Maverick Chef - Chapter 30：The Last Bowl of Soup

He stopped for a moment, and he swept all the finely cut noodles into the pot. Then he peeled off another ball of dough, kneaded it a few times and grabbed the rolling pin. And he repeated the same procedures as before.

There were a total of 16 lumps of noodles which he finished making in 16 minutes. Each strand of noodles was perfectly straight and unbroken. They were all of the same lengths with the same consistency.

After he scooped all of the noodles into the pot, the customers in the restaurant burst into thunderous applause. It was marvelous! Who would have thought that making noodles could be as artistic as dancing?

Bai Lu lifted his head up. He was unaware when precisely the restaurant was filled up with people who were looking at him. The people in the front row sat down, while the people behind them were standing, and the people in the back stood up on chairs. Layer by layer, they were all watching his one-man show.

After this physical exertion, the bottled-up stress in his heart was entirely released, and he chuckled. “Sorry for the embarrassment.”

“Not at all. That was a superb performance!” The whole lot of them cheered loudly.

That was not noodles. It was a work of art!

Bai Lu was somewhat embarrassed. He took a look at the dazzling glass panel, and he thought, “Perhaps I should cover it up with curtains.”

He let out a deep breath. Then he started to prepare the ingredients. As many people were eating here today, he wanted to serve each one of them adequately.

He worked slowly this time; Slowly picking the edible portions of the vegetables, slowly removing the skin, slowly washing it. It was relaxed, slow, and stable.

The audience outside the glass window was getting displeased. Even though they were snapping photos with their phones, Bai Lu still retained his relaxed and slow behavior. There was no point taking any photos, so they started to clamor. “Hey, show us some new tricks.”

Bai Lu pretended like he was deaf, and he continued cooking slowly. Halfway through, Bao Zi returned and put down the ingredients for the soup. He asked Bai Lu, “What else should I be doing?”

Bai Lu said, “Disperse the crowd outside. Those who have seats should be seated, while those who have no seats should queue outside. Collect the money for the takeaways and also the deposit for the lunchboxes.”

Bao Zi followed his instructions and went out to disperse the crowd. However, the customers did not comply. “Why is it like this again?”

Bai Lu smiled at them. “Those who do not follow the rules will be expelled from the restaurant.”

After the customers weighed the pros and cons, they followed Bao Zi’s arrangement. Those who were supposed to be seated were seated, while those who were supposed to queue outside went out to queue. Finally, there was some peace in the restaurant.

After more than 10 minutes, the food for the takeaways was ready. The lunchboxes were collected from the dishwasher and filled up with food. Then the customers took it with them and left. Then Bai Lu began making the soup, at the same time he also cooked the noodles.

The soup was for the terminally ill patient while the noodles were made for the foodies from the website Food in the Northern City.

At this moment, the foodies no longer complained about coming all the way here for a bowl of noodles. On the contrary, they were filled with curiosity and patiently waited for that magical bowl of noodles.

The soup had to be simmered for a long time, and it could neither be too thick nor too thin. The patient suffered from damage to his esophageal. It could be considered an impressive feat if he could even swallow some water. There was a possibility that he could not even drink milk so drinking the soup would be a massive challenge for him.

When he was simmering the soup, Bai Lu felt extremely grateful towards that ball of dough. It had aided him with the release of all those negative emotions. Now he was peaceful and patient; He had the confidence to execute this soup flawlessly.

A while later, he scooped the noodles out of the pot and soaked them in the chilled water. Then he poured out half of the soup to another pot and started the fire for a different stove. He added chili powder, water, coarse salt and boiled it.

The remaining half of the soup was still being simmered over a small flame.

After a while, the other pot started to boil. Bao Lu called for Bao Zi. “One pot of noodles and one pot of soup. Serve it outside. It is up to them to decide how much they want to eat. Ask them to help themselves to the food.”

This place must be the world’s most conceited restaurant to request the customers to do it themselves. However, in the entire room, not a single one of the foodies had a second opinion. They lined up and scooped up the noodles.

Bai Lu was fully focused on the simmering pot of soup. He stood quietly still, like a sculpture. Observing the flickering blue flames, he noticed the soup in the pot started boiling gently. At this moment, his soul has become transparent and flexible. According to the plot of Xianxia novels, he could be described as surpassing limitations, approaching enlightenment, or even achieving transcendence.

