Chapter 128 (Part 1): The Culinary Tycoon

I’m being picky

Luo Mingda wasn’t just making a baseless statement. On the day House of Prosperity introduced their drunken duck for lunch, his family’s Yuan Bao brought it back home. He had tasted it, and the flavor was incomparable to the one in front of him.

Done. Luo Mingda suddenly didn’t feel like eating the drunken duck in front of him, but he missed the taste.

“Let’s have Madam Luo buy the drunken duck from House of Prosperity for lunch tomorrow, shall we? Oh, wait, tomorrow evening, Yu Qingze invited me for dinner. Then we can have it, right?”

The thought of being able to eat it tomorrow made Luo Mingda no longer hesitate, and he decisively put down his chopsticks.

Beside him, Jia Xiaoren was already choked and couldn’t speak.

After a while, he finally blurted out, “So, that’s the most infuriating part. He stole the recipe, made some modifications, and now it’s theirs. Isn’t that infuriating?”

Luo Mingda turned his head and looked at him, saying, “Do you have any evidence?”

“What?” Jia Xiaoren asked.

Luo Mingda said, “Do you have any evidence to prove that Yu Qingze stole your chef’s recipe?”

Jia Xiaoren shook his head.

“Well, then there’s nothing we can do.” Luo Mingda took a sip of tea and then started eating a rabbit leg.

Jia Xiaoren’s face tightened, and he leaned in closer to Luo Mingda and whispered, “Young Master Luo, Yu Qingze has a close relationship with the Cai Mansion.”

Luo Mingda nodded and said, “I knew that the second day I arrived. The Cai Mansion invited me to a banquet for their eldest grandson winning the top scholar title.” And then he tasted the delicious flavor of Yu Qingze’s duck dish.

Upon hearing this, Jia Xiaoren felt a sense of joy. He had heard Luo Mingda talk about that day before, and at that time, he had sneered at the idea of someone trying to show dominance over him and mock him for not being the top scholar. So he said, “Governor Cai is aligned with the Prime Minister’s faction, and the Prime Minister often quarrels with your father, Lord Luo, right?”

“Why are you asking about that?” Luo Mingda blinked and looked at Jia Xiaoren thoughtfully, then asked, “No, where did you hear that my father and the Prime Minister often quarrel?”

Well, his father and the Prime Minister, alright, they did often quarrel, and they would frequently argue in the grand hall. The public knew that when they were young, they had a fight over the same ger, who eventually married someone else. As a result, the two of them became rivals and have been at odds for decades.

However, few people know that they are not at odds with each other. On the contrary, they are part of the same faction. These actions they take are just political maneuvers in the court.

But there’s no need to tell others about it.

Jia Xiaoren smiled and said, “Sometimes I go to the capital to visit my uncle.”

“Oh… Did the Deputy Minister of Rites tell you these things? Which high-ranking officials don’t have conflicts and arguments with each other? Did he also tell you that I once had a fight with the Prime Minister’s son?” Luo Mingda’s lips curled into a smile as he asked. He took a bite of the rabbit meat in his hand and ate it leisurely.

“Well, haha, I heard about it,” Jia Xiaoren chuckled and then whispered, “So, Young Master Luo, we can take this opportunity to let off some steam for you.”

“Let off some steam?” Luo Mingda asked with an intriguing tone. “How do we do that?”

Jia Xiaoren whispered various suggestions into Luo Mingda’s ear.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Luo Mingda slowly swallowed the food in his mouth and raised an eyebrow. “Close down Yu Qingze’s House of Prosperity and snack shop?”

Jia Xiaoren nodded.

“Well, it’s a good idea,” Luo Mingda nodded, threw the bone in his hand, and then asked, “But if Yu’s restaurant closes down, where will I have breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Should I come to you?”

Jia Xiaoren paused and said, “There are still many talented chefs out there. If you don’t mind, I would be more than happy to welcome you.”

“I do mind,” Luo Mingda pursed his lips and said, “In Tongshan City, find someone as skilled as Yu Qingze before you say that.”

