Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 50 I can do it

The lunch business has ended and it is not time for dinner yet. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ye Jiayao plans to go back to the inn and finalize the accommodation.

Shopkeeper Li is such a good person. He actually gave her one or two taels of silver as accommodation allowance, which greatly alleviated her financial pressure.

As soon as Ye Jiayao left, Helian Jing and Zhao Qixuan rode their horses to the restaurant.

Zhao Qixuan dismounted and handed the whip to the doorman who came to greet the guests.

"Helian Jing, come down!"

Helian Jing said: "Really, no need, just eat whatever you order."

"No, that won't do. I can neglect anyone but I cannot neglect Young Prince Jing. Come down, come down quickly." Zhao Qixuan urged.

Helian Jing then slowly dismounted from his horse.

"I heard that Chef Niu was poached by Xiangyilou. I wonder how the new chef's cooking is. I love trying new things." Zhao Qixuan said as he put his arm around Helian Jing's shoulder.

Helian Jing quickly dodged: "Don't pull it, people who don't know would think I have something to do with you."

Helian Jing was rather averse to being alone with this guy as he had a bad reputation, but there was nothing he could do as he needed help from him.

Zhao Qixuan's eyes were even more disgusted than his: "I'm not interested in a half-grown child like you. My love for my little Su is stronger than gold and deeper than the sea. I will never fall in love with someone else."

Helian Jing shuddered and got goose bumps all over his body. It was really unbearable to hear men talk so explicitly about love.

"If you fall in love with someone else, the Su family will set off firecrackers." Helian Jing sneered.

Zhao Qixuan sighed, tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, and acted melancholy: "No one in the world understands, this is true love..."

Helian Jingya is about to fall. Bullshit true love. You are just like those bullies who rob women. Master Su doesn't like you.

As they were talking, they entered the restaurant. When Manager Qian heard that the Prince of Yong'an Marquis and Young Prince Jing were coming, he rushed out in a hurry to greet them.

"My Lord, my young prince, please take a seat upstairs."

Zhao Qixuan waved his hand and sat down casually on a chair in the lobby: "I'll add a few dishes. Bring the menu and let the little prince order."

"Hey!" Manager Qian hurriedly asked the waiter to bring the menu and presented it with both hands.

"Helian Jing, just order whatever you want. Don't be polite with me." Zhao Qixuan was a good man except for his bad reputation as a bully of handsome men. He was generous and righteous. He was also good at business and had a lot of money. Therefore, he was quite popular in the imperial capital.

Helian Jing looked at the straightforward names of the dishes and couldn't help but think of the menu Dayaoyao had drawn up, with names like Fengming Xianghe, Winged Flying, and A Hundred Years of Happiness... If Dayaoyao were to come up with this menu, she might have named the mandarin duck snowflake roll as Envy the mandarin ducks instead of the immortals, and the stew as Full of Blessings. Creating gimmicks was Dayaoyao's specialty.

"No need for anything else, just add a double-flavor duck roll and a fried chicken!" Helian Jing closed the menu and gave money to the manager.

Zhao Qixuan raised his eyebrows and said, "This is too little. Manager Qian, please give us another one called Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate and Sandalwood Fan and Duck Feet."

Manager Qian wrote it down with a smile: "My Lord, what else do you need?"

Zhao Qixuan said, "These first, we can add more if they are not enough. Hey, Manager Qian, Chef Niu has left, who is the chef here now?"

Manager Qian said mysteriously, "We have invited a chef from out of town. He will be in charge of the banquet tonight. The prince will be the first to try it. If you think it's good, please take care of it."

Zhao Qixuan laughed and said, "I like to try new things. Tell him that if tonight's banquet satisfies me, I will give him a reward."

Manager Qian said, "I am not boasting about the chef's skills. They are definitely better than Chef Niu's."

"Even better than Chef Niu? Shopkeeper Qian, don't brag." Zhao Qixuan's curiosity was aroused. Chef Niu was definitely a top chef in Jinling, otherwise, Xiangyilou would not have offered a high price to poach him.

"How dare I brag in front of the prince? You don't even have to do anything to brag. Just blow on it and it will burst. Okay, you have the final say, prince." Manager Qian said with a shy smile.

Helian Jing had already finished ordering the dishes and said, "Qixuan, I have to go back first. I have something else to do in the mansion. I'll come back in the evening."

Zhao Qixuan hurriedly held him back, "Don't go. What can you do? You have no official position, and it's not your place to speak about the affairs of the mansion. Come on, accompany me to cruise on the lake. I have prepared the pleasure boat, and I have also invited the new top performer of Changchunlou, who plays the pipa very well. Let's cruise on the lake and listen to music."

Having said that, he dragged Helian Jing away without further ado.

"Hey, don't pull me, I can walk by myself..."

"So what if I pull it? You're just being hypocritical."

"Don't call me hypocritical."

"Okay, if you don't want to say it, don't say it."

The two of them walked out of the restaurant, tugging at each other. In Laifu Inn.

When Manager Du saw Ye Jiayao coming back, he asked with concern, "How's it going? Did it work?"

Ye Jiayao narrowed her eyes and smiled: "OK, first-class kitchen helper."

