Chapter 18: Meeting the Supreme Commander (Patreon)

Then Ramsay put one of the beef balls Stephen Chow had made with his own hands into his mouth.

The instant it touched his lips and teeth, he understood what made Kung Fu Cuisine one of a kind.

The meatball was soft, smooth and springy, far more delicate than ordinary shrimp paste. One gentle bite, and a rich, scalding rush of meaty broth burst across his mouth!

The savory aroma swept over his whole tongue. Layer upon layer of clean, mellow flavor unfolded, so complex it was almost startling!

Ah! No wonder. In the movie God of Cookery, this was the dish that made a patient with anorexia, someone who had lost all appetite, burn with passion for food again!

After a single bite, an irrepressible craving welled up in Ramsay. He wanted another. The flavor hit with such overwhelming force that he couldn’t stop himself!

Stephen Chow seemed pleased to see how much Ramsay loved his beef balls. Eyes smiling, he patted Ramsay’s shoulder and explained the secret behind them.

“As you can see,” he said, “I lock every bit of aroma into the broth inside the ball.”

“Then I use internal energy to seal the pores on the surface of the meatball. As the ball keeps cooking in the pot, the broth inside keeps building its savory fragrance, but none of it can escape!”

“And finally, it all waits for the moment a diner bites in. Every flavor bursts out at once!”

“An ordinary beef ball relies on seasoning or heat control alone. It simply can’t produce this explosive texture. That’s what makes Kung Fu Cuisine unique.”

Having said that, Stephen Chow brought over a bowl of thick, nearly black medicinal broth and set it in front of Ramsay.

“These past few days you’ve been holding horse stance and tossing the wok to flip sand every day, forging your muscles and strength. All of it is so your body can bear the flow of internal energy!”

“Mm! Drink this first. It will calm your mind and settle your spirit. Afterward, sit cross-legged and try to sense the qi moving inside you.”

Ramsay did as he was told. He drained the medicine in one go, then sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

But sensing internal qi had never been easy.

He sat the whole night through and never caught a trace of any current within him.

He didn’t let it bother him. Training in kung fu and cooking both had to be taken step by step. Nobody glimpsed the path in a single day, and a fruitless first night was perfectly normal!

The next day, at the first glimmer of dawn, Ramsay got up early and headed straight to the restaurant where he worked. This time he was going to hand in his resignation.

At the start, he had only been a kitchen helper, and the probationary contract he’d signed with ONLY let him leave whenever he wished.

Later, time and again, his stunning cooking had shown off his talent. The Manager had set her heart on signing him to a formal employment contract.

But by then Ramsay had already made up his mind to enroll at Totsuki Academy, so he had kept politely turning her down!

When she heard he was resigning, the Manager tried again and again to persuade him to stay. She appealed to his feelings and promised him generous pay. But Ramsay’s decision was final, and in the end she had no choice but to let him go.

Finally, once all the paperwork for his departure was done, Ramsay shouldered a simple pack, hailed a taxi, and set off for his destination, the world-famous:

Totsuki Academy!

…

Standing before the school gate, he looked up. The academy’s grounds stretched out vast and wide. Buildings, practical training kitchens, ingredient-growing gardens and more spread out in an unbroken sweep, with no end in sight. The sheer grandeur of it stunned him!

Tucked inside his coat all this time was the letter of recommendation Mana Nakiri had written in her own hand. It got him through the gate check without trouble.

Along the way he asked staff for directions, then went straight to the admissions office to complete his enrollment!

The admissions officer looked through his documents, frowned in confusion, and warned him, “Student, this isn’t the academy’s regular admissions period. New students can only enter after the current term ends.”

“I’m afraid you’ve got the dates mixed up.”

Hearing this, Ramsay took the letter from his coat and answered calmly, “Here you go! Take a look at this.”

“Miss Nakiri gave it to me. She told me that with this letter, I could come to Totsuki Academy and enroll.”

“What? Miss Nakiri?”

The officer froze!

A moment later, it clicked. The person he meant was Mana Nakiri, the Director’s daughter. The officer bowed at once in apology. “Please wait a moment, student. This is no ordinary matter. I must report to my superiors immediately.”

…

Several minutes passed. Then the officer hurried back and led the way with great respect. “Director Senzaemon would like to see you. Please follow me to the reception room.”

It was common knowledge that Totsuki’s rules were strict!

Making an exception to admit a new student outside the enrollment season was practically unheard of.

But on the other hand, Mana Nakiri was the Director’s only daughter, and a letter she had written herself carried real weight. No one at the academy dared brush it off.

Ramsay, for his part, was secretly baffled.

He had only come to handle his enrollment paperwork. And now he was going to meet the academy’s highest authority in person… the Director of Totsuki!

…

He followed the staff member closely down a long corridor. At last, Ramsay, to whom Totsuki was still thoroughly unfamiliar, stepped into an elegant, solemn reception room.

The Senzaemon of this era wasn’t the white-haired old man from the original story. He was in the prime of life, and he carried the heavy, composed authority of someone who had held high office for years!

When the door opened, the air in the room seemed to settle into stillness.

He gave Ramsay a cool glance, took the seat at the head of the room, and said in a steady voice, “You are Ramsay, I take it? Please, sit.”

Ramsay didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the seat to the side.

After everyone else had withdrawn, only the two of them remained in the room, facing each other.

Yet Senzaemon said nothing.

He simply kept that stern expression and quietly sized Ramsay up.

The long silence made Ramsay uneasy. If you’ve got a question, just ask it, he grumbled inwardly. Isn’t staring at each other like this awkward?

After some agonizing, Ramsay finally couldn’t take it anymore.

Just as he was about to speak up and break the deadlock, the Director, who had been silent so long, spoke first and formally introduced himself.

“Pleased to meet you! I am the Director of Totsuki Academy.”