Chapter 533: Chapter 526: Not Bad, Not Bad

Taken aback for a moment.

Fu Yu carefully checked the task rewards.

Task level raised by one directly?

Now it’s level 9. With a little more effort and reaching level 10, he could upgrade from a junior apprentice to a mid-level chef.

By then, his system level would be higher than in real life.

After all, in real life, he’s still preparing for the junior level!

In addition to the task level upgrade, he also got a key to a practical class in duck cooking.

Fu Yu was very satisfied with this reward.

His previous experiences in the whole fish feast and whole chicken cooking practical classes had been very rewarding for him.

Once he finished the duck cooking class, he would master all cooking methods related to duck.

However, Fu Yu hesitated for a moment and decided not to attend the class immediately, planning to do it another day.

There’s also a secret mastered marinade skill.

But it’s just at the beginner level.

That means there’s room for improvement.

Although the level is a bit low, at least it’s a start.

And since it’s secret, it must be a rare cooking method that’s seldom seen.

Not bad at all.

Unexpectedly, completing a stage task earned him two cooking skills at once.

Before going to bed, he luckily received a task gift pack.

Fu Yu slept well through the night.

The next morning, Zhao Meng was on the early shift.

Although he no longer needed to accompany the purchaser for inventory counts, Fu Yu still made a point of getting up early.

Lately, he’s been diligently going to Shangshi Private Kitchen every afternoon to learn cooking.

At Qianlima, everything relied on Zhao Meng to manage.

Even though Zhao Meng had his back, others wouldn’t directly show any dissatisfaction.

Yet, Fu Yu felt apologetic and worked even harder during normal tasks.

Lately, every breakfast, as long as Zhao Meng was on the early shift, Fu Yu would rush to make it.

Fu Yu was diligent, his cooking delicious, never cutting corners.

Everyone was quite pleased with this arrangement.

Zhao Meng didn’t say much openly, but privately he’d hint at a few people under him.

Sun Qingning and Zhang Jinyu, who had been helping under Fu Yu, naturally had no complaints.

As for the other helpers, after Zhao Meng gently reminded them, any mild grievances they had were smoothed over.

After all, Fu Yu’s status in the kitchen was steadily rising.

Now, when mentioning Qianlima’s head chefs, besides Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu, everyone immediately thought of Fu Yu.

Unknowingly, Yao Yihang, who used to be on par with Fu Yu, had been gradually left behind.

For breakfast, Fu Yu checked the time and made his way to the pastry area, asking the morning shift’s helper for some refrigerated noodles.

In the back kitchen, there was old hen broth simmering overnight, perfect for making hot chicken noodle soup.

Fu Yu put the chicken breast into cold water, boiled it for two minutes, turned off the heat, and let it soak for three minutes.

Once soaked, the chicken breast was shredded, then seasoned with dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, cooking wine, and starch.

Adding a little salad oil to mix evenly, this effectively prevented sticking to the pan.

With the chicken marinating, Fu Yu began to prepare the side dishes.

Carrots were washed, peeled, and shredded, and cucumbers soaked in light saltwater, then shredded.

Oil heated in the pan, ginger slivers added until fragrant, then removed and discarded.

Marinated chicken strips were quickly stir-fried until their surface turned white, then set aside.

The leftover oil was used to stir-fry the shredded carrots, with a little salt and chicken essence to mix in.

Fu Yu had previously enjoyed crunching raw carrots.

Crunchy with a hint of sweetness.

But once he began studying medicinal cuisine, he learned something new.

Carotene in carrots is fat-soluble and only transforms into vitamin A under the influence of intestinal mucosa after dissolving in oil.

Hence, the right way is to stir-fry carrots with ample oil or simmer them with various meats.

In retrospect, many traditional recipes indeed emphasize nutritional balance in ingredients.

Fu Yu added the chicken strips back to the pan, seasoned with salt and chicken essence, stirred quickly, and served.

He filled the pan halfway with water, boiled it, then cooked the noodles until done, scooped them out, and served them.

For the noodles, Fu Yu specially steamed them beforehand for a dried aroma.

After steaming, the noodles had to be rinsed in cold water, but not soaked too long, so when added to the chicken broth, they only needed a brief boil before being scooped out again.

The number of people having breakfast in the back kitchen varied each day.

Apart from the morning shift, occasionally, someone from the night shift might come early to catch a meal.

Fu Yu intentionally cooked a large pot of noodles.

He served the noodles while calling others to prepare for breakfast.

Several helpers busy prepping ingredients brightened at this invitation.

All cheered in delight.

Fu Yu’s cooking skills were indeed admirable; even a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup looked appetizing.

Fu Yu served the noodles in large ceramic bowls, adding the old hen broth, then spreading shredded vegetables and stir-fried chicken strips on top.

The chicken was tender, the soup flavorful, noodles firm and chewy.

Despite the minimal seasoning, it tasted exceptionally delightful.

In the early morning, while the kitchen hadn’t started cooking yet, the indoor heating left a bit of chill.

One bowl of hot chicken noodle soup invigorated everyone.

Since Fu Yu prepared breakfast, the cleanup was left to the helpers.

After a busy morning, Fu Yu found a rare moment to relax, thinking of calling Liu Yuqing to check in.

Having someone around to assist with camera setup, charging, video editing, and occasionally praising his skills was truly blissful.

Especially when that person was pleasing to the eye, exactly matching his aesthetic tastes.

Moreover, an important point was Liu Yuqing’s job.

In the kitchen, the usual contacts were the runners or order takers.

Liu Yuqing was good at her job, becoming a regular was just a matter of time.

In the future, collaboration opportunities would be plentiful; building a good relationship would be beneficial.

Liu Yuqing was delighted to receive the call, chatting cheerfully with Fu Yu, sounding quite spirited.

Upon learning she was on her way to work, Fu Yu kindly reminded her to stay safe, then hung up.

The morning remained occupied with prepping, checking pickles, and various odds and ends.

But once patrons started entering, a piece of gossip spread rapidly through the restaurant!

"Did you hear? They’re promoting a new manager in the front hall. From now on, the ordering zone and dining area will each have their own manager."

Liu Yuqing, under the pretense of delivering order slips, excitedly whispered this to Fu Yu, with an air of mystery.