"Hubei Cuisine expert?"

Jiang Yu looked speechless. This old man seemed a bit different, but he really didn't expect him to be a hidden expert. If Lu Shuwu hadn't known him, who would have thought such a person would want to come to his little diner?

Even in a novel, they wouldn't dare write it like this!

He turned his head to glance inside the pantry, then looked back and asked, "Is he on the same level as your grandpa? How do you know him?"

"Although Hubei Cuisine isn't one of the eight major cuisines, he is indeed a person of the same level as my grandpa."

Lu Shuwu nodded, chuckling softly as he spoke,

"How could a small person like me know him? I only met him once last year when I went with my grandpa to attend a famous chef gathering. Of course, he definitely doesn't know me.

What I'm curious about is why he would come to our place?"

"You ask me, who am I going to ask?"

Jiang Yu gave him a sidelong glance, speaking calmly,

"He came over to find me on his own. His intention seems to be that he's planning to help out in our diner..."

"Join our diner?"

Lu Shuwu's eyes widened instantly, filled with excitement, he repeatedly said,

"Agree to it, agree to it! We must keep him here. Even if he doesn't cook himself, having such a big shot in the kitchen, just a tip or two from him would benefit us for a lifetime!"

"..."

Jiang Yu was a bit speechless seeing him so excitedly, his eyes shining.

Are you serious?

Just because Old Jia might casually guide you a bit, you get this excited?

Your grandpa probably holds a bigger status than him, yet when he wanted to teach you cooking, you were downright unwilling!

What's going on?

Even at this age, you're still playing rebel here?

Shaking his head, Jiang Yu stopped paying attention to the "young rebel" Lu Shuwu and returned to the pantry.

Jia Dequan had already picked out seven or eight fist-sized potatoes. Seeing Jiang Yu come in, while washing the mud off the potatoes by the sink, he smiled and said:

"Today, we're not going for complicated dishes. I'll just randomly make some pan-fried potatoes for everyone to taste."

"Alright, Old Jia, as you like."

Knowing Jia Dequan's identity, Jiang Yu didn't treat him too specially. After all, Old Jia hadn't disclosed his identity, so acting like he didn't know made it easier to interact.

He glanced outside the door, seeing Lu Shuwu still poking his head around, he waved at him and shouted,

"Brother Xiao Wu, this is Old Jia. Later he'll make some pan-fried potatoes for everyone to taste. You should take him to the preparation room."

Pan-fried potatoes are a delicacy of Jing Chu's Shizhou. "Pan-frying" is a dialect term in western Jing Chu, referring to a cooking style between shallow frying and deep frying with a small amount of oil.

Pan-fried potatoes are not greasy in the mouth, yet they have a crispy and tender texture, complemented with seasonings like chili and cumin, making them irresistible.

"Oh, okay, okay!"

Upon hearing, Lu Shuwu quickly ran over, full of enthusiasm, saying,

"Hello Grandpa Jia, I'm Lu Shuwu. If you need anything, just ask me. I'm familiar with every corner of this diner. Oh, you can just call me Xiaowu!"

"Oh, Xiaowu, I know."

Jia Dequan turned to look at him, smiled and replied,

"You can just call me Old Jia. Calling me Grandpa Jia makes me sound old."

Ha, this old man, not accepting old age.

"..."

Lu Shuwu's attempt at flattery accidentally went wrong. He scratched his head, then said with a cheeky smile,

"Uh, alright then, Old Jia!"

After washing the potatoes, Jia Dequan packed them up and then asked Lu Shuwu,

"Xiaowu, take me to the preparation room, I need to boil them first."

"Alright, follow me."

Lu Shuwu nodded, leading him towards the kitchen preparation room.

Jiang Yu stayed in the pantry and didn't follow them; he had other tasks to attend to.

After Jia Dequan left, he brought over a clean large stainless steel basin, poured in several big bowls of sweet potato flour, and cracked in eggs, roughly mixing them evenly. After covering with plastic wrap to let it sit for a moment, he continued mixing.

This step is repeated until the sweet potato flour fully absorbs the egg liquid, with no small lumps remaining.

Now, checking again, the mixture is thick, and when scooped with a spoon it drips smoothly, leaving patterns that won't disappear immediately. In this state, it coats well, enveloping the ingredients evenly without breaking apart in the oil.

After the batter is ready, Jiang Yu adds an appropriate amount of refined salt and pepper flakes, mixing them evenly. Then he throws in marinated slices of meat and mixes until they're thoroughly coated.

At this point, the battering of the crispy meat slices is successfully completed.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath, carrying the large basin of battered meat slices outside, ready to start frying crispy meat.

Stepping out of the pantry, a rich, spicy aroma rushed into his nose, making it itch, almost causing him to sneeze loudly.

