When the customers in the restaurant saw the candied hawthorns, someone immediately came up and asked, “Boss, how much is this candied hawthorn?”

“Which one do you want?”

Xu Le asked.

The man said, “The one with filling. What’s inside?”

“Red date paste and walnuts, do you want to try one?”

“Yes, I want another one with strawberry and orange.”

“How much?”

“20 for the one with mixed ingredients, 10 for the flat hawthorn, 15 for the one with filling.”

“Alright, give me one for each type. I’ll try each of them.”

After someone came over to buy it, everyone knew the price and all the customers in the shop gathered around.

“There’s nothing nasty to eat in this store. I believe in you and will have one of each.”

“I want that the mixed one and the one with filling!”

“I want two flat ones. The flat ones taste the best!”

Lu Yuxi hurriedly tried to maintain order and collected their payment. “Everyone, take your time.”

However, over 30 candied hawthorn sticks were immediately sold out.

The sour and sweet hawthorn was mixed with red date paste. It neutralized the slight puckery taste of the hawthorn. With one bite, it was sweet, crispy and appetizing. Even those who had just eaten could eat this to help with their digestion.

The walnut inside was simply the finishing touch. The more one chewed, the more the fragrance spread in one’s mouth.

Li Qing stood at the side for a long time. When he saw that Xu Le had no intention of talking to him and that he was asking for a rebuff, he bought a stick of candied hawthorn and left.

When they returned home at night, Xu Le packed two skewers of candied hawthorns for Xu Tian. She ate them excitedly and said, “Brother, why isn’t there a layer of glutinous rice paper on it? It’s no longer sticky to the mouth.”

“If you like, I’ll add it for you next time I make it.”

Xu Le answered and switched on his phone.

He had just clicked on a certain app when he saw a video of himself on the screen. The bright red braised pork looked enticing and the quail egg was golden. In just one day, the number of likes had reached more than 1.5 million.

He opened the comments section.

“As expected of the little Master Chef. His teaching guide is simple, clear, and accurate. We can even make it at home. I hope he updates more!”

“Wow, his sister is really cute.”

“The atmosphere is so good. Just the video alone is enough to make me feel happy.”

“Is braised pork really that simple? I also have to show off my skills when I get back!”

He tapped on the comments and saw that the post owner had replied, “I actually succeeded and didn’t blow up the kitchen. Everyone, quickly go and try it! It’s really super easy to learn!”

“Xu Le is always the best!”

“I can eat three bowls of rice with this soup alone.”

“Did you guys notice? He’s using Maotai. He’s really rich.”

“He has participated in quite a few competitions. Just the prize money alone is quite a lot. What do you think?”

Apart from talking about food, his sister, there were some people who tried to dig up Xu Le’s scandals. However, they could not find anything.

Xu Le was still having a headache about opening a branch. He couldn’t split himself into two. Even if the system could pay for the rent, he couldn’t manage both outlets.

After giving it some thought, he discussed with Lu Yuxi, “Do you have any suggestions?”

Lu Yuxi was putting on a face mask as she answered, “Isn’t the best candidate right in front of you? Li Qing came to look for you today, but you didn’t say a single word to him. You didn’t even get to the main topic and angered him away.”

Xu Le recalled that he hwas the one who had taught him how to make Imitation Crab.

Li Qing’s talent, cooking skills, and cutting skills were not considered top-notch in the cooking industry, but he was good at replicating others’ work quickly. Moreover, he was passionate enough and was willing to invest time and energy into it.

He suddenly made up his mind and said, “If he’s willing, I can teach him how to cook.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Lu Yuxi poured a bucket of cold water on him and reminded him. “Li Qing is too arrogant and will never bow down. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing so badly.”

“How would I know if I don’t try?”

The next day Xu Le opened for business, he immediately started soaking the soybeans early in the morning. Even after he had finished his meal, he still did not see Li Qing. He thought that Li Qing was not coming and did not take this matter to heart.

In the afternoon, he started to make crispy pork belly that Lu Yuxi wanted to eat for a long time.

Lu Yuxi had been craving for crispy pork belly for a long time. When she saw him start cooking, she immediately ran to the kitchen to help. “My kind boss, is there anything I can help with?”

“Prepare the scallions, ginger slices, aniseed and fennel. Put them in cold water, and also the pork belly and start blanching.”

While cooking, he explained, “The most important thing about the crispy pork belly is the sauce. I watched the cooking methods in several videos last night and found them lacking.”

In the end, he still bought the most authentic recipe from the system.

“Boil the pork belly for six to seven minutes, remove all the floating foam, scoop up the meat and wipe it clean. Now, start preparing the sauce.”

Xu Le poured a spoonful of salt, sugar, two large spoonfuls of cumin powder, one-third of a spoonful of Five Fragrance Powder, two spoonfuls of light soya sauce, half spoonful of oyster sauce, and finally, half spoonful of chilli powder, and a large spoonful of Korean chili sauce. Then, he stirred them evenly.

He pierced the pork belly using a toothpick so that the taste would be better. This was called crispy on the skin.

He used the knife to cut the back of the meat horizontally and vertically a few times. Since the knife couldn’t cut through the meat, he used the sauce to brush the meat so that the cracks inside and outside were coated.

After all the steps were completed, Xu Le made a liquid so by mixing salt and soda in the ratio of 1:1. Then, he used a brush to brush the surface of the pork evenly. This way, the crispy pork skin that was roasted would be even more crispy and would burst with a bite.

The oven was preheated. When the temperature was about right, the meat could be hung inside for rotation.

Lu Yuxi looked on with anticipating eyes. “How long do we have to wait?”

“Half an hour. Just wait patiently.”

After saying that, Xu Le placed the cooked sesame and peanuts into the grinder to break them apart. After pouring them out, he added fennel powder, cumin powder, and chili powder.

He said, “This is the seasoning for the crispy pork belly later.”

Lu Yuxi was so anxious that she had to look at the clock every now and then, as she complained that the hour passed really slowly.

In order to eat the food that Xu Le was cooking, Sun Zhi came over after school. He and Lu Yuxi stood in front of the oven and waited anxiously.

“Boss, order please.”

When he heard the familiar voice, Xu Le looked up. When he saw Li Qing, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. “Wensi tofu, is it? Do you still want it today?”

The change in his attitude stunned Li Qing for a moment. Then, he nodded and said, “Yes, add another dish of seafood with scallion oil. Can I go into the kitchen to observe?”

“Please.”

Perhaps it was because of the chemistry between the chefs, Xu Le could vaguely guess the other party’s thoughts the moment he entered.

Li Qing wanted to see his culinary skills with his own eyes before deciding whether to work with him.

He placed the soybeans into the soymilk machine, when he heard Li Qing say in a muffled voice, “You have already guessed what I wanted to do?”

“Yes, almost.” Xu Le said, “I think we should have a chance to work together.”

Li Qing said smugly, “That still depends on your performance for me to decide if I want to acknowledge you as my master..”