Training Chefs
The protective barrier outside the courtyard suddenly trembled slightly.
Shen Jingchuan scanned the area with his Divine Sense and saw it was Accountant Wu. He got up, removed the restriction, and went to the courtyard gate to welcome him in.
"Mr. Wu, what brings you here so early? Is there some good news this time?"
Accountant Wu entered the courtyard, where Xiao Mingshu was also present. After exchanging greetings, they sat down as host and guest. Accountant Wu wiped the sweat from his brow, a smile on his face.
"It just so happens to be an auction, so everyone in the workshop is working overtime to finish the work. I'm exhausted."
"Young Master Shen, the restaurant is all set up. Steward Wang sent me to see if it can open before the auction."
Shen Jingchuan: "So rushed? Do you really have to get it done before the auction? Isn't that a bit too tight?"
"Tight?" Accountant Wu looked at him. "Young Master Shen, you didn't see that invitation, did you?"
"Invitation?"
"This auction will be held at our Returning Geese Tower."
Shen Jingchuan was taken aback.
"Returning Geese Tower?"
He then took out the VIP invitation from his Storage Ring, opened it, and saw that the location at the end of the message clearly read "Returning Geese Tower".
Shen Jingchuan shook his head inwardly. He hadn't even opened the invitation once since he brought it back; how careless of him!
"Back in Yuxi Prefecture, you used those rare seasonings to cook, didn't you already open a restaurant called Returning Geese Tower?"
Accountant Wu laughed:
"Steward Wang said there's no need to come up with a new name; this name is fine as it is. Let's just call this place Returning Geese Tower. This year's auction will be held here."
"Not only is our location excellent, but the venue is the biggest," Accountant Wu continued. "It's the biggest auction of the year, and the new building is tastefully decorated—it couldn't be more perfect."
Shen Jingchuan nodded.
Accountant Wu: "Steward Wang's idea is to try to train all the cooks before the auction."
"Ideally, we should open for business before the auction; there are still four days left. If we can't make it in time, it's okay. You can start training first, and we can open after the auction if necessary."
Shen Jingchuan thought to himself, "What's so difficult about that? The ingredients are good, and the cooks are readily available. It's just a matter of teaching them how to use them."
"It's alright." He stood up. "I'll go take a look first."
After saying goodbye to Xiao Mingshu, he went out with Accountant Wu.
Shen Jingchuan had passed by this restaurant several times in the past few days. It was always surrounded by barriers, so he didn't go in.
When we got there, wow, all the curtains had been removed, and a large, gilded plaque hung above the gatehouse with the three characters "Returning Geese Tower" written on it, which looked very impressive.
When a gatekeeper saw Accountant Wu, arriving with his entourage, he quickly bowed and ushered them inside.
Upon entering, the staff were busy at work, wiping tables, arranging chairs, and sweeping the floor—a lively scene.
Shen Jingchuan looked up and saw a platform about three feet high standing directly opposite the gate.
Accountant Wu explained from the side:
"This is a temporary structure; it will be dismantled after the auction."
Shen Jingchuan walked around the platform and looked at it.
"No need to tear it down," he said. "We can use it to hire a storyteller or put on some shows later. After the auction, I'll design it properly and give it a nice renovation."
Accountant Wu's eyes lit up.
"Hey, that's a great idea."
Below the stage was a spacious hall. The building had three floors, with a square atrium in the middle. The second and third floors were surrounded by a corridor, with private rooms lined up one after another on both sides of the corridor.
It looks like a theater, but it's clearly a restaurant.
Shen Jingchuan estimated that if he set up eight-immortal tables and large round tables in the lobby on the first floor, with ten people sitting at each table, he could easily accommodate several hundred people with dozens of tables.
"These tables all need to be removed on the day of the auction," said Accountant Wu. "To make room, we can add seats or standing room to accommodate more people."
Shen Jingchuan walked around the building and got a sense of the situation. The building could seat nearly a thousand people at most. He also roughly counted the private rooms upstairs; there were about fifty or sixty of them.
After inspecting the premises, Shen Jingchuan went to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, a group of people were busy cleaning. They had almost finished cleaning, and pots and pans were neatly arranged on the cutting board.
Accountant Wu shouted as soon as he entered the room.
"Hey, everyone stop what you're doing, come here, I want to say a few words to you."
The group of people immediately put down what they were doing and stood in two neat rows. Shen Jingchuan glanced around and saw that there were more than twenty people in the kitchen.
Accountant Wu stepped aside to let him move to the front.
"Let me introduce you. This is Young Master Shen, the owner of our Returning Geese Tower."
Accountant Wu said:
"The master chef is incredibly skilled at cooking; he'll be teaching you these next couple of days. Listen to everything he says."
Everyone bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Master."
Shen Jingchuan waved his hand.
No need for formalities.
He looked around the kitchen, inside and out, checking the stove, the cutting board, and the sink, one by one.
"Okay, everything's fine," he said. "It's just that there are a few shelves and places where things are placed; I'll move them over there later."
He turned around as he spoke.
How many chefs are there here?
A tall, muscular, fat man stepped out from the crowd.
"Reporting to the employer, my surname is Ma, and I am the head cook in this kitchen. Including me, there are twelve people in charge of cooking; the rest are kitchen helpers who wash, prepare, and chop vegetables."
Do you have any dishes ready-made here?
"Yes," Ma Zao Tou pointed to the various vegetables stacked on the counter and in the cabinets, then patted the Storage Bag at his waist, "Fresh meat and fish are all kept in here, they won't spoil."
Shen Jingchuan understood immediately.
This cultivation world is really convenient; there are no refrigerators, but people have Storage Bags.
He used his Heavenly Eye Peering into Truth Instruction to survey the area and discovered that the cook was actually a Second Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator, and there were two other First Layer of Qi Refinement in the kitchen. It wasn't surprising that they could use Storage Bags.
Shen Jingchuan didn't ask any more questions and withdrew his gaze.
"Stove."
"This humble servant is here."
"Pick one of your best dishes and cook it right now so I can see."
"Okay."
Ma Zaotou responded loudly and immediately started calling out. Several kitchen helpers chopped vegetables, prepared ingredients, and got the seasonings ready, all working quickly and efficiently.
Ma Zao Tou personally took charge of the wok. As soon as the oil was hot, he added the ingredients, stirred the wok, and the flames "whooshed" up from the stove. With a flick of his wrist, the food in the wok flipped over in mid-air and then landed steadily back in the wok.
Before long, a plate of stir-fried chicken was served, glistening with oil.
Shen Jingchuan picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded.
"It's alright," he said. "The heat control and flipping the pan are both pretty good."
Shen Jingchuan didn't say much, just raised his hand and waved.
Then, with a loud "whoosh," boxes and jars of spices appeared out of nowhere on the kitchen floor, piled up like a small mountain.
Everyone in the kitchen stared in disbelief.
Shen Jingchuan patted non-existent dust off his hands.
"The stir-fry is alright, but the seasoning is terrible," he said. "Come here, everyone, I'll teach you how to identify the seasonings first."