Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

In the east wing of the backyard of Li's Restaurant, Li Chunsheng lay on the bed, listening to the occasional sound of the night watchman's drum outside the window, but he was not sleepy at all.

Although he had humiliated Dongxinglou these past two days by using the top-tier ingredients he redeemed from the system shop, he knew in his heart that this couldn't continue.

He brought up the system panel and looked at the values ​​in the upper right corner.

Current Reputation Points: 1000

Looking at this number, Li Chunsheng felt a bitter taste in his mouth. A few days ago, because he had hosted a banquet for Mr. Mei and others, his reputation points had soared to more than 6,000. He spent 3,000 to exchange for body enhancement, and the remaining 3,000 reputation points had been flowing out like water in just three days.

Although business is booming and I can earn some reputation points every day, the cost of exchanging ingredients is just too high.

"This can't go on."

Whether it's exchanging for special items or strengthening your body, reputation points are indispensable. If you exhaust them just to maintain the restaurant's daily operations, it's like drinking poison to quench your thirst. Once your reputation points are depleted and the blockade of Dongxinglou continues, Li's Restaurant will truly become a fish on the chopping block.

"We can't just passively take the beating; that's slow suicide."

In this world, if you want to be an honest person and make money steadily, there will always be someone who wants to ride on your neck.

Li Chunsheng opened the system. He hadn't opened the Shandong cuisine reward from that mission yet, so he took this opportunity to check it out.

Shandong cuisine is the top of the eight major cuisines and was even the imperial cuisine. Dongxinglou was able to dominate the catering industry in Beiping because of its authentic Shandong cuisine.

The most ruthless way to slap your opponent in the face is to defeat them with what they do best.

Please choose one of the following four signature Shandong dishes.

[A. Nine-Turned Intestines: A perfect blend of sour, sweet, fragrant, spicy, and salty flavors; reddish in color and tender in texture.]

B. Sweet and Sour Carp: Beautifully presented, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors, and symbolizing good fortune.

【C. Stir-fried Double Crispy: Made primarily with pork belly tips and chicken, this dish requires extremely precise control of heat and is characterized by its crisp, tender, and refreshing texture. It represents the pinnacle of skill in Shandong cuisine.】

[D. Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions: A signature dish of Shandong cuisine, this dish features fresh sea cucumber, rich scallion flavor, and a tender, flavorful texture, making it a grand finale at any banquet.]

First of all, sea cucumbers are too expensive. Not to mention where to get so many high-quality sea cucumbers now, even if you could get them, such an expensive dish is not something that the old neighbors outside Qianmen can afford to eat every day.

Secondly, sweet and sour carp is a classic dish, but it's troublesome to eat because it has many bones.

As for braised pork intestines, braised pork intestines already contain pork intestines. Although the cooking methods are different, the ingredients are the same. Moreover, the audience for braised pork intestines is extremely polarized. People who love it love it to the extreme, and people who hate it hate it to the extreme.

This is it! Crispy Fried Double Crispy!

Stir-fried Double Crispy, this dish has a nickname in the culinary world: the chef's nightmare.

If the heat is too low, the food will be raw and tough; if it's too high, it will be overcooked and tough, like chewing on a rubber band. Only by cooking it in that split second or two can the pork belly and chicken gizzards be cooked through while maintaining a crisp and tender texture. Most importantly, Li Chunsheng had made this dish, "Fried Double Crispy," many times in his previous life!

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the recipe: Fried Double Crispy Pastries.]

[The relevant techniques have been instilled; please practice them diligently.]

As dawn broke, Li Chunsheng got out of bed, but instead of rushing to the kitchen to prepare ingredients as usual, he did not.

"Boss, up so early?" Xiao Wu was already cleaning the lobby.

"Da Hu, today you go to the meat market. No need to sneak around, just openly buy a few pounds of pig stomachs and chicken gizzards."

Da Hu was taken aback: "Boss, isn't Butcher Zheng's side..."

"It's alright, this isn't a hot commodity. Even if Dongxinglou wanted to monopolize it, they couldn't."

"Alright!"