After quite a while, the foodies have finished the noodles. They asked, “How much is it?”

Bai Lu did not say a word. He just extended his palm out. Bao Zi said, “$5.”

$5? For this bowl of noodles? It was made with milk and eggs, and the soup that was used to dip the noodles were made with quality ingredients. Someone asked Bao Zi, “Have you made a mistake?”

Bao Zi turned back to look at Bai Lu, but he was looking at the soup silently. Bao Zi said, “Yes, it’s $5.”

There were 36 of them, so it was a total of $180. Someone fished out $200, and said, “Keep the change.” That same person said to Bai Lu, “Thanks, we will come back again.”

Bai Lu did not respond; he devoted all his attention to the half pot of soup.

Soon, all the foodies left. The baldy that wanted to propose peeked his head into the restaurant. As soon as he tried to ask a question, Bao Zi intercepted him. “Wait a while.”

“Then I will wait.” The baldy retreated outside.

At this time, Gao Yuan arrived. He saw that there were many people outside, but it was empty in the restaurant. It was even stranger to him when he saw that both Lin Zi and Duckie were standing outside. He went inside the restaurant and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Bao Zi had seen him frequently, so he knew that Gao Yuan had a close relationship with Bai Lu, and he said politely, “The boss is making the soup.”

Gao Yuan looked at him with curiosity and said, “Why are you calling him the boss?”

When he walked in front of the glass panel, he saw Bai Lu standing utterly motionless inside the kitchen.

After a while, Bai Lu finally moved, but he went to boil some water instead. After the water was boiled, he retrieved a lunchbox from the dishwasher and rinsed it a couple of times with the chilled water. Then he filled it up with tap water and sealed the lid.

A minute later, he scooped away the ingredients from the soup, which left behind a clear broth. He boiled it for another minute, then he turned off the stove, and added in some refined salt.

He poured away the tap water from the lunchbox and slowly funneled the soup inside. He sealed the lid and carried it out of the kitchen. “Deliver this within an hour. If the location is nearby, wait half an hour before drinking it.”

Gao Yuan noticed that Bai Lu was not his usual self today, but he was unable to make any sense of the matter. However, the soup was more urgent, so he received it over and walked away. “I will settle the money with you when I return.”

Bai Lu was 20 years old. He was born under odd circumstances and imbued with innate talent. He was outstanding in the culinary arts and an expert in making noodles. He had started cooking when he was four, so he had 16 years of culinary experience. However, today was the first time that he cooked for the dying. To put it in better words: This was the first time in his life that he had the opportunity to prepare the last meal for a dying patient.

This bowl of soup was mouthwateringly delicious. The moment it entered the mouth, it would flow down into the stomach. However, anyone who drank the soup would find it hard to enjoy other food for a short amount of time. They would find that the taste would be lacking as compared to the soup. Of course, if they ate chili or wasabi, then they would taste it strongly. That was why Bai Lu had added the chili powder, coarse salt, and more water into the dipping soup for the noodles. He was actually trying to destroy the taste.

Gao Yuan left, and the baldy peeked his head in once more. “Are you done?”

Bai Lu smiled gently, and he said, “I am done. The restaurant is now yours. You can put up the decorations.”

“Thank you, thank you.” The baldy pushed open the door and shouted outside. “Come in.” He fumbled for his phone and called his girlfriend.

After he hung up the phone, Bai Lu asked, “What does your girlfriend like to eat?”

“Could you make Western food? In the movies, Western cuisine creates a romantic mood.”

“Sure. Bao Zi, buy a huge block of fresh beef, the more tender it is, the better. Also, buy a stove and a bag of charcoal.”

“Are you making roast beef?” The baldy asked.

Bai Lu replied a yes. He grabbed a large bowl and poured some oyster sauce. Then he informed the baldy. “Get me a bottle of beer. Oh yes, it is Western food, but I do not sell any beer here.”

“Buy. I will buy it straight away.” The baldy asked his friend for help.

Then he grabbed another bowl and started making the seasoning powder. The Sichuan pepper, star anise, and cumin were already pre-grounded into powder, so he mixed them according to proportions. And he started the fire and fried some peanuts and sesame. Then he turned off the heat, grounded the peanuts and sesame into powder, and added them into the mix. He mixed the seasoning up a little.

