Chapter 24: The Culinary Tycoon

Old Master Cai

The North Street buzzed with excitement as people discussed the latest development at Yu’s Delicious Delights. The food stall had reopened, but this time they had introduced a new item: jelly.

Customers marveled at the colorful and wobbly jelly, wondering how it was made. It had a delightful texture and came in various flavors, captivating everyone’s taste buds.

After several days of closure, loyal patrons flocked back to the stall, relieved to see it operating again. Some expressed their concerns to Yu Qingze, saying, “Boss Yu, we were worried when the food stall was closed. We missed your delicious dishes. But this jelly, it’s a pleasant surprise!”

Yu Qingze smiled gratefully and replied, “Thank you for your support. We wanted to bring something new and refreshing for everyone to enjoy. I’m glad you like it.”

One customer exclaimed, “This jelly is fantastic! It’s cool and sweet, perfect for the summer heat. You’ve really outdone yourselves, Boss Yu.”

Others echoed the sentiment, praising the creativity and flavor of the jelly. News of the unique dessert quickly spread throughout the city, drawing even more curious customers to Yu’s Delicious Delights.

Meanwhile, at another establishment, Boss Wang was seething with frustration. With the reopening of Yu’s food stall and their introduction of jelly, he realized the competition had intensified. Wang’s business, which had picked up during Yu’s closure, was now facing a new challenge.

“Those people from Yu’s stall always come up with something unexpected,” Boss Wang muttered, unable to hide his annoyance.

As the summer heat intensified, the battle between Yu’s Delicious Delights and Wang’s Noodle House escalated, with jelly becoming the new sensation in town. The customers relished the cooling treat and marveled at the innovative flavors presented by Yu’s stall.

The “jelly era” had begun, and both Yu’s Delicious Delights and Wang’s Noodle House strived to win over the taste buds and loyalty of the people in the city.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The key is that the new food is so popular!

Seeing a decrease in customer flow, Boss Wang looked at the man in front of him and said, “Didn’t you say that guy named Yu was injured? Look at how agile he is. He doesn’t seem injured at all.”

The man lowered his head and replied, “He did get injured. He was slashed on the left shoulder.”

Boss Wang slammed the table angrily and exclaimed, “Useless! The people you hired are useless too!”

The man trembled slightly and whispered, “Dad, what if we find someone else to teach them a lesson? Maybe they don’t even know why they were beaten. Or we can threaten them to make it clear.”

Boss Wang fumed, pointing his finger at the man, “You, you with a pig’s brain! Isn’t that clearly telling them that we hired someone to beat them up, huh?”

The man shrugged and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? They have no money and no power. Even if they know it’s us in this city, they wouldn’t dare do anything.”

Boss Wang glared at him and scolded, “Have you forgotten what your uncle said? He wants to rise higher. If someone catches him and pulls his strings, he’ll skin you alive!”

The man fell silent, then asked after a long pause, “What should we do? We can’t just watch that guy named Yu steal all our customers, right?”

“As long as nobody finds out!” Boss Wang was equally frustrated, pacing back and forth in the room, unable to come up with a good solution.

After a while, he said, “Come here, find someone…” Boss Wang leaned close to his son and whispered instructions.

Finally, he asked, “Do you understand?”

The man nodded, “I understand.”

Boss Wang waved his hand and said, “Alright, go now. Find someone reliable, and don’t mess it up again!”

The man acknowledged and left.

Meanwhile, in Liu’s Noodle House, Boss Liu stood by the window, gazing at the snack stall across the street, lost in silence.

Standing respectfully behind him was his eldest son.

After a while, Boss Liu finally spoke and asked, “Have they made it?”

“…Not yet,” replied the eldest son, instantly bracing himself for a scolding. It had been over ten days, and they still hadn’t been able to recreate that “liangpi” dish. It was no wonder their father was angry.

However, to his surprise, this time his father didn’t scold him. He simply nodded lightly and said, “Go to Yu’s stall and buy a few bowls of jelly, both varieties.”