Shopkeeper Du laughed and patted Ye Jiayao on the shoulder: "Little Brother Li, not bad! He is a top-notch kitchen assistant at Tianshangju. If he works for another year or two, he can be the head chef."

Ye Jiayao was slapped so hard that half of her body shrunk. She secretly grinned: Fatty Du has such a strong hand.

"Thank you for your good words, I'll treat you to a drink someday." Ye Jiayao said with a smile. She called him "big brother" affectionately. If she wanted to stay here, she had to establish a good relationship with him first.

"Why wait until another day? Today, I'll treat you to a drink." Shopkeeper Du patted his chest proudly.

Ye Jiayao smiled awkwardly and said, "Not today. I have to go back to the restaurant later. We have important guests tonight. Shopkeeper Li asked me to show off my skills."

"Oh, this is important business and can't be delayed." Shopkeeper Du said seriously. He was surprised that as soon as Brother Li arrived, his brother-in-law handed the important guest over to him, which showed that he attached great importance to Brother Li.

"Well, I will work hard, otherwise how can I live up to my elder brother and his wife's recommendation." Ye Jiayao said sincerely, she was really grateful, she knew very well that if she didn't have the relationship with Li Erniang, no matter how good her cooking skills were, no restaurant would give her the treatment of a first-class kitchen assistant. The next level up from a first-class kitchen assistant is the head chef or chef. For an ordinary person to get to her position, it would take at least several years of hard work.

"Brother Li, you are too polite. If you don't have some real ability, even I, your brother, would not give you such an important task." Shopkeeper Du said with a smile.

Ye Jiayao chuckled: "Brother, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"What's the matter? Just tell me. As long as I can help, I will never refuse." Shopkeeper Du said.

"It's like this, I want to book a room in the inn for a long time, I wonder if you do business with booking rooms?"

"Yes, of course. We offer a 20% discount for stays over a month, and a 30% discount for stays over three months. How long do you plan to stay, Mr. Li?"

Ye Jiayao thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll pay for three months first."

"Okay, then I'll give you a 70% discount. You can stay as long as you want." Shopkeeper Du said readily.

Ye Jiayao was stunned for a moment. She thought Lao Du would give her a 50% discount, but Lao Du directly gave her a 70% discount. This... doesn't this mean she can stay there for free?

"How can I do that? Otherwise, just give me a 50% discount!" Ye Jiayao said embarrassedly. Her father often taught her not to be complacent after taking advantage of others, and not to always think about taking advantage of others. There is no free lunch in the world.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? Anyway, there are vacant rooms in my inn. Brother Li is very compatible with my temper. If you stay here, I will have another companion to drink and chat with." Shopkeeper Du liked this young man from the bottom of his heart. He was used to seeing all kinds of people in his inn. It was rare to find a young man like Brother Li who was so enthusiastic to help without asking for compensation, who was grateful and knew when to advance and retreat. In a word, he was happy.

Ye Jiayao hesitated for a moment and said, "Thank you very much, brother."

At worst, when I have free time in the future, I can help out in the store and act as a substitute waiter to pay the rent.

The accommodation was decided in such an amicable and pleasant manner. Ye Jiayao said goodbye and rushed back to Tianshangju to start preparing for tonight's banquet.

Li Erniang showed her tonight's menu: "Take a look, and let me know if there's anything you don't know."

As soon as Ye Jiayao saw the menu, she knew that the guests coming tonight were either wealthy or noble. This dinner was very important to the restaurant and to her. If it went well, it would be a great success.

And when she came in just now, she felt that the guys in the kitchen looked at her differently, and they were obviously not convinced.

She could understand everyone's feelings. She was brought here by Li Erniang, and she was so young. She had surpassed so many people and climbed over their heads. It was normal for them to feel dissatisfied. Therefore, she also needed this opportunity to prove herself. If she couldn't even cook two tables of banquets, how could she be qualified to be a first-class kitchen helper?
"Sister-in-law, let me do it all! I can do it." Ye Jiayao said.

Li Erniang was skeptical. Some of these dishes were big dishes with complicated production processes and extremely high requirements. Could he really cook them?
"Tonight's guest is very important. We can't afford any mistakes. Can you really do it?"

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, "If you are worried, please help me keep an eye on it!"

Li Erniang was still hesitant. She was the one who introduced Ye Jiayao to the company. She hoped that he could become famous overnight, but she also hoped that he could take steady steps. However, since he was so determined, she let him try.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you tonight."

Ye Jiayao encouraged herself in her heart: Ye Jiayao, you can do it.

She arranged all the ingredients that needed to be prepared for tonight, including who would cut the vegetables, who would trim the fish, who would take care of the roast duck, and who would be responsible for the broth. She had been working in hotel kitchens since she was a child, so she was familiar with all of this and arranged everything in an orderly manner.

Seeing him like this, Li Erniang felt a little relieved.

Ye Jiayao took a bunch of red and white radishes, cucumbers and tomatoes and started working.

Everyone was wondering, why was this guy assigning all the work to others while he himself was fiddling with a bunch of carrots?

However, when Ye Jiayao turned the radish in her hand into lifelike radish flowers, white jade rabbits, and parrots with red hair and green feathers, everyone's complaints turned into amazement.

(End of this chapter)