Chapter 523

: The Former Royal Chef Invited Out From Retirement
Translator:
 Xiong_Guoqi Editor:
 DesTheSloth

So it’s just because of this?
Wu Hai was stupefied.

That is right. Speaking of which, it really is the most expensive dish in history.
The customers at the side nodded their heads, pretending to be serious.
After all, the treasured scrolls of calligraphy or paintings of Su Dongpo were fairly valuable. It was once rumored that Su Dongpo’s authentic works had been presented in an auction house at Hong Kong and the final bid reached 460 million RMB. However, there were rumors that that was a false piece of news.
The reason was that this price was way too low. Su Dongpo’s treasured scrolls of calligraphy or paintings were worth at least 1 billion RMB and this was a reasonable price. Therefore, one could imagine why this dish could be named the most expensive in history.

Exactly. It can be used in exchange for Su Dongpo’s calligraphy works. Unfortunately, I wasn’t born at that time.
A customer sighed with emotion.

You are speaking as if you knew how to cook this dish if you were born at that period.
Another customer jeered straightforwardly.

You are right. I wouldn’t know, but I’m talking about Boss Yuan. If Boss Yuan was born at that time, he would have already gotten so many of Su Dongpo’s calligraphy works that it could fill a house.
This customer was quite smart. He directly changed the subject, bringing it toward Yuan Zhou.

That’s true. With Boss Yuan’s craftsmanship, even Su Dongpo would probably take out his own calligraphy works to exchange for the dish voluntarily.
This customer nodded his head with consent.

Yes, indeed. Boss Yuan’s craftsmanship is so nice that I really want to find a boyfriend like to him.
At the side, there was a girl with a pretty appearance and dressed casually. Once she opened her mouth, she said that.

Haw-haw. I think you just want Boss Yuan to be your boyfriend.
A customer emitted a kind laughter.

Ahem. She can’t do this. Boss Yuan belongs to all of us.
Man Man said with a playful tone.
After they debated about whom Yuan Zhou belonged to as usual, their attention was diverted to the delicacies again. However, more people ordered the Stir-fried Dongpo this time.
It was of great attraction to eat the same dish eaten by a famous person, let alone a dish that even a famous person would exchange for with his treasured scrolls of calligraphy or paintings.
Yuan Zhou, who was the main topic of discussion just now, was still cooking the dishes attentively. Even if the topic about girlfriends was one he was interested in, he could not be distracted.

No.14 of Taoxi Road of Chengdu. Well, this is the place. But this place is really way too small.
A young man stared at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant and muttered to himself.
He was wearing a common overcoat and black pants. There was still some dust and dirt on his brown leather shoes and some folds at the lower hem of his overcoat. With a pair of glasses on his nose, he appeared to be only 25 or 26 years old.
His had a square kind of face and it gave people a feeling that he was fairly just. The only thing was that he kept rolling his eyes from time to time and didn’t look solemn, either. As a result, he appeared to be rather lively.
With a slip in his hand, he checked the address carefully. After that, he looked at the people lining up outside Yuan Zhou’s restaurant and the other people who seemed to be surrounding and watching at the side. It was then he became a little puzzled.
As there wasn’t a shop sigh at the door, he wasn’t quite sure about that. Thus, he went up and started to ask others.

Hello. Is this a restaurant?
The young man spoke standard mandarin and didn’t seem to be a native of the city.
The person who was questioned happened to be Ma Zhida. Of course, he was also here to eat the new dish. After all, he was regarded to be the Little Prince of New Dishes.

Of course. This is Yuan Zhou’s restaurant. You can also call it the Master Chef Restaurant.
Ma Zhida said with a proud look.

Master Chef? This name is way too grand.
The young man muttered inwardly yet had a sincere look on his face.

Thank you. But honestly speaking, the number of customers are too many.
He said smilingly.

Sure. Since you stood behind me, have you got the number ticket?
Ma Zhida was a little puzzled.
Because this person directly stood behind Ma Zhida after he asked that and appeared to be lining up.