Saying that, Boss Liu turned to head back to the kitchen. Just as he took a step, he paused, seemingly conflicted, and furrowed his brow as he added, “By the way, ask Boss Yu if he sells the dried liangpi. If he does, buy a pound.”

The eldest son was momentarily stunned before realizing what was being asked of him. He hurriedly walked across the street.

A horse-drawn carriage arrived on Beida Street, pulled by two horses. The spacious carriage was larger than the average one, and a coachman sat at the front with a charming young man beside him. The curtains on the carriage window were drawn open, revealing an elderly gentleman inside, with white hair but a youthful spirit.

People on the street recognized the carriage and the elderly gentleman, making way for them. After the carriage passed by, they began discussing with those around them.

“On such a hot day, why is Old Master Cai coming out? Haven’t seen him leave his house for a long time.”

“Looking at the direction, could he be going out of the city to the dock and take a ship to Yunzhou?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. Haven’t seen Young Master Cai with him. If they were going, wouldn’t they both have to go together? How could Old Master Cai bear to leave his grandson alone here?”

“Sigh, didn’t you see Young Master Cai? There has to be someone here to look after things.”

Speaking of Young Master Cai, everyone shook their heads and sighed, unsure if he was fortunate or unfortunate.

He was the second son of Cai Wenzhen, and compared to ninety-nine percent of people, he was considered lucky due to his background. However, he was unfortunate to have acquired a troublesome illness, which he still hadn’t recovered from. Since returning from Yunzhou, he had been weak and confined to the mansion for over a decade. Outsiders didn’t even know what he looked like.

Ten years ago, Cai Wenzhen was promoted to the position of Governor of Yunzhou. The whole family moved there, but due to his illness, second young master Cai couldn’t adapt to the local environment in Yunzhou. He already had trouble eating before, and in a new place, he couldn’t eat anything at all. Old master Cai and his family had no choice but to send him back to Tongshan City.

Old master Cai and his wife, the elderly couple, felt sorry for their grandson, so they also returned to Tongshan City to take care of him.

“Sigh, it’s so pitiful for Old master Cai’s family to be separated for years…”

“Yes, indeed…”

The carriage slowly arrived at the busiest part of the street and finally stopped in front of a lively snack stall.

The young man and the coachman got off the carriage, and the young man opened the curtain and said to the person inside, “Master, we have arrived.”

The elderly man bent down and got off the carriage.

When the snack stall and the people around saw him, those who recognized him respectfully called him “Old Master Cai,” and some greeted him warmly, saying, “It’s been a long time since you came to stroll around the street.”

Old Master Cai sighed and said, “It’s too hot these days, and this old man doesn’t like to move around.”

“So, what brings you here today?”

Old Master Cai smiled and said, “I heard that Boss Yu has come up with a new snack, so I came to take a look.”

Upon seeing the servant supporting him, the crowd understood immediately that the servant was also a frequent customer of the snack stall.

The servant was Mi Ge’er.

He supported Old Master Cai through the crowd and approached the stall. Someone had already stood up and vacated a table. Mi Ge’er didn’t hesitate, he thanked the person and helped Old Master Cai sit down first. Then, he approached Yu Qingze and said, “Boss Yu, we’ll have three bowls of jelly, one sweet and two savory.”

When the carriage arrived, Yu Qingze had already seen Mi Ge’er and the elderly man sitting inside, so he had guessed who the elderly man was. However, he didn’t go over to greet them intentionally.

“Alright, coming right up,” Yu Qingze replied with a smile. He quickly prepared three bowls of jelly, taking two bowls himself and having Chang Hao carry one. He personally brought them to the table.

“Enjoy your meal,” he said before preparing to go back and continue cooking noodles.

However, Mi Ge’er stopped him and introduced him, saying, “Boss Yu, this is the patriarch of the Cai family.”

Yu Qingze politely greeted him, saying, “Greetings, Old Master Cai.”

