Title: 美食供应商/ The Gourmet Supplier
Author: 会做菜的猫/ The Cat who can Cook
Synopsis:
“In the far East, there exists a peculiar shop who has rejected the Michelin 3 Stars rating for multiple times.
The prices there are hefty. A set of egg fried rice with soup costs 288RMB. Oh, I forgot there’s also a saucer of pickles along with it. Even so, there are many people queuing up to taste it.
They don’t accept reservations, customers can only queue physically on the spot. There are many people to drive here just to queue up for it. Of course, they don’t provide parking spots.
The service there is terrible. They actually make the customers to clear up their own dishes. Right, they even have to wipe the table. Oh! Lord, the boss is insane.”
——《Michelin Gourmet Magazine》
Chapter 1: Out of Expectations
The fragrance of the fourth month looms over the mortal world as the peach blossoms in the mountain monastery blooms.
In the such large bustling city, a shop located between on boundary of the middle city and the outer city is like an inconspicuous housefly. However, Yuan Zhou who is sitting under the sun rays in a dimly lit room didn’t have the leisure to think about it.
“Eeeee” Sitting in the only chair whose legs aren’t broken, Yuan Zhou scans the room, which isn’t big in size, and sighs, his thoughts travelling far and wide.
This is the only thing Yuan Zhou’s parents left behind, other than the 50000RMB funeral expensses.
Situated in the street selling groceries, towering office buildings could be seen at the back of the two storey shop. Initially, the upper storey used to be a warm home for the family of three while the lower storey operates a small noodle business.
Ever since his parents died from an accident three years ago, he has never been to the shop on the bottom floor. Even when he goes out, he would usually take the back door.
The room is filled with dust. There are even a few tables and desks that were smashed out of a moment of agitation. The bowls and chopsticks are in a mess. The second floor isn’t much better as well. Other than the area he usually operates in, it is mostly left in the state of how it was three years ago.
He didn’t expect that someone would respond to the rent notice he pasted two years ago.
Yuan Zhou stands up and takes an one last good look at his surroundings and a sentimental and helpless look appears his mature face, as though he is determined to carve the image of this messy shop into his heart.
Before he could sustain this expression for three seconds, unsure of what he has stepped on, ‘peng’, Yuan Zhou comes into intimate contact with a hard ceramic tile. Following which, a pile of dust rises.
“Aiyo, my face.” Yuan Zhou grimaces in pain using his hand to rub his left face which had came into contact with the ground.
“Just you wait. Someone will take care of you tomorrow.” Yuan Zhou hurriedly gets up and speaks as he pats away the dust on his body. He sighs in his heart, feeling reluctant to say anything more.
After passing by the chaotic hall, he walks into where the kitchen used to be. Near the back door, there is a secret and narrow stairs that could fit a person nicely.
Following the stairs up, Yuan Zhou’s face is expressionless even as he rubs the spots which took the brunt of the impact of the fall previously.
There weren’t many steps to the stairs, just eight. In a short moment, he reaches the second floor.
The lighting of the second floor is much better than the first.
A shoe rack is located close to the stairs. The milk white shoe rack had a layer of dust over it. On the first shelf, there are two pairs of old-looking leather shoes. On the second, there are several varieties of female footwear. The third shelf is much better in comparison, there is a snow-white sports shoes as well as comfortable and stylish leisure shoes.
Yuan Zhou ignores the dust on the rack as he slips out of his slippers and walks into the house barefooted.
There are three rooms in the second storey, which isn’t large in size. Even though two of the rooms are just beside each other, it didn’t seem crammed. There is a 福-word hanging on the left of the white door panel while a 喜-word hangs on the right. Just that, their colors have faded, revealing their ages. The final room is located at the extreme right and has a yellow-colored wooden door.
TL: 福 = Prosperity, 喜 = Happiness
“Kacha”, a ear-piercing sound echoes.
Wrenching open the door on the right with the 喜-word hanging on it, the room inside is filled with dirty clothes. The cupboard beside the bed is semi open and the clothes inside are placed casually. There is a black laptop on top of the drawers by the top corner of the bed. Flickering, it is apparent that it is still operational.
Of the whole room, only the king-sized bed is tidy. The blanket on it is folded neatly and the pillows are placed properly on the top corner of the bed.
Looking with scorn at the dust-filled clothes on him, Yuan Zhou retrieves a few washed clothes from the cupboard. Without closing the door, he walks straight to the yellow-colored wooden door.
After placing his clothes properly, he first washes his hands by the sink. As he washes his hands, a mature face in the early thirties appears in the mirror on top of the basin. The pair of charming deep-looking eyes has a tinge of calmness and maturity to it, bringing the ordinary-looking facial features the charm of the currently popular uncle-type hottie.
