Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

It's definitely not because I don't have money that I don't want more.

Qiao Yiran grinned mischievously: "Hmph, is someone reluctant to order because the prices are too high?"

"Pah, pah, pah! I'm just being thrifty, okay?"

"Oh, so you're a thrifty person? I never would have guessed."

"Alright, alright," Liu Miaomiao interjected at the right moment, interrupting the two's verbal sparring. "Yi Ran, there's nothing wrong with Lu Mingfei being thrifty. We don't have big appetites, and we can't finish all that food. Lu Mingfei has already made a reservation for us, so this meal is on me."

She's a rich woman!

A rich woman is begging to befriend a powerful figure!

Lu Mingfei's eyes immediately lit up; in the past, he would have already been flattering Liu Miaomiao. But now, he's mentally an adult, so he's still a bit more reserved and composed.

Qiao Yiran's gaze swept over Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao, clicking her tongue in disbelief, her expression clearly that of someone watching adulterers. She thought to herself, "This Lu Mingfei is really strange. He said he wasn't interested in Liu Miaomiao, yet he's been chasing after her relentlessly. Men's hearts are truly unfathomable."

As the group chatted and joked, the dishes were slowly served.

Zhao Menghua craned his neck to glance at the food, but there was nothing special about it; it was just common dishes like roast duck, four-happiness meatballs, and imitation crab. It wasn't even as good as what he was eating at his own table, and his back straightened as if he were wearing a posture corrector.

I thought we'd get a really good meal, but this is all?

Zhao Menghua felt that he was capable again.

At this moment, a man dressed as a chef suddenly appeared with two waiters. After looking around, he walked towards the observation deck and stopped between Zhao Menghua and Lu Mingfei's table.

Zhao Menghua thought the man had come to see Lu Mingfei, but instead he stopped beside her.

"Honorable guest, hello." The man bowed and scraped. "I am the executive chef of this restaurant. Thank you for dining here. I see you've almost finished eating. I wonder if you were satisfied with our dishes? Is there anything you can suggest?"

Zhao Menghua was taken aback: "You're looking for me?"

"Yeah yeah."

Lu Mingfei was also taken aback. He remembered the lines the little devil had prepared for him and thought to himself, "Shouldn't the one offering the critique be looking for me?"

Actually, the executive chef really did come to see Lu Mingfei. The manager of Judequan Restaurant said that some distinguished guests had come to the table next to the grandstand and asked him to take care of them.

When the head chef saw Zhao Menghua sitting in the seat closest to the grandstand and dressed in designer clothes, he subconsciously assumed that Zhao Menghua was the customer the manager had specifically requested to take care of.

Zhao Menghua's eyes welled up with tears. He didn't know which gatekeeper he had offended today. He had been humiliated by Lu Mingfei all day and almost doubted whether people in the capital knew what a Rolex Submariner was.

Finally, someone recognized him as the honored guest, and he was instantly moved to tears, wishing he could immediately grasp the executive chef's hand and chat over drinks.

"Would you like to offer some feedback on our dishes?" The executive chef repeated what he had just said.

"Opinions?" Zhao Menghua was stunned. How was he supposed to offer any suggestions? He could talk a bit about Western food, but when it came to commenting on Peking duck, he really had no idea.

Just as Zhao Menghua was in a daze, a sharp comment inadvertently rang out from the side:

"Judequan is the originator of open-fire roast duck, so it does have a certain level of skill. However, I now prefer Dongda's roast duck to Judequan's. Although both use the hanging oven technique, Dongda roasts it by opening the cavity, which melts all the fat under the duck skin, making it less greasy."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and turned to look in the direction of the sound. They saw Lu Mingfei wiping his mouth with a napkin, shaking his head, and then... (The rest of the text is a commentary/analysis).

"The sauce is quite good, after all, it's a time-honored brand, and the recipe is a secret passed down through generations. However, if it were me, I would slightly modify the recipe and add less salt to the sauce. In the past, people engaged in more physical labor and preferred stronger flavors, so the master chef who invented the recipe would add such a high amount of salt to the sauce. But this level of saltiness is clearly no longer suitable for modern people."

