Chapter 2: Transforming into a Chef

The waiter shouted impatiently, "Go, go, go! Where did this little beggar come from? Is Qinxiang Pavilion a place for people like you?"

Su Jin reached into her bosom and pulled out the silver she had snatched from Zhongli Luo, pouring it out piece by piece. She counted it in her palm, then casually picked up a silver ingot and held it out to the waiter, saying, "Is this enough money?"

The waiter was startled when he saw the silver in Su Jin's hand. Judging by her clothing, she didn't look like a wealthy person! How could she have so much silver? Could she be a young lady who had run away from a prominent household? At this thought, the waiter's previous disdain vanished, and he said to Su Jin with a smile, "Miss, I was blind not to recognize a mountain of greatness. Please forgive me."

Su Jin walked into the restaurant. The decor and design were quite decent, but there were very few people eating! This was exactly the kind of restaurant with little business that she wanted. Su Jin nodded in satisfaction, then casually found a table to sit at. Looking at the waiter, she said, "Alright, go bring me a menu."

Hearing Su Jin's words, the waiter was utterly bewildered. "Customer? What is a menu?"

Looking at the waiter's confused expression, Su Jin thought to herself, *No way, they don't even have a menu?* She reminded herself that this was ancient times, not the modern era; a menu was a product of the 21st century. "A menu is what customers use to order food."

Upon hearing Su Jin's explanation, the waiter immediately reacted. "That kind of thing, we just report it verbally."

"Fine, then go ahead and list them."

"Braised Lion's Head, Steamed Chicken, Stir-fried Ribs..." The waiter instantly rattled off a long list of dish names to Su Jin... Su Jin felt as if a chanting monk had appeared before her eyes; her head began to ache from listening.

Su Jin immediately interrupted him. "Stop... stop... don't chant anymore. Just bring one Steamed Chicken and one Braised Lion's Head."

Hearing her, the waiter immediately stopped reciting the dishes. "Yes, Miss, please wait a moment." He then turned and headed into the kitchen with the written order. After a while, he emerged again.

Seeing him come out, Su Jin beckoned to him. "Waiter, come here for a moment."

Seeing her beckon, the waiter thought she wanted more food and hurried over. "Does Miss have any other requests?"

"Please call your manager out. I have some business with him."

The waiter looked troubled. "Our manager is quite busy; he doesn't have the time."

"Go tell him that I have a way to help him get Qinxiang Pavilion back in business. Go." The waiter was stunned for a moment, standing there staring at Su Jin for a while before turning to go upstairs.

Not long after the waiter went upstairs, the "creak, creak" sound of someone descending the stairs echoed. Su Jin looked toward the staircase and saw a handsome man descending, as beautiful as fine jade. His hair was mostly ink-black, tied halfway up with a single white silk thread, swept high behind his head. Beneath his sword-like eyebrows, his black eyes were like pools of thick, unshakeable ink.

The waiter, who had just gone up, followed respectfully behind him. Su Jin was completely dazed; her eyes were fixed on him, nearly drooling. Even the manager of a restaurant was such a handsome man!

*In TV dramas, aren't they always portrayed as ugly men with fleshy, brutish faces? It seems TV shows aren't reliable either! It seems my luck in transmigrating is actually quite good; in just one day, I've already encountered two handsome men!*

Zhongli Chen saw Su Jin's sallow complexion, her tattered clothes, and her messy hair. She clearly looked like a beggar! And this beggar actually had the audacity to look at him with a lovesick gaze. Zhongli Chen's expression instantly darkened as he turned to look at Xiao Li-zi and asked, "Is this the girl you mentioned? The one who says she can get Qinxiang Pavilion back in business?"

Xiao Li-zi had long expected his master to react this way. He kept his head low, not daring to meet Zhongli Chen's gaze. "Yes, Young Master."

Zhongli Chen was already extremely frustrated due to the matters regarding Qinxiang Pavilion. When he heard Xiao Li-zi report that someone could help him revive the business, he had been overjoyed and immediately told Xiao Li-zi to bring him down, only to find it was a little beggar! "Xiao Li-zi! Have you not seen a woman in a long time? This is clearly a little beggar, and you actually believe her?"

Xiao Li-zi felt miserable being scolded by his master and hurriedly explained, "Young Master, don't be fooled by her beggar's clothes. She has quite a lot of silver on her; she might be a daughter from a wealthy family."

Hearing the man's words, anger rose in Su Jin's heart. *So what if my clothes are a bit tattered and my hair is a bit messy? How does that make me a little beggar? Does he have to insult me like that?* "Don't look down on people! If you don't believe me, I have no capability! I'll go to another place right now, but I'm telling you, don't regret it!"

Zhongli Chen was so shocked by Su Jin's words that his jaw nearly dropped. This little beggar actually dared to speak to him like that! "Do you even know who I am?"

Su Jin rolled her eyes at Zhongli Chen and said, "Of course I know who you are."

