Hearing Lu You's bold words of "order whatever you like, ten times compensation if I can't make it."
Old Tang's eyes lit up instantly.
As a professional food blogger, the thing he feared least was a confident shopkeeper.
The more confident the shopkeeper and the more hardcore the dishes, the more explosive the show's impact would be.
"For real?" Old Tang asked habitually to confirm, while also giving Lu You a way out.
"Young man, I've always been straightforward when visiting shops. The video will be posted online later, so think it through and don't ruin your reputation."
This was a well-intentioned reminder, as well as a professional habit.
He had seen too many restaurant owners who bragged to the heavens, only to be left in an awkward position by one of his professional reviews.
However, Lu You just laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
"Reputation? Hahaha! This is a Hardware Store, what kind of reputation do I need?" He spread his hands with an innocent look.
"Besides, it's not like I'm a professional caterer."
"It's you customers who insist on coming here to buy food. I can't just refuse to make money and push you away, right? That would be stupid."
These words were both blunt and practical.
Old Tang was amused by him, and the last shred of worry in his heart vanished.
He had originally thought about just ordering a few home-cooked dishes to taste and experience the atmosphere of eating in a Hardware Store.
But spurred by Lu You's words, he completely changed his mind.
Since you're so confident, then I won't be polite!
"Heh." Old Tang also laughed. He looked at the camera and then at Lu You, saying solemnly, "Then it's a deal, young man."
"If you can't make it, or if it's not done well, I'm going to say so."
"No problem," Lu You nodded.
"This kid is interesting," Old Tang turned to the camera and praised in a low voice.
The playfulness in his eyes grew stronger.
He began to rapidly construct a menu in his mind.
Since this little boss was so confident, he had to ramp up the difficulty!
He wanted to see what kind of magic could be conjured out of the back storage of this Hardware Store!
After a moment of silence, Old Tang held up one finger.
"The first dish, buddha jumps over the wall!"
As soon as he spoke, he named a heavy-hitting, grand dish from Chinese banquets!
This dish involved a tedious process and exquisite ingredients.
It required extremely high mastery of heat and timing; ordinary restaurants couldn't make it at all, let alone a Hardware Store.
The cameraman Xiao Li's lens immediately gave Lu You a close-up, wanting to capture a shocked or troubled expression on his face.
However, Lu You just nodded calmly and signaled for him to continue.
Old Tang secretly admired his composure and continued, "Hmm, and a serving of boiled cabbage in clear broth."
This dish seemed like plain soup and water, but it was actually a pinnacle soup dish in Sichuan Cuisine.
Its essence lay entirely in that bowl of top-tier clear soup that looked like "boiled water," and its difficulty was even greater than buddha jumps over the wall.
"Let's stop at two Chinese dishes." Old Tang paused, then changed the subject.
"Add two Western dishes. Escargot with Truffle and Foie Gras, and Beef Wellington."
He himself had a background as a Western chef.
When it came to Western food, he had absolute authority and a voice.
Especially Beef Wellington; this dish was an extreme test of a chef's comprehensive control over the pastry, mushroom duxelles, and the doneness of the beef.
If any step went wrong, the entire dish would be a failure.
The four dishes he ordered combined East and West, spanning several peaks of culinary skill.
It could be said he had given Lu You an extremely difficult exam paper.
Facing Old Tang's almost "provocative" menu, Lu You didn't show any sign of worry.
In his mind, the system's notification had already sounded.
[Customer menu detected: buddha jumps over the wall, boiled cabbage in clear broth, Escargot with Truffle and Foie Gras, Beef Wellington.]
[Performing product search and value assessment... Assessment complete.]
[All dishes are within the sellable range of the Lv1 Store, and the fair market price for a single portion is below 1,000 RMB. The system kitchen can perform the preparation.]
Lu You felt greatly reassured. He looked at Old Tang and gave a kind reminder: "Gentlemen, the prices of these dishes are not cheap."
