The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 10

Jiang Tingzhou had the key to Gongyan. He entered through the side door and immediately felt the cold emptiness.

He wasn’t alone. An Xiaoping and Tian Hui followed him.

Of course, he wasn’t back to work. He came to the small rest room to retrieve his personal belongings.

He was in good health. Unlike in his previous life, he didn’t have pneumonia. Now that he was discharged from the hospital, he would never live in a place like the small rest room again. Naturally, he had to move out.

When he went to the hospital, Jiang Tingzhou only took his mobile phone and keys. Many other personal belongings were still there.

He hadn’t done anything wrong, so he came back openly to get his things. An Xiaoping and Tian Hui, worried, followed and helped him pack.

The three of them walked to the small rest room and didn’t meet anyone along the way. Jiang Tingzhou quickly packed the things he wanted to take. An Xiaoping helped, and he went out to get other important items.

The trophy Jiang Tingzhou once won still hung in the display cabinet in the hall. The trophy was special—shaped like a beautiful spoon. It was his, so of course he was taking it.

But when he looked, the medal was gone. The table was empty.

Jiang Tingzhou frowned and walked from the hall to the back kitchen and office area, but no one was there. It was the weekend, and Gongyan was usually fully booked, but now it was deserted. It wasn’t until he reached the back kitchen that he heard voices.

Everyone in the store seemed to be in the back kitchen. It was packed but not busy. Several stoves were on, and others sat in groups of two or three, as if in a meeting. Manager Yang paced at the front, probably on the phone.

As Jiang Tingzhou approached, he heard Manager Yang yelling into the phone.

“Do you know how many people I’ve offended? You hired the water army company back then. How could you ignore that now? What do you mean you didn’t know I was going to do this? Jiang You, are you playing dumb? How can you be so irresponsible!”

Jiang Tingzhou immediately understood. No wonder Manager Yang was able to hire so many water army accounts to boost the hot search—Jiang You helped.

It was expected. Jiang You interfering was normal.

Now that things had blown up, Jiang You had stepped away cleanly. Whether it was Manager Yang or Jiang Tingzhou who got screwed, it was all internal strife within Gongyan. The worse the conflict, the more it benefitted Jiang You.

If they wanted to settle accounts with him, there was no way—they could only swallow their anger.

No one dared make a sound as they listened to Manager Yang’s heated call—until someone spotted Jiang Tingzhou walking by.

“Chef, you’re back!”

It was the first time Jiang Tingzhou noticed how enthusiastic this group was about him.

The sous-chef—a classic fence-sitter—hurried over with a smile and physically pulled him inside. “The restaurant’s been in chaos these past few days. We’ve been waiting for you to come back and take charge. If I knew you were returning, I would’ve come to pick you up myself.”

The sous-chef’s words prompted others to react, and they respectfully called him “Chef” one after another.

Jiang Tingzhou had worked here all year round and stayed with barely a break. Over time, people forgot how important he was.

Recently, guests were first dissatisfied with the dishes—a solvable problem, since the restaurant could still make basic dishes. Gongyan was famous, and even if signature dishes weren’t served, guests still came. However, complaints from many VIP guests were a serious problem, forcing the store to temporarily shut down.

Even though Manager Yang offered various compensation, he couldn’t fully appease these guests.

They had never faced such a situation before.

In the past, whenever there was even slight dissatisfaction, Jiang Tingzhou handled it.

He would apologize first, smile no matter what the customer said until they calmed down, make custom dishes, and give the customer face in many ways.

But now, complaints were too many, and no one else in the store could match Jiang Tingzhou’s cooking level.

Jiang Tingzhou shook off the floor manager’s hand, leaned against the door, raised his chin, and said, “The fire under the soup pot is too high. Turn it down a little, it’s going to burn.”

The person tending the fire hurried to turn it down, but Jiang Tingzhou smelled something wrong, frowned, and realized—it was still not right.

The ingredients for the broth had been added in the wrong order, and the timing was off. The whole pot was ruined. Any regular patron would notice the difference immediately. It couldn’t be salvaged.

Manager Yang stood there silently, staring at him intently. The floor manager came over and said, “It’s a good thing you’re here, Tingzhou. You understand the kitchen better than anyone. We were wrong before, but Gongyan is everyone’s livelihood. We’ll make it up to you—but please, you can’t just sit back and watch.”

Every day Gongyan was closed was a huge loss, affecting monthly salaries and bonuses. That was why everyone suddenly seemed so respectful, as if finally acknowledging him as the real head chef.

But Jiang Tingzhou didn’t buy it. He raised his hand to signal them not to come closer and said, “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not back to cook. I just want to get my things. The award I won—I’m taking it. Any photos on the wall with me in them, any magazine clippings, I’m taking all of it down.”

The splendid honor display wall of the old Gongyan store was almost entirely related to Jiang Tingzhou.

“You dare?!” Manager Yang jumped up. “That belongs to the store. How can you just take it?”

Jiang Tingzhou laughed. “You don’t have the final say.”

The competition was entered under his own name—his name was even engraved on the trophy. He added, “So where’s my spoon-shaped trophy? Where did you hide it? Give it back.”

