Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Master Xu Jin

The owner personally went into the kitchen, not only making two non-spicy dishes, but also whipping up several of his signature spicy dishes that were best-sellers at his restaurant.

One of them was made with his family’s own cured meat, stir-fried with seasonal wild vegetables. It had a slightly bitter but very unique flavor that made you want to eat more and more.

Another equally impressive dish was the Qian Cuisine version of Kung Pao Chicken, also known as Diced Chili Chicken. It was distinct from the Sichuan and Lu Cuisine versions, boasting a style all its own.

Everyone was very satisfied with the meal.

Even Nan Yi, who didn’t eat spicy food, ate until her little belly was round and full.

This just went to show that the owner’s skill was truly exceptional!

The viewers in the live stream chat all had a great time watching and commented one after another:

[My mouth is watering like crazy, I want to eat this so bad!]

[When I thought of Qian Cuisine, all I knew was sour fish soup. I had no idea they had so much other delicious food! I’m already planning a travel itinerary for Guisheng Province!]

[Can any of my sisters share the restaurant’s address? I’m gonna go check it out this week!]

[This town is so remote, it’s not even listed on Gourmet Reviews! I’ve already reported it to the platform!]

[This is my hometown! I know where this restaurant is, I’ve already posted it in the comments section!]

[Hey, did you guys forget? The owner cooked this meal himself, but he’s already retired. He wouldn’t have come out of retirement if it wasn’t for Nan Zhi, okay?]

[...What is this, a bolt from the blue?]

[Nooo, Boss, please save this 165-pound child!]

[I don’t care, I don’t care! A restaurant that can satisfy Nan Zhi has to be good, even if the owner’s son only inherited 70% of his skill... And what if the boss has a change of heart and cooks for us personally?]

[Whoa, you’ve really got it all figured out! Count me in!]

...

The owner had no idea that his little restaurant was about to be visited by a huge wave of diners.

He was currently chuckling as he refused the money Fu Chao was trying to pay, insisting the meal was on him.

Fu Chao said righteously,

"That won’t do! You’re running a small business, we can’t take advantage of you!"

The owner waved his hands repeatedly.

"It’s really not necessary. My little shop may not earn much, but I made a fair bit of money back when I had a restaurant in the provincial capital. Besides, this was all made with ingredients from my own garden; it didn’t cost much!"

As he spoke, the owner "casually" revealed the Land Rover key hanging from his waist.

Fu Chao, of course, saw it.

Fu Chao: ’...’

’Okay, I was being shortsighted.’

Just as they had eaten their fill and were about to bid the owner farewell, planning to visit again another day, someone suddenly walked in from outside.

"Old Yi, good, you’re here. Come try my new buckwheat pastries."

Nan Zhi casually glanced up, and her gaze froze—

’Isn’t that the uncle who’s a pastry chef from our village?’

’So he knows the owner here?’

As a young cadre in the village, Fu Chao also recognized the man.

"Uncle Xu, what are you doing here?"

Remembering what the man had just said, Fu Chao was a bit surprised.

"So you know how to make pastries, Uncle Xu! Buckwheat pastries? What are those?"

"They must be Weining buckwheat pastries."

The one who answered wasn’t Uncle Xu, but Nan Zhi.

She had identified the pastries with just one glance into the bag.

At that moment, the restaurant owner and the uncle said in unison—

"Master Nan is truly knowledgeable."

"You actually know about buckwheat pastries?"

The two old friends stared at each other, then spoke at the same time once more—

"You know Master Nan?"

"You call this young lady ’Master’?"

Nan Zhi’s gaze darted back and forth between the two, curious about their relationship.

The restaurant owner was the first to make introductions.

Only then did Nan Zhi and the others learn that Uncle Xu’s name was Xu Jin.

He was the master chef at the town’s food factory. His skill with pastries was exceptional, and he had won many gold medals in provincial pastry competitions. In the past, many large factories had tried to poach him.

But he was a stubborn man and wanted to stay at the small-town food factory where he had started as an apprentice. Now, he was just a few years away from retirement.

Unfortunately, the food factory’s financial performance had been getting worse and worse. Recently, it had reached a point where they couldn’t even pay the workers’ wages, and the higher-ups were already discussing bankruptcy proceedings.

Master Xu Jin was unwilling to see the factory he had spent his entire life in come to such an end. He had recently been trying to improve the factory’s products, including their former best-seller, the Weining buckwheat pastry.

This time, Master Xu Jin had come looking for Boss Yi to ask for his help in tasting the new buckwheat pastry recipe.

As soon as Boss Yi heard this, his eyes lit up.

"Why don’t you have Master Nan try them? Her palate is incredible! It’s a golden tongue!"

Xu Jin only knew that Nan Zhi and Fu Chao were celebrities from Yanjing who were here to film a show, so without a second thought, he assumed Boss Yi was joking with him.

Master Xu Jin was immediately embarrassed and chided in a low voice,

"Old Yi, don’t mess around."

"How am I messing around? You don’t know this, but Master Nan is a great chef who was featured in a state broadcast documentary!"

Boss Yi, his fellow townsman, had turned into a total "Nan Zhi hype-man." He proceeded to praise the fried rice technique Nan Zhi had demonstrated in the documentary to the high heavens.

"And just now, Nan Zhi identified the subtle differences in my knife work with a single bite! That’s a level of skill no ordinary person has!"

The live chat exploded with laughter:

[This is amazing. If I hadn’t been watching the whole live stream, I’d almost think he was an actor hired by the show!]

[You think the show could afford to hire a financially independent boss who drives a Land Rover to be a shill? /sarcasm/]

[This boss really knows how to hype someone up... but I love it!]

[He’s gone completely overboard! F in the chat for our ally.]

[Nan Zhi’s fans, quick, take notes so you can shower her with more praise later!]

...

The viewers were all laughing and joking because most of them felt that Boss Yi’s boasting had a hint of mutual business flattery to it.

That’s why when even Nan Zhi got a little embarrassed and tried to gently stop him, Boss Yi doubled down on his enthusiastic attitude, not giving her a single moment to stop cringing.

However, what the audience didn’t know, Master Xu Jin did.

He knew his childhood friend very well. Although Boss Yi seemed to greet customers cheerfully all day and had a good temper, he was actually very proud on the inside. He had always believed his sour fish soup was the best in the world and would never easily acknowledge another chef’s ability.

Therefore, to be praised to this extent by Boss Yi made Master Xu Jin genuinely curious about Nan Zhi’s actual skill level.

He held out the plastic bag in his hand.

"Then... care to try?"

Awkward as it was, Nan Zhi didn’t refuse.

’We just ate a whole meal on Boss Yi’s tab, after all!’

Nan Zhi took the plastic bag and opened it. Inside were about ten buckwheat pastries, golden-brown all over and looking very tempting.

Fu Chao leaned in for a look.

"They look delicious. How come I’ve never heard of them before?"

"Buckwheat pastries are a representative pastry of Guisheng Province. They’re very famous," Nan Zhi explained.

Unexpectedly, Master Xu Jin added sullenly,

"Not anymore."

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