Jiang Yu quickly raised his hand to rub his nose, looked up ahead, and saw Jia Dequan holding the ear of the small pot with a towel in one hand and holding a small spatula in the other, tossing the pot while swinging the spatula.

The shiny, red potato pieces kept rising and falling in mid-air above the frying pan, as if they were dancing.

And Jia Dequan seemed like a mastermind behind the scenes; no matter how those potato pieces and chili peppers, garlic, and other seasonings danced, they couldn't escape his grasp.

Though this old man was quite advanced in age, the strength in his wrist was undiminished, and the whole pot flipping action was fluid and smooth, like a juggling act.

To the onlookers, this scene was truly a feast for the eyes, leaving them in awe.

No wonder people say chefs who can flip the pot are so cool!

It truly is cool; not only did Jiang Yu watch in a daze, but even Lu Shuwu, Ma Guoqiang, He Chunxiao, and the others were all mesmerized!

After flipping the pot for a while, Jia Dequan used the spatula to scoop a bit of MSG, grabbed some green onion sections and tossed them into the pot, then stirred a few more times before plating the dish.

Once the braised potatoes were plated, Jia Dequan noticed Jiang Yu standing behind the crowd, couldn't help but smile and said:

"Boss Xiao Jiang, come on, try the flavor I've made!"

"Alright."

Jiang Yu nodded with a smile, walked up, picked up the chopsticks to grab a piece of potato, brought it to his mouth, and took a bite, chewing slowly.

The potato was crispy on the outside, tender inside, soft and flavorful, and after being pan-fried, its aroma was fully unleashed, mixed with the spicy kick of the chili and the rich cumin fragrance, making it hard to stop eating.

After finishing a piece of potato, Jiang Yu couldn't help but grab another piece and put it in his mouth, nodding in praise:

"Delicious! Grandpa Jia's skills are truly top-notch, these braised potatoes are perfect!"

"Eh, it's just average, merely a street snack from Jing Chu, not worth mentioning!"

Jia Dequan waved his hand, looking modest,

"If we have enough ingredients someday, I'll make a big dish for you to taste, that's what's truly delicious!"

Saying this, he waved his hand at the others standing aside eagerly eyeing the braised potatoes,

"Everyone, don't be shy, come and taste it!"

No sooner had he said this when Lu Shuwu, Ma Guoqiang, and others couldn't wait any longer and swarmed forward, five or six pairs of chopsticks raining down like arrows on the plate of braised potatoes:

"Don't grab, don't grab! There are plenty, everyone gets a share!"

"Hey hey, don't clamp my chopsticks, I can't even lift it up!"

"What the heck! You sneaky guy, using a bowl to hold them!"

"..."

A bunch of people crowded and jostled to grab the food, almost using all possible techniques; the small plate of braised potatoes was gone in the blink of an eye, with each person left with a look of wanting more on their face.

"Oh, these braised potatoes are really tasty, so savory and spicy, the flavor is endless!"

"In the past, when I traveled to Jiangxia, I once tasted braised potatoes and thought they were great, never expected Grandpa Jia to make them even tastier!"

"I only know how to make potato slices and potato shreds, this way of making them is the first I've seen, so delicious!"

"..."

Seeing everyone praise him nonstop, Jia Dequan was naturally very happy, he turned around to look at Jiang Yu and asked:

"Boss Xiao Jiang, about the thing I mentioned earlier?"

"Grandpa Jia, your culinary skills are certainly impeccable, but the cafeteria isn't a restaurant, the work here is much more tiring."

Jiang Yu saw that Jia Dequan was keen on working in the cafeteria, thought about it, and still said,

"Plus, our cafeteria is relatively small; including myself, we already have Lu Shuwu and Qian Liwei as the main chefs, so we're pretty well-staffed in terms of chef allocation.

If you want to stay, that's fine, but how about this: when everyone is on duty, you don't need to cook; with your high culinary skills, if you stand by and guide a few of us, it'll be immensely beneficial.

But if one day a chef needs to take leave for a specific reason, we might need you to help out temporarily."

Jia Dequan looked surprised and asked, "You mean, I don't need to work, just wander around the kitchen and occasionally guide you guys on cooking?"

"Yes."

"Can I come every day, eat whatever you guys cook, and make sure I'm full?"

"Of course!"

"After eating I won't pay for it!"

"No need!"

"With such a good deal, only a fool wouldn't agree!"

After confirming without discrepancies, Jia Dequan laughed so widely that even his molars were visible, he said,

"Then it's settled, you can't back out, everyone help witness this!"

"No backing out, no backing out."

Jiang Yu also laughed; as someone who runs a cafeteria, how could he be afraid of people eating?

Thinking on it, he added, "Grandpa Jia, as for your salary here..."

"No need, no need!"

Before Jiang Yu could finish, Jia Dequan was already waving his hand repeatedly,

"I don't need to work, can eat and drink for free, with such good conditions, what more do I need?"

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