Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

At noon, Dongxinglou was packed with distinguished guests.

Sun Dehai stood behind the counter, listening to the clattering of the abacus beads, wondering how many more days Li's Restaurant could last.

"Manager!" The waiter walked in through the door. "Sixth Master Feng is here!"

"Feng Liu?" Sun Dehai was taken aback and quickly went out to greet him. "Oh, Sixth Master, what brings you here? What would Mr. Mei like to eat? I'll have the kitchen prepare it right away!"

Today, Feng Liu changed into a silk robe and held a bright red invitation card with gold lettering in his hand. However, his face was not smiling as usual, but serious.

"Manager Sun, I'm not here to order food today, I'm here to issue a challenge on behalf of someone." Feng Liu spoke frankly.

"A...a challenge?" Sun Dehai was dumbfounded. "Sixth Master, are you kidding me? Who would dare issue a challenge to the people downstairs at Dongxing Tower?"

Feng Liu placed the invitation on the counter: "Li's Restaurant, Li Chunsheng".

"Whoosh!"

The diners in the lobby fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on the post.

Sun Dehai opened the post:

【Having heard that Dongxinglou is a grandmaster of Shandong cuisine, renowned for its unparalleled skills, I, Li Chunsheng, humbly request to learn from your esteemed establishment. The time and place will be entirely at your discretion. If I am fortunate enough to gain even a slight advantage, I beg your graciousness and refrain from further actions that would cut off my livelihood; if I lose, Li's Restaurant will close immediately!】

The signature not only bears Li Chunsheng's name but also Mei Lanfang's personal seal as proof!

Sun Dehai stared at the seal, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

"Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!"

The curtain in the back kitchen was lifted, and Yan Desheng rushed out, carrying a cleaver and looking furious. He had heard the commotion from behind and had been unable to contain himself for a long time.

"He's just a greenhorn, how dare he compare himself to me?!" Yan Desheng pointed at Feng Liu. "Go back and tell that kid surnamed Li, I accept this challenge! Since he wants to die, I'll grant his wish! Three days from now, right here in the lobby of Dongxing Tower, I'll make him admit defeat wholeheartedly!"

Feng Liu smiled faintly and cupped his hands in greeting: "Master Yan is indeed straightforward. Mr. Mei said that he and several old friends will come in person to witness the occasion. I hope Dongxinglou will not lose its grand style."

After saying that, Feng Liu turned and left, leaving behind a room full of diners in uproar and the Dongxinglou staff with livid faces.

"Shopkeeper, this..." The waiter looked at Sun Dehai, at a loss for words.

"What are you looking at! Get back to work!" Sun Dehai slammed the poster onto the counter, gritting his teeth. "Li Chunsheng's tactic of using someone else's strength against them is brilliant! He's even brought up Mei Lanfang; he's forcing us not to trip him up!"

Yan Desheng snorted coldly: "What's the shopkeeper afraid of? What does that kid think he can do? Mastering the craft takes decades of experience to even begin to grasp the basics! In three days, I'll show him what it means to be a novice in front of an expert!"

Sun Dehai took a deep breath. Although he felt a little uneasy, he felt relieved when he saw Yan Desheng's confident demeanor.

Yes, Yan Desheng has been cooking Shandong cuisine his whole life, how could he possibly lose to someone who doesn't know the ropes?

The news spread like wildfire, reaching the entire catering industry in Beiping in less than half a day.

Li Ji Restaurant is going to challenge Dongxinglou!

This is big news!

Inside Li's Restaurant, the way the diners looked at Li Chunsheng changed.

"Manager Li, are you really going to compete with Dongxinglou in cooking?" Shunzi asked with some concern. "Master Yan is an apprentice of the imperial chef."

Li Chunsheng said calmly, "Brother Shunzi, everyone fights for their pride, even Buddhas fight for their incense. They've come to bully us right at our doorstep, we can't just cower like turtles, can we?"

"Besides," Li Chunsheng said with a smile, "it's still uncertain who will win and who will lose."

In the backyard, Yunniang was helping Shen Nian, who was home for the weekend, to prepare vegetables. Hearing the discussion in front of her, she slowed down her movements.

"Mother, will Chunsheng win?"

"It definitely will, your brother Chunsheng never does anything he's not sure about."

Although she said that, Yunniang was also very uneasy inside. That was Dongxinglou!

As night fell, Li Chunsheng closed the shop and stayed alone in the kitchen.

He opened the system panel.

[Mission: Desperate Counterattack - Battle for the Famous Building]

[Mission Description: Challenge the industry leader and fight fire with fire.]

[Mission Objective: Defeat Chef Yan Desheng of Dongxinglou Restaurant in the culinary competition three days from now.]

