Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

"Ran-jie, Ran-jie, what should we do?"

The little girl ran over, grabbed Lin Ran's hand, and was almost crying.

"The boss said that if we can't make Western food today, we don't need to come tomorrow. But we're all Chinese chefs! We're all doomed! Waaah!"

The little girl was sobbing uncontrollably.

Where can you find a Western chef in such a large city as Yicheng?

Several burly men from the kitchen also came to the front of the house, scratching their heads and looking troubled.

"What should we do? You say we know how to stir-fry and flip dishes, but we've hardly ever seen steak or pasta made."

Everyone present fell silent. Jobs are hard to find these days. The chefs are doing alright; they can use their connections to get jobs at other restaurants.

These young women were now in a dilemma: if they lost this job, what else could they do?

Lin Ran's expression froze for a moment, her fingers hanging at her sides curled slightly, and the hint of panic in her eyes flashed by only briefly before being replaced by a calm and composed demeanor.

"Sir, you said you can cook Western food, is that true?"

She looked at Gao Yang as if grasping at the last straw, and took three steps at a time to step forward and hold Gao Yang's hand.

Gao Yang was also bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

As the most famous chef in his previous life, Chinese cuisine is definitely not a problem for him, but he still needs to figure out how to get a chance to taste his dishes.

Unexpectedly, they even handed me a pillow when I was sleepy.

"Sir, our boss is entertaining distinguished guests. As long as you cook delicious Western food, you can make any request you have. As long as I can fulfill it, I think I will."

Lin Ran was too hasty and forgot whether her words would give rise to any bad thoughts.

However, no one present noticed this; they all looked at Gao Yang nervously, their hearts pounding like drums.

Seeing that the duck was about to fly away from their beak, the four burly men panicked and immediately spoke up.

"No, beautiful lady, don't believe him! He's a liar and he still owes us money."

"We've been watching this kid. He works three jobs a day. How could he possibly know anything about Western food? Don't let him fool you!"

Yes, how could such a young man, working three jobs a day, possibly know anything about Western food?

Yicheng is such a big city, it's incredibly difficult to find a professional Western chef on short notice, let alone someone like him.

Her heart sank slowly, and the hope that had just been ignited began to sink again.

She released Gao Yang's hand, her fingers trembling slightly.

"You can leave now. I can hold these people off for a while."

Lin Ran felt utterly hopeless. She leaned close to Gao Yang's ear and whispered something.

The four burly men grinned, looked at Gao Yang, slowly raised their hands, gave him a thumbs-up, and lightly drew a line down the center of his neck.

Gao Yang saw this but didn't rush to defend himself. He simply glanced at the four shouting men and a slow smile appeared on his lips.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable air of arrogance and certainty, like a cat crouching at the entrance of a hole, slowly and deliberately toying with a panicked mouse.

There was no trace of panic in his eyes, only a cold confidence that he had the upper hand.

"You'll find out soon enough whether you can do it or not."

Gao Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it drowned out all the noise.

He patted Lin Ran on the shoulder, and before Lin Ran could hesitate, he turned and walked into the kitchen.

Everyone immediately followed, peering through the small food serving opening at everything inside.

flour, beef, olive oil, eggs...

With just one glance, Gao Yang found the ingredient he wanted. He reached out and gently stroked the tenderloin, and the delicate texture of the beef instantly appeared in his mind.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

That's satisfaction with the ingredients and confidence in one's culinary skills.

Only now did Gao Yang feel that he was truly alive.

However, the onlookers found Gao Yang's expression extremely strange.

They covered their mouths, leaned closer to the others, and whispered, "Look at him, smiling at the ingredients, what's he doing?"

"I suspect he's just faking it. There aren't many people who can cook Western food, so why should he be included?"

"I think this shop will go out of business sooner or later, so I might as well leave now."

They spoke in hushed tones, their eyes darting around nervously as they spoke, as if afraid of being overheard.

The little girl held onto Lin Ran's arm, her heart pounding with anxiety.

"Ran-jie, do you really think he can make steak?"

Lin Ran shook her head, stroked the little girl's hand, and comforted her, "I don't know either, but judging from his demeanor, I feel like he knows what he's doing."

"Trust him for now. Neither you nor I know how to do it, so there's nothing we can do if we ultimately fail."

