Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

“Peach Blossom Spring” Crew

Not only Ms. Wang was confident that Chen Ran would make it onto Famous Chefs, but also Qiu Xian, who had already passed her probation because of Chen Ran.

Thanks to one dish of Lion’s Head meatballs and one dish of sour plum ribs, Wang Zhaoshan personally approved Qiu Xian’s permanent position.

However… this confirmation felt a bit like using connections.

Because no other colleagues had the chance to taste those two dishes!

Wang Zhaoshan saw Qiu Xian still looking gloomy and comforted her: “Heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility on this person. Why worry so much? Others haven’t tasted Chen Ran’s dishes, so isn’t it natural they think you used connections?”

Although he could fight against opposition to confirm Qiu Xian’s position, other people talked behind their backs. The Famous Chefs organization was fairly loose and didn’t manage all these details.

“I’m fine with that… but they all say Chen Ran is clearly aiming to be a marketing celebrity…”

Wang Zhaoshan didn’t mind: “What’s wrong with marketing? Nowadays is the short video era, other chefs want marketing but can’t even pull it off!”

He was excited just thinking about it!

Imagine, when Chen Ran really appears on Famous Chefs: ordinary diners will think, “Hey, who’s this? Never seen her before. Which restaurant is she from? Never heard of it.”

But slowly they’ll dig out her past achievements…

Making Lion’s Head meatballs in kindergarten that crushed Chen Boduan’s younger brother, driving diners crazy to the point of borrowing kids to rush to the kindergarten; during the police station stall event, undercover helping out, making rolled pancakes so good even the fugitive walked right into the trap…

Such a legendary “hidden master” experience, such a humble but tiger-like chef hidden among common folk — wouldn’t that instantly explode online?

What kind of traffic would that bring!

Then, Chen Ran would ride that wave of traffic to open a restaurant. Forget “internet celebrity restaurant,” that traffic level can’t even be described.

It would be top-tier!

He glanced at the still-frowning Qiu Xian: “If I were you, I’d keep quiet. It’s better if no one believes it!”

With Chen Ran’s skills and technique, and maybe later promoting something like “The Chen family’s abandoned disciple returns.”

She’s undoubtedly the next leading figure of Famous Chefs!

It could even be said, if she really grows through experience, the entire Famous Chefs’ traffic might depend on Chen Ran. Such natural hype is like heaven feeding her, destined to create a top internet-famous chef.

Sometimes he envied Qiu Xian’s luck — how was it so easy for her to recruit Chen Ran?

Now, Qiu Xian was his reporter, and Chen Ran could be counted as a chef he discovered.

Qiu Xian still hadn’t grasped this point and asked: “You haven’t reported Chen Ran’s situation to the director all this time, is it because of this?”

“Not exactly, mainly because it’s hard to get the director to taste the dishes now.”

The Famous Chefs selection process was complicated — chefs had to be tested at different times and places to assess their stability.

Simply put, it only needed a regional manager plus the director to taste the dishes together.

“Yes, the director is over sixty this year; it’s not good to ask her to run around…”

Wang Zhaoshan had eaten many meals with the director. He glanced at Qiu Xian, dressed in a tracksuit, and said, “Don’t say that in front of the director. You young people really dare to guarantee you’re healthier than a sixty or seventy-year-old lady?”

Though the director was sixty-three, she was always elegantly dressed in cheongsams! Probably, when he took the young reporter to dine with her, he’d have to remind her to dress formally first.Wang Zhaoshan looked down at his phone; there was a message in the "Lion’s Head Every Day" group.

What caught his eye was a photo of a plate of Guobaorou (crispy sweet and sour pork).

Although Wang Zhaoshan had long given up learning to cook, his basic skills and judgment were still intact. He opened the image and zoomed in slightly to examine the details.

Qiu Xian beside him had already started chattering.

“This looks so delicious!”

“Is this really made by Chen Ran? I really admire Ms. Wang. Having money is great—how does she always manage to eat this?”