Old Tang waved his hand, showing the generosity of a food blogger: "Price doesn't matter! As long as the food you make is worth the price, even if there are minor flaws, it won't be a problem for me."
"I will only give the most impartial evaluation based on the quality of the dishes."
"Good." Lu You nodded. "Then will you two... eat here, or take it to go?"
Old Tang looked around, seeing the electric drills and pipe wrenches on the shelves and smelling the unique scent in the air.
A strange smile appeared on his face.
Ordering buddha jumps over the wall in a Hardware Store was a first, so he might as well eat here.
He wanted to experience this extreme sense of contrast!
"We'll eat right here."
"Alright!"
Lu You responded, though he also felt it was a bit absurd in his heart.
A perfectly good Hardware Store had somehow been turned by him into a Michelin-style private kitchen with a mix of East and West.
But since he could make money and earn business points, whatever; the customers could do whatever they wanted.
He turned and walked into the back storage.
Old Tang and Xiao Li began filming the store's environment, preparing to record this historic moment.
However, before they had been filming for even a few minutes, Lu You walked out from the back storage.
He was carrying a large tray in his hands.
On the tray, no more and no less, were exactly four dishes.
A jar with a lid, emitting the rich and fragrant aroma of buddha jumps over the wall.
A bowl of crystal-clear soup with a cabbage heart floating in it—the boiled cabbage in clear broth.
A plate of steaming baked snails garnished with black truffles.
And a piece of Beef Wellington perfectly wrapped in pastry, showing an enticing pink color.
All four dishes were perfect in terms of appearance, plating, and aroma.
Old Tang and Xiao Li were completely dumbfounded.
"This... so fast?!" Old Tang looked at his watch and said in disbelief.
"Has it even been two minutes?! Two minutes?!"
He hadn't even eaten yet, but he already felt something was wrong.
Forget two minutes, the baking time for the Beef Wellington alone was more than that!
This didn't fit the logic of cooking techniques!
He glanced at Lu You, who stood behind the counter with a harmless expression.
Then he turned back to the camera and whispered in a low voice, "To make it this fast, I suspect it's pre-prepared food being heated up. The taste... probably won't be very good. But it's okay, let's try it first."
He adjusted his mindset and prepared to start tasting.
First was the jar of buddha jumps over the wall.
The jar wasn't large, but it was very exquisite.
As soon as the lid was lifted, a rich, fragrant, and overbearingly wonderful aroma rushed straight to his head.
Old Tang took a deep breath; just by the smell, he knew the ingredients were definitely not bad.
His expectations for this dish weren't high, after all, the preparation time had been too short.
He gently scooped up a spoonful of soup; the soup was golden and mellow as he brought it to his mouth.
The next second, Old Tang's eyes lit up instantly!
It was an extreme freshness that could not be described in words!
It was as if the essence of the entire ocean and the gifts of the forest were all concentrated in this one mouthful of soup.
The soft silkiness of the sea cucumber, the springiness of the abalone, the stickiness of the fish maw.
The flavors of various ingredients blended together perfectly without overpowering each other.
They built up layer by layer, instantly sweeping over all his taste buds.
"Mmm—!" Old Tang couldn't help but let out a satisfied groan.
He closed his eyes and savored it for a long time before slowly opening them, his face full of shock.
He looked at the camera and began his professional review: "This broth is so damn authentic!"
"Its freshness isn't the cheap kind created by MSG or chicken essence, but a complex freshness naturally mellowed from various top-tier ingredients after long hours of simmering."
"Look at this abalone, the heat is just right. This sea cucumber is thoroughly prepared and melts in your mouth... The level of completion for this dish is very, very high!"
He went on and on, praising the jar of buddha jumps over the wall from the aspects of ingredients, heat, and seasoning.
Finally, all the professional reviews were condensed into four simple words:
"It's—so—damn—good!"