Back to 1980: The Chef System Helps Me Build a Fortune

Jiang Weiguo woke up to find himself in 1980, an apprentice at the state-run Red Star Hotel in a small Jiangnan town, set up to take the blame.

From the start, everything was going wrong: the head chef had run off after stealing ingredients, an inspection team was at the door demanding answers, the kitchen freezer was emptier than an empty plate, and everyone was waiting for him to take the fall and lose his job.

Just then, the Hundred-Flavors Culinary God System bound itself to him!

No meat? Then he would simmer pork bones, cabbage ribs, and radish peel into an otherworldly clear broth.

The inspection team took one taste of his plain noodles and applauded in amazement. The venerable old brand had survived by the skin of its teeth.

From then on, Jiang Weiguo wielded his cleaver and seized the opportunities of the times.

Breakfast stalls, night markets, taking over restaurants, opening branches, building food factories, starting culinary schools, and creating a chain.

He wanted to raise his little sister, give her the best education and the best life, and clear his master’s name of the injustice he had suffered, bringing the Jiang family’s cuisine back to the tables of the whole country after it had been trampled into the dirt.

Others relied on connections to get their hands on supplies. He earned a reputation with his skill.

Others cut corners to make a quick buck. He stayed true to a pot of old broth and a bowl of simple noodles.

Years later, when Red Star restaurants had spread across the country, everyone finally understood:

The apprentice who had once been forced to take the blame had used a single cleaver to carve out a new world for China’s time-honored restaurants.