“This video must be staged! The audio is so clear... I can even hear the sound of the Guobaorou breaking—so crispy!”

She turned her head and saw Wang Zhaoshan zooming in on the photo, so she curiously zoomed in too but couldn’t find any issues.

Qiu Xian swallowed hard—she only felt it looked tasty and made her want to eat it!

“I really want to lick the screen…”

Wang Zhaoshan quickly pulled the phone screen away a bit, so the young lady wouldn’t actually think about licking it.

He pointed with his finger at the clean bottom of the plate in the photo and showed it to Qiu Xian: “Look here.”

Qiu Xian leaned in to see: “The plate is wiped very clean…”

Wang Zhaoshan took a deep breath and silently thought, this reporter is lucky—luck is stronger than anything.

“What kind of residue do you usually see at the bottom of a Guobaorou plate?”

Qiu Xian, being quite smart, immediately understood his meaning.

“You mean this plate bottom has not even a drop of extra sauce?”

Wang Zhaoshan nodded.

“To be honest, the sauce technique for Guobaorou is difficult but not a top-tier skill. Ordinary restaurant chefs don’t master it well, but Chen Ran’s level naturally cannot be compared to ordinary chefs.”

“However, being able to handle the sauce technique to this degree shows her skill.”

“The most remarkable thing is, Ms. Wang just said in the group that this was just a casual meal at the police station…”

Considering Chen Ran’s inherent topic appeal, Wang Zhaoshan’s biggest worry was not whether this young girl could become famous, but whether she could steadily continue refining her culinary skills.

The praise and adoration she receives among ordinary people are definitely much more than what top-tier restaurants give.

Can she stick to her true self? Can she always use top restaurant standards to hone herself even in such situations?

Judging from the spotless plate bottom in this photo, Wang Zhaoshan mentally gave a positive answer—she can.

Such a large plate of Guobaorou, even top chefs making the sauce cannot guarantee that all the sauce clings to the meat without dripping. Achieving this level must take great effort.

With talent, heritage, and such diligence, what’s the chance she won’t succeed?

WeChat sounded again. Wang Zhaoshan glanced at Ms. Wang’s message in the group:

“I’ll bring two more people to eat this Guobaorou again tomorrow.”

Zhu Chencheng was the first to jump in: “Beautiful sister! I think I can be one of those people!”“I can do it too!”

Zhunan seemed to be keeping a close eye on the group’s activity; such a busy blogger replying so quickly was surprising.

“My next video topic hasn’t been decided yet. How about I shoot one? Then everyone can slowly savor it together.”

Ms. Wang remained unmoved and kept typing.

“Have you all seen that pretty popular variety show ‘Taohuayuan’? The one where a few celebrities cook and chat?”

“I’ve watched it; my idol was on it!”

“I haven’t seen it, but I’ve seen fans joke about asking me to go on ‘Taohuayuan’ to check out restaurants.”

Wang Zhaoshan hadn’t watched it either, but Qiu Xian had seen two episodes: “My roommate likes it a lot. It’s pretty good as background entertainment.”

She was a bit shocked and quickly typed in the group: “Could it be that Sister Wang wants Chen Ran to cook for that show’s team? No way, didn’t Lu Yi, who cooks there, previously win Best Actor? Isn’t he in charge of that show?”

“That show’s location for next month’s shoot isn’t far, just at Yanglianshan. I’ve arranged dinner with someone tomorrow to see if we can get Ran Ran a logistics position on the crew.”

Zhu Chencheng was a little confused: “But wouldn’t that make it harder to eat Chen Ran’s dishes? Also, I heard that staff at variety show crews have tough jobs and often get bullied by the stars…”

Could it be that Ms. Wang wants Chen Ran to learn some cooking skills from that Lu Yi? But his cooking isn’t necessarily better than Chen Ran’s, right?

Though they hype him up a lot on that variety show...

Others were interrupting the chat, but only Wang Zhaoshan quickly searched and aligned with Ms. Wang’s thinking.

He didn’t continue chatting in the group but opened a private chat with Ms. Wang.