After arranging things for Da Hu, Li Chunsheng went to Lao Wu's side.

"Mr. Wu," Li Chunsheng walked over, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp, "I've made up my mind, this can't go on like this."

Old Wu pushed up his glasses: "What does the boss want?"

"Dongxinglou is rich and powerful, and Sun Dehai is a treacherous man. If he can cut off my meat tomorrow, he can cut off my vegetables tomorrow, and he can cut off my coal the day after tomorrow," Li Chunsheng slammed his teacup on the table. "Instead of waiting for him to cut me off with a dull knife, I might as well take the initiative and settle things with him."

If it were Dongxinglou two years ago, Li Chunsheng might still be afraid, but since the old manager of Dongxinglou passed away two years ago and it was passed on to his son, Dongxinglou has not been as good as before. The family fortune that the old manager accumulated through a lifetime of good deeds has almost been squandered by Brother Sun Dehai.

"What does the employer want to do?"

"I want to challenge Dongxinglou," Li Chunsheng said, enunciating each word clearly. "This can't go on. Since they look down on my unorthodox methods, I'll defeat them fair and square this time!"

Old Wu gasped, "Master, this is no small matter. Although Dongxinglou is not as good as it used to be, it is still the top of the eight great restaurants. Yan Desheng is a titan in the Beijing culinary world. You..."

"I have my own plans," Li Chunsheng gave him a reassuring look. "I'm going out for a bit. Yaya, you and Yunniang can help deliver it later."

"Where did the boss go?"

"Go find Mr. Mei," Li Chunsheng straightened his collar. "For something like this, you need someone of sufficient influence to relay the message, right?"

Mei Residence, Wuliangdaren Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beiping.

Mei Lanfang has no performance today; he is painting in his study, specifically a painting titled "Winter Plum Blossoms".

Feng Liu tiptoed in: "Sir, Manager Li from Li's shop is here. He says he has something important to discuss with me."

"Chunsheng?" Mei Lanfang put down his pen. "Please come quickly."

A moment later, Li Chunsheng was led into the study.

"Mr. Mei, I apologize for bothering you, but Chunsheng is in a difficult situation." Li Chunsheng didn't stand on ceremony and got straight to the point.

Mei Lanfang gestured for him to sit down and said gently, "I've heard that Dongxinglou cut off your supply? That Sun Dehai is indeed a bit unethical."

Mei Lanfang's network of information was incredibly extensive; this kind of news naturally couldn't escape his ears.

"It's not just a shortage of stock," Li Chunsheng said with a wry smile, "they're trying to squeeze me out of business, Mr. Mei. I'm thinking of having a fair and square competition with Dongxinglou."

"A contest?" Mei Lanfang asked, intrigued. "How do you want to compete?"

"A culinary contest," Li Chunsheng said, "will take place at Dongxinglou, or at my Li's restaurant, in front of industry professionals and diners. We'll cook a dish, they can set the challenge, I can set the challenge. If they lose, they'll publish an apology and pay me compensation for emotional distress! If I lose, I'll close down!"

"Compensation for emotional distress? That's a new term." Mei Lanfang laughed. "Chunsheng, you should know that Yan Desheng of Dongxinglou's master was a former imperial chef. He truly inherited his master's skills. Although you are exceptionally talented, you are still young. Your chances of winning..."

"Mr. Mei, let's fight for our pride, not for the money! What's the difference between continuing like this and losing the written exam?"

"Good!" Mei Lanfang suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "What a spirit! Chunsheng, just for your courage, I'll help you! I trust you!"

"Thank you, Mr. Mei!"

"I'll have Feng Liu deliver this challenge to you." Mei Lanfang walked to his desk, spread out another sheet of Xuan paper, picked up his brush, and began to write. "Not only that, I'll be a witness for this competition, and I'll also invite Brother Feng, Elder Qi, and even a few friends from the newspapers to witness it together."

Li Chunsheng felt much more at ease. With Mei Lanfang's words, the matter was considered settled. Even if Dongxinglou wanted to renege on its promise, it wouldn't dare to act recklessly in the face of these important figures and public opinion.