He had come to Jingzhou because of some personal matters, but happened to see on Zhang Zuting’s Weibo that there was a good private kitchen restaurant here, so he decided to come and try it.

The current situation, however, was a bit annoying.

“Then, can I make a reservation for tonight?” The young man tried to maintain his composure.

The waiter looked apologetic: “I’m sorry, sir, someone has booked the entire venue for tonight. Considering the time needed to transport ingredients, you can reserve for tomorrow evening or the day after.”

The young man was completely speechless. He looked at the waiter, then at the menu, suppressing the urge to complain, and casually ordered two dishes and a soup.

“That’s it for now,” the young man said, handing back the menu.

“Very well, sir, please wait a moment.” The waiter took the order and left with the menu.

The young man took out his phone, wanting to search for this restaurant on review websites, but couldn’t find it. The mobile map didn’t even have the location of this restaurant.

Not only that, the small card on the table that marked the table number also had a friendly reminder: “To better appreciate the delicious flavors of the ingredients, please do not take photos!”

Considering that the restaurant’s menu listed so many good dishes, yet all required a reservation, and those that didn’t require a reservation were just regular home-style dishes, and the prices were extremely expensive…

“…Could it be that I’ve encountered a shady establishment?”

The more the young man thought about it, the more he felt something was off. He had a feeling that there was something strange about this restaurant.

His name was Xue Zhebin, the only son of coal baron Xue Yuanqing, simply put, a genuine second-generation rich. He was flamboyant and showy, just like his father, never shying away from displaying his nouveau riche image in front of everyone.

Xue Zhebin was very wealthy and naturally had eaten at many private kitchens before. He also knew that most high-end private kitchens inevitably had some strange rules.

But restaurants with as many rules as this one were rarely seen.

What annoyed him more was the waiter’s attitude, always using polite manners to say a few useless words, which was worse than saying nothing at all.

If it weren’t for the restaurant’s truly high-end decor and Zhang Zuting’s strong recommendation, he might have already thought about slamming the table and walking out.

Speaking of which, it was mainly because his father, Xue Yuanqing, was a fan of Zhang Zuting and had treated him to meals several times, which was why Xue Zhebin followed Zhang Zuting’s Weibo and happened to see the information about this private kitchen.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come here on his own.

“Let’s wait a bit longer; if the food doesn’t taste good when it arrives, I’ll expose this place on Weibo!”

Adhering to the principle of not wrongfully accusing an innocent person, Xue Zhebin decided to wait and see.

If the two dishes he ordered were passable, then he would make a reservation for tomorrow evening or the day after.

After more than half an hour, the two dishes Xue Zhebin ordered were served.

One was Dragon Well Shrimp, one was Pagoda Meat, and a soup, Chrysanthemum Tofu.

The portions were small, but the prices were not cheap at all.

“At least the service isn’t slow.”

Xue Zhebin knew that Pagoda Meat was a fairly time-consuming dish; it not only needed to be cut but also steamed. More than half an hour was already quite fast.

And while waiting for the dishes, he had also eaten some desserts and appetizers, which tasted very good, somewhat alleviating the anxiety of waiting for the main dishes.

“Whether it’s a shady establishment or not will be revealed soon.”

Xue Zhebin looked at the two dishes the waiter brought.

He had deliberately ordered Pagoda Meat and Chrysanthemum Tofu because he knew very well that these two dishes were very demanding of the chef’s knife skills and technique.

“Hmm? It’s not bad?”

Just the first glance at the presentation of these two dishes gave him a sense of being pleasantly surprised!

Pagoda Meat required the chef to cut an entire piece of meat layer by layer from the outside in, with each cut unbroken and of uniform thickness, finally cutting it into one long strip of neat thin slices, then placing it in a special mold, rolling it layer by layer to form a pagoda shape.