Move aside, the road god is about to show off.

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Chapter 35 The Changed Timeline

No, buddy, who are you? Did I ask you?

Zhao Menghua broke down, his face turning completely red like Rambo issuing a "warning, warning," and several filthy words were already churning inside him.

If it weren't for the two pretty girls sitting next to Lu Mingfei, and his concern for his image, he would have already splashed those words onto Lu Mingfei's unfortunate face like a farmer applying fertilizer.

Zhao Menghua took a deep breath, staring at Lu Mingfei, and was about to burst like a fully inflated balloon when the executive chef suddenly took a step forward, blocking his view.

As the executive chef of Jujuquan, he has been in charge of the Jujuquan brand for four or five years now, having taken over the reins from the master chef.

He was fully aware of all the changes that had taken place in Judequan over the past four or five years.

Although to outsiders, Jujuquan is still a thriving tourist destination and is even preparing for an IPO.

But only insiders like him knew that Jujuquan was actually on a downward spiral.

The most obvious point is the decline in the quality of Ju De's dishes.

Because business was so booming, Jujuquan opened several branches in Beijing to cater to visitors from other places.

However, while a restaurant's signboard can be copied, a chef cannot be in two places at once, and the quality of a restaurant's dishes often depends on the chef.

A skilled chef can turn a hole-in-the-wall restaurant into a famous brand, while a bad chef can ruin a century-old establishment.

Due to the overwhelming number of tourists and the rapid table turnover, coupled with insufficient chef skills, Jujuquan's branches have resorted to cutting corners in their food preparation. They can no longer even guarantee that their signature roast duck will be cut into 108 slices.

In order to maintain consistency with the branches, the chefs at the head office were also required to reduce the number of steps in the food preparation process.

As the executive chef, he was unwilling but powerless to influence the opinions of the higher-ups, and could only go with the flow.

However, the capital city is full of hidden talents. If the quality of your dishes declines, other restaurants will seize the opportunity to catch up.

The "Dong Da" mentioned by the boy in front of him is one of Juju's most formidable competitors.

This young man looked quite young and seemed to be from out of town, yet he knew a lot about the food in Beijing and gave his comments with the air of a seasoned gourmet.

Executive Chef Zheng Shen decided to continue listening to Lu Mingfei's insightful opinions.

"Lu Mingfei, what does 'Minglu roast duck' mean?" Liu Miaomiao asked, her slender hands holding chopsticks, her curiosity piqued by Lu Mingfei's words.

Lu Mingfei pondered, what did Lu Mingze just say?

"Beijing roast duck is divided into two methods: open-oven roast duck and closed-oven roast duck. Ju De Quan is the originator of open-oven roast duck." Lu Mingfei spoke confidently.

"What's the difference between open-oven roasted duck and closed-oven roasted duck?"

"Besides the different fuels used, the biggest difference between open-oven roasted duck and closed-oven roasted duck is their texture. Because of the oven door, the steam is trapped inside, resulting in tender and juicy duck meat. Open-oven roasting, on the other hand, allows the steam to escape, resulting in a crispy texture."

"Yes, absolutely!"

The executive chef finally couldn't resist and interrupted Lu Mingfei and the others' conversation, his expression excited.

"I never imagined that you, at such a young age, would have so much knowledge about Peking duck in Beijing."

Lu Mingfei said embarrassedly, "Haha, I only know a little bit, I only know a little bit."

"May I ask you for a few more pointers?" the executive chef asked humbly.

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded.

The executive chef pointed to the other dishes on the table, "For example, please try this dish of mock crab and see if there are any problems. Also, please try this dish of four-happiness meatballs and give me some suggestions."

Lu Mingfei was covered in cold sweat, feeling immense pressure under the expectant gazes of the executive chef, Qiao Yiran, and Liu Miaomiao.

