I'm the Culinary God

"Why aren't you eating, Yueyue? This is so delicious!"

Chen Yan couldn't stop eating; her satisfaction with this dish had even surpassed that of the spicy crawfish.

Dou Wenjing and Shu Yun, on the other hand, were quite reserved. They tried a bit before putting down their chopsticks. The boss is still busy in the kitchen; it wouldn't be right for us to just feast like this.

As for Zeng Xiaoqi... Today, I came specifically for the spicy crawfish. I'm not interested in any other dishes, no matter how good they are.

Shen Baobao took a photo of the stir-fried silkworm chrysalis and posted it under the Lin Ji's Food topic, chatting with netizens while saying, "When I was a kid, the chubby kid next door at my nanny's house scared me with silkworm chrysalis. Since then, I haven't been able to touch them. You guys eat; I'm waiting for the crawfish."

Not long after the photo of the stir-fried silkworm chrysalis was uploaded, Zhu Yong, who was discussing the new store layout with Wei Qian, received a WeChat message: "Weeping Willow, are the silkworm chrysalis tasty?"

The sender was Lu Lu, but they still liked to call each other by their internet names.

Zhu Yong tapped out a reply: "The boss is still busy; how could we dare to try them? Right now, only the boss's wife's cousin is eating... Why do you ask, Yuyu? Are you on a diet again tonight?"

"I was going to diet, but after seeing the photo the boss's wife posted, I couldn't help but order a bunch of takeout. Show me the crawfish your boss makes later, and if you dare to forget, I'll beat you to death!"

Seeing this message, Zhu Yong helplessly curled his lips. This Lin Daiyu is like a violent maniac, always threatening to beat me to death. No wonder there's such a thing as 'Uprooting Weeping Willow'! With her level of aggression, forget a weeping willow; even a spruce tree wouldn't stand a chance against her dismantling!

While they were chatting, Qin Wei, having finished prepping the silverfish, saw that the oysters were almost done steaming. He turned off the rice cooker and opened the lid. As he did, a rush of savory aroma mixed with a rich garlic scent wafted out from the kitchen. The steamed garlic oysters were ready.

Lin Xu said to Qin Wei, "Just bring them out to eat; the crawfish will be ready shortly."

After saying that, he lifted the lid of the pot and turned up the flame, allowing the sauce to reduce a bit—this made the crawfish more flavorful and even tastier.

As the oysters were served, the women began to gather around the coffee table and sit down. The men, out of habit, went to the kitchen to see if anything else needed to be brought out.

Soon, the spicy crawfish were ready. Lin Xu poured them into a tray and then started to stir-fry the whelks. This fresh delicacy was incredibly tasty; one gentle suck was all it took to draw out the delicious whelk meat.

"How much longer, boss? Why don't you go eat, and I'll watch the kitchen," Zhuang Yizhou said as he entered the kitchen, intending to take over the cooking.

Lin Xu smiled and said, "This will be ready in a few minutes after stewing with the spicy seasonings. It'll be perfect to serve alongside the garlic crawfish..."

Zhuang Yizhou saw cucumbers soaking in the sink. He took them out, gave them a smack, and cut them into chunks. After smashing a few garlic cloves, he easily made a dish of smashed cucumber.

Not long after, the garlic crawfish and whelks were both ready. Next, Lin Xu pan-fried the silverfish that Qin Wei had prepared, creating a dish of fragrant pan-fried silverfish. Having finished, he brought the dishes out and announced, "Let's eat!"

"Bring out the beer, fill everyone's glasses!"

The men all filled their glasses. Among the women, aside from Shen Baobao's older sister and Zeng Xiaoqi, the others also poured themselves a token glass.

Lin Xu raised his glass and said, "Lin Ji's Food will be opening soon. I hope everyone can unite as one. Under the leadership of Manager Dou and Store Manager Shu, let's achieve new glories!"

After toasting with everyone, he drained his glass in one go. Once the new store opened, Lin Xu would no longer be in charge of management; all store operations would be fully entrusted to professionals.

Everyone quickly raised their glasses, offered some polite words, and then tilted their heads back to finish their beer.

After the first round of drinks, everyone chatted while they ate.

Shu Yun put on disposable gloves and began peeling shrimp while saying, "The front desk manager's position is crucial. Even in a high-end place like Fishing Platform, I still encountered unreasonable people and was brought to tears several times. Do we have someone selected for that position here?"

Upon hearing this, Dou Wenjing, Shen Baobao, Wei Qian, and Shen Baobao's older sister all chuckled. Other positions at the newly opened Lin Ji's Food might have weaknesses, but the front desk manager was Song Tiantian. This formidable Nezha, who could knock out a grown man with three punches, was an expert at handling all sorts of unreasonable people. No matter how unreasonable someone was, when faced with her imposing presence, they would invariably become polite and gentle.

"Song Tiantian is actually that imposing?"

Shu Yun watched Lin Xu's videos every day and knew about the cashier at the front desk with a baby face and a sweet voice. She had initially thought Song Tiantian was just a delicate young girl. But hearing everyone's descriptions, she couldn't help but think of Lu Tixia from *Water Margin*. Could this Song Tiantian be Master Zhishen in disguise?

Dou Wenjing picked up a garlic crawfish, sucked on it first, praised Lin Xu's skill, and then said, "A few days ago, I arranged for Tiantian to intern at a restaurant owned by one of Manager Shen's friends. The main purpose was for her to get familiar with the job responsibilities and authority of a restaurant's front desk manager, as well as how to handle emergencies."

They had originally planned to send Song Tiantian to Fishing Platform. However, Fishing Platform wasn't very busy, and its clientele consisted of high-end individuals, so Tiantian wouldn't learn much there. It was better for her to go to a slightly more upscale restaurant where she could encounter people from all walks of life and gain broader experience.

While everyone was eating, Zhu Yong took out his phone, aimed it at the dishes on the table, snapped a photo, and sent it to Lu Lu.