Chapter Twelve: The Down-to-Earth Charmer [Please Recommend and Add to Favorites]

From ten meters away, a young man approached, his floral shirt tucked into white trousers, white leather shoes gleaming beneath him. On his left wrist, he wore a counterfeit gold watch, so realistic it almost fooled the eye; on his right, a string of meaningless prayer beads. From his belt dangled a jingling keychain, and with both hands shoved into his pockets, he strutted with the air of the most dashing man on Old Street.

"That's Zhao Gang," Su Rui whispered hurriedly into Li Can's ear before Zhao Gang drew too close. "He's the head chef at 'Fiery Kitchen,' the most popular restaurant on Old Street. His culinary skills are impressive."

Li Can responded with a nonchalant "Oh," but the underlying hostility in his tone was impossible to miss. Su Rui knew Zhao Gang's earlier words had offended Li Can, but there was no time for consolation now. All she could do was force an awkward laugh.

"Brother Zhao, what brings you here today? Isn't your restaurant busy?" she greeted.

"The guys at the place can handle things. Besides, I'm the head chef—can't be expected to do every little thing myself," Zhao Gang replied, not sparing Li Can a glance. He stepped closer to Su Rui, so near his face nearly brushed hers. "Su Rui, didn't I tell you to wait a couple more days? Once I've settled things over there, I'll come help you manage your place."

"Brother Zhao, my little restaurant doesn't need to trouble you. I can handle it myself. Anyway, if you came to help, I'm sure Boss Shen wouldn't be happy," Su Rui replied, subtly leaning back to put some distance between them. She quickly turned to pour Zhao Gang a glass of water, hoping to ease the tension.

"Come on, what's there to worry about? Shen's place only became popular because of me. If he knows what's good for him, he won't dare boss me around," Zhao Gang said, taking the glass and sipping. He flicked his stylish fringe with a practiced gesture, revealing a few pale pimples at his hairline, and smirked.

Li Can couldn't hold back a snort. This guy's ostentatious antics were truly on another level.

Zhao Gang's gaze snapped over, sharp as a blade. "What are you laughing at?"

"Ahem. Li Can, why don't you go help in the kitchen? About what we discussed earlier, I've made up my mind. Let's do it your way—I trust you." Not waiting for Li Can to respond, Su Rui quickly tried to smooth things over, hoping to prevent an escalation.

"Alright," Li Can replied without objection. After casting Zhao Gang a look that said "idiot," he gathered up all the menus and headed to the kitchen.

"Just look at that attitude," Zhao Gang said, pretending to pursue, but Su Rui stopped him.

"Don't be upset, Brother Zhao. Li Can's actually a good person."

"Su Rui, let me be blunt—even if you're in a hurry to hire a chef, you shouldn't settle for a greenhorn like him." Zhao Gang shook his head with a sigh. "I've seen plenty like him—young, cocky, think they're the best in the world, but have no real skill."

"It's not as bad as you say. I've tried Li Can's cooking—it’s quite good," Su Rui replied diplomatically, choosing "quite good" over "excellent."

Though young, Su Rui was adept at handling such situations. She didn't show excessive favoritism toward Li Can, nor did she make Zhao Gang lose face—her sense of proportion was impeccable.

Zhao Gang wielded considerable influence on Old Street. A word from him could sway customers' opinions, so most people preferred not to cross him.

"Ah," Zhao Gang sighed with feigned regret, then helped himself to a stool and struck up a casual conversation with Su Rui. She could hardly refuse.

…

In the kitchen, Li Can busied himself with the ingredients. Zhao Gang's mockery didn't bother him in the slightest; in fact, he barely registered it. It wasn't so much magnanimity as it was the natural indifference that comes with mastery. Like an elephant to an ant.

With deft precision, Li Can sliced pork tenderloin into thin strips—each exactly the same width and length, as if produced by a machine. His knife skills were plain to see.

In truth, Zhao Gang wasn't wrong about one thing: a head chef need not handle every detail personally. Li Can hadn't personally prepped ingredients in ages. Back at the Imperial Court, there were assistants for such tasks. His time was spent devising new dishes or occasionally mentoring newcomers, overseeing the whole operation.

Once the pork strips were cut, they needed to be marinated with salt, rice wine, egg white, starch, and a touch of baking soda. The baking soda would tenderize the meat, while the starch locked in moisture, making the pork more succulent.

Most chefs, unaware of baking soda's virtues, would use commercial tenderizer instead. While not wrong, it resulted in a less refined texture.

To Li Can, great cuisine was nothing more than a tapestry of perfect details. He took pleasure in every small refinement.

He set the marinated pork aside—the longer it rested, the deeper the flavor. Today's only dish was "Fish-Fragrant Pork," and there was one crucial element to prepare in advance: the fish-fragrant sauce.

This sauce was the soul of the dish. Without it, no amount of meticulous preparation could save the result.

In authentic fish-fragrant pork, no additional seasoning is added during cooking; all the flavor comes from the sauce.

Li Can took a small basin and added rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, starch, and salt in a precise ratio of 5:4:3:2:1. Another might have used a measuring spoon; Li Can simply poured the ingredients in, trusting his intuition. This was his confidence.

Back in the Imperial Court, someone once doubted his ability to control proportions. They fetched the most precise scales to test him—his measurements were flawless to the last gram.

Such uncanny control…

Of course, Li Can never denied his extraordinary culinary talent, but talent alone could not have brought him this far. Only he knew the effort and dedication it had taken.

With the sauce ready, all that remained was to prepare the side vegetables—wood ear mushrooms, julienned; green bamboo shoots, also cut into thin strips. The ginger, garlic, and dried chili peppers had already been prepped by Su Rui.

With nothing more to do, Li Can had no reason to linger in the kitchen. But as he lifted the curtain to step out, he was startled by the scene before him.

The "tacky show-off" was still there, Su Rui stood by with a pained smile, and outside the restaurant, more than twenty strangers had gathered, including several burly, thickset men. Their noisy chatter was as irritating as a swarm of flies.

"There, that's the one," Zhao Gang announced, and with his words, every eye turned in unison toward Li Can.

(To be continued…)