Kitchen Lord's Blessing

After muttering to themselves, the group of odd-job workers coughed twice, then, drawn by the aroma, looked on with delight. Following the scent, their gazes settled on Wang Lixi, who was busy at the stove.

Not only the kitchen helper, but the other cooks were also startled by the aroma wafting through the air and looked towards Wang Lixi.

On the contrary, Wang Lixi, the person in charge, was completely unaware, tossing the wok repeatedly, and before long, a plate of stir-fried dishes was ready.

Hearing the roaring fire and sizzling oil, the apprentices beside him snapped out of their daze and hurriedly brought out plates to receive the food.

"Huh? What's wrong with you all?" Wiping the sweat from his brow with the towel draped around his neck, Wang Lixi finally noticed the strange looks from those around him. He had been cooking, feeling warm all over, his movements fluid and graceful, even the flames on the stove seemed to cooperate perfectly. He was completely absorbed in the task, forgetting himself and the world around him, and only came back to his senses after he finished cooking.

"Huh? The color and taste of this dish, what's wrong..." Coming to his senses, he finally noticed the anomaly and his gaze fell on the dish.

Cooking is all about color, aroma, taste, shape, and presentation. To achieve harmony of the five flavors, one must master the ingredients and seasonings, pay attention to the heat and timing, and even the force used to toss and turn the food is important. There is a lot of knowledge involved. If you add in the selection of ingredients and knife skills, it becomes even more complicated. It is not easy for a chef to achieve success.

Chefs like Wang Lixi also have aspirations, but eventually their edges are worn down by the trivialities of life. Now, they have long forgotten what they once thought. But right now, looking at the dish he cooked and smelling its aroma, Wang Lixi has some thoughts coming to mind.

At this moment, the waiter lifted the curtain and urged, "Is it ready yet? The guests are still waiting. Hey? What are you all standing there for?"

As he spoke, he picked up the plate of food and said to Wang Lixi, "Master Wang, Manager Zhang asked me to tell you that the boss is looking for you. Hurry up and go." With that, he picked up the plate and left. When he reached the door curtain, his expression changed slightly, his nose twitched, and he looked surprised. But then he heard someone outside urging him to go. The waiter quickly composed himself, lifted the curtain, and went out.

Wang Lixi shook his head and went to find his employer through the side door. He had a rough idea of why his employer wanted to see him.

Sure enough, after meeting the owner, the young manager kept complaining about the business of the Joyous Arrival Restaurant across the street, going on and on about it, his words revealing his resentment and complaints.

Just as Wang Lixi was secretly lamenting that his job was probably in jeopardy, his employer suddenly changed the subject and started talking about vegetable prices and rice and flour, which immediately made Wang Lixi realize the truth.

"So that's what he was planning! He wanted to take this opportunity to lower his wages!"

The moment Wang Lixi had the thought, the employer said, "Lixi, look, your skills aren't as good as others, but you get paid more. It was fine before there was no comparison, but now that this has happened, I'm afraid some people in the shop will feel it's unfair. In my opinion, perhaps..."

"They're really trying to take advantage of the situation to withhold wages!" Wang Lixi was furious and about to argue when he was interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps behind him.

"Boss, hurry up and send Chef Wang back. The guests are getting impatient and specifically asked him to cook."

The waiter who arrived earlier was covered in sweat, whether from running too fast or from being anxious.

"What are you waiting for, Chef Wang? Aren't there other cooks?" the owner said, looking displeased.

Seeing the owner's displeasure, the waiter quickly explained, "The customer ate Chef Wang's dishes and praised them highly, saying one plate wasn't enough and he wanted more. But when other chefs made them, the customer said they didn't taste right and kept asking who made the first plate..." As he said this, the waiter stole a glance at Wang Lixi. Although he didn't say it explicitly, the meaning was clear.

"Is that so?" The landlord frowned, glancing at Wang Lixi with some suspicion. He waved his hand, "Then let's leave it at that for now. Lixi, you go and cook. Think carefully about what I just said. Come back to me when you've figured it out."

And so, Wang Lixi left with the waiter, but afterwards, he didn't go to find the owner; instead, the owner rushed to find him.

It turned out that after Wang Lixi returned home, he personally took charge of the cooking, and another dish was prepared. The customer who ate it praised it highly, which aroused the curiosity of others, who then ordered a few more dishes.

That didn't matter. After a few dishes were eaten, there was a chorus of praise. The dishes were all eaten clean. Before long, even passersby noticed and would come in to try the food.

And so, by the end of the day, Zhang's Restaurant had transformed from a quiet place into a bustling hub of customers. As word spread, more and more people came. Manager Zhao was so busy with bookkeeping and taking orders that he almost passed out.

As for the employer, he was completely stunned, seemingly in a dream, until a worker came over and said that Wang Lixi had been busy all day and was too tired to even stand, which woke the employer up.

"Master Wang is a treasure in our shop. What if he gets sick from overwork?" Although the owner didn't know the reason for today's events, nor did he understand how Wang Lixi's cooking skills had suddenly improved so much, he knew that he couldn't offend him. In fact, he had to curry favor with him.

In this Yuanning City, there are many hotels and inns, but how many are truly renowned chefs?

As he spoke, the employer hurried to the kitchen to appease Wang Lixi, his words carrying a hint of flattery, as if he had forgotten what he had said that morning. Not only did he not mention the matter of withholding wages, but he also wanted to give Wang Lixi more money!

After calming him down, he went to the lobby, apologized to the new guests, and offered Wang Lixi a suggestion on the new menu.

In the kitchen, several cooks and helpers surrounded Wang Lixi.

"Old Wang, what's going on? Did you find out the secret?"

"Yes, Master Wang, you're famous now."

"Would it be convenient to reveal a little? But if it's a secret technique, it's better not to tell."

Feeling the eager gazes of the crowd, thinking about the change in the owner's attitude and Manager Zhao's dejected appearance, Wang Lixi was naturally happy, but also extremely puzzled. He muttered to himself, "What secret technique do I have? Today was just like any other day, so why did the food I made suddenly taste so good?"

He tried to recall everything he had done and encountered that day, but he was completely baffled.

"After worshipping the Kitchen Lord this morning, I left home, and then... um? That's right! The Kitchen Lord!"

Thinking about it, he realized a possibility.

"The Kitchen Lord's name contains the character for 'stove,' and he can set fires, so doesn't that fit perfectly with cooking and preparing dishes? Could that be the reason?"

Thinking of this, he disregarded everything else and made an excuse to go home early. The restaurant owner, of course, didn't say anything and let him leave. When Wang Lixi got home, he quickly offered incense to the statue of the god and then said a few words to his wife. Both of them were filled with emotion.

In the following days, Wang Lixi not only offered incense to the statue of the god every day, but also offered sacrifices. The dishes he made got better and better every day, and soon the news spread throughout most of the city, which made him more certain of his guess.

"It must be the Kitchen Lord's blessing that brought me good fortune!"

However, this secret could not be kept for long, because Wang Lixi was not the only one who saw the statue of the deity that day and worshipped it devoutly after returning home. Others also brought the statue home, including cooks and even a teahouse owner, who also benefited. Before long, the name of the Kitchen God officially spread.

Restaurants and eateries followed suit, all inviting statues of deities to their establishments, afraid of falling behind.

There's plenty of fodder for conversation on the streets; out of ten people, three will be talking about the new deity, the Kitchen God.

Every day, the scholar would wander the streets in his avatar, and at every moment, Incense Thoughts would rise from various restaurants, hotels, and inns, converging upon him.

P. S.: Thanks to "Feng Huo Wuhen" for the donation!