The floor manager was shocked but didn’t want to anger him, so he smiled and said, “Tingzhou, it’s unnecessary to make a fuss. We’ve worked together for years. Don’t make a big deal out of this. Everything can be discussed.”

He tugged Manager Yang’s sleeve, warning him not to confront Jiang Tingzhou now.

Many employees also advised, “Manager, don’t argue with the chef. He just got out of the hospital today and is still recovering. Don’t make him angry.”

“Yes, as long as the chef is happy, this is nothing. Otherwise, just give him the medal first.”

“Or you can apologize to the chef and let this blow over. The business of the old store is more important.”

“The hospital incident was your fault. How could you blame the chef back then?”

“You were the one who said the chef was irresponsible and walked out without a word. You insisted the store manager had to step up and teach him a lesson!”

Manager Yang turned to stare at them in disbelief.

He had run this place for years, and everyone here always listened to him. No matter how skilled Jiang Tingzhou was, dealing with this tangled web of relationships should’ve taken time. But now, they were all siding with Jiang Tingzhou, even pushing the blame onto him.

Faced with their accusations, Manager Yang found himself increasingly powerless. All he could do was say, “The headquarters said it was important and would be displayed, so I took it… just for now…”

Jiang Tingzhou let out a short laugh. “So you just took it without telling me? Who gave you the right? Headquarters? Then where are they now? Why isn’t anyone from headquarters here helping you?”

That struck right at Manager Yang’s sore spot.

Ever since the incident, the Jiang Group’s headquarters had indeed checked in—but mostly to scold him and pressure him to fix things. He tried his best to appease the more reasonable regulars, but as for the truly important guests—those wealthier than the entire Jiang family—he had no way of making them stay. Even Old Master Jiang wouldn’t dare offend them.

He thought his network was wide, but now that he was in trouble, no one was willing to lend a hand. Even Jiang You, who used to call him “Uncle Yang,” was now nowhere to be found.

And if he really had to find someone capable of fixing this mess—tragically, the only person he could think of was Jiang Tingzhou.

His throat was dry. He opened his mouth and said, “You have a way, don’t you? If you can fix this, I’ll bring your medal back.”

Jiang Tingzhou looked at him like he was crazy. “Are you out of your mind? That was mine to begin with. I’m already being nice by not coming after you, and you still dare to bargain with me?”

“I’m not threatening you…” Manager Yang stammered, hands trembling as he wiped sweat from his brow. “I mean—if I sincerely apologize? It was all my fault. I know that now. But we can’t let the store go under. This place is my life’s work. Tingzhou, you’re the only one who can help now. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Please give the old store another chance.”

If things went on like this, he would really be dismissed. Even that might not be enough to quell the backlash, and the old store would suffer long-term damage.

Manager Yang looked truly desperate. His eyes were hollow, and his apology seemed heartfelt.

But Jiang Tingzhou was equally honest: “I don’t think your apology means anything.”

The words seemed redundant—but they landed like a slap.

Right after he finished speaking, Manager Yang gritted his teeth, his knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground with a thud in front of everyone.

“If you can fix this, I swear—the entire restaurant will follow your lead. We’ll take your word as law,” Manager Yang said. “Tingzhou, the board meeting is tomorrow. The headquarters will raise this issue. You and Jiang You will face off. But your path is long. One day, you’ll need me again. If you can help us through this, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

When Jiang You was mentioned, Manager Yang’s resentment flared again.

Hiring internet water armies had been insanely expensive. Manager Yang had paid twice out of his own pocket, almost draining his savings. If he got blamed and fired this time, he’d have nothing left.

The same went for the staff. This job was their livelihood.

The salary and bonuses at the old Gongyan store were two or three times higher than at a normal restaurant. That was why everyone was now bowing their heads and apologizing, all eyes on Jiang Tingzhou—as if he was their last hope.

Jiang Tingzhou wanted to laugh.

Especially when he thought of his past life—how ridiculous it all was.

Back then, already hospitalized, he had worried that the store wouldn’t run properly. He managed the kitchen problems over the phone despite his hoarse voice. Even without signature dishes, he stabilized the customer flow for the week. Not a single complaint came in. Business thrived.

But when he returned, the kitchen staff accused him of meddling, saying he was too controlling. They claimed he just didn’t want to let go of power—as if the store couldn’t function without him—and refused to acknowledge all he’d done.

From Manager Yang to the staff, the old store was full of seasoned veterans. Jiang Tingzhou had been parachuted in. He worked so hard to secure his position. But now that he’d walked away and stopped managing things, these same people suddenly became obedient.

—Wasn’t this a big joke?

At that moment, An Xiaoping and Tian Hui returned, carrying bags.

Jiang Tingzhou told them he was going to handle a few things after packing. They bundled up his belongings in the small room and were on their way back when they heard the commotion in the kitchen—and then saw this scene.

A crowd had gathered, and the one leading them was kneeling, while Jiang Tingzhou stood tall and unmoved.

“What the hell are you doing?!” An Xiaoping shouted. “Trying to guilt-trip him now? What kind of moral blackmail is this?”