Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots -
Chapter 1182 - 091 Jealousy (Ten Updates)
Chapter 1182: 091 Jealousy (Ten Updates)
Cheng Yuexiu and Guo Mei, one peeling shrimp and the other picking out fish bones, gazed at the overflowing delicacies on her table, all salivating and anxious. Not to mention the abalone and shark fin, even those ordinary fish and large shrimp were not something they ate every day back at home!
Lin Yuan glanced at the dishes before her and shook her head slightly, inwardly critical. All the ingredients were of excellent quality, it was just that the preparation was a bit excessive. What could have been blanched in clear water was instead fried, saturating the original flavor of the ingredients with oil.
However, the presentation of the dishes was indeed very well-matched, with a good mix of meat and vegetables, and even fruits. Just look at those large apples on the table, sweet as if they’d been filled with rock candy syrup, particularly delicious.
But, it would have been better if the apples had been peeled in advance rather than having a small knife placed in front of each person for them to cut their own.
As she was thinking, Lin Yuan heard Yao Hanai, who was sitting in the seat of honor, suddenly let out a light laugh and turn towards her, "Miss Lin, I’ve heard that when you were in Zhuma Town, you were managing several restaurants with great business. Surely, Miss Lin’s culinary skills must be excellent as well?"
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and instinctively glanced at Su Qiu Yu, and, as expected, saw her gaze flicker slightly; it didn’t take much thought to know that Yao Hanai was echoing what she had said.
"Miss Yao is too kind. My culinary skills can’t be counted as such, they just barely scratch the surface of cooking," Lin Yuan was no fool; Su Qiu Yu wouldn’t praise her in front of others. Since they had brought up culinary skills, it surely wasn’t anything good.
As expected, Yao Hanai let out another light laugh and said, "Miss Lin, don’t be modest. We have all heard that your cooking skills are exceptionally good, even Princess Anle couldn’t stop praising you! She even said that not even the chefs from the Imperial Kitchen could match you!"
They were comparing her skills to those of Imperial Kitchen chefs, what generous praise indeed!
With Yao Hanai’s remark, many people who were conversing among themselves lifted their heads to look their way, both curious and eager.
Suddenly, Yao Zhilan with a pout of disbelief, was the first to speak, "Sister, I think you’re too generous with your praise. How could ordinary folks be compared to an Imperial Chef? They cook for the Emperor and the Empress. How could she, a mere village girl, be compared to an Imperial Chef?"
Many nodded in agreement but didn’t express their support openly, after all, as Yao Hanai had said, these weren’t her own words, but those of Princess Anle.
Yao Hanai looked at her sister with an indulgent smile and said, "Little sister, don’t spout nonsense. These words, after all, were spoken by Princess Anle herself!"
Yao Zhilan’s mouth curled up, still obviously skeptical. However, her eyes shifted as she cleverly thought of a good plan.
"Whether Miss Lin’s cooking skills are indeed better than those of the Imperial Chefs, we would know if she could just prepare a dish for us, wouldn’t we? After all, many of the young ladies present have attended the palace banquets and could certainly tell at the first taste," Yao Zhilan looked at Yao Hanai with a proud air, "Sister, don’t you think my idea is good?"
Yao Hanai covered her mouth with a handkerchief, secretly thinking that her sister was indeed a great help to her, while she smiled and said, "Well, you should not be asking me this, little sister. This is a question for Miss Lin."
"That’s right," Yao Zhilan turned her head to look at Lin Yuan, raising an eyebrow, "What do you say, Miss Lin?"
"I wonder?" Lin Yuan lazily lifted her eyelids and smiled, "Miss Yao flatters me. My cooking skills are nowhere near that of the Imperial Chef. They’re quite lacking, really. It’s only because the princess is too fond of me that she would say such comforting words."
Despite the self-deprecating nature of her words, they were received with unmistakable envy.
Su Qiuyu was barely keeping her composure, almost snapping the chopsticks in her hand.
Yao Hanai’s mouth twitched, and she cast a glance at Yao Zhilan. Yao Zhilan picked up the cue and immediately said, "If the princess said it was good, it must be excellent. Miss Lin, it’s rare for us all to gather together, and it’s fate that has brought us here. So, could we trouble you to cook a dish for us? Otherwise, it would be a waste of the dining establishment you manage."
She paused, then as if she had just remembered something, added, "Miss Lin, your reluctance—could it be that the businesses of the dining establishments under your care are all for show?"
Yan Ruchun, who had been focused on her meal, suddenly perked up and glanced at Yao Zhilan.
Lin Yuan couldn’t help but admire Yao Zhilan’s foolishness. It wasn’t terrible to be used as a pawn by others, but what was truly dreadful was being unaware of it. And the worst was to fail at using the pawn effectively, only to end up sacrificing oneself.
Shaking her head secretly, Lin Yuan said, "Miss Yao is really overthinking it. I do manage several dining establishments in Zhuma Town, but I don’t see how that relates to my cooking skills. Besides, with so many chefs in your esteemed household, do you really need a young girl like me? If word of this got out, it would seem a bit..."
She left the rest unsaid, but Yao Hanai’s intelligence allowed her to grasp the implication. If Lin Yuan’s cooking happened to be mediocre, that would be one thing, but if she were actually to prepare a dish that satisfied and impressed everyone present, then the chefs of the Yao Mansion would be thoroughly humiliated! To think that the chefs of the prestigious Mansion in the Capital city would be inferior to an obscure young girl from the countryside—it would be utterly shameful!
Realizing this, Yao Hanai dropped the idea of having Lin Yuan showcase her cooking skills. Just as she was about to stop Yao Zhilan from continuing to provoke her, she suddenly remembered Su Qiuyu, who had hinted at her to do this.
A sharp look shot towards Su Qiuyu, and Yao Hanai saw her eating as if everything happening around her had nothing to do with her.
Yao Hanai became even more certain of her suspicion that Su Qiuyu wanted to see her and Lin Yuan locked in conflict, so that she could profit from it.
How clever! Yao Hanai wore a smile on her lips as she glanced at Su Qiuyu calmly, feeling a tinge of regret for her own recklessness today.
Yao Zhilan was still slyly "persuading" Lin Yuan to cook.
Finally, Yan Ruchun, who had remained silent, could take it no longer. She looked up and arched an eyebrow, cutting in, "Miss Yao the Second, do you perhaps find the cooking of your household’s chefs distasteful? If that’s the case, then send them all away. I’ve heard that last year, several elderly Imperial kitchen chefs were discharged from the palace. Once they leave the palace, they’re no longer bound by its rules and can work wherever they wish freely. If Miss Yao the Second desires Imperial cuisine, you can simply hire an Imperial kitchen chef!"
She paused, then rolled her eyes and scoffed, "And as for your suggestion that one must be able to cook if they own a restaurant, are you perhaps talking about me? My family also owns a very successful restaurant, but I certainly don’t know how to cook—not even in the least! Even if I did, it would be for my future husband, my children, my in-laws to enjoy, not for irrelevant folks like you!"
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