As for Chrysanthemum Tofu, it required cutting a block of tender tofu, as delicate as cream, with one hundred and eight cuts horizontally and vertically, turning it into a bundle of fine threads, uniform in thickness, without a single broken strand, placed in a bowl of clear water like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Xue Zhebin ordered these dishes and soup mainly to see if this restaurant truly lived up to its name or if it was just a scam.

As for the Dragon Well Shrimp, it was mainly because he was worried that the Pagoda Meat and Chrysanthemum Tofu might not taste good, so he ordered a home-style dish as a backup.

However, what surprised him was that the Pagoda Meat and Chrysanthemum Tofu exceeded his expectations!

These two dishes mainly tested knife skills, requiring decades of practiced knife work by a first-class chef to achieve perfection.

Moreover, these dishes had no limits. Take Pagoda Meat, for example; the thinner the cuts, the more layers there would be. Generally, cutting to nine layers was considered a qualified Pagoda Meat, but the one served here had already been cut to seventeen layers, outclassing common Pagoda Meat in presentation alone.

Xue Zhebin couldn’t help but pick up his chopsticks and taste the shrimp.

The shrimp was tender and smooth, with the fragrance of Dragon Well tea. Although this dish cost nearly three hundred yuan, Xue Zhebin thought it was worth it.

Because he had once eaten this dish in an excellent Chinese restaurant in Hangzhou, and the taste was very similar to here!

He also tasted the Pagoda Meat and Chrysanthemum Tofu, and the flavors did not disappoint him either; everything was just right!

Combined with the warm and comfortable dining environment, Xue Zhebin felt that he might have truly misunderstood this restaurant.

To make these dishes, they would need to bring in a gold medal chef skilled in Hangzhou cuisine from miles away; such a person certainly couldn’t be found locally in Jingzhou.

More importantly, the menu didn’t just have Hangzhou cuisine, but many other styles as well!

So hiring just one master chef would not be enough.

Such master chefs couldn’t be hired with little money, as they could earn plenty at high-end restaurants in their local areas, and they would be close to home. Who would be willing to travel to Jingzhou?

Maintaining so many master chefs was a very significant expense.

Could they make it all back?

Earlier, Xue Zhebin thought that the prices of the dishes on the menu were all overpriced, but after tasting a few bites, he felt that they weren’t expensive at all; in fact, they seemed somewhat cheap.

Could they recover their costs?

The main issue was that this restaurant was far too obscure. Forget about promotion or advertising; there wasn’t even a sign at the entrance, and even now, Xue Zhebin still didn’t know exactly what the restaurant was called.

Right now was the standard lunch time, yet in such a large restaurant, Xue Zhebin was the only customer.

Wasn’t this pure financial loss?

Xue Zhebin looked at the dishes, then at the smiling waiter standing nearby, and then at the elegant dining environment and high-quality, exquisite tables, chairs, and tableware of this place…

“Could it be… that some illegal activities are going on here?”

Xue Zhebin suddenly became alert.

But thinking carefully, that didn’t seem quite right either.

The key was that this restaurant wasn’t just a shell; although there weren’t many customers, what they sold was genuine, and while the prices were a bit high, they were still within a reasonable range.

From various indications, this restaurant purely lacked fame, without any other suspicious points.

“I’ll come back tomorrow to see what those dishes that require a reservation are actually like.”

“If they can maintain this standard… then I’ve found a treasure!”

…

In the kitchen of Mingyun Private Kitchen.

Lin Canrong nervously asked the waiter: “How is it? Is the customer satisfied with our dishes?”

The waiter nodded: “Yes, he looks very satisfied.”

Lin Canrong exhaled a long breath.

That’s good!

There hadn’t been many customers for some time, and only seven or eight customers had come in gradually since the day before yesterday.

But some of them were scared away after just a glance at the menu, while others asked about things for a long time, only to find that many good dishes required a reservation, and they left too.

Only two or three people actually stayed to eat, but they ordered very common dishes. Although it was obvious that they were quite satisfied with the taste, they were unlikely to come back in the short term.

Because the pricing was too expensive, obviously beyond their affordability.

