Chapter 139 - 139 0139 Full of Color Aroma and Flavor

Words : 1293 Updated : Sep 26th, 2025

139: Chapter 0139: Full of Color, Aroma, and Flavor 139: Chapter 0139: Full of Color, Aroma, and Flavor Ye Qiu’s knife skills dazzled Ye Xue and Li Qianqian. The two women believed that if Ye Qiu didn’t practice frequently, there was no way he could have achieved this level of expertise. Ye Xue knew her brother too well. Although Ye Qiu often helped at the congee and noodle shop before his car accident, there was rarely a need to cut so many different types of meat and vegetables there. So, the idea that Ye Qiu mastered his knife skills at the shop seemed unlikely to both of them. After Ye Qiu had prepared all the meats and vegetables, he began to make his first palace dish. It consisted of 2 pounds of premium pork belly, one bunch of scallions, five slices of old ginger, two tablespoons of Shaoxing yellow wine, two tablespoons of salt, two tablespoons of rock sugar, one tablespoon of red yeast rice, and so on. The first dish Ye Qiu made was the most famous cherry pork from Jiangnan. This dish was a type of braised pork, but once finished, it would be glossy red in color, exquisitely beautiful, and would melt in the mouth, offering an exceptionally delightful taste. It was one of the most renowned dishes among palace cuisines. According to the original chefs of this place, they could only make simple braised pork and not cherry pork. Since time was tight, Ye Qiu had to simultaneously prepare other dishes. There were eight chefs here, which meant eight dishes could be cooked at the same time. In Ye Qiu’s case, he was single-handedly cooking eight dishes at once. Besides the Jiangnan cherry pork, the other dishes were made according to the remaining ingredients. In less than half an hour, Ye Xue and Li Qianqian started to smell the fragrant aromas wafting through the kitchen. It smelled amazing. The moment the first dish, Jiangnan cherry pork, was ready, Ye Xue and Li Qianqian could hardly believe their eyes. They felt they had never seen such a beautiful braised pork in their lives, but how would it taste? “I want to eat it,” Li Qianqian said. “Go ahead and try it,” Li Qianqian picked up a piece with a bowl and chopsticks, blew on it to cool it down, and put it into her mouth. As she slowly savored it, she found that it truly melted in her mouth and didn’t have a greasy or oily feel. It was absolutely delicious! Ye Xue also took a piece and found it extremely tasty. Since Ye Qiu had just finished a plate, he placed it on the table and let Ye Xue bring it out, but it wasn’t time to eat yet. Ye Weidong, Chen Fang, and the original waitresses, chefs, back-office staff, and two cashiers were sitting around, chatting on their phones, not knowing how long it would take Ye Qiu to finish the dishes. When they saw Ye Xue bring out the first dish, they were already drawn in by the aroma and immediately gathered around. Fragrant! Extremely fragrant! The aroma alone, combined with the appearance of the cherry pork, made their mouths water. It appealed to all senses. “Ye Qiu said it’s not ready to eat yet,” Ye Xue said. Chen Fang and Ye Weidong had no choice but to wait. As more dishes were gradually brought out, almost every dish looked as remarkable as the cherry pork. They thought Ye Qiu was truly a culinary genius, being able to turn leftover ingredients into such masterpieces. No wonder Ye Qiu had remarked that their cooking was terrible the other day. “How many dishes are left?” Ye Weidong asked. “Almost done, just two more soups,” By now, Ye Qiu had prepared more than ten dishes, using up all the remaining meat and vegetables in the fridge, and every dish looked unique. The entire dining area was filled with an enticing aroma. When Ye Qiu finished the last two dishes and soups, he had Ye Xue bring everything out. Although the two women had already tasted quite a bit in the kitchen, they still felt they hadn’t had enough. With all the dishes finally brought out, Ye Qiu’s family, Li Qianqian, and the staff, a total of more than ten people, sat down around two dining tables. When Ye Qiu invited them to start tasting, all the chefs, back-office staff, waitresses, and the two receptionists began eating heartily. They felt it was the best meal they had ever had in their lives. Ye Qiu watched them while occasionally taking a bite himself. He thought it was decent, but compared to what he had in the Heavenly Court Imperial Medical Bureau, it was far inferior. After everyone finished, even scraping up the remaining sauce, the chefs felt there was more they could enjoy. “Now this is authentic palace cuisine. What you made before wasn’t even fit for dogs. No wonder the business here was so poor,” Ye Qiu said coldly, looking at the chefs who were picking their teeth. These chefs knew their skills were far behind Ye Qiu’s, but if the restaurant’s food matched Ye Qiu’s level, there would be no worry about business. However, Ye Qiu did not plan to keep cooking. He planned to teach a few people who would then take over the cooking. “Mr. Ye, Boss Ye, will you be the one cooking from now on?” One chef asked. “I don’t have the time. From now on, my father, mother, and sister will manage this place. I will teach you the cooking skills. However, you need to sign a lifetime contract and a confidentiality agreement,” Ye Qiu said. The chefs understood that with Ye Qiu’s skills, learning just one or two dishes from him would ensure their success at other top hotels. But signing a lifetime contract and a confidentiality agreement meant they couldn’t work anywhere else. Seeing the calculating looks in their eyes, Ye Qiu knew what they were thinking. “That’s all for today. For now, the place will undergo renovation inside and out. You can take a break. Next month’s salary will still be paid but at the minimum wage,” The chefs, waitresses, back-office staff, and the two receptionists were surprised. Not only did they get to enjoy a great meal, but they also got a long break. However, they were unsure how long the renovation would take. If it took two to three months, the minimum wage wouldn’t be enough to live on. Soon, only Ye Qiu, Ye Weidong, Chen Fang, Ye Xue, Li Qianqian, and two chefs who wanted to ingratiate themselves with Ye Qiu and Ye Weidong remained. “Dad, you need to contact the renovation team. My design should be ready in two days. As for the materials, we will purchase them ourselves, then they can follow the blueprints to renovate,” “I understand,” Ye Weidong said. The dishes Ye Qiu had just prepared had given Ye Weidong a great deal of confidence. He believed that if the restaurant served dishes as good as those Ye Qiu had just made, they wouldn’t have any trouble attracting customers. With nothing else left to do, Ye Qiu needed to go and pick up Liu Lingxiu, who had just finished her exams, and bring her home for dinner. “Dad, Mom, Lingshow’s exams will be over soon. I need to go pick her up and bring her home for dinner,” Li Qianqian was most annoyed when Liu Lingxiu was mentioned in front of Ye Qiu. Now Ye Qiu brought her up again, and though it wasn’t aimed at her, she still felt quite displeased.

Chapter 139 - 139 0139 Full of Color Aroma and Flavor

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