“Are you sure this show will backfire later?”

“I’m sure.”

Wang Zhaoshan was slightly excited.

How had he not realized before that Ms. Wang had some interest and talent in pushing things forward?

However, that excitement was quickly tinged with a sense of crisis.

This rough jade called Chen Ran, he feared, wouldn’t stay hidden for long.

He could see it, Ms. Wang could see it, but others might not?

But… sharp points enclosed in a sheath will eventually show their edge. He could only invest more in the early stage.

“Who have you invited? Have you thought it through?”

“One is somewhat connected to the station over there; she’s the producer’s niece,” Ms. Wang was referring to Lu Jiayi, who had long wanted to infiltrate the insider circle to get a Jianbing but never managed, “The other I originally planned to invite was a production assistant, but that hasn’t been finalized yet.”

Wang Zhaoshan quickly searched his own network.

He immediately decided: “I also have a candidate here, who has no connection to the production team but is influential around the Yanglianshan scenic area.”

Two candidates: one with influence inside the variety show crew, the other with influence at the filming location management.

Ms. Wang nodded inwardly—this was solid!

Wang Zhaoshan then sent another message: “Are you so sure this show will backfire and can be used as a stepping stone for Chen Ran?”Ms. Wang smiled slightly.

Although this food critic also had her own company, her expertise still seemed to be food reviews.

“First, another TV station recently launched a competing variety show, and they spent money to hire another middle-aged comedian who looks a lot like Lu Yi as a guest.”

“Second, Lu Yi’s persona has been popular long enough, but he hasn’t had any significant works to support it for nearly ten years. The current market isn’t like ten years ago; tolerance for middle-aged greasy preachy men is getting lower and lower.”

“I don’t have that much power to make so many people use Chen Ran as a stepping stone. I’m just certain this person will backfire sooner or later, so why not let me make some profit while raising Ran Ran’s status a bit.”

Of course, during this backfire process, she might also lift a finger and give a gentle little push…

Ms. Wang raised a finger adorned with exquisite nail art and sent her last sentence, then waited for Wang Zhaoshan’s reply.

He didn’t question her words but quickly responded:

“Okay, but I have one condition: you have to bring me to dinner tomorrow.”

After all the hard planning with Ms. Wang, he at least deserved a bite of that Guobaorou, right?

“No problem.”

Wang Zhaoshan saw this reply and finally relaxed.

Qiu Xian was still chirping away in the group chatting with Zhu Chencheng about variety shows, making his head hurt.

But now, he could immediately get his revenge!

“Qiu Xian, postpone tomorrow’s interview.”

Qiu Xian looked up, confused at Wang Zhaoshan.

Although the job involved eating out and checking restaurants everywhere, it wasn’t an easy job; the schedule was very tight.

Postponing tomorrow’s interview meant she would have a lot more to catch up on.

“Any plans for tomorrow?”

“Eating Guobaorou!”

Wang Zhaoshan stood up casually, ready to leave work, seemingly nonchalantly emphasizing: “Tomorrow, Ms. Wang and I will try Chen Ran’s Guobaorou. Make sure you write the interview script well.”

What?!

Qiu Xian felt like the sky was collapsing!

“Not taking me?”

Wang Zhaoshan wasn’t trying to make things difficult: “That’s a police station. No matter how small, it’s not a place you can just casually go in to eat. Wait for it. Once Chen Ran really becomes famous and opens a restaurant, then you can eat there.”

Qiu Xian’s eyes teared up: “Then I’ll eat three plates of Guobaorou by myself!”

“Think about it first,” Wang Zhaoshan ruthlessly shot her down, “At the quality of your script right now, I’m afraid you won’t even afford Chen Ran’s Guobaorou with your salary.”

He tossed over his revised script: “Study it carefully! I wrote all the reasons for the changes. If you make the same mistakes next time, prepare to get scolded!”

Because of Chen Ran, Qiu Xian was now basically his trusted subordinate. He would provide necessary support at work and the proper resource preference as deserved.