A vague scar from a scalding could be seen on Yuan Zhou’s hands. There are also a few cuts on his fingers. His fingers can’t be considered beautiful, although the contour of the muscles on his arms are. Other than that, he is ordinary.
Although he once thought of training for abs to attract girls, he gave up after training for three months, seeing no lines on his abdomen when he lowers his head.
After washing up slightly, he returns to his room. ‘Vrrrr vrrrr‘, his handphone vibrates at this moment. Drying his hands, he opens a message sent by Boss Wang. There is only a sentence there, “Yuan Zhou, I have already recruited someone else, you don’t have to come in tomorrow, I will send the wages to you punctually in the middle of the month.
He heaves a sigh of relief. Although he has already resigned for half a month, the boss said that in order to operate normally, he could only leave after a newcomer is recruited. Yuan Zhou had wanted to leave this place of misery and explore the outside world for a long time.
Looking at the photograph on the table, Yuan Zhou’s heart feels at ease. Just that, thinking about the customer who would be coming over to look at the place tomorrow, he feels a little vexed.
After all, his parents held great hopes for this little shop. They even said that if he fails to achieve anything in the future, he could inherit this shop. However, ever since his parents passed away, he had never opened for business, not even once. Right now, he even has to rent it out. Yuan Zhou feels a little irritable. He reaches out to push the photograph away.
Lying on the bed, he looks at the darkening skies. He closes his eyes and empties his thoughts. From the look at it, he intends to just go to sleep directly.
“Di di, detecting that the host’s mental state is stable, suitable for binding. Binding process begins. Binding process completed.”
An inexplicable electronic voice sounds off in his mind. Yuan Zhou opens his eyes. Even though his face is still expressionless, astonishment could be seen in his eyes.
“System?” Yuan Zhou couldn’t help but mutter.
“Host, I’m here.” A serious and cold electronic voice replies to Yuan Zhou in his mind.
“HA?” This time, he is really a little stunned.
“What the heck is this?” Yuan Zhou starts to look carefully at every single object in the room, attempting to locate the origin of the voice or something that is different from how he left it yesterday.
Of course, other than the food box from lunch which is lying obediently in the trash, there’s nothing additional to the room.
“Host doesn’t need to search any further, the System is binded to the back of your brain…” When the electronic voice mentions the back of his brain, Yuan Zhou swiftly touches the back of his head and carefully feels the skin there for multiple times. However, there is nothing there, not even a small lump.
The cold electronic voice continues, “To the naked eye, microscope or any other means, I cannot be detected. This System is known as the Chef God System. The host fulfills the conditions and the first mission is activated.”
“Wait, wait. What System?” Yuan Zhou realises that searching for it would end in vain, so he sits back onto his bed with a calm face and questions.
“Chef God System. In order to prevent wastage of energy, the System will deliver the explanation in the form of words in the host’s head. The host would be able to view it by concentrating.” The cold electronic voice disappears completely this time.
The words write: The System originates from a galaxy which you are unaware of. Created by the famous Professor A, the System was created to deliver greater mental pleasure to humans. The System has arrived to Earth 2500 years ago and had ten previous host. You are the eleventh.
Goal: The System will guide you to become skilled in the oriental and western, making you the world’s first Chef God.
Host: Yuan Zhou (Ordinary Han Tribe Human)
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Physical Quality: C (The combined evaluation of one’s reaction speed, strength, coordination and sensitivity)
Cooking Talent: Unknown
Skills: None
Tools: None
Chef Five-Dimensional Culinary Art Evaluation: Rookie
(You are a rookie of the cooking world. After learning cooking for two years, have you learnt how to cook egg fried rice?”
【Mission】……
The fragrance of the fourth month looms over the mortal world as the peach blossoms in the mountain monastery blooms.
TL: It is a poem by a Tang Poet Bai Ju Yi (白居易)
In the such large bustling, a shop between the middle city and the outer city is like an inconspicuous housefly.
TL: Think of the innermost of the city as the core part, and there are ‘rings’ around it, the middle ring being the middle city and the outer ring being the outer city.
Chef Five-Dimensional Evaluation: Rookie
TL: No idea what’s this, will see in the future.
Just doing this for fun but realised someone posted at around the same moment as me.
http://www.radianttranslations.com/gourmet-food-supplier/gfs-chapter-1/
Their translations are better than me and I think they are taking up the project.
Edit: http://volaretranslations.com/gourmet-food-supplier/
StarveCleric 
Thanks for the chapter!
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