Lin Ran was completely unaware that her eyes were fixed on Gao Yang's movements, and she didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

Only the chefs who have spent years working in the kitchen nodded in agreement.

It's normal that others don't know; how could they possibly disagree?

To smile at the food, you must really love your job!

Who knows, this kid might actually be able to cook a decent Western meal.

They all looked at Gao Yang, each with their own thoughts.

At that moment, Gao Yang was completely oblivious to what was happening here; he was focused solely on his steak.

Among Western dishes, the most famous is undoubtedly Wellington steak.

This Wellington steak is no ordinary steak. Not only does it take an extremely long time to cook, but the heat is also very difficult to control. If it's cooked for too short a time, the inside will still be cold. This kind of meat is only fit for feeding dogs.

However, if it's baked for too long, it will dry out and become tough and chewy, just like beef tendon.

Gao Yang kept flipping the filet mignon in the pan, and it sizzled as it quickly developed a golden-brown caramelized layer.

The aroma wafted from the pot and reached everyone's noses.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then gasped for breath, their doubts gradually replaced by astonishment.

The aroma is different from the strong, pungent smell of stir-frying in Chinese cuisine. It is a sophisticated flavor with the aroma of oil and the freshness of beef. Just pan-frying it is enough to make one's tongue tremble.

Gao Yang, without looking to the side, quickly scooped out the pan-fried filet mignon, brushed a layer of British yellow mustard on the surface of the beef, and his movements were so swift and efficient that not a single step was wasted.

Immediately afterwards, he grabbed the small brown mushrooms from the cutting board, and the cleaver seemed to come alive in his hand, flashing and whistling so fast that only afterimages remained.

"Knock knock knock knock"

The dense, rhythmic sounds resonated deeply in everyone's hearts.

The experienced chefs in the kitchen stared wide-eyed and involuntarily took half a step forward.

It's important to know that Gao Yang was holding a Western-style knife, which is completely different from the knife used in Chinese cuisine. It's lighter and thinner, meaning it's more difficult to handle.

But this young man not only moved incredibly fast, but also chopped the mushrooms into tiny pieces with his rapid chopping, just like minced meat.

"No, this is definitely an expert."

They exchanged a glance and tacitly drew a conclusion about Gao Yang.

Gao Yang put the chopped brown mushrooms into the pot and patiently stir-fried them until they became dry and fluffy, and the aroma was fully released.

He took a few slices of ham, spread them evenly on plastic wrap, spread the cooled mushroom sauce evenly, and then placed the filet mignon in the middle.

With a flick of the wrist, a roll, a press.

The plastic wrap was tight and solid, without a single gap.

Everyone held their breath, and even the faces of the four burly men darkened.

They only felt that Gao Yang's operation was very smooth, but they didn't understand what Gao Yang was trying to do.

Yes, in 1993, Western food had only been in China for a few years and was considered the very high-end, especially dishes like Wellington steak, which were complicated to prepare and were rarely seen by ordinary people.

The four burly men were now in a state of agitation.

This kid has 50,000 yuan in debt. If we can't get him to take it back, how will we explain it to the higher-ups?

Although they still didn't believe the kid could cook a decent Western meal, they wouldn't allow any possibility of him failing to complete the task.

They exchanged a glance and immediately understood what to do next.

Two of the burly men stretched out their arms and, laughing, pushed the crowd away.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the leader kicked open the kitchen door.

"Thump"

A loud bang interrupted Gao Yang.

Gao Yang was startled and trembled all over. Before he knew it, the basin of water in his hand was knocked over in the middle of the flour.

"Splash!"

The freshly piled flour was completely ruined by the splattering, lying sticky and messy on the cutting board.

"Hahaha, I knew this kid was a fraud!"

"Oh no, oh no, what do we do now?"

"How dare you lay a hand on our turf!"

The scene quickly descended into chaos.

The burly man at the head of the group had a ferocious look on his face. He grinned cruelly and said, "Kid, stop struggling. Come with me. I'll take you to have some fun and make some money for me while I'm at it."

"Speak," he said, opening his arms and lunging at her.

Gao Yang stood still, the cramped space leaving him nowhere to hide, and could only watch helplessly as the big man pounced on him.

"Is this it? Am I going to die here today?"

A feeling of despair spread through his heart.

Just then, a loud voice rang out, instantly silencing the entire audience.

"Stop it, all of you! How dare you cause trouble on my turf? Do you have a death wish?"