Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

After leaving Xu Ji Restaurant, Haruto asked around for directions and headed toward the next famous establishment.

Over the following ten days or so, he traveled through numerous towns across Lingnan.

Along the way, he visited all kinds of well-known local establishments—a century-old roast-meat shop, a Xijiang River seafood restaurant, an old-style roast goose house, a waterside congee shop, and many others.

Haruto challenged their chefs one after another.

More than a dozen cooking matches later, he had yet to lose a single one.

Before long, the name "Traveling Chef Haruto" had spread throughout Lingnan.

Those ten days also taught Haruto something else.

Most of Lingnan’s truly renowned chefs and restaurants were concentrated in Guangzhou.

Now that his reputation was established well enough for his purposes, Haruto defeated one final local chef before setting out for Guangzhou.

By the time he entered the city, the last trace of sunset had already disappeared below the horizon.

Many of the shops lining the streets had closed for the night, and only the occasional pedestrian remained outside.

After traveling all day, Haruto decided to find an inn and rest. Once morning came, he could properly investigate Guangzhou’s famous restaurants—especially Yangquan Restaurant.

He fully intended to test his skills against Master Zhou Yu.

As Haruto walked down the street looking for an inn that was still open, he noticed a simple bamboo shelter standing in an open space not far away.

A lantern hung from the roof, its warm yellow glow filtering through the woven bamboo walls and standing out brightly against the darkness.

More than a dozen wooden tables and chairs had been arranged neatly outside, clearly meant for customers, though every seat was currently empty.

From inside the shelter came the steady thock-thock of a knife against a cutting board, the clang of a wok against a stove, and several young voices talking.

Haruto walked closer and looked inside.

Only three people were there, all gathered around the cooking station.

The one managing the stove was a boy of around fourteen or fifteen. His eyes were fixed intently on the ingredients in the wok as he worked the spatula with quick, steady movements.

At the cutting board beside him stood another boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old. The knife in his hand moved so fast that it nearly blurred, reducing green peppers and bamboo shoots into perfectly even strips in moments.

A red-haired girl stood nearby helping them while offering encouragement.

Haruto recognized all three immediately.

Liu Maoxing. Zhou Meili. Tang Sanjie.

Mao, Meili, and Sanjie.

After briefly recalling the story, Haruto quickly worked out where he had arrived in the timeline.

Judging by what the three of them were doing, Mao had only recently arrived at Yangquan Restaurant.

Sanjie was currently facing expulsion because of Yangquan’s rules, and Mao had brought him and Meili here to open this temporary stall.

Their plan was to use shredded pork with green peppers to draw customers away from Yangquan Restaurant and prove to Master Zhou Yu that Sanjie’s knife skills and cooking were more than good enough to earn his place there.

Haruto leaned against a nearby post with his arms folded and quietly watched the three work without interrupting.

Before long, the clean, slightly spicy fragrance of green peppers mixed with the fresh sweetness of bamboo shoots and the rich aroma of pork loin hitting hot oil.

Haruto’s appetite stirred.

Inside the stall, Sanjie transferred the freshly cooked shredded pork with green peppers onto a porcelain plate.

Glossy sauce coated the bright green pepper strips, pale bamboo shoots, and reddish-brown pork, giving everything an appetizing sheen beneath the lantern light.

He picked up his chopsticks and tasted some.

His eyes immediately lit up.

"Delicious! The texture is completely different!"

"It must be because every ingredient finished cooking at exactly the right time. Nothing was overdone at all!"

Meili quickly hurried over and took a bite as well.

A delighted smile immediately spread across her face.

"You’re right! I never thought just changing how we cut the ingredients could make such a huge difference!"

"Sanjie, that was amazing! Now Dad definitely won’t have anything to complain about!"

She waved her chopsticks excitedly.

As long as they could satisfy her father, Zhou Yu, Sanjie would be allowed to remain at Yangquan Restaurant.

"Mao, you should try it too!"

Meili turned toward him with a smile.

"Sure. Let me taste it."

Mao nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and took a mouthful of the shredded pork and peppers.

At first, satisfaction appeared on his face.

Then the smile slowly faded.

His brows drew together, his expression turning serious as even his chewing became slower.

By the time Mao swallowed, he looked thoroughly discouraged.

