Chapter 33: The Rarity of a Master Chef

“If you’ve cut off his income, of course he’s not happy.” Zhang Lang curled his lip. “That guy’s two-faced—pretends one thing in front of others, another behind their backs. He talks about taking it back for the Bureau’s Technical Department to study, but that’s all nonsense. The corpse of a spirit creature is a tremendous tonic for cultivators. Selling such a huge catfish spirit to a cultivator would easily bring in hundreds of thousands of gold coins.”

“Hundreds of thousands? That much?” Chen Yun was taken aback.

“That’s not much at all,” Zhang Lang replied. “That’s a conservative estimate. If the catfish spirit had been alive, the price would have multiplied several times over. Living spirit creatures are a cultivator’s favorite—raise one properly, and you have a fiercely loyal pet and bodyguard. So, Master Chen, what do you plan to do with it?”

“Hmm… Does the hotel have a large freezer?” Chen Yun thought for a moment.

“Yes, it does. You’re thinking to freeze the catfish spirit for now?”

“Exactly. Such a big catfish spirit can’t be used up all at once. Freeze it, and I’ll take whatever I need when I need it.”

“All right. Xiao Wang, give the order—clear out freezer number 4, dedicate it to the catfish spirit. From now on, no one but Master Chen is to go near number 4.”

“Brother Zhang, what about the hotel kitchen? Is it still usable?” Chen Yun suddenly remembered the kitchen and asked.

“Don’t mention it. The kitchen was nearly demolished by the catfish spirit. I’ll arrange for repairs as soon as I get back. The hotel probably won’t be able to operate for the next two weeks.” Zhang Lang sighed.

“It’s all my fault. I just arrived and this happened,” Chen Yun said regretfully.

“How can you blame yourself? It just shows how exceptional your cooking is. Honestly, I almost wish the catfish spirit had torn down the whole hotel—it would have been even better!” Zhang Lang said.

Chen Yun looked at Zhang Lang speechlessly. What kind of logic is this? The kitchen’s destroyed and it’s still not enough for you, you actually wish the hotel had been demolished? But then again, if a single blue dish could stir up such a commotion, what would happen if I ever create a purple dish, or something even higher? Demolishing the hotel… might actually happen.

After showering, Chen Yun changed into the standard business suit worn by the hotel management. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he saw a much more mature figure and grinned. “They say clothes make the man, and it’s true—just changing clothes, my whole aura is different. I look the part of a successful man now.”

When he came to the lobby, he noticed the hotel staff, dressed in casual clothes, heading out in small groups. Then he remembered—the hotel was closing to repair the kitchen, so the staff were on leave.

“Two weeks without business—how much will the hotel lose? No, Director Jiang and Manager Zhang have treated me so well, I can’t let the hotel suffer losses because of me.” With this thought, Chen Yun turned and went to the general manager’s office.

Knocking at the door, he heard Zhang Lang’s voice, “Come in.”

Zhang Lang’s head was aching from looking at the financial report detailing the losses from half a month of closure. When he saw Chen Yun, he brightened. “Xiao Chen, what brings you here? Sit down, sit down. I’ve just gotten hold of some fine tea. You should try it.”

“No need for formalities, Brother Zhang. Sit down, please. I’ve come to discuss something with you,” Chen Yun said after sitting.

“If there’s anything you need, just say the word. If it’s within my power, I’ll get it done,” Zhang Lang replied, pleased that Chen Yun was treating him as a confidant.

“What’s this?” Chen Yun caught sight of the document on the desk. “Hotel closure loss report… Total losses: 164,700 gold coins? That’s brutal!”

“Exactly. You don’t realize it until you add it up. And that doesn’t even include the cost of renovating the kitchen. With that, the losses will double,” Zhang Lang said. “But you said you wanted to discuss something?”

“That’s exactly it,” Chen Yun began. “The kitchen can’t be used, but my own kitchen is still intact. If we can’t serve a wide variety of dishes, why not focus on selling only premium dishes? I’m not sure how the hotel prices my food, but I imagine each of my dishes is worth several regular ones at least, right?”

“You mean…” Zhang Lang shot to his feet, excited. “You mean a high-end, boutique approach—no ordinary dishes, only your master-level cuisine?”

“That’s right. I’ll do my best during this period. Any losses I can make up for, I will. What do you think?” Chen Yun asked.

“Not only is it feasible—it’s fantastic!” Zhang Lang slapped the table in excitement. “Do you know the starting price for dishes made by imperial master-level chefs? A hundred gold coins!”

“What?” Chen Yun was shocked. A hundred gold coins just to start?

“That’s just for the simplest dishes. Even if you toss some salt in boiling water, it goes for a hundred gold coins. If you make something a bit more complex, there are countless people willing to pay tens of thousands. Especially cultivators—master-level dishes offer clear improvement to their cultivation. That tomato and egg stir-fry you made today, if sold to a cultivator, would easily fetch a starting price of half a million gold coins!” Zhang Lang began pacing the office. “Let me do the math—if you make fifty dishes a day, at a thousand coins each, that’s fifty thousand coins daily… My god, at this rate, the hotel’s losses would be recouped within a week, and the rest is pure profit!”

Chen Yun was about to speak when Zhang Lang cut in again. “No, fifty dishes a day is too much work. Let’s say twenty dishes. That’s enough to make up for our losses before we reopen—this is the most conservative estimate. Xiao Chen, it’s settled. These days, I’ll count on you. You just focus on cooking—what you make is up to you. As for selling at a high price, let me and the other managers handle it.”

“Uh… I can finish twenty dishes in less than an hour. Isn’t that too few?” Chen Yun scratched his nose.

“That’s not few at all. If it weren’t for the losses, I’d say ten is too many. Xiao Chen, do you know why master-level chefs are so coveted? Because their output is so rare! Rarity creates value. Other master chefs only make three dishes a day! And that’s if they’re willing—some are so temperamental they might not cook for a whole month.”

“No way. If a chef didn’t cook for a month, wouldn’t the hotel fire him?” Chen Yun asked in disbelief.

“Fire him?” Zhang Lang gave him a strange look. “There are eighteen thousand cities in the empire, and tens of thousands of five-star hotels, but only one hundred and twenty-six master-level chefs. Unless the owner has lost his mind, who would fire a chef rarer than a national treasure? Even if a master chef never cooked again, just having their title guarantees the hotel will be the undisputed leader in the city. And if they were fired, the competition to hire them would be endless!”