Chapter 202: Minute of Happiness

Xu Le sneered in his heart. Using a robot during the competition was considered cheating. It was unknown how many chefs in the industry had lost their jobs and reputation because of this. Besides, he had deliberately provoked and targeted the merchants working with the eight-year-old canteen. Chen Yeqi must have fanned the flames behind the scenes.

Hence, he only commented coldly.

“You talk about this cooperation very casually.”

Xu Le had never been interested in gossip, but Lu Yuxi had been keeping an eye on the tabloids. She knew the Chen family’s situation very well. She gloated and said, “Producer Chen cheated and made things difficult for others at that time. You changed the rules at the last minute and opened a franchise shop opposite the eight-year-old canteen. Have you forgotten?”

“Not to mention now. The Master Chef robot has only been sold for more than a year. There are frequent after-sales issues and the repair cost is high. How many merchants can afford it?”

Lu Yuxi’s words were reasonable and sharp. Chen Yeqi’s expression was unprecedentedly ugly as he was exposed in public. He opened his mouth and was about to explain.

Lu Yuxi asked, “Is any of these news fake?”

Chen Yeqi’s anger reached its peak. He endured the humiliation and said, “The Master Chef has competed against Xu Le before. You know its performance very well. If we can mass produce and work together, wouldn’t it be a good thing?”

Xu Le’s lips curled up slightly as he reminded patiently, “I won back then, so the title of Master Chef isn’t for that AI.”

As soon as he said this, Chen Yeqi’s last psychological defense was completely crushed. He could no longer suppress his temper and cursed, “Alright! Remember, if you reject our Chen family’s cooperation today, don’t come crying to beg us in the future!”

After he finished speaking without much confidence, he said angrily, “I don’t believe that your packaged food can be sold. As a famous chef, aren’t you embarrassed to be selling such junk food!”

Chen Yeqi racked his brains but could not come up with anything more insulting. He said hatefully, “How can you guarantee that the smell and taste after reheating is the same as when it was just made? Be careful not to ruin your own reputation!”

Xu Le shrugged calmly. “I didn’t taste it. She did.”

Lu Yuxi, who was suddenly cued, was stunned. Xu Le continued, “I believe in her taste buds. There’s no way she’s wrong.”

Chen Yeqi was speechless. He glared at the two of them. “Just you wait!”

After Chen Yeqi left, Lu Yuxi recalled his past actions and couldn’t help but shiver. She said, “This man is petty. We’ve offended him now. In the future…”

“Don’t worry about him in the future.”

Xu Le said, “I have to entertain a few friends today. Li Qing is busy and won’t be able to make it in time. Help me make a few dishes to entertain the elders.”

“Sure,” Lu Yuxi agreed. “What friend?”

“It’s Old Master Song, Mr. Cai, and a few familiar judges from the competition. But since it’s a gathering between friends, there’s no need to make it too complicated. Just make a few simple dishes.”

Although it was said to be simple, he did not miss a step in the cooking process. There were soft tender fish, hibiscus crab, bean sprouts with meat and steamed marinated meat…

Xu Le’s movements were agile and fast. The pot and shovel were like his left and right hands, blending into one seamlessly.

He stir-fried, tossed the pot, stimulated the fragrance, served on the plate, and poured hot oil… Every step was smooth and natural. It was not like he was cooking. Instead, he seemed to be conducting an exquisite large concert. It was orderly, intense, and beautiful.

When everyone arrived and the dishes were served, they were immediately praised by the seniors in the industry.

Song Deyue couldn’t help but nod. “Child, you have to study the recipe book I gave you carefully. It contains the techniques and innovations of half my life. If you study it thoroughly, it will definitely help your culinary skills in the future.”

“Alright, got it.”

Mr. Cai Lan did not forget his promise from before. “You promised to be my food consultant for the next season of the show. You have to keep your word. You have to make time and not stand me up.”

“Well. I definitely have time.”

Xu Le narrowed his eyes and smiled. It was simply a good thing to be able to go to various places to taste unique delicacies with a famous senior like Mr. Cai Lan!

After the gathering, Xu Le realized that the new store did not have a name yet.

“The eight-year-old canteen is well-known enough and has a stable number of fans and customers. It would be best if it can continue, but the name will probably not match the style of your shop.”

Lu Yuxi tilted her head and said, “Add the word restaurant after the store name? Or since you are celebrating your birthday soon, you can call it the nine-year-old canteen~”

“That’s even more reckless.”

Xu Le retorted with a smile. After a pause, he said, “Let’s call it Fateful Meeting Restaurant.”

It was easy to understand, but these words did not seem to have anything to do with Xu Le. When the time came, it would be difficult to publicize it. Just as the others were feeling puzzled, they heard Xu Le continue to explain.

“After all this, I’m already extremely lucky to be able to meet a friend I missed. It’s a good thing that I don’t have any regrets.”

He said sincerely, and the eyes of the old Song Deyue suddenly welled up. He nodded and said, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘It’s a blessing to know a friend’s face.’ It is quite meaningful. No matter if we meet again, as long as we did not miss each other, it’s a blessing.”

After the name of the shop was decided, Xu Le opened the reservation online. It was open for five days a week and they would receive ten customers a day. In less than two hours, the reservation queue had already reached three years later. It was very exaggerated.

A week later, the Dong’an Chicken that Zhang Heng made was put on sale. Because he had an agreement with the system, Xu Le was very concerned about this matter and was too busy to go home for a few days.

On this day, the sales finally exceeded a million in a month. The system gave him free ingredients forever as promised. This meant that not only could he reduce a major expenditure in the future, but he could also have the best ingredients.

When Xu Le arrived home, Xu Tian was doing her homework. When she saw him, she jogged over and said, “Sister Lu is cooking today.”

“What’s wrong with that? Your Sister Lu has been my assistant for so long. Her culinary skills must not be that bad.”

“No, no, no.”

Lu Yuxi carried two plates to the dining room and said, “White porridge with small pickled vegetables and high-quality salted duck eggs. Of course, the food I cook is far inferior to yours, so I’ll leave this heavy responsibility to you. Just make do with it today. We said that we are bringing Tiantian to the amusement park after dinner. Have you forgotten?”

“I didn’t forget.”

After Xu Le sat down, he was too tired to cook. He tasted the simple porridge and dishes and felt that they were the best food in the past few days.

Lu Yuxi looked down at the guide to the amusement park. Suddenly, Xu Tian shouted, “Look, the sunset is pink today.”

Large patches of fiery clouds spread across the sky. Xu Le suddenly understood that happiness was never an earth-shattering thing, but the gentleness hidden in porridge and rice.

“Brother, will you make shrimp egg and sandwiches tomorrow morning?”

“Okay, little glutton.”