It should not be strange for us to request for a termination of the contract, right?”
He managed to turn the situation around with just a few words. If they were to break the contract, Lu Yuxi would definitely have to pay a portion of the penalty fee. If the supplier made use of the reputation of the “eight-year-old cafeteria” to create a scene, it would definitely be troublesome.
Hence, Xu Le came up with another reason.
“W-what!”
The man didn’t react for a moment. He put his hands on his hips and laughed angrily. “Aren’t most meat supposed to be frozen? Where am I supposed to find fresh meat? Should it be flown over by air? You’re not stupid either, wouldn’t that cost a lot?”
Lu Yuxi heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Xu Le was willing to help her settle. After receiving the hint from his eyes, she immediately went to the fridge to retrieve the ingredients for that day.
“Look, isn’t what we have better than frozen meat?”
“You…” The supplier was skeptical. He checked all the meat and they were indeed fresh meet. There was not a single drop of blood in the container that was used to store it, not to mention the smell of blood.” Aren’t you making a loss by doing this? ”
“That’s the restaurant’s matters. It has nothing to do with you.”
Xu Le made a gesture for him to leave and said, “At this point, our contract has ended. Don’t pester us anymore.”
The supplier was silent. He still didn’t give up and checked the vegetables in the kitchen. They were green and tender, and all of them were of the best quality. They didn’t lose out to the ingredients of five-star restaurants at all.
“Boss Xu, aren’t you being too unreasonable by doing this? You’re deliberately forcing me to a corner. Previously, for your sake, I even found a new farmer.”
He played the emotional card and Xu Le said in a faint voice, “Yes, the quality of your ingredients is very poor. It’s time for you to change a farmer. We are about to open for business. Please leave.”
After sending him away, Lu Yuxi didn’t have time to rant before she busied herself with Xu Le for the whole day.
Every time she served the dishes out, she would hear all kinds of heartfelt comments.
“This is really amazing! How can a pot of vegetables make such a great taste!”
“What kind of exotic condiments are there inside? Why are they so different from the ones I made at home?”
“Humph! Last time, I learned how to cook according to the video tutorial provided by the little Master Chef. Now, even the braised pork has become my best dish. Aren’t you guys going to start following his account?”
“Where?”
As Xu Le became more and more famous, his influence grew. Many customers came from other places and specially visited his restaurant.
Xu Le stood in the kitchen and heard the sound of gold coins being collected in the system. He knew how satisfied the customers were with the cuisine.
It was Zhang Tong’s first day at work and he was still very reserved. Luckily, he had a strong foundation. Just by looking at it once, he could imitate 70 to 80% of the taste.
After making a few dishes, Zhang Tong wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel. He said with slight frustration, “That’s weird. I followed your steps and copied everything. Why is it not as delicious as yours?”
The dishes that Xu Le made were either refreshing, crispy, or fragrant and spicy. They were fat but not greasy. He had grasped the essence of all the dishes and brought out its flavor to produce the best delicacy.
Xu Le said, “Take the stir-fried beef you just made as an example. The beef is tender, but it will be very dry when chewed. In fact, your method is correct. It’s just that it’s more traditional so the meat still retains its original texture.”
When cooking, one had to pay attention to the heat, the texture, and the taste. Every step shouldn’t be omitted. This was precisely the key point of making different flavors with the same recipe.
For example, the word “moderate” was commonly used in Chinese cuisines. Yet, it had to be precise to every gram or milliliters. Therefore, the chefs had to study the recipes carefully.
Xu Le pondered for a while before correcting him. “You don’t have to marinate for too long after the sauce is poured. It’s fine as long as it’s smooth. Compared to what you did last time, it’s fine as long as it’s shortened by half a minute.”
Zhang Tong experimented a few times and finally came up with the exact same taste. However, Xu Le wasn’t willing to let the customers taste the dishes that were slightly poorer in taste. He said, “Let’s save it for lunch. We have new employees anyway.”
“Sure.”
At one o’clock in the afternoon, after lunch time, there were finally fewer customers. Only then did they have time to eat. Lu Yuxi had just picked up a mouthful of stir-fried beef when she couldn’t help but say, “The beef you stir-fried today has gotten tough. This is the first time I’ve seen you fail.”
Zhang Tong said awkwardly, “I made it.”
Lu Yuxi’s expression froze for a moment, and she immediately corrected herself. “Oh, oh, actually it’s quite good. It’s just that it’s slightly different from Xu Le’s cooking style.”
Two days later, the international version of the “Master Chef Competition” was finally broadcasted. Xu Tian was already waiting in front of the television.