The manager pulled at his hair and said at the top of his lungs, "You haven't written it yet? Are you kidding me!"
"Do you know who you're messing with? How big is this thing?"
Zhang Wei spread his hands, "I didn't plan to sell recipes originally, it was a spur-of-the-moment idea."
"I just want to know, do you actually have this so-called recipe or not!"
"Uh, isn't that just a matter of reaching out and grabbing it?"
"Reaching out and grabbing it?"
The manager gritted his teeth, "Do you think a recipe is like a primary school essay, something you can just 'reach out and grab'? You've ruined me!"
Things like recipes are all products of repeated experimentation and refinement to find the perfect ratio, only then can they become a recipe.
They could be said to be the culmination of a chef's hard work and essence.
Old Man Jun gritted his teeth, "Give him paper and brush, but if you can't write a single damn thing, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Threatening me? What if I do write it?"
"With you?"
Old Man Jun said, "If you can write an excellent piece, I'll buy it at full price!"
"If my work is excellent, why would I worry about sales?"
"Then what do you want!"
Zhang Wei pondered for a moment, "How about this, if I lose, you can punish me however you like. If I win, will you find me some endangered ingredients?"
"Deal!"
Endangered ingredients were indeed precious, but Old Man Jun was confident that this young man before him definitely didn't have the ability!
Paper was laid out and ink was ground.
Zhang Wei sat on a cushion by the coffee table, a hint of thought and seriousness on his face.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, he began to write furiously!
Not only were there words, but also a large number of illustrations.
The manager and Old Man Jun hovered nearby, their expressions filled with disdain.
"The handwriting is decent, must have had a couple of years of schooling."
"The drawings are not bad either."
"Hmph, but just writing and drawing won't earn my approval!"
Bored, the two of them went to boil water and make tea, eagerly awaiting Zhang Wei's embarrassment.
Before the water had even boiled, Zhang Wei threw down his brush.
"Done, wrap it up."
"So fast?"
From Zhang Wei taking his seat to think, to finishing his writing, it had only been about ten minutes.
Even for mere copying, that time wouldn't be enough.
"Stop the nonsense, come and see."
Zhang Wei snatched the teapot, poured himself a full cup, and leaned back leisurely, his face full of confident ease.
The manager and Old Man Jun, with suspicious looks, leaned in to examine it closely.
The recipes described were unorthodox, even unheard of.
The manager angrily rebuked, "What garbage is this? Do you think you can get away with this kind of thing?"
"You're still so relaxed drinking tea, get down here!"
Saying that, the manager lunged forward to grab Zhang Wei and snatch the teapot.
Zhang Wei smiled faintly and pointed at the stunned, lost-in-thought Old Man Jun.
The manager said, "Old Man Jun, say something! I'll have the guards arrest him right now!"
After a long pause.
Old Man Jun picked up the recipe book and said hesitantly, "While this piece is reasoned and well-supported, it is too bizarre and convoluted, and..."
"Wait a minute, you're not going to speak against your conscience, are you?"
Zhang Wei chuckled mischievously.
Old Man Jun's old face flushed, and he stiffened his neck, "How could I be that kind of person!"
"Then how did I do with this piece?"
Old Man Jun mumbled.
Then, as if realizing something, he glared fiercely at Zhang Wei, "I get it! This is all your scheme, isn't it? Pretend to be weak and lure me into betting! Tell me, where did you copy this from? I don't believe you wrote this!"
"We agreed during the bet earlier, it has to be your own creation to count! Hmph, you're using your clever tricks on me!"
Zhang Wei frowned, "Playing dirty? The older you get, the more shameless you become."
"Unless you can prove that you wrote it!"
"How do you want to prove it?"
Old Man Jun thought for a long time and then exclaimed, "Anyone who can write such a recipe must be a top chef with unparalleled talent. If you can cook the dishes on this recipe, that will be proof."
"That's troublesome. Who knows if you'll have other conditions after I prove it?"
"I'll stake my reputation on it, no further demands! And if you can prove it, I'll agree to one condition!"
Zhang Wei thought about it.
The seasonings in the Treasure Hall were scarce, and he had been 'borrowing' from the Big Glacier's kitchen before.
Wang Yue Zhai was quite large, so the variety and quantity of ingredients should be sufficient.
"Deal!"
Zhang Wei nodded, agreeing.
The three of them went to Wang Yue Zhai's kitchen.
Although the storefront wasn't large, Wang Yue Zhai's kitchen was truly substantial.
All sorts of ingredients, cookware, and seasonings were available, with hundreds of stoves alone.
Zhang Wei was not polite. He gathered the necessary items and skillfully started the fire and heated the oil.
What Zhang Wei wrote wasn't complex, it was the Seven-Treasure Beggar's Chicken.
First was the selection of ingredients, with poultry deboned in sequence.
The smallest was the level 6 wine-sap hummingbird.
These hummingbirds were fond of wine and often collected wine-sap flowers, giving them a natural light wine aroma.
Next was the level 7 winter swallow, larger than ordinary swallows, just enough to accommodate the hummingbird.
After that, he chose the magnetic telegraph pigeon, white-feathered black-boned chicken, golden-feathered duck, jade-water flamingo, and overlord ostrich.
Thanks to the diverse ingredients in this world, Zhang Wei was able to complete the ultimate Seven-Treasure dish!
Besides the poultry itself, they needed to be cut and supplemented with side dishes and spices.
This step was the soul of the dish!
It was about allowing different seasonings to nourish different ingredients, achieving the perfect flavor.
Precious ingredients had complex properties; being able to control the seasoning for even one type of poultry was already extremely difficult.
Let alone, coordinating seven different ingredients simultaneously.
The difficulty was imaginable; both the seasoning combination and the state of the ingredients needed to be controlled to an extremely exquisite level!
Even the slightest mistake would ruin the entire dish.
Rather than a top-tier delicacy, it was more like the ultimate test of a chef's skill!
Or perhaps the best way for a top chef to show off their techniques.
The manager of the bookstall immediately dismissed the recipe as absurd upon first glance, precisely because the difficulty was outrageously high.
Even the head chef of Wang Yue Zhai might not be able to achieve it.
Watching Zhang Wei's skilled movements and precise knife work, Old Man Jun felt a sense of unease.
Even his composure and confidence suggested that this person was no ordinary individual!
"Um... young friend, who was your master, and where did you work before?"
Unconsciously, Old Man Jun had changed his way of addressing him.
Zhang Wei replied, "Me? I've had many masters, but they are no longer in this world."
Strictly speaking, neither Blue Star nor Shokugeki no Soma were from this world.
"That's truly a shame. Did your master pass this dish down to you?"
"As I said, I just figured it out myself. This is my first time making it, and I'm borrowing your restaurant's ingredients to try. But don't worry, I'm very confident I won't waste your ingredients."
Old Man Jun's mouth twitched.
Was he concerned about a few ingredients?