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Chapter 595: Falling Short by One Point, Can’t Be Perfect

Chapter 595: Chapter 595: Falling Short by One Point, Can’t Be Perfect

After a day of rest at home, on Monday morning, Chen Jing finally returned to work at the restaurant as usual.

Everything in the restaurant was running as usual, not hindered by her absence as the boss lady. Even though she felt something was lacking, nonetheless, she did not let it bother her, let alone, affect the restaurant’s business.

Around ten o’clock, the two chefs from Fanxin Restaurant, who had participated in the competition with Chen Jing, came to the restaurant.

In the beginning, there was a hint of disdain in their demeanor as they stood in the restaurant.

Their attitude toward Chen Jing seemed even arrogantly excessive.

Chen Jing did not react, directing them to a two-person table on standby, while she attended to the lunchtime customers.

At this moment, if Zhu Qianying was to see Chen Jing, she would undoubtedly be pleased.

The once timid and self-effacing mother had finally learned to maintain her dignity and begun to show a spirit of defiance.

The two chefs had met Chen Jing once under Luo Yifan’s introduction. Back then, they held their disdain at bay.

Now, without Luo Yifan, their contempt and arrogance surfaced unabashedly.

The waitstaff, including Xiao Ya and the two handsome young men, were quick to pick up on this and showed no warmth toward the two chefs, ignoring them completely, not even offering them tea, let alone lunch.

Consequently, seeing the influx of customers, the two chefs began to consider going out to lunch.

Overhearing their whispers, Xiao Ya approached the two chefs after serving a couple of customers, "Excuse me, if you’re planning to eat out, could you do so now? I need to clear this table for our customers."

Feeling awkward, the two chefs were about to rise, when a kind young man from the neighboring table interjected.

"Gentlemen, there’s no other restaurant in L City that serves food as delicious as the Quiet Restaurant, and the prices are reasonable too. We made reservations half a month in advance to get a table, and you’re thinking of going elsewhere? Isn’t that a waste? If you want to come back next time, you will have to wait for another half month!"

Left undecided by the man’s remarks, Xiao Ya continued to wait for them to leave.

Just then, Chen Jing brought out a tray of snacks and placed it on their table, "I’m sorry for the delay, I’ve been busy. Have some snacks while you wait for me. I’ll be with you once I’m done serving these customers."

The snacks that Chen Jing served were usually offered in pairs per customer.

Today, she made Durian Crisps and served four pieces to the two chefs, as per customer serving size.

Upon seeing Chen Jing personally trying to persuade them to stay, Xiao Ya could only apologize to the two customers and escort them out.

The two chefs, in turn, sat back down.

After all, even if they wanted to maintain their haughtiness, they still had to show some respect to Chen Jing. If they offended her, God knows how their boss would deal with them later.

Thus, they concluded that the boss’s decision to join forces with Chen Jing was simply to capitalize on her connections.

Chen Jing, after all, was the mother-in-law of the renowned young entrepreneur Yan Han. A connection like that was indeed not something they could afford to challenge.

As for the Golden Award she won twenty years ago, although it was prestigious, it happened over two decades ago. After being an auntie at home for so many years, who knew how much her cooking skills had deteriorated.

The tea that the restaurant chose to brew that day was Tie Guan Yin Tea, chosen specifically to pair with the Durian Crisps.

Consequently, the Quiet Restaurant chose their tea based on the snacks of the day.

The two chefs shared a look before each took a piece of the fragrant, golden Durian Crisp and put it in their mouths.

The crisp was flaky and melted in their mouths, while the durian filling was creamy and flavorful. They exchanged another complicated look after finishing the crisp and took a sip of tea.

The refreshing taste of Tie Guan Yin Tea blended with the lingering durian flavor, cutting through the richness and leaving a subtle scent in their mouths, making for a delightful aftertaste.

Within a matter of seconds, they decided to stay for lunch.

Fanxin Restaurant, in some aspects of its management philosophy, was quite similar to the Quiet Restaurant. Both paid great attention to details and were extremely critical of the quality and taste of the food.

And from just a cup of tea and two Durian Crisps, they sensed the precision and proficiency of the Quiet Restaurant.

They vaguely understood why their boss chose to cooperate with her, rather than picking someone exclusively from Fanxin Restaurant.

Although they were reluctant to admit it, they had to concede. The Durian Crisps they just tasted were the best they have ever had.

Chen Jing defused the tension between Xiao Ya and the two chefs without a fuss and went back to the kitchen to continue her work.

Although she was not familiar with them, they were sent by Luo Yifan. To win them over was akin to winning over Luo Yifan, wasn’t it?

Honestly, she was not keen on seeing this result.

In the end, the two chefs from Fanxin Restaurant had lunch with the restaurant’s staff, including Chen Jing.

Three of the dishes for lunch were personally made by Chen Jing while the rest were prepared by her two disciples.

As was usual, the dishes personally made by Chen Jing were quickly devoured by everyone.

The two chefs from Fanxin Restaurant were fortunate to have a few bites. Now, they were thoroughly impressed.

After lunch, they dropped their airs and discussed the final process for the last vegetarian dish with Chen Jing in the kitchen.

Chen Jing served up the vegetarian dish she had prepared using four different types of wine during her discussion with Luo Yifan a few days ago, letting the two chefs have a taste.

After having tried all four of them, they agreed that each was unique and equally difficult to choose from. Moreover, they felt they were all perfect as they were and that any one of them would sweep the competition without any further improvements.

Although their words were meant as praise, Chen Jing did not find any happiness in them.

It was not because their compliments felt forced or contrived. In fact, she certainly saw surprise in their eyes when they tasted the dishes, which meant that their words were genuine.

However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. She felt there was still something lacking in the four methods. For her, it was like earning a 99 on a test and just missing that one point for a perfect score. She desired the full, flawless 100 points, not 99.

"Gentlemen, when is your boss coming?" Chen Jing asked before removing her chef hat and hanging it up, signifying the end of their discussion since according to the two chefs, the dishes were already perfection.