But resource preference like Guobaorou wouldn’t be one of them!The next day, while Qiu Xian was drooling with anticipation, Wang Zhaoshan took a burst of ten photos and only then began to taste the Guobaorou with satisfaction.

The way a food critic tastes is still somewhat different from that of ordinary people.

He observed its color, smelled its aroma, and after an overall appraisal, he gently took a bite.

Of course, this also saved him from burning his mouth.

Lu Jiayi clearly didn’t understand this principle. She took a bite and immediately burned her tongue!

“Don’t rush, Jiayi, eat slowly.”

Lu Jiayi nodded, a little embarrassed.

She usually presented a calm and steady image, but today she was really a bit anxious.

From initially doubting the pancakes, to gradually turning suspicion into disbelief, then accepting the rebuttal... more than half a month had passed, and only today did she really taste what Chen Ran had made.

Although it wasn’t pancakes, this Guobaorou was amazing!

She and Ms. Wang had arrived early. Ms. Wang wanted to shock her with Chen Ran’s cooking, and when they came in, Chen Ran was flipping the wok.

The entire room was filled with the sour aroma of Guobaorou, but until now, she only just got a bite and it was too hot to eat properly.

The more she couldn’t eat it, the more she appreciated the meat’s temptation!

Like hunger marketing, she was burned and couldn’t eat, but the faint sweet and sour taste still lingered on her tongue. She could only look at the golden-red meat slices coated in crystal-clear sweet and sour sauce and imagine that thrilling texture.

Crunch... shhh!

That was the sound of a nearby diner biting through a piece of Guobaorou. Lu Jiayi could almost imagine that the crispy coating hardly needed chewing — just a gentle tap of the teeth, and it shattered in the mouth.

She was a bit impatient.

Having been burned once, Lu Jiayi was especially careful this time.

First, her tongue tasted the sweet and sour flavor, then she gently chewed a small piece of the crispy coating.

Lu Jiayi was stunned by this crispness!

Compared to ordinary diners, she was among the more discerning ones. She had eaten countless types of Guobaorou, but achieving this level of crispness to such an extreme was probably only experienced this one time.

Aside from crispness, how about the other aspects?

Even though she had just been burned once, Lu Jiayi couldn’t help herself and took a big bite.

The pork inside was especially firm, even slightly elastic. Wrapped tightly by the batter, neither flavor nor juice was lost; all the deliciousness burst out completely at this moment.

“How is it?”

Lu Jiayi had no time to answer and could only nod, then quickly reached to grab another piece.

— With this big table of people, you have to be fast or you miss out!

Because they wanted to leverage Lu Jiayi’s connections, Ms. Wang specially asked Chen Ran to make a portion of pancakes for her.

Regarding pancakes, Lu Jiayi had even more credentials to judge, since her grandfather Chen Tingwei was a top-level pastry chef.

She originally wanted to be picky and make some evaluations, but even her grandfather had personally praised Chen Ran’s pancakes. What more could she say against this S-level dish?"Indeed... delicious," Lu Jiayi was already conquered by the taste but still a bit stubborn, "Maybe fugitives really like this flavor, that's why they run back."

Chen Ran, sitting opposite Lu Jiayi, said nothing but smiled.

She knew herself that most fugitives returned because of the special effect of those pancakes, not just the taste.

It was just a coincidence.

However, her silent attitude made Lu Jiayi feel a little embarrassed.

"I'm not saying that story isn't true..." She had already heard Wang Changhai’s explanation when she arrived—that day’s fugitive was indeed caught because he ran back to buy pancakes, "This Guobaorou is also very tasty!"

The middle-aged man Wang Zhaoshan brought also praised without stopping: "Indeed, the flavor is really good. I had heard about the pancake catching fugitives thing before, thought it was some marketing hype, but didn’t expect it to be so delicious!"

He pondered for a moment, trying to come up with adjectives beyond "delicious," but after racking his brain, he found none.

In the end, he only managed to say, "If you ever open a restaurant, I’ll definitely come every day!"

