I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 559 - 272: The Secret to Delicious Hand-Torn Cabbage! Geng Yiji, You’ve Skipped Class Again! [Subscribe Please]
"Boss, your video account needs to be updated tomorrow."
At the booth, having finished her Fried Shrimp, Zeng Xiaoqi glanced at her phone’s schedule and reminded Lin Xu.
Actually, there were still videos in stock for the bi-daily update. However, a couple of days ago, during the latest update, the company’s operations department held an event allowing netizens to choose the next dish. To prevent things from going off course and ending up with bizarre dishes like intestine sashimi, they deliberately listed a few candidate dishes. Whichever received the most likes would be the one they made. The options included home-style dishes and popular restaurant dishes, such as braised chicken with soy sauce, Braised Tofu Skin, Pepper Meat Shreds, and hot and sour mung bean sprouts.
"I remember the deadline for voting is nine o’clock tonight. Has the result come out yet?"
Lin Xu ate a few more shrimp and then served himself a bowl of Pumpkin Soup, sipping it slowly.
Although the silky texture of the Pumpkin Soup is quite nice, I still prefer the millet pumpkin porridge Mom used to make, he thought. Unfortunately, since Mom and Dad went back today, I won’t be able to enjoy it for a while.
Earlier, around three in the afternoon, his parents had made it back to the scenic area safely. His cousin, Chen Yuanyuan, even took a selfie with the mooncake she received to express her gratitude. From the crumbs of mooncake and bits of egg yolk at the corner of her mouth, it looked like his hapless cousin had eaten one before remembering to take a picture.
Shu Yun checked the online event page on her phone. "Although it’s not yet the deadline, the result is pretty much decided."
"Oh? Which dish is in the lead?" Lin Xu was somewhat curious.
The operations team specifically asked for my opinion when deciding on the candidate dishes, making sure they were all popular choices before launching the event, he recalled. I thought it would be a close fight. How can there be a winner so soon?
Shu Yun held up her phone to show Lin Xu. "It’s hand-torn cabbage. It has several thousand more likes than the second-place hot and sour mung bean sprouts. I really didn’t expect so many people to share my love for this dish."
Zeng Xiaoqi ladled some of the sauce from the Braised Pork Belly onto her rice, shoveled a spoonful into her mouth, and said, "What a coincidence, I like it too! Boss Lin, let’s record the hand-torn cabbage for the next episode. I’ll steam more rice that day, and lunch will be sorted out. Ha, I’m really resourceful!"
We can’t see how she’s resourceful; we just think she can eat a lot... the members of the Fried Pork Chop squad silently grumbled in their hearts, unable to grasp what Director Zeng was so proud of. We might not be resourceful, but we’re stationed at Lin Ji! We can eat whatever we want every day, unlike some people who only get to indulge during filming sessions.
After finishing his Pumpkin Soup, Lin Xu stood up and said, "Then let’s have someone from the company come over to shoot it tomorrow morning and satisfy the netizens’ requests."
His responsibilities were increasing. Although Lin Xu was capable of shooting videos himself, editing and filming still took up time, so he let the company handle it. To avoid holding things up, the operations department had even hired photographers and post-production editors whose style was very similar to Lin Xu’s own ’portrait’ aesthetic.
Dou Wenjing picked up a piece of Saddle Bridge Eel, took a bite, and sighed in appreciation of its rich and savory flavor. She responded to the boss’s instructions, "Alright, I’ll have someone come over earlier tomorrow to film the kitchen preparations. We can give the netizens a good look at how clean our kitchen really is."
After Lin Xu put down his bowl and went back to the kitchen, Shu Yun quickly finished the rice in her bowl, wiped her mouth, and said, "I guess they’re about done eating upstairs. I better go check on them. Don’t finish all the Jade Soup! Leave me a few sips. I’m counting on these cucumbers to help me slim down..."
She hurried to the upper floor.
Yan Lin and the others had indeed nearly finished eating and were currently chatting.
Shu Yun came in with a pot of Longjing Tea, pouring for them while instructing a server to clear the table and bring some fresh fruit platters and delicate tea Snacks.
These guests are clearly in the midst of a lively conversation and will likely continue for a while. Bringing some fruit and snacks is just right, Shu Yun thought.
With everything arranged, she was just about to excuse herself when Yan Lin spoke up, "Manager Shu, could you pass on a message to your boss?"
Having encountered many significant figures, I know from these words that this is a request not easy to make in person, Shu Yun thought. Having me relay the message will soften the atmosphere and, at the same time, spare them any awkwardness should the boss refuse directly.
She said with a congenial smile, "Of course, Director Yan. Please feel free to state any request. We at Lin Ji will try our best to satisfy every customer’s needs."
Yan Lin pointed to the plainly dressed middle-aged man. "I’m not sure if Xiao Lin is skilled at making Four Happiness Roasted Glutinous Rice. If he is, my friend here is considering coming here to eat it every day."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the middle-aged man interjected, "Having been away from Shanghai for many years, I’ve never stopped missing the authentic taste of Four Happiness Roasted Glutinous Rice. I hope the owner of this establishment can fulfill my wish."
Maintaining a warm smile, Shu Yun said to the group, "I will go and ask on your behalf. Please wait a moment."
After she left, Yan Lin turned to the middle-aged man with a laugh. "Still craving good food despite being at Tsinghua University researching artificial intelligence! If I had known Professor Cui was such a foodie back then, I’d have let you eat more when you came to my home for meals as a kid."
Director Yan, now speaking in a soft Suzhou dialect, radiated the excitement and thrill of meeting a childhood friend, completely shed of her previous authority and imposing aura. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
The professor, whose name was Cui Qingyuan, took a sip of his Longjing Tea. "It’s really a love for gourmet food and life. You use words like ’greedy’ and ’gluttonous,’ which make me sound like a little kitten."
