My Restaurant's Guests are All Abnormal

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Magical Mapo Tofu

"No, I just thought... you resemble a relative of mine from the past," Chen Ze said with a laugh.

Did he recognize him? As a kid, Chen Ze watched that anime, which was called "China’s Little Head Chef" at the time, and the protagonist, Liu Maoxing, was known as the Little Head Chef.

Back then, Chen Ze would pester his mom to make him a glowing dish, which caused several days of tantrums.

Looking back now, Chen Ze felt a shame so intense it was almost unbearable.

Indeed, the things one says in youth often embarrass them later in life – that’s how one leaves behind a cringe-worthy history. Even now, when Chen Ze looked back at his middle school posts, he would genuinely feel embarrassed.

"Oh, oh! Next time, please do introduce me; I’m quite curious to see my double," the Little Head Chef... Liu Maoxing, nodded and then turned back around.

Chen Ze stood quietly to the side, watching Liu Maoxing make Magical Mapo Tofu, the legendary cuisine of six distinct flavors.

When it came to this Mapo Tofu, Chen Ze himself had once tried to recreate it based on recipes he’d seen, but despite some culinary experts attempting to bring the dish to life, it never quite matched the one in the anime.

But that was to be expected, after all, there really wasn’t such a thing as glowing food in the real world, unless one was using lights or some other trick.

Even so, Chen Ze was still full of anticipation; he was excited to see what dish his childhood idol would create, especially since he had once patiently endured lengthy commercial breaks just to watch the show.

Liu Maoxing truly lived up to being the protagonist of "China’s Number One" – as a special grade chef in the anime, Liu Maoxing was infinitely better than Chen Ze in both chopping and seasoning.

Chen Ze always thought cooking was a skill, but Liu Maoxing turned it into an art form.

Chen Ze watched intently, eager to learn as much as he could from this guest, who seemed like a miracle. Compared to Alisa, Liu Maoxing, also a chef, had much more to teach Chen Ze.

But soon, Chen Ze was astounded because Liu Maoxing had already finished making the Magical Mapo Tofu. Chen Ze hadn’t doubted his ability to make it.

What shocked him was the faint glow emanating from the Magical Mapo Tofu, barely noticeable but definitely there.

How could this be? Chen Ze felt as if his entire worldview had been trampled by a herd of Legendary Beasts, incessantly stomping back and forth countless times.

"It’s a shame, I didn’t achieve the usual standard," Liu Maoxing sighed, dusting off his hands, looking quite disappointed.

Chen Ze blinked. Wasn’t this already out of the ordinary?

Your "usual standard" is like in the anime, with a dazzling light as soon as the cover is lifted?

"You’re too modest. I think your standard has already surpassed mine by a lot," Chen Ze said respectfully to Liu Maoxing, noting that Liu had indeed taken his presence into account.

Whether it was deliberately slowing down his cooking pace or repeating techniques many times, Chen Ze felt that if it weren’t for his own presence, Liu Maoxing would have finished the Magical Mapo Tofu even faster.

"Want to give it a try?" Liu Maoxing stepped back, allowing Chen Ze to step forward.

"I would be glad to follow your lead." Chen Ze picked up some chopsticks, grabbed a piece of the steaming hot tofu, and put it in his mouth.

The taste was indescribably delicious, not just the softness of the tofu or the spiciness, but Chen Ze felt that every ingredient was perfectly integrated into the dish. He could actually taste the sixth flavor in the minced meat, a truly perfect taste.

"It’s delicious!" Chen Ze licked his lips, feeling that he could finish the whole portion of Mapo Tofu even without rice.

"It’s still not good enough, haha. Next time I come, I’ll bring better ingredients, and it will be even more delicious!" Liu Maoxing said with a beaming smile, a smile Chen Ze was very familiar with, the same one he saw on satisfied customers.

"Thank you very much."

"Next time, make me a dessert, will you? I’m quite interested in that," Liu Maoxing waved and walked out the door.

And Betty, who had been swallowing her saliva the whole time, immediately rushed into the kitchen, eyeing Chen Ze who was about to continue eating.

"Manager~" Betty’s tail wagged back and forth.

Chen Ze couldn’t help but be reminded of the golden retriever his family used to have, and he strangely felt like he was back at home.

Chen Ze subconsciously rubbed Betty’s head, "Alright, I’ll share half with you."

"Manager is super great!" Betty cheered.

Chen Ze smiled and shook his head.

Interestingly, no other customers came in that evening, which made Chen Ze wonder if his Magic Portal had somehow disconnected from Betty’s world. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

That was until Chen Ze saw the white-haired version of the newcomer girl.

"Manager, I’ve come to pick up my things," Hastur walked in with a smile, holding a bag that didn’t seem big, but Chen Ze figured it must be a Spatial Artifact.

"Long time no see, Hastur. Betty, take care of him for a bit, I’ll go get the stuff." Chen Ze clapped his hands, he had prepared a laptop for Hastur, downloaded lots of single-player games, and saved a bunch of anime for him.

"Okay, manager," Betty confidently approached, took out the menu, and placed a pot of lemon water on the table. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Why are you so proficient?" Hastur suddenly asked in a very cute tone.

"Huh?" Betty blinked in confusion.

Chen Ze’s step faltered as he went upstairs, it seemed like Hastur’s read memories definitely included the Bai family.

Hastur, seeing Chen Ze stumble, gave an inscrutable smile, then turned back to Betty.

"What delicious food did you have today?" Hastur asked calmly.

"Eh?" Betty was a bit puzzled, several hours had passed since they ate the Magical Mapo Tofu, how did this person know about it?

"Magical... Mapo Tofu?" Betty struggled to recall the name Chen Ze had mentioned.

"Is it on the menu?"

"No, the manager said he can’t make it at the moment."

"That’s too bad."

"Yeah..."

As Chen Ze held the computer, the corner of his mouth twitched. With the year ending, he felt it might be a good idea to deduct Betty’s year-end bonus, even though Betty was unaware of any bonus.

Chen Ze came down with the laptop and placed it beside Hastur.

"This needs to be charged, but I’m a bit worried about your place..."

"No worries, I’ve got a solution," Hastur said casually with a wave of his hand.

"By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask, why is your hair white?" Chen Ze remembered the newcomer girl’s hair wasn’t that color.

"This? It’s because in the memories I accessed, in their... what’s it called... the hop-chat group? Someone mentioned you’re all into white hair," Hastur answered calmly.

Chen Ze’s mouth twitched; he certainly wasn’t into white hair!