Universe Infinite Canteen

"I think he just wants to go there for a free meal and drinks," Lele said without mercy, "Mr. Sun, don't give him an invitation, or it will be your reputation that suffers in the end."

"I'm old now, and my skin has thickened," Sun He laughed and said, "I'm not too concerned about losing face. I just hope the competition can be more exciting, so that everyone can showcase their true abilities."

After speaking, he turned to look at Ma Lu, "It is normally not permitted for apprentices to compete, but in your case, there might actually be a loophole to exploit."

"What loophole?" Lele asked.

"The God of Cooking competition stipulates that contestants must be either the head chef or the owner of a restaurant. The former is easy to understand, but the latter is mainly because many internationally renowned chefs own their own restaurants, and some even own several.

"Each restaurant employs an additional head chef to take care of daily meal service, while the owners fly around the year and only appear in one of their restaurants for a certain month to take charge of the kitchen, and even then, only stay for a few days.

"The God of Cooking competition does not want to exclude them, so they allow owners to participate. So theoretically, Boss Ma does indeed meet the eligibility to compete, although his case is quite unique," Sun He said.

Upon hearing this, Lele took out her phone, went to the official website of the World Cooking Federation, and sure enough, found a similar clause.

But she was still not convinced, "But Mr. Sun, he isn't even a chef. The mouth can lie, but the hands can't."

As she spoke, she extended her own hands. On her delicate and fair right hand, there were calluses on the thumb and forefinger, and there were scald marks on her middle finger and forefinger.

And on her left hand, there were even more knife scars.

"I may not be a chef, but my grandfather has always supervised me in practicing my cooking skills. Look, this is what the hands of someone who cooks frequently look like.

"Your hands are too clean, they look like they haven't done much cooking."

Sun He glanced at Ma Lu's palms and also fell into a state of uncertainty.

After a moment, he said, "Would Boss Ma be willing to give us a small demonstration first?"

"Sure," Ma Lu agreed readily, "What would you like to eat?"

"Nothing too complicated, just stir-fry us some hot and sour shredded potatoes," Sun He said, "If we don't have potatoes, I can send Lele to buy some, I remember there's a supermarket nearby."

Before Ma Lu could respond, Lele had already volunteered and dashed out of the restaurant to buy groceries, seeming determined to prove that Ma Lu was a fraud.

This made He Xiaoqian and Ma Youyou, who were watching from the side, very anxious for him.

As people who spent a lot of time with Ma Lu, they knew very well about Boss Ma's level of cooking skills.

Ma Lu typically only entered the kitchen to sneak a taste of Old Wang's pre-cooked ingredients or to take out the trash and wash his hands.

The only dish he mastered was instant noodles, and he always bought the boxed kind, because it meant no dishes to wash.

Tear open the seasoning packet, pour in boiling water, then press down with a rarely-used Kindle, and in 5 minutes, dinner was ready.

Efficiency and convenience were his specialties.

And even this skill had grown rusty since he became Old Wang's roommate.

Ma Youyou and He Xiaoqian had no idea what had gotten into him, deciding to enter the Chef competition as Old Wang's apprentice, and judging by his demeanor, he was planning to cook himself.

Ma Youyou, who knew Ma Lu better, guessed that after cooking he was probably planning to pull out a "That's so Beaver," forcibly trying to change Mr. Sun and Lele's perceptions.

But was this fellow planning to use the same "move" in the upcoming God of Cooking competition, which was expected to be broadcast live?

At that time, people all over the world would be able to see the dark cuisine he made, which surely exceeded the scope of "That's very Beaver."

Ma Youyou was still wildly speculating when Lele came back, gasping for breath, with a bag of potatoes.

Her breathless appearance made it clear that she had sprinted all the way, racing against the clock, just to burst some people's lies sooner.

Ma Lu took the bag of potatoes, pretending to take a look, "They seem fine—thanks for your hard work. I'll get started right away."

Having said that, he turned to go into the kitchen but just then, Lele called out, "Hold on."

"Chef Wang is still inside, isn't he? You're not planning on asking him to substitute for you, are you?"

"No, Old Wang already left through the back door. There's nobody in the kitchen right now."

"Really or not?" Lele was doubtful.

"If you don't trust me, you can come in and watch me cook."

Ma Lu's straightforwardness caused Lele to have a moment of self-doubt. Had she really wronged Ma Lu before; was Boss Ma actually capable of cooking, with real skills?

But then Lele shook her head. She still believed that hands don't lie. Ma Lu's hands were simply not those of a chef.

So she said, "Then I'm going in."

Ma Lu made a welcoming gesture, and Sun He was also curious about the kitchen of Universe Infinite Canteen. However, the kitchen was usually the chef's private territory, and outsiders were generally not allowed in.

With his status, it also didn't seem appropriate to insist on going in to supervise like Lele.

Nevertheless, Ma Lu looked around and saw everyone in the restaurant, including He Xiaoqian and Ma Youyou, looking curious. So he simply gestured, "Anyone else who wants to see, come on in."

With that, Ma Lu went into the kitchen with the bag of potatoes.

Lele followed closely, and upon entering the kitchen, she did not hold back and started to take a look around.

"Wow, it's so clean." This was Lele's first impression.

Her family also ran a restaurant, so she naturally knew how important kitchen hygiene was. Generally, respectable restaurants and chefs demand that the kitchen be spotless, raw and cooked ingredients separated, and utensils and cutting boards kept tidy... Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

But in reality, it's quite difficult to implement. If good habits aren't formed from the beginning and strict rules aren't set, things quickly become chaotic when busy, with various ingredients and pots and pans strewn about.

Moreover, if the ventilation system isn't well-designed, over time, the walls of the kitchen would be stained with grease and littered with stains, and some restaurant kitchens could even become playgrounds for wild animals.

If the dining guests from outside were to take a look inside, they'd probably vomit out their meals immediately.

Lele's family restaurant was strict about cleanliness because of her grandfather, but even so, there were many nooks and crannies that couldn't be reached when cleaning.

In comparison, the kitchen of Universe Infinite Canteen was truly pristine. Every single bowl and plate was polished to a shine, and even the corners of the walls and the gaps between equipment were spotless.

Lele touched the tiles behind the stove and found them not sticky at all.

You have to know that Universe Infinite Canteen hadn't even closed yet, it was as though they had specifically hired a cleaning army, tidying and cleaning the kitchen around the clock.

Sun He was also surprised and said admiringly, "Chef Wang must be a chef who is very strict with himself, always striving for excellence."