What number ticket?
The young man asked with puzzlement.

You are here for the first time, aren’t you? I thought you had received the number ticket. See that silver machine over there? Swipe your ID and you can get one.
Ma Zhida was still considered to be quiet patient. He explained carefully.

It’s fairly troublesome.
The young man muttered.

What?
Ma Zhida didn’t hear him clearly and hence asked.

Never mind. Thank you.
The young man shook his head and then turned around to get the number ticket. Therefore, he didn’t hear Ma Zhida’s next sentence saying that there was no number ticket available now.
The place where Yuan Zhou’s restaurant was located now wasn’t the most developed zone of Chengdu. What’s more, there wasn’t even a parking area around here. People who came to eat here either got a ticket or parked their car at a faraway place. Even so, there were still many customers going there one after another during mealtimes.
However, just because many people went there didn’t mean the facilities were luxurious. There was no public toilet and the environment of the street was very common. At both sides of the street were all old houses.

He’s simply a real hermit that lives in a bustling place.
The young man sighed with emotion.

It seems those capable people all like this kind of thing.
The young man immediately thought of Mr. Ma who was in that remote place of Yanfeng Village.
That’s right. This young man knew Mr. Ma.
The young man was Liu Jian’an, which, in his eyes, was really not bad. After all, the name of his father was Jianguo while the name of his elder brother was Jianjun. Don’t ask him why he, his father, and elder brother all shared the same middle name which should have been different to indicate that there were of different generations in China, because he didn’t know that, either.
As he had an elder in his family who had even participated in wars against invaders decades of years ago, his family members all had a name that contained patriotic significance. After all, the name of his elder sister was Hongjun (meaning Red Army in Chinese). Therefore, he felt very lucky about his own name.

At least, my name is a male name, unlike my sister. A male name for a girl. Humph.
Liu Jianan ridiculed.
Liu Jianan was 25 this year and he was still a senior student in the college. He was the youngest son in his family. His grandpa’s 91st birthday was arriving very soon. As he had just celebrated the more important 90-year-old birthday last year, he wanted to keep a low profile this year.
At this age, however, no one could celebrate their birthday with a low profile, not to mention that Liu Jianan’s father was still in office. Nonetheless, they were definitely going to make it simple and unadorned.
As the youngest son of this family, Liu Jianan had no money nor power and thus he didn’t know what to gift. He suddenly remembered that his grandpa had poor appetite recently because he was growing older and thus didn’t have a good digestion.
Because of that, Liu Jianan suddenly thought of Mr. Ma, namely, the former royal chef that had retired. It would cause inconvenience if he invited a current royal chef. Besides, as a college student, he really had no means to invite one.
After all, he couldn’t go invite any in the name of his father. As a result, Liu Jianan suddenly thought of Mr. Ma.
He didn’t really know Mr. Ma. It was only an occasional chance that he got to know his address.
A target naturally produced motivation. There were fewer classes in the senior year of the college, so he rushed immediately toward Yanfeng Village once he set his target.

Damn it. This place is really dilapidated.
It was the first word said by Liu Jianan once he got off the plane.
After being jolted around for almost half a day by motorcycle and found he even had to walk up to Yanfeng Village, however, Liu Jianan wanted to curse.

Did the royal chef come here for a secluded life? What does he eat since it’s so remote here?
As he had never suffered such a hardship, Liu Jianan complained while walking.
It was good that he had some luck. When he arrived at the village, Mr. Ma was in the village.
Liu Jianan had nothing but perseverance. He had pestered Mr. Ma for one month and seven days before Mr. Ma was persuaded.

I agree to your request. You can get out now.
Mr. Ma, with a neat hair and his hands clasped behind his back, said loudly like a large bell,.

Fantastic. So Mr. Ma, are you going with me today or tomorrow?
Liu Jianan threw off the clothes in his hand and leaped up excitedly.