No, how would I know? Lu Mingze didn't tell me the lyrics.

Lu Mingfei suddenly regretted arguing with the little devil in the illusion earlier. This feeling of only half-heartedly showing off was like eating a big piece of steak and suddenly getting a piece of meat stuck between your teeth, no matter how hard you try to pick it out.

And why is Lu Mingze acting so arrogant? Haven't people online been saying that arrogance is outdated? If it's outdated, then it's time to change the character persona.

Lu Mingfei's thoughts raced, and suddenly a flash of inspiration seemed to strike him. Then, he tossed aside the napkin, sighed deeply, stared into the head chef's eyes, and said:

"I think you should focus on perfecting your signature roast duck first, instead of setting your sights too high. What's the point of making other dishes if you can't even make roast duck well?"

This statement seems reasonable, but it's actually quite empty; it's like saying everything, yet it's also like saying nothing at all.

Lu Mingfei had already read all the lines Lu Mingze had given him, and he really didn't know how to comment on them, so he said this empty and pretentious remark.

However, this statement truly stunned Juju's entire executive chef.

Yes, if your restaurant is famous throughout the country for its roast duck, shouldn't you focus on making the roast duck well before considering other dishes?

The executive chef was deeply impressed and felt that Lu Mingfei's expertise in the culinary arts was unfathomable.

Lu Mingfei noticed the executive chef staring at him, and was afraid he would ask more questions, when the executive chef said apologetically:

"Thank you for your suggestion. As you said, there are some areas where we could have done better with the dishes. I'll treat you to this meal on the house as a token of my appreciation for your guidance."

Seeing the executive chef leave, Lu Mingfei scratched his face, thinking to himself that he could get a free meal by memorizing a few lines of dialogue.

Suddenly someone gently patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder.

Turning her head, Liu Miaomiao's eyes sparkled with surprise.

"Lu Mingfei, I didn't know you knew so much about food."

Lu Mingfei scratched the back of his head, not forgetting to continue pretending to be a gourmet: "I just like to eat, and as I eat, I gradually learn about the history and culture behind the food."

Actually, only the first half of the sentence is true. Lu Mingfei does like to eat, but once it's in his stomach, it's no longer his responsibility. He's the type who takes care of eating but not excretion.

As for understanding food—even if you blindfold him, he might not be able to tell the difference between Wuhan hot dry noodles and Shaxian mixed noodles, so let's forget about it.

Those are all words from the little devil. Lu Mingfei thought to himself.

However, after today's incident, Lu Mingfei thought that he should go along with the little devil a little more in the future, otherwise, the feeling of running out of things to say halfway through a show of bragging was too uncomfortable.

"Alright, alright, now that the executive chef is gone, we can finally have a proper meal."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Mingfei, who was really hungry, reached out and touched the roast duck. He realized that it had gone cold because they had been talking for too long.

Looking around, just as I was about to ask the waiter to help heat it up, I suddenly noticed that the Zhao Mengfu table next to me was empty, and the waiter was clearing the table to make room for the next table of customers.

"Damn, they ate so fast?!" Lu Mingfei muttered.

Completely unaware that Zhao Menghua had actually turned and walked away as soon as the executive chef bypassed him to talk to him.

However, despite many unexpected events along the way, at least Zhao Menghua was prevented from flirting with Liu Miaomiao today.

But if he weren't here today, would Liu Miaomiao have accepted Zhao Menghua's invitation to share a table? Lu Mingfei pondered to himself.

If it weren't for the rumors about Liu Miaomiao, the seat-switching incident wouldn't have happened, and Zhao Menghua would have been sitting next to Liu Miaomiao.

Then, Liu Miaomiao might accept Zhao Menghua's invitation to share a seat.

It's just that because of his rebirth, all of these possibilities remain only possibilities and have not actually happened.

Lu Mingfei suddenly had a feeling.

Perhaps I unintentionally changed the course of certain things, who knows?

I worked overtime until 8:30 pm today, and as soon as I got back to my dorm, I hurriedly...