After saying this, the middle-aged man habitually glanced around, raised his drink cup as if toasting, waiting for others to echo him, then took a sip.

But who was echoing?

The whole dining table was filled with the rustling sound of chopsticks, and less than a third of the Guobaorou platter was left!

He no longer cared about this drinking culture nonsense; since they couldn’t drink alcohol at the police station, grabbing more pieces of Guobaorou was the real priority!

Still, at the table was Ms. Wang, who knew how to deal with people well.

"Next, won’t there be a chance to eat her cooking every day?"

"What chance?"

The middle-aged, slightly balding man’s eyes lit up: "Could it be that this little chef is going to open a restaurant over at Yanglianshan? When Little Wang came to me before, he said there was something at the scenic area that needed help."

If it was such a small matter, of course, he would help! Not only help, but he’d also have to support it every day!

If he could eat this little chef’s cooking with his drinks every day, his drinking capacity could jump from one and a half jin to two jin!

Wang Zhaoshan on the side pinched his nose to suppress hearing “Little Wang.”

He spoke: "Isn't there a film crew going to Yanglianshan soon? The variety show ‘Peach Blossom Spring.’ A big group filming there — meals and such can’t be sent directly from the foot of the mountain, right?"

The slightly balding middle-aged leader was Liu Zhengtai. This matter was a big recent event for the scenic area, and most social engagements lately were because of it.

After all, ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ was currently a popular variety show. Riding this wave of exposure, the visitor traffic at Yanglianshan Scenic Area might increase a lot.

They hadn’t been rated as a 5A scenic spot yet but were counting on this.

Just as he was about to start his usual pompous speech, Ms. Wang gave a glance, and Ji You helped carry over a clay pot from the kitchen, placing it in the center of the table.

The lid was lifted, and a powerful meat aroma, completely different from the sour-sweet scent of Guobaorou, exploded over the table.

— Yes, for the success of this negotiation, Ms. Wang specially persuaded Chen Ran to bring out the long-unseen Lion’s Head meatball!

Compared to the sour-sweet Guobaorou, Lion’s Head clearly better suited Liu Zhengtai’s taste.

One bite felt like all his organs, hardened by alcohol over the years, were suddenly fully satisfied; that rich, tender flavor softened his yet unspoken words by three degrees of subtlety.

A cook like this, coming to work in their scenic area’s kitchen, was practically a concession!He was a bit puzzled why, but even at the drinking table, some things couldn’t be said too openly. Not to mention, there wasn’t a drop of alcohol right now.

Liu Zhengtai instinctively wondered, could this young girl be a fan chasing after someone? Maybe she liked Lü Yi, the one who cooks and tells stories on the show every day?

"Alright, as long as the production team approves, I can arrange a chef on my end without any problem."

Besides, he was more than happy to eat this little chef’s boxed meals every day.

It had been a long time since the last time Lion’s Head was made; the special effect cooldown had long reset. This pot of Lion’s Head Chen Ran made carried the pure and joyful effect from childhood.

It wasn’t just to persuade everyone at this table but also to let the police officers at the station experience this purest happiness before leaving.

Everyone had their own thoughts and happiness, but Lu Jiayi recalled the first time she tasted that dish “Xiuli Heshan” as a child, feeling the purest joy in her heart.

She had actually been to the “Peach Blossom Spring” crew many times—after all, her great uncle was the producer. Getting an autograph or a photo with the stars was no big deal.

But as Chen Tingwei’s granddaughter, when it came to Lü Yi... she really wasn’t interested.

She took another bite of Lion’s Head, recalling Lü Yi’s repeated lectures and his smug tone of "I didn’t add a single drop of water."

Outsiders wouldn’t notice, but she knew that if the dish was good, it meant she would never taste Xiuli Heshan again in her life!

Lu Jiayi took another bite of Lion’s Head, deciding to pester her great uncle once back to make sure Chen Ran was arranged to cook work meals for the staff.

Also so that everyone tormented by Lü Yi could experience what real delicious food truly was!