Jia Xiaoren was speechless. How could Young Master Luo be so picky? He only knows about eating!

Luo Mingda continued, “I’m not criticizing you, but in business, there will always be someone better than you. If you want to make more money, just find a good chef. There’s no need to escalate it to the level of court influence. I never cared about my father’s affairs, and I have no control over them. If I did, he might not even approve and would scold me.”

That old man would definitely scold him. He had already been scolded for the incident at the Cai Mansion banquet. Luo Mingda felt gloomy. Wasn’t it just because he was upset? Maybe he wasn’t cut out for studying. He had just been scolded by his father for being compared to Cai Chenxi and now he was irritated by the Cai Mansion in Tongshan.

Hmph, the top scholar!

Thinking about it now still makes me angry!

He angrily broke off the front leg of the rabbit and started gnawing on it as if it was Cai Chenxi!

After finishing the meal, Jia Xiaoren still couldn’t convince Luo Mingda.

Luo Mingda finished eating the roasted rabbit, didn’t eat much of the drunken duck in the end, and only felt half-full. When he returned home, he had the chef heat up a small bowl of white fungus soup that Madam Luo had left for him, and he ate it.

“Husband, what did Jia Xiaoren want from you?” Madam Luo asked while giving him a shoulder massage.

Luo Mingda, enjoying the foot bath and the pleasant massage from Madam Luo, answered, “He said that Yu Qingze stole his signature dish and asked me to support him in bringing down House of Prosperity. He also said he wanted to vent my frustrations.”

Madam Luo’s hand paused, and he quickly asked, “You didn’t agree, did you?”

“No,” Luo Mingda reached out and patted Madam Luo’s hand, saying, “Do you think I’m that foolish? If we bring down Yu Qingze’s restaurant, where will I eat? Good chefs are not easy to find, right?”

“That’s good,” Madam Luo breathed a sigh of relief and continued massaging him. Suddenly, he remembered another invitation and asked, “Then why did House of Prosperity invite you for a meal?”

Luo Mingda shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I’ll find out when I go there tomorrow.”

The next day after work, Luo Mingda freshened up and headed to House of Prosperity for the banquet.

Upon arrival, Jiaobao led him to the Emerald Bamboo Pavilion, where several big bosses, including Master Hu, had already arrived.

Everyone stood up and paid their respects.

“Lord Luo, my eldest brother is preparing the final dish. He’ll be up soon. Please have a seat and wait a moment,” Jiaobao poured tea for him and continued, “The other masters, please also wait.”

“Oh, a few of the masters are here too? Jiaobao, what’s the occasion for Boss Yu’s table today?” Luo Mingda noticed that several prominent family heads from the city were present and raised an eyebrow as he asked.

Jiaobao smiled and replied, “Since the opening of our restaurant, we have always received the generous support of everyone here. My eldest brother wanted to express gratitude to Lord Luo and all the masters. He has been busy before and couldn’t find the time, but recently, I’ve been able to help him out a bit, so he prepared this banquet to show his appreciation to everyone.”

“I see,” Luo Mingda nodded, then asked, “Did he personally prepare all the dishes for today’s table?”

Jiaobao nodded and said, “Yes, he even specially prepared a dish called Drunken Goose for you.”

“Drunken Goose?” Luo Mingda’s eyes lit up at the mention of this new dish. “A new creation?”

“Yes, knowing that you enjoy eating goose, he made it especially for you.”

Luo Mingda was delighted. It was a new dish to try, and it was goose—Drunken Goose. “Does it have a similar flavor to Drunken Duck?” he asked.

Jiaobao shook his head and said, “I haven’t tried it either, so I’m not sure. It’s the first time I’ve seen my eldest brother make this dish.”

Luo Mingda became even more excited and patted Jiaobao’s shoulder, saying, “Great, I’m looking forward to trying it. Go and urge him quickly.”

“Alright,” Jiaobao smiled and went downstairs.

After a while, the waiters began serving the dishes one by one.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Look forward to the new dishes, folks lol