The Gourmet Customizer

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: This Technique Is State Banquet-Level

Meiweilai Company.

"They’re here, they’re here! They’re getting out of the car!"

The one who said this was none other than Wang Rui from Xinghui’s General Affairs Department. He jogged over to the cafeteria. "They’re all out of the car! There are six of them!"

Su Chen had everything ready. He was just waiting for the client to decide when to eat, and he could start cooking immediately.

"Six people?" Su Chen’s brows furrowed. "Weren’t there supposed to be five?"

Xinghui was sending ten people.

One person more, one person less—the amount of food couldn’t be the same!

"Yeah, Boss Su, it should be fine. If worst comes to worst, one of our own can just pull out. We’re all just here to accompany the guests anyway."

Only then did Su Chen nod. "It’s best if there aren’t any hiccups with the number of people."

The trip from the underground garage to the nineteenth floor was quick.

Not long after Wang Rui finished speaking, Su Chen’s gaze swept across the office area and saw Ling Shuyu leading several people inside. As they neared the office area, they turned into the conference room.

"President Shang, why don’t we eat first? The company cafeteria has prepared a light meal, and it’s already noon."

Shang Mingke didn’t answer directly. He turned to Lu Mingliang. "Uncle Lu, why don’t you have a little something to tide you over first? I’ll be done in half an hour at most."

Lu Mingliang stood up, clasping his hands behind his back. "No need. Did you forget what we agreed on, the two of us? I’ll go for a walk. You go ahead and handle your business."

Shang Mingke nodded, then turned back to Ling Shuyu. "There’s no need. We have to catch the earliest flight later."

Ling Shuyu gave a slight nod, but inwardly she was panicking.

She still hadn’t figured out the identity of that elderly man, and Shang Mingke hadn’t taken the initiative to introduce him. Now, Shang Mingke was staying here to review the proposal.

But that old man had left the conference room to go for a walk!

’Could he be some even more important leader here to inspect something else?’

Furthermore, Ling Shuyu had caught a very crucial phrase in what Shang Mingke said to that Uncle Lu just now.

Half an hour!

According to the plan, the client’s afternoon flight was at three o’clock. They were supposed to stay in Jingzhou for at least four hours, excluding the one hour for travel.

Eating and reviewing the proposal would fit perfectly into a timeframe of about three hours.

But now, why did President Shang say he would be done in half an hour at most?

Indeed, that had been the original plan.

But Shang Mingke had changed the flight simply to book a ticket for Elder Lu. For someone like him, just coming to Jingzhou was already a favor done through connections with his superiors. Something like changing a flight wasn’t even worth mentioning to the other party.

Ling Shuyu would probably never have imagined that the proposal she had meticulously prepared for so long, something that could decide the fate of many people, was less important to the client than a single dinner.

"Zhang Li, serve the old gentleman some tea." Ling Shuyu’s reaction time was excellent. "In that case, President Shang, I’ll begin."

Since the client had put it that way, Ling Shuyu immediately turned on the projector and began presenting the proposal. Moreover, she had to improvise and hit only the key points!

Meanwhile, Zhang Li hurriedly jogged out of the conference room, following Lu Yongliang.

"Sir, I haven’t had the chance to ask for your esteemed surname."

"No need for formalities. The surname is Lu!"

"Elder Lu, this way, please." Zhang Li led him to another lounge and brewed some high-quality red tea. "Please, have some tea."

Lu Yongliang nodded. While sipping his tea, he took out his phone and started scrolling through TikTok. "You go on and get busy. Don’t mind me."

Zhang Li gently closed the lounge door, letting out a huge sigh of relief before immediately heading toward the kitchen.

Opening TikTok, Lu Yongliang first went to his "Following" list.

"A casual visit reveals the truth!"

A food vlogger appeared on his phone, and Lu Yongliang sighed.

"Xiusheng has a good apprentice. To be able to leave one’s craft behind after a lifetime in this world, it’s worth it!"

After carefully watching the video to the end, the old man emphatically double-tapped to like it, opened the comment section, and posted six thumbs-up emojis in a row before contentedly scrolling down to the next video.