"I just realized something."

"We overlooked something really important."

He raised his head and looked at Meili and Sanjie, who were both waiting expectantly.

"The truth is... this shredded pork with green peppers is a failure."

"What do you mean, Mao?"

Meili’s smile froze.

She stared at him in confusion.

"But it tastes great! How could it be a failure?"

Sanjie looked equally baffled.

As far as he could tell, both the flavor and texture were already excellent.

He simply could not figure out what was wrong.

"This dish has one fatal weakness."

"If we serve it like this, Master Zhou Yu will never be satisfied."

Mao’s expression remained grave.

"What’s wrong with it?"

Sanjie asked urgently.

"I can’t taste any problem at all! This is already a perfectly respectable dish—hell, you could even call it nearly flawless!"

"You’re right. The dish itself is very well made."

Mao sighed.

"It hasn’t lost any of the qualities it’s supposed to have. It faithfully reproduces the traditional flavor of shredded pork with green peppers."

"But that’s exactly why it isn’t enough."

Sanjie froze.

Then realization gradually appeared on his face.

He understood.

There was nothing technically wrong with this dish.

And that was precisely the problem.

They were not trying to make a perfect reproduction of ordinary shredded pork with green peppers.

They were not trying to create something that tasted exactly like what Yangquan Restaurant’s own kitchen could already produce.

They needed a dish that surpassed Yangquan’s version.

Something that would show Master Zhou Yu their skill and determination.

Something strong enough to prove that Sanjie deserved to remain at Yangquan Restaurant.

What they had now fell far short of that.

The cheerful atmosphere inside the bamboo shelter disappeared.

The excitement from moments ago was replaced by frustration.

"Would you mind letting me try it as well?"

Haruto suddenly spoke.

All three of them jumped and turned toward the entrance.

"Who are you?"

Mao asked warily.

"My name is Suzuki Haruto. I suppose you could call me a traveling chef."

Haruto introduced himself calmly.

"I happened to be passing by and caught the aroma of your shredded pork with green peppers. Sorry if I’m intruding."

Hearing that Haruto was also a chef, the tension in their expressions eased slightly.

The three exchanged glances before introducing themselves in turn.

Then Mao picked up the freshly prepared plate and offered it to Haruto.

"You said you wanted to taste it, right? Then you can have this plate, Haruto-san. Help yourself."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Haruto stepped inside, accepted the plate and chopsticks, then pulled over a nearby stool and sat down.

He examined the dish.

Its appearance was genuinely excellent.

The green peppers, bamboo shoots, and pork had all been cut into uniform strips. The starch coating on the pork was perfectly controlled without any clumping, and after stir-frying, every piece remained distinct beneath a glossy layer of sauce.

It looked extremely appetizing.

Haruto picked up a mouthful and tasted it.

The flavors of the individual ingredients immediately unfolded across his tongue.

The green peppers were crisp and refreshing, carrying just the right amount of clean heat. There was no raw grassy taste, nor had they softened from excessive cooking.

The bamboo shoots had been cooked to bring out their full natural sweetness. They remained crisp, juicy, and carried their distinctive fresh aroma.

The pork loin was smooth and tender, well seasoned, and retained just enough chew without the slightest dryness.

The savory sauce coated everything evenly, keeping each bite beautifully balanced.

Judged purely on its own merits, this was unquestionably a high-level plate of shredded pork with green peppers, more than worthy of being served in a proper restaurant.

There might have been a few tiny flaws, but nothing important enough to matter.

By the time Haruto swallowed, Mao and Sanjie had already returned to the stove and begun discussing how to adjust the recipe.

Both wore serious expressions.

Meili stood beside them with her fists clenched, enthusiastically cheering them on.

Soon, hot oil began sizzling in the wok again, and the aroma once more filled the bamboo shelter.

It did not take long before a second plate of shredded pork with green peppers was placed on the table.

Mao and Sanjie each took a bite.

Disappointment quickly appeared on both of their faces again.

They had adjusted the seasoning ratios and slightly changed the order in which the ingredients entered the wok, but compared with the first attempt, there was no fundamental improvement.

Haruto picked up his chopsticks and tasted the new version as well.

The flavor had indeed been refined slightly.

It was a little better than before.

But the real problem remained completely unresolved.

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