Chang Hao followed suit, imitating Yu Qingze’s manners and greetings. After the greetings, he went back to work.

Old Master Cai smiled and said, “No need to be so polite. Our entire family enjoys the food you make. Today, I had some free time and wanted to personally come and thank you. Thank you also for the recipes you gave us. My grandson can finally eat normally.”

Upon hearing Old Master Cai’s words, the people around were surprised. The second young master Cai can eat normally now? And it was because of the recipes given by this Boss Yu?

No wonder Old Master Cai personally came to express his gratitude on such a hot day.

They also saw Mi Ge’er receiving several gift boxes from the coachman and then timely handing them over to Yu Qingze after Old Master Cai finished speaking.

At that moment, Boss Wang, who happened to have rushed over upon hearing that Old Master Cai had arrived on North Street, was taken aback when he witnessed this scene. When did this rural fellow named Yu get involved with the Cai family? And he even provided them with recipes that supposedly ‘cured’ the sickly Second Young Master?

Observing Old Master Cai’s favorable attitude towards this Yu person, it seemed like he held great admiration. Boss Wang’s heart sank; things didn’t look good.

On the other side, Yu Qingze was momentarily stunned when he saw the gifts. They had already received gifts twice before, and now…

He looked at the people around him, as well as Old Master Cai who was smiling at him, and a thought crossed his mind. He gently pushed the gifts away with his hands and said to Old Master Cai, “Old master, you’re being too kind. These few recipes are nothing to be mentioned. Moreover, you’ve already sent gifts twice before, so I really can’t accept these anymore.”

Old Master Cai waved his hand, smiling, and said, “Accept them, accept them. I’m still hoping that you’ll find time to visit our residence and give a demonstration to our cook, Uncle Fu. According to Mi Ge’er, the dishes you make are much tastier than what Uncle Fu can prepare. I wonder if an old man like me will have the fortune to taste them?”

Yu Qingze smiled and replied, “Thank you very much, old master Cai. I will definitely visit your residence another day.”

Seeing his agreement, Old Master Cai was delighted and said, “Alright, you go about your business now. There are still many people waiting. After we finish this jelly, we’ll head back. We can have a proper chat when we have the chance.”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Sure. Enjoy your meal.”

Upon hearing the conversation between the two, the people around them immediately understood. Old Master Cai was impressed with this young chef’s culinary skills, and it seemed that Yu Qingze was about to have a stroke of good luck.

Boss Wang, who was standing nearby, didn’t feel as cheerful anymore. He had planned to greet Old Master Cai and get acquainted with him, but now he hurriedly turned around and headed back to his own noodle shop. He needed to find his son quickly and cancel their plans.

Meanwhile, the eldest son of the Liu family, quickly returned to the noodle shop after buying the jelly and recounted what he had witnessed to his father.

Listening attentively, Boss Liu calmly said, “Is that so? The second young master of the Cai family can eat normally now? That’s good.”

Eldest Liu couldn’t help but ask, “Father, aren’t you worried?”

Boss Liu glanced at him, then turned his head to continue looking at the jelly on the table, and asked, “Worried about what?”

Eldest Liu said, “If that Boss Yu establishes a good relationship with the Cai family, what are we going to do? We’ve been losing a lot of customers recently.”

Boss Liu glared at his son and scolded, “What twisted thoughts are constantly occupying your mind? Instead of worrying about that, why don’t you focus on studying how they make their liangpi and jelly? The most important thing for our noodle shop is craftsmanship. If our craftsmanship can’t compare to theirs, then it’s our own fault for not having customers!”

Eldest Liu was scolded and confused. So, that was what his father was worried about? He had misunderstood. He quickly apologized and hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

Boss Liu was frustrated that his eldest son couldn’t meet his expectations. How could he ever succeed with such an attitude?

He’s no different from that Fatty Wang!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan (Translator-in-chief): now, I’m curious what Boss Wang was originally plotting, something cheap and lowly most likely *snort