[Success reward: +10000 reputation points; failure: no reward.]

At the same time, the news also alarmed the Beiping General Chamber of Commerce.

What kind of place is Dongxinglou? It's the head of the catering industry in Beiping. And what is Liji Restaurant? It's a rising star that's been enjoying unparalleled success lately, with big names like Mei Lanfang and Feng Gengguang backing it up.

If these two families are going to have a cooking contest, and there isn't a mediator to mediate and ensure fairness, then no matter who wins or loses, this war of words will probably never end.

Therefore, on March 15th, Yu Deshun, the president of the Beiping General Chamber of Commerce, personally invited Sun Dehai and Li Chunsheng to the chamber's meeting room.

The atmosphere inside the council chamber was somewhat tense.

At one end of the long mahogany table, Sun Dehai, dressed in a dark purple mandarin jacket with floral patterns, stood with Yan Desheng, who looked arrogant, behind him.

Meanwhile, Li Chunsheng was still dressed in a clean and neat navy blue cotton robe, followed by Old Wu with a calm expression.

Chairman Yu Deshun is an elderly man in his sixties who has been in this position for more than ten years. His specialty is to smooth things over, but today's situation is clearly not easy to resolve.

"Gentlemen, we are both leaders in the Beiping business community," Chairman Yu said, picking up his teacup and gently skimming off the tea leaves. "As the saying goes, harmony brings wealth, but since the challenge has been issued, this feud is over. The reason I invited you two here today is to establish a framework, so as not to damage our harmony and become a laughing stock for outsiders."

Sun Dehai sneered, "President Yu, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, it's just that some people are too ignorant of the rules. A guy who started out selling wontons got a few words of praise by chance and doesn't know his place anymore, daring to challenge my Dongxinglou! If my Dongxinglou swallows this insult, how will it maintain its status as one of the eight major restaurants?"

Li Chunsheng snorted, "Manager Sun, my Li family runs a business based on fair trade. Your Dongxinglou is wealthy and powerful, and you want to cut off my goods and cut off my supply. If I don't say anything, then I'm the one who doesn't know the rules. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone me, Li Chunsheng, a living, breathing person."

"Alright, alright," Chairman Yu waved his hand, "I've roughly heard the whole story. Since we're going to have a competition, there needs to be a way to do it. Manager Li, the challenge states that the time and place will be determined by Dongxing Restaurant. Does that stand?"

"Of course it counts!" Li Chunsheng cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Chairman Yu nodded and looked at Sun Dehai: "Manager Sun, you have no objections, right?"

"No objection," Sun Dehai replied crisply.

"Alright then," Chairman Yu continued, "Since the location was chosen by Dongxing Restaurant, to be fair, the topic will be set by our General Chamber of Commerce, how about that?"

Sun Dehai and Yan Desheng exchanged a glance. A hint of confidence flashed in Yan Desheng's eyes. What kind of problems hadn't he seen? As long as he wasn't asked to cook Western food, he had never been afraid of anyone.

"It's entirely up to Chairman Yu to decide."

"Where is Manager Li?"

"Listen to the chairman."

Chairman Yu stroked his beard and smiled, then took out a folded piece of Xuan paper from his sleeve, slowly unfolded it, and laid it on the table.

There was only one large character on the paper: Fire.

"Fire?" Sun Dehai was taken aback.

"That's right, it's all about the heat." Chairman Yu said seriously, "Our Chinese cuisine has countless variations, from frying and stir-frying to braising and stewing, but the core principle remains the same. The most crucial skill lies in controlling the heat. If the heat is too low, the food will be raw and unpalatable; if it's too high, it will be burnt and tasteless. Controlling the heat is the touchstone for testing a chef's true skill."

Upon hearing this, Yan Desheng smiled and looked at Li Chunsheng. Testing the heat? This was practically walking into his trap! He had cooked his whole life, and his skill in controlling the heat was already unparalleled.

"Excellent topic!" Yan Desheng exclaimed. "President Yu has set a great topic! I, Yan, have nothing to say!"

He turned to look at Li Chunsheng, his eyes full of mockery: "Kid, don't blame me for not warning you, the skill of controlling the heat isn't something you can learn by just talking. Your so-called boiled pork slices and braised pork rely on heavy seasonings; when it comes to controlling the heat, you're still far from it!"

Looking at the character for "fire," Li Chunsheng felt certain.

He has upgraded the "Fire Control" skill in the system skills to the advanced level, and he is very confident in his ability to control the fire.

"The topic is fair." Li Chunsheng nodded.

"In that case..." Chairman Yu stood up.

"President Yu, please wait a moment..." Just when everyone thought the charter was settled, Li Chunsheng spoke up.