My Restaurant's Guests are All Abnormal

Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty-Two: Open for Business

"I’m really dead tired today." Chen Ze stretched lazily and lay on the bed without any desire to move.

After returning from the No. 1 Middle School, Chen Ze went to the vegetable market to buy some ingredients he wanted, as he had already decided what dish he was going to make.

Scalded Dry Meat, a dish that isn’t complex but requires precise heat control and good quality dry meat.

Chen Ze’s memory of Scalded Dry Meat goes back to the last time he had dinner at home; after eating, Chen Ze would take out his phone and start reading novels, one of his few hobbies since he started working.

However, Chen Ze had a habit of eating something while reading novels, whether it was dessert or snacks; he always felt that chewing on something made the novel more enjoyable.

At those times, Chen Ze would go to the kitchen, get a bowl of cold rice, and grab a few slices of Scalded Dry Meat; he didn’t need anything else.

Chen Ze’s impression of Scalded Dry Meat was that it was a dish suitable to accompany rice; eating it alone, too much could taste a bit salty.

But the advantage was that it was easy and simple to make; just slice the dry meat into small pieces, fry it in oil with some garlic and ginger, and it could be done.

So Chen Ze wasn’t worried about failing many times; as long as he controlled the heat well, there shouldn’t be any problems.

"Speaking of which, that culinary school seems pretty good, just a bit far from where I live," Chen Ze scratched his head; he had looked up some culinary schools on his phone while buying ingredients in the afternoon.

He found several good ones, but they all had one thing in common: they were far from the city center. One that Chen Ze particularly liked was even in the suburbs.

"Regretting not getting my driver’s license in college," Chen Ze yawned, feeling like he was about to fall asleep.

Chen Ze checked his phone; it was already 7 p.m. freewёbnoνel.com

"Let’s take a nap first... I’ll deal with the school search tomorrow." Chen Ze plugged his phone to charge and then fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Chen Ze woke up naturally, as the alarm on his phone had once again failed to serve any purpose.

He picked up his phone and saw it was already 11:30 a.m.

"Time to get up and make some Scalded Dry Meat." After washing up simply, Chen Ze entered the kitchen.

Chen Ze picked up the kitchen knife, hesitating. Generally, Scalded Dry Meat can be cut into small sections or slices, and how to cut it depends on the chef’s personal preference.

"Maybe slices?" Chen Ze felt like he had a severe case of indecisiveness.

Chen Ze took up the kitchen knife; after cooking frequently for a while, he had finally progressed from a novice who was afraid to cut too deep for fear of cutting himself.

Now, Chen Ze could slice quickly without worrying about cutting his hand unless he got distracted.

Before long, a small plate of sliced dry meat was ready on the table.

Chen Ze started chopping garlic and ginger, which were also necessary ingredients.

He turned on the stove, heating the pan while debating how long to fry it for.

The most important thing about Scalded Dry Meat, Chen Ze thought, was the heat control; too much and it burns, too little and it isn’t cooked through. Even a slight miss could affect the taste.

Looking at the heated pan and oil, Chen Ze poured in the dry meat slices and followed a recipe he found on Baidu, adding the garlic and ginger as well.

Soon, Chen Ze served his first plate of Scalded Dry Meat.

[You have made a barely satisfactory Scalded Dry Meat, increasing your home cooking experience by 3 points.]

Chen Ze scratched his head; this Scalded Dry Meat wasn’t made well, at least the System’s evaluation wouldn’t be wrong.

Chen Ze figured that the problem must have been with his heat control. He set aside the Dry Fried Eel Slices he had botched, planning to eat them himself.

He tried again, frying the eel slices a bit longer this time.

"You have made a barely acceptable Dry Fried Eel Slices, gaining 3 points in home-style cooking experience."

Chen Ze raised his eyebrows and put the substandard Dry Fried Eel Slices aside.

Before long, Chen Ze had finished his third batch of Dry Fried Eel Slices.

"You have made a terrible Dry Fried Eel Slices, gaining 1 point in home-style cooking experience."

This time, Chen Ze fried them for too long again.

After making a total of eight batches, Chen Ze finally found the right heat and made his first decent batch of Dry Fried Eel Slices.

Chen Ze checked the time; it was almost one in the afternoon.

"Time to open up, we were closed all day yesterday," Chen Ze scratched his head and unlocked the door.

No sooner had he unlocked it than the door was pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in.

Seeing the small horns, tail, and wings of the person walking in, Chen Ze silently touched the slate of Arcane Wisdom; he couldn’t understand Betty’s language.

"Manager! I’ve missed you so much～" Succubus Betty, wearing a clearly washed maid outfit, threw herself at Chen Ze.

Chen Ze quietly stepped aside, planning to grab a plate of ordinary Dry Fried Eel Slices for Betty’s staff meal.

"Manager, you’ve changed," Betty said with a teary-eyed look, making Chen Ze wonder if he had done something to her before.

"I remember I’ve always been disinterested in steel plates," Chen Ze hurriedly disclaimed, not wanting to earn a reputation for having a demon fetish.

Betty blinked, not understanding what Chen Ze meant, but she felt like he was somehow referring to her being flat-chested.

"Manager, I’m glad you finally opened the door," Sebastian said as he pushed the door open and walked in.

Accompanied by Riesel, these two dragons always came in together.

"I’ll still take the light cheesecake and parfaits, a hundred of each!" Sebastian said, feeling an urgent craving for Chen Ze’s cooking.

"I’ll have the usual... Oh, any new dishes, Manager?" Riesel remembered the unique scent on Betty from before.

"Yes, that’s right. Our restaurant has introduced new dishes, Mapo Tofu and Dry Fried Eel Slices," Chen Ze nodded.

"Then the usual, plus two of the new dishes," Riesel said, clearly a foodie.

Chen Ze suddenly felt relieved that he had bought extra hot pot seasoning when shopping for ingredients yesterday, or else Riesel wouldn’t have been able to enjoy his meal this time.

"What? Mapo tofu? What is that?" Sebastian asked curiously, sticking his big head closer.

"It’s similar to hot pot, belonging to the spicy food category," Chen Ze quickly answered Sebastian’s question. free𝑤ebnovel.com

"Then I’ll pass, just give me a hundred light cheesecakes and parfaits." Chen Ze never expected Sebastian the Black Dragon to be a dessert enthusiast.

Maybe all Black Dragons like sweets? Chen Ze thought he might try offering Tofu Pudding to Sebastian and Riesel next time, to see if it might trigger a sweet vs savory war.