Chapter 15

"Are you sure you like these dishes?" Su Zhenhong pointed at a few plates on the Su Jing family's table, asking in disbelief.

"Of course we are sure. These dishes are particularly delicious, so they left a deep impression. These plates are different; they are your chef's signature dishes, right? You know it well, so don't pretend with me," the young man said, somewhat angrily.

"..." Su Zhenhong was stunned on the spot. Could it be that the dishes made by Ah Jing had surpassed his and become the signature dishes?

"Those dishes were delivered by that handsome guy," a sharp-eyed girl at the same table noticed Su Jing, who had just delivered the dishes.

"Young man, come here for a moment," the middle-aged man beckoned to Su Jing.

"Sir, what do you need?" Su Jing asked.

"We want the two dishes you have in your hands," the middle-aged man said.

"But someone has already ordered them," Su Jing said.

"I'll pay double the price," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

"Alright then," Su Jing, who was not a regular waiter at the seafood restaurant, did not need to follow the first-come, first-served rule, and placed the two fish dishes on the table. When the lids were opened, the young man, the middle-aged man, and the others all lit up with excitement. It was that aroma.

They all picked up their chopsticks and, after the first bite, praised, "Delicious, just the right flavor."

Even the young man, who had been somewhat aggressive earlier, smiled and praised, "Delicious, delicious, too delicious!"

Zhao Mengxiang and Su Zhenhong were both dumbfounded. They had initially thought there must have been some mistake, but now the facts were right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe it.

"Ah Jing, don't serve the next dish to the table, bring it to the kitchen," Su Zhenhong said.

"Sure," Su Jing brought the next dish to the kitchen, and Su Zhenhong, Zhao Mengxiang, and Liu Shu all took a taste. They were all convinced; the dishes were indeed much more delicious than those made by Su Zhenhong, almost at the level of a master chef.

"Good kid, when did you learn such excellent cooking skills? You've been keeping it hidden," Su Zhenhong sighed inwardly. Although he had hoped that Su Jing would one day surpass him in cooking, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon and was not mentally prepared for it.

"I often cooked for myself in college," Su Jing continued, "Let's not chat here; many customers are waiting for their dishes."

Next, more and more people noticed that the dishes in the restaurant had two different flavors. As a result, many people specifically requested "the dishes served by that young man." With so many requests, Su Jing was overwhelmed, as his knife skills were still lacking, and he only had one heating tool, the hot shell, which made it impossible to speed up. Therefore, Su Zhenhong came up with a plan: to make Su Jing's dishes the signature dishes and double the price. Even so, Su Jing's dishes were still very popular.

"Mr. Zhou, you must be tired after a morning of sightseeing. Let me take you back to the hotel for lunch," Shi Qing, wearing a white dress and a straw hat, said as a tour guide, leading a tall, thin old man, a slightly overweight middle-aged man, and a charming young girl.

"Let's go to that restaurant; it seems to be doing well," the tall, thin old man pointed to "Zhenhong Seafood Restaurant."

"Let's go back to the hotel for lunch; the food there is more delicious," Shi Qing's face showed a hint of difficulty. If it were ordinary tourists, eating lunch at a seafood restaurant here would be no problem, but this man was different.

He was the famous gourmet Zhou Xian, an authority in the culinary world. His words could make or break a dish. Once, his words turned an unknown small restaurant chef into a top chef at a five-star hotel, and another time, his words led to the closure of a hotel.

In his younger days, Zhou Xian was relatively approachable and often left some room when criticizing dishes he didn't like. However, as he aged, his temper became more peculiar, and he became more picky about food, speaking more harshly. Despite this, his professional level and reputation remained high, and his sharp criticism was often spot-on and irrefutable. Therefore, most hotels and restaurants were afraid of him.

A saying in the culinary world goes: "If you don't want your business to be ruined, stay away from Zhou Xian."

Shi Qing was now the image ambassador for this beach, with her photo in a long dress on the advertisements. Therefore, she usually received important tourists. This time, the mayor personally instructed her to receive Zhou Xian. However, while she was willing to receive him, she did not want to bring him to eat near the beach, for fear of damaging its reputation.

After all, the food at the hotel where Zhou Xian stayed was very delicious, and Shi Qing had praised it highly, finding it a culinary delight. However, after Zhou Xian ate it, he only said, "If we don't consider the rarity of the ingredients used, it's barely passable." His two disciples had to persuade him to stop, or his words would have been even harsher.

This made Shi Qing sigh inwardly. Even the exquisite dishes of the hotel couldn't satisfy Zhou Xian, so the dishes from the small restaurants in Shijia Village, Suzheng Village, and Zhangjia Village would be even worse. What harsh words would Zhou Xian say after eating the seafood here?

"Going back to the hotel is troublesome; let's eat here," Zhou Xian ignored Shi Qing and walked towards Zhenhong Seafood Restaurant.

"I'll try to persuade him to speak more tactfully," the slightly overweight middle-aged man, Ma Teng, shrugged and smiled helplessly.

"Hehe, will he listen to you? Let me try," the charming young girl, Lin Cai'er, said with a smile.

"Alright, you try," Ma Teng smiled awkwardly. They were Zhou Xian's disciples and knew that his sharp tongue was a problem. His wife had also instructed them to try to persuade him to be more tactful, as it could easily offend people and ruin businesses, which was not good for his health. However, Ma Teng's persuasion often failed, while Lin Cai'er, who was favored by Zhou Xian, was more effective.

"Please help me," Shi Qing clasped her hands together, and the three quickly followed Zhou Xian.

"What would you like to order?" Zhao Mengxiang, holding the menu, approached and greeted them, slightly stunned when she saw Shi Qing.

"What are your signature dishes?" Zhou Xian asked.

"Steamed lobster, steamed yellow croaker..." Zhao Mengxiang listed several dishes, all steamed.

"I'll have a steamed mackerel," Zhou Xian said.

"Would you like anything else?" Zhao Mengxiang asked.

"Not for now," Zhou Xian said, which made Zhao Mengxiang and some of the onlookers around her pause. Many people knew that Shi Qing was the image ambassador for the beach, and her value was far greater than that of an ordinary tour guide. She usually received people of high status. They had initially thought that these three must be wealthy, but who would have thought that they would order just one mackerel for three people? However, a few people recognized Zhou Xian and had strange expressions, preparing to stay and watch the show.

"Please wait a moment," Zhao Mengxiang, who was naturally frugal, had no prejudice against frugal people. In fact, she had a good impression of such people, regardless of the business. She handed the order to Su Jing.

When Su Jing finished the steamed mackerel and brought it to Zhou Xian's table, both he and Shi Qing were surprised. They hadn't expected to meet each other like this. Su Jing quickly guessed that Shi Qing was a tour guide, while Shi Qing mistakenly thought Su Jing was just temporarily helping his relatives as a waiter, not considering him as a chef, as she had already tasted his cooking.

Shi Qing's brows suddenly furrowed. She already felt guilty about bringing Zhou Xian to eat in this area, feeling she was letting down the villagers. Now, it turned out to be Su Jing's family, making her even more conflicted. She wondered if Su Jing would hold a grudge against her.

However, with the situation as it was, Zhou Xian wouldn't listen to her, and she couldn't forcibly drag him away.

"This old man is the sharp-tongued gourmet Zhou Xian," Shi Qing quickly wrote a note and showed it to Su Jing, using the table to shield it. She could only warn him, hoping that Su Jing, who had always been more clever than her, would have some solution.

"Please enjoy your meal," Su Jing smiled at Shi Qing and placed the mackerel on the table without any intention of thinking of a strategy, which made Shi Qing stomp her foot in frustration.