This was a new trick he had learned recently.

Ever since he learned to use TikTok, Lu Yongliang had discovered that many old friends he knew from the past but had lost touch with seemed to be using it too.

Especially those old pals who had accompanied him when he was invited to lecture in Japan. They had even started a kitchen channel on this "TikTok" thing, teaching people how to cook every day.

However, Lu Yongliang looked down on those old geezers a bit.

Instead of thinking about how to promote traditional cuisine, they were always making overly flashy, gimmicky stuff. It was just boring to watch.

The few people on his following list hadn’t posted any new videos recently. Lu Yongliang swiped left on the screen, and the page switched to the "Local" feed.

"Heh, Jingzhou is located in the Northwest. It’s practically a food desert. Otherwise, I’d at least have to go check out a restaurant, haha!"

He swiped through several videos without finding anything interesting, though there were quite a few businesses running ads.

Of course, with his status, it was impossible for him to go "check out a restaurant." If he really went, it wouldn’t be checking out a restaurant; it would be him going to teach them a lesson.

Can’t do that.

"Huh?"

Lu Yongliang’s finger suddenly stopped. A new video from nearby that had just appeared on his feed piqued his interest.

"What are they making here?"

The creator in the video was faceless, showing only a pair of hands. The old man quite liked this camera angle—it was perfectly clear!

What made Lu Yongliang curious was that the creator in the video was processing a yellowcheek carp!

Where was Lu Yongliang from?

He was a native of E Province through and through. The preparation of freshwater fish was his signature skill, and he was incredibly familiar with the yellowcheek carp.

This fish is a predatory species. The small ones aren’t worth mentioning, but the large ones can grow to over a hundred pounds, though the biggest Lu Yongliang had ever seen was just over forty.

The meat of this fish has a distinct characteristic: it’s exceptionally tender, to the point of being a bit loose. No matter how good one’s knife skills are, the flesh breaks apart easily when cut.

Furthermore, because it has few organs, the meat is very thick. The flesh itself is rather flavorless, and on top of that, it has an abundance of bones, making it unappetizing whether steamed or braised.

Therefore, the best way to prepare yellowcheek carp is to make it into cured fish!

This was a very common method in E Province, but one look at the creator’s technique in the video told him they weren’t making cured fish.

Besides, no one would use such a small yellowcheek carp to make cured fish!

With a thread of curiosity, Lu Yongliang continued to watch.

The creator’s technique was quite good. The cleaned fish was split open along its back, and the main bone and side bones were skillfully removed. Starting the cut at the tail, they successfully removed the skin as well.

’This technique isn’t bad. You’d need at least three to five years of filleting fish to get this good.’

Lu Yongliang gave a favorable assessment.

But the creator’s next move made the old man spit out a mouthful of tea on the spot!

The hands in the video were meticulous and careful. With slow movements, they scraped the white flesh off the fish, then minced it gently with two cleavers.

It was less like mincing and more like a combination of chopping and patting, given the force being used.

"What! They’re making Fish Cake Wanzi!"

Lu Yongliang knew what dish this was after seeing just one step.

The reason he was so amazed was because this dish was so incredibly special!

In E Province, this dish is also called Fish Cake *Yuanzi*. It’s considered a famous dish, but its preparation is so complex that many restaurants have butchered it!

What is the desired effect of Fish Cake Wanzi?

To eat fish, but see no fish!

The fish should have the flavor of meat, and the meat should have the fragrance of fish. The texture should be light, fragrant, smooth, and tender, melting in your mouth.

It’s impossible to make this dish without a series of complicated steps. And even if a chef is willing to make it, making it and making it *well* are two completely different things!

In E Province, Lu Yongliang only knew of a few grand hotels that were willing to make this dish, but they all sold it at a high price, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.

So, gradually, the true method for making this dish has been all but forgotten.

That was what truly shocked Lu Yongliang.

’Impressive. Just based on this step of separating the flesh, this chef has to be at least at the state-banquet level!’

As Lu Yongliang gave his initial assessment, he also felt puzzled.

It seems that in E Province...

He’d never heard of such a figure, had he?