It was evident from the dishes they ordered; even the cheapest vegetables here cost fifty or sixty yuan, and even if they ordered all home-style dishes, the average consumption per person would be well over a hundred.

In Jingzhou, this price could already get you many good things.

So, even though the chef’s skill level was high and the ingredients selected were better, making these dishes taste much better than those in restaurants outside, it still exceeded the affordability of most ordinary people.

But today, as soon as Xue Zhebin came in, Lin Canrong had his eye on him.

It was evident that this person wasn’t short on money.

Xue Zhebin’s ordering confirmed this point; he ordered Dragon Well Shrimp for more than three hundred, Golden Pagoda Meat for more than two hundred and sixty, making this meal easily cost six or seven hundred yuan in total.

If this wealthy customer could be satisfied with these dishes, it would mean that Mingyun Private Kitchen had a chance of becoming popular!

After all, Mingyun Private Kitchen wasn’t targeting ordinary people, but the wealthy, and feedback from the wealthy was most important.

Upon hearing that the customer was satisfied with the dishes, Lin Canrong also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was now the manager and no longer cooked personally, but the several master chefs in the kitchen were all personally interviewed, selected, and poached with high salaries by him (though, of course, the money came from Mr. Pei). Now that the dishes had received affirmation, Lin Canrong naturally felt somewhat proud.

“Manager, the customer has already paid and left, and he has also reserved dinner for tomorrow evening!” A waiter ran over excitedly to report the good news.

“Very good!”

Lin Canrong’s anxious heart finally settled down.

Earlier, when Mr. Pei told him not to worry too much about promotion, Lin Canrong was a bit concerned.

But recently, seeing people gradually coming in, and even such a wealthy tycoon coming to dine, it showed that promotional work had been progressing orderly!

Indeed, everything was within Mr. Pei’s plan.

Moving forward, they just needed to follow Mr. Pei’s instructions, taking care with every dish and service; Mingyun Private Kitchen becoming popular was just a matter of time!

The master chefs and waiters of Mingyun Private Kitchen were instantly filled with motivation.

…

…

“Achoo!”

Pei Qian sneezed, rubbing his nose while putting down the controller.

Looking at the time, it was almost five o’clock in the afternoon.

Tonight, he still needed to host a welcome dinner for Qiao Liang at Mingyun Private Kitchen, and also comfort his wounded spirit.

After being tortured all day, Pei Qian now wanted to see how Qiao Laoshi was doing.

Arriving at Slackin’ Internet Café.

Pei Qian quietly walked upstairs to the second floor, observing Qiao Liang sitting in the corner.

Qiao Liang’s face was ashen as he stared intently at the screen, his hands gripping the controller tightly, his body occasionally tilting to one side, as if playing a motion-sensing game.

Suddenly, his body violently shuddered, and he froze completely.

The screen had already turned gray.

Qiao Liang’s expression changed from surprise to frustration, then from frustration to despair, and finally from despair to bewilderment.

He placed the controller on the table, slightly raising his head to look at the ceiling, as if questioning the meaning of life and his existence.

Seeing Qiao Liang’s expression, Pei Qian felt much better, his lips curving into a smile.

Money well spent!

Inviting Qiao Laoshi to Jingzhou was indeed the right choice!

Pei Qian had been very worried before because he wasn’t a masochistic player and didn’t know if he could persevere in “Turn Back to Shore.”

If, in the end, he couldn’t complete the game and had to lower the difficulty or delay the release, wouldn’t that mess up the big plan?

But now, Pei Qian had found the motivation to continue, and that was Qiao Laoshi!

No matter how bitter or difficult it was, as long as he could see that Qiao Laoshi was even more bitter and more troubled than himself, Pei Qian would instantly be filled with motivation again!

After all, when Pei Qian played the game, he still had a “Salvation” weapon, while Qiao Laoshi could only dance on the edge of a knife with ordinary weapons.

So, this thing called happiness is mainly derived from comparison!

Pei Qian felt that he was unprecedentedly happy.