Zhongli Chen raised an eyebrow, looking at Su Jin with an amused expression. This woman was an exception; other women were either overcome with shyness or stared at him blankly for a long time, unable to speak, yet this woman actually dared to speak to him so brazenly. "Since you know who I am, how dare you treat me with such an attitude?"

Su Jin said with a grin, "Of course I know you're a man. Unless you're a woman?"

Zhongli Chen froze, then realized he had been played by this little beggar! However, he wasn't angry; instead, he became interested in this sharp-tongued little beggar. He sat down opposite Su Jin and said, "The little beggar has quite a sharp tongue. Tell me, what method do you have to get my Qinxiang Pavilion back in business?"

"Now you want to ask for my help? Now I don't want to help you anymore. I'll go check out other places." With a smug look, Su Jin made a face at Zhongli Chen and started walking out.

Seeing the little beggar walk away immediately after speaking, Zhongli Chen thought, *This little beggar certainly has a temper! She's different from the others; perhaps she really does have some skill.* "Hey, wait."

Just as Su Jin reached the door, Zhongli Chen's voice came from behind her. She turned back and looked at him. "What is it? Changed your mind?"

Zhongli Chen gritted his teeth and lowered his stance. "I've changed my mind. Just stay."

Su Jin leaned against the door, arms crossed over her chest. She raised her willow-like eyebrows and gave him a sidelong glance, saying indifferently, "Now that you want me to stay, I'm not willing."

Seeing Su Jin's smugness, Zhongli Chen became increasingly interested in her. "Then what will it take for you to stay?"

Su Jin counted on her fingers, lowering her head in deep thought for a moment before slowly speaking, "Give me half of the future income from running Qinxiang Pavilion, and I'll stay."

Zhongli Chen's eyebrows shot up. This little beggar truly had courage! She actually wanted to be the owner of Qinxiang Pavilion. But it was interesting. Zhongli Chen said with a faint smile, "Then how can I believe that you have a way to revive my Qinxiang Pavilion?"

Su Jin did not answer him. Instead, she walked straight to another table in the hall where people were eating, took a pair of chopsticks from the holder, and directly picked up some food to taste.

Xiao Li-zi looked at Zhongli Chen with a troubled expression. "Young Master, this...?"

"Let her be," Zhongli Chen waved his hand, his eyes fixed intently on Su Jin. He wanted to see exactly what tricks this little beggar could pull.

A customer who was drinking wine lost his appetite completely due to Su Jin's disruption. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and turned to shout at Xiao Li-zi, "Manager! What is going on? Why are you letting a little beggar in here?"

Xiao Li-zi was in a difficult position. He steeled himself, stepped forward with a forced smile, and said, "Customer, please don't be angry. I'll have the kitchen make another portion for you in a moment."

Just as Xiao Li-zi finished, Su Jin put down her chopsticks after tasting the food. Frowning, she muttered, "This is far too poorly cooked. What kind of chef made this?"

Hearing her, Zhongli Chen stood up and walked to the table. Su Jin tapped the bowl of sweet and sour ribs with her chopsticks and said, "These sweet and sour ribs have too much sugar; they're too sweet. After a few bites, it becomes cloying. Conversely, there's too little vinegar; I can't smell any vinegar at all."

Su Jin paused, then walked to the other side and tapped the plate of twice-cooked pork with her chopsticks. "And this twice-cooked pork—the garlic sprouts are overcooked, so the aroma is gone, and the meat is too greasy. Proper twice-cooked pork should use pork hindquarters so that the fat and lean meat are balanced, and when stir-frying to release the aroma, it should create the so-called 'lamp-wick' curls."

The dining customer put down his chopsticks and looked at Su Jin. "Are you a chef, Miss?"

"I wouldn't call myself a chef, just someone with a slight study of fine cuisine."

The customer broke into a smile and said cheerfully, "If you aren't a chef, then there are no chefs left in this world!"

"If you don't mind, Miss, how about coming to work as a chef in the restaurant I opened in the small county?"

A customer at another table heard the commotion and let out a sneer. *Believing what a beggar says? What a fool.* He mocked, "How can you prove it just by talking? How can you convince people? You need to show some real evidence first, don't you?"

Su Jin turned to look at the mocking face, and her anger flared up again. She took a deep breath, suppressing her temper, and looked at Zhongli Chen. "Where is the kitchen?"

Zhongli Chen pointed to the waiter who had just received her. "Xiao Li-zi, take her to the kitchen."

Xiao Li-zi made a gesture of invitation. "Miss, let's go." Su Jin gave Zhongli Chen a cold snort and followed Xiao Li-zi into the kitchen.

Seeing Su Jin's manner, Zhongli Chen shook his head helplessly. This little beggar really had a temper. He wanted to see exactly what skills she possessed!

After entering the kitchen, Su Jin surveyed the layout, then turned to Xiao Li-zi. "Your name is Xiao Li-zi, right?"

Xiao Li-zi nodded. "Yes."

Su Jin said to the busy chefs, "Please ask them to step out. I don't like people standing next to me when I'm cooking."