He obtained some onions and diced them up.

After the onions, ginger, and garlic were diced up, he poured in some light soy sauce and two drops of white vinegar. Then he stirred it.

At the same time, the beer has been purchased, and he poured some of it into the oyster sauce. He added some egg whites into the sauce and mixed it up evenly.

After all the ingredients were prepared, Bao Zi could be seen sprinting back to the restaurant with a bunch of stuff in his arms. Bai Lu prepared the meat first. He cut out two large slices and marinated it in the soy sauce.

Afterward, he carried the grill and charcoal out of the restaurant. To save time, he poured the oil directly onto the charcoal and started the flame. Not long after, the charcoal flame burnt brilliantly.

He carried the grill back into the restaurant and requested Bao Zi to retrieve all of the prepared ingredients. First, he set up the grill on the rack. Then he used the metal tongs, like those that were used to fry Youtiao, to grab the large slab of beef on both sides. He shook off any excess marinade and placed it flat on the grill to roast slowly in the charcoal flame.

When the dry crust developed on the beef, he flipped the beef onto the other side. Then he instructed Bao Zi. “Brush the meat with the oyster sauce.”

And so, the two sides were brushed with the sauce and grilled slowly. After the 3rd time of brushing, Bai Lu said, “Grab a plate and pour the seasoning onto it. Make sure you pour it evenly.”

Bao Zi quickly finished the task, and Bai Lu placed the meat onto the plate. Then he grabbed the other piece of meat and repeated the procedures as mentioned above. At the same time, he let Bao Zi flipped the meat on the plate of seasoning over.

Then he took another clean plate and placed the meat that was thoroughly coated with seasoning powder. Simultaneously, he took the other piece of meat and set it onto the plate with seasoning powder.

After the two slabs of beef were thoroughly coated, he brought it back inside the kitchen. Then he used the metal tongs to lift up the beef and gently flicked it around to remove the excess seasoning powder. When his eyes were unable to perceive the seasoning powder on the beef, he wielded his knife and swiftly cut away the parts of the meat that were held by the tongs during roasting. It was because those parts were unevenly heated.

After he was done, Bai Lu said to the baldy. “Ask her, when would she arrive?”

At this moment, the baldy and all his friends were looking at Bai Lu with shocked expressions. They thought, “That’s how you roast the beef? Was there a need to be so extravagant?” Speaking of which, if they were visually impressed by the way Bai Lu made the noodles, then they could be described as emotionally shocked by the way Bai Lu roasted the beef. For just two slabs of roast beef, he prepared more than 10 different seasonings. Then he just used a tiny amount of it and discarded the rest.

For example, with the onions, ginger, and garlic, he had only soaked the meat inside the sauce for a little while. It was not even certain whether or not the flavor had penetrated the flesh, but it was already discarded away. And also, for the large bottle of beer, he had only used three bottle caps worth of beer, and the rest was thrown away. Then for the small bowl of oyster sauce, he just brushed the two pieces of meat a total of 12 times. Lastly, the charcoal flame, which was still burning brightly now, had no further use.

Let’s not forget the seasoning powder. To make this powder, Bai Lu first had to fry the peanuts and sesame, and then he had to crush it. In the end, he only used a tiny portion of it. It was outrageous!

The baldy was still in shock, but when he heard Bai Lu, he hurriedly made a call on his phone. Then he said, “She will be here immediately.”

Bai Lu nodded and started the fire. He reached for the frying pan and added some vegetable oil. When the heat was sufficient, he sautéed the chopped onions. Not long after, he removed the onions and laid the two slabs of beef onto the pan. Previously, the lengthy roasting process did not even thoroughly cook the meat. It was just semi-heated.

When he saw this step, the baldy gasped with admiration. He thought, “As it turns out, all that charcoal was not even used to cook the meat!”

The fire on the stove was not intense, he just lightly seared the surface of the beef. He turned off the heat at the same time when the girlfriend of the baldy has arrived.

There were two plates with lettuce, and he placed the two slabs of tantalizing beef on top. Afterward, he took a piece of carrot and peeling knife. In less than a minute, he carved out two red roses from the carrot and garnished the side of the plate. He said to Bao Zi, “Serve them up.” At this moment, the beef was at the right temperature. It was not burning hot and would be ready to eat when they hit the table.