"Sister Cao, the guest in VIP room 888 seems to be a celebrity. He looks familiar to . Do you want to go...?" The waiter approached the team leader.
The team leader was still standing at the kitchen door overseeing the overall situation, assigning and counting snacks. Upon hearing what the waiter said, she responded:
"The VIP room 888 at noon today was booked by a mber, if I rember correctly."
"Yes, it was booked by Mr. Yang, but the person who ca is not Mr. Yang."
The team leader nodded: "I see. Call Little Wang over and have her keep an eye on things. I’ll go up and take a look."
With that, the team leader headed upstairs.
It’s rare for the private dining rooms at Huang Ji to be full at noon. Everyone knows that noon is the special ti for pastry snacks. Huang Shengli has not officially returned yet, so the probability of him coming to Huang Ji at noon is very low. If you want to catch a surprise visit from Huang Shengli, the chances are higher in the evening.
The team leader arrived at the door of VIP room 888 and knocked lightly twice.
"Co in." Xu Cheng’s voice ca from inside.
The team leader put on a standard smile. Although the smile froze a bit the mont she entered the room, it was still appropriate, not noticed by the people in the room.
"Hello, would you like your snacks to be served now or later?"
"Are the snacks ready?" Xu Cheng asked.
"Yes, a batch of snacks has just co out of the oven."
Xu Cheng nodded: "Serve them now, please."
"Alright." The team leader smiled and left, but the mont she walked out of the VIP room, her smile disappeared instantly, replaced by complete shock and disbelief.
The team leader swiftly walked to the kitchen door, ignoring Dong Shi, who had just finished slicing and was taking the opportunity to chat, who asked, "Is there sothing wrong, Team Leader Cao?" She appeared right beside Huang Jia.
Huang Jia, who had just poured oil over the Sizzling Fried Eel, was startled by the team leader’s sudden appearance, causing his hand holding the pot to tremble. He asked, "Sister Cao, what’s wrong? Aren’t the buns just out of the stear?"
"Xu Cheng is here." The team leader’s voice was filled with a startling calmness due to the shock.
"What?" Huang Jia thought he had misheard.
"Xu Cheng is here, in VIP room 888. He didn’t use his own mbership card to book, but Mr. Yang’s mbership card was used to reserve the room." The team leader swallowed, trying to remain calm as she continued, "He didn’t co for Master Huang."
If Xu Cheng were here for Huang Shengli’s dishes, he would certainly have contacted Huang Shengli in advance and set the nu. It would be impossible for him to say nothing and go through the trouble of using soone else’s mbership card to book the room.
Huang Jia also felt a bit nervous, catching the team leader’s anxious state: "So...so he ca for..."
"Qin Huai." They both said simultaneously.
Huang Jia was montarily at a loss for words.
As Qin Huai’s friend, he was happy for Qin Huai. As Qin Huai’s colleague, he felt unprecedented envy toward Qin Huai.
"What dishes did Xu Cheng order?" Huang Jia asked.
"Sizzling Fried Eel, Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Stir-fried Vegetables, Three at Buns, Fernted Rice with Stead Buns, and Dried Tangerine Peel Tea. The most important thing is, Xu Cheng specifically asked the VIP room waiter what specialty dishes Qin Huai had."
Huang Jia was nearly speechless.
But the team leader had more to say, her voice even starting to sound excited: "Do you think it’s possible... just a slight possibility, that this ti Qin Huai could have an experience similar to what Master Sun of FJ had, and our Huang Ji might beco the next Jubao Building!"
Huang Jia knew what the team leader ant.
Xu Cheng’s current status in the culinary world was attributed to an event many years ago before "Taste" had even started its publication.
In the last century, FJ’s Jubao Building was recognized as the top restaurant in the South, with Master Sun Zheran being the undisputed master of Min and Cantonese cuisine.
During a ti when the average salary was only thirty to forty, a al at Jubao Building could cost several hundred. Under Sun Zheran’s leadership, Jubao Building was at its peak.
However, this once-famous restaurant faced a severe internal conflict due to a succession issue. Sun Zheran’s son, Sun Guanyun, and his apprentice and adopted son, Sun Mao Cai, tore into each other for the position of successor, finally deciding the winner through a culinary showdown.
At the end of that epic battle, Sun Mao Cai won the competition but gave up his inheritance rights and left for Hong Kong. Sun Guanyun gained control of the restaurant but was heartbroken and never recovered.
Jubao Building gradually declined from the top restaurant in the South to being almost forgotten.
The turning point ca ten years after Jubao Building’s decline.
Sun Guanyun had spent ten years in enlightennt, creating the restaurant’s now-signature dish, Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon. The dish was astonishingly good, but at that ti, the restaurant’s situation was not as good as it used to be. Relying solely on word of mouth in an era with less communication made it nearly impossible to gain much recognition.
Xu Cheng was traveling in the South when he heard about a delicious new dish at Jubao Building and specifically went there, ordering the Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon as a common diner.
According to insiders, Xu Cheng was amazed after tasting the Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon. He imdiately revealed his identity to the kitchen, interviewed the head chef Sun Guanyun, and wrote a food review after returning ho, which was published in the newspaper.
The review caused a sensation, was serialized in several newspapers, and even reprinted in Nanyang’s newspapers. Since then, the Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon beca famous in the South, and Jubao Building reclaid its spot as the top restaurant in the region.
From then on, chefs in major restaurants began to dream. Many chefs, even new-generation ones like Huang Jia, would occasionally daydream that scene where Xu Cheng pushes open the kitchen door, smiling, and asks: "Was this dish made by Master XX? I’m very satisfied and would like to interview him and write a special food review for him."
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