This time, the official leader was Officer Wu. He was about the same age as Master Li and had a good relationship with him. Speaking of this matter, he was also credited for mediating it.
Although he was the leader, the officials didn't lower their requirements at all. Perhaps the officials really cared about this Qingcheng Mountain scenic spot. Therefore, they spent a lot of effort on the selection of the judges. They didn't hire a professional food critic or chef. Instead, they used the official Weibo account to draw a lottery randomly. The winner would pay for the transportation and a day's accommodation. It could also be considered as promoting the scenic spot in advance.
In this way, there were people from all walks of life. Some were shop owners who stayed at home, some factory workers, housewives, white-collar workers and so on. Of course, Officer Wu's colleagues also came.
"I don't know how Old Li's preparation is going. I hope he can pass." Officer Wu looked at the wooden signboard which had some ancient charm.
It wasn't anything else, but he was afraid that his old friend would feel sad if he couldn't pass. He also knew his old friend's standard and it was quite difficult for him to pass. However, it was already the best result he could hope for now.
"Sigh …"
Officer Wu sighed inwardly, but he didn't show it on his face. He directly led his people into the restaurant and happened to bump into Master Li who came out to welcome them.
"Officer Wu, welcome. Welcome to Longyue Restaurant. I promise you won't be disappointed this time." Master Li took a few steps forward and greeted them with a confident smile on his face.
Although Officer Wu was puzzled why Master Li looked so confident, he couldn't afford to be distracted now. He shook Master Li's hand and said politely, "Master Li, you are too kind. Is everything ready? We are all here."
Business was business and private was private. They had a good relationship, but in a formal occasion, they were all sensible people. Therefore, they all followed the standard requirements.
"Don't worry. Everything is ready. There are a total of five tables with ten dishes per table. Ten people per table. After eating, you can make your choice. This way, please." Master Li introduced while leading his people to the main hall.
The Longyue Restaurant, which was favored by the officials, actually lived up to its reputation as a century-old restaurant. Almost all the buildings were made of wood.
Not far from the hall, one could see a wooden partition. There were many flowers, birds, insects, and fish carved on it. Below it was a huge water tank. When one approached it, one would find a few pink and purple lotus flowers blooming inside, revealing the delicate stamens inside. Just looking at them would make one feel comfortable.
There was also a faint lotus fragrance at the tip of his nose, which made him feel relaxed and happy. There were some red China knots tied to the wooden structure at the side. They were big and small, but they were all very exquisite. The environment was quite good.
Along the way, the fifty judges at the back all knew what they were here for today. From the entrance, many people had been observing carefully. After all, the environment was also an important part of eating. Of course, looking at such a pleasing scene, many people were very satisfied.
The door wasn't very far from the hall, and it only took three to four minutes to get there. As soon as he entered the door, he saw a relatively large hall with many tables of various sizes. The most eye-catching were the five large round tables in the middle. At this time, there were already a few cold dishes on them.
"Come, come, come. Sit down quickly. The dishes will be served soon. Don't stand on ceremony and eat to your heart's content." Master Li invited everyone to sit down.
Officer Wu looked around and was also very satisfied. He gave his assistant Xiao Li a look, and the young man immediately came out and invited everyone to sit down.
When everyone was seated, the dishes began to be served one after another.
The main event was coming.
Although the quality of the dishes wasn't bad, it wasn't to the point where they had to eat it. In other words, they were at an acceptable level. Officer Wu noticed that many people had a look of disapproval on their faces, and he felt that things were going to be bad.
He looked at Master Li, who was still very confident, and felt a little puzzled. What kind of secret weapon was this?
More than half of the dishes had been served, and there were only two dishes left. There shouldn't be any accidents. Officer Wu was puzzled.
At this moment, a mellow fragrance rushed into his nose. It was so fragrant that Officer Wu almost stood up and looked in the direction of the fragrance.
It took him a lot of effort to stop himself from doing so. Officer Wu might be able to maintain his composure, but others didn't. There was more than one person who stood up and looked in the direction of the fragrance.
There were many of them. Now, the person who was sitting at the table as steady as a mountain was more conspicuous. Secretary General Wu glanced at the young man who was sitting opposite him. He looked a little familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.
Seeing that Officer Wu was paying attention to him, Yu Chu politely nodded his head. However, he was recording in his heart, "The fragrance is worth 0.4 yuan. It smells pretty good."
That's right. Yu Chu was one of the people who came to taste the food. He had also participated in the lottery and was chosen.
In fact, it was Yuan Zhou's contribution that Yu Chu was able to participate in the lottery. Otherwise, no matter how good the publicity was, Yu Chu would still be a distance away from Yu Chu.
Yuan Zhou's original intention was for Yu Chu to evaluate the food and increase the restaurant's reputation.
Coincidentally, Yu Chu heard about this event and immediately signed up. He felt that it was just right for him to be chosen at the same time. His luck was pretty good, and he was chosen.
In order to not stand out, he didn't take out his usual notebook to record it. Instead, he recorded it in his heart and went back to make up for it.
Of course, Master Li didn't know about this. He thought that Yuan Zhou was already doing him a great favor by giving him some pointers.
When the waiter placed the dish on the table, everyone finally saw the fragrance. It was the Garlic Sprouts and Cured Meat.
The verdant garlic sprouts were a deep green in color. Even the stalks had traces of green. One look was enough to tell that the garlic sprouts were of a good breed. The cutting skills were decent as well. The roots were distinct, and they were basically the same length. The cured meat had black spots on the edges, and it was especially eye-catching against the green background. The thickness of the cured meat was uniform, making it very appetizing.
"Just the color scheme alone is only worth 0.2 Yuan," Yu Chu noted in his heart.
"Old Li, when did this dish improve so much?" Officer Wu was a little puzzled, but that didn't stop him from picking up his chopsticks and eating.
Furthermore, he was the one with the highest status at this table. Thus, he had to be the first to pick up his chopsticks. Otherwise, others wouldn't taste good. This was the rule.
When he placed the cured meat into his mouth, a dry fragrance that was unique to the cured meat spread out in his mouth. There was also the fragrance and spiciness of the garlic sprouts lingering around. The taste was pretty good. Disregarding his image, he reached out his chopsticks for the second time the moment he swallowed it.
The others were also very satisfied with this dish. As they ate, they would nod their heads and say that it was delicious, completely different from their previous expressions when they were eating.
When Master Li saw everyone nodding their heads while eating, he was completely relieved. "No wonder President Cheng is known as the King of Sichuan Cuisine. His Sichuan Cuisine is truly amazing. It's hard to imagine what Head Chef Yuan, who is even better than President Cheng, tastes like."
As the saying goes, there will always be a higher mountain. Only after passing the hill did he realize that the person standing at the peak was none other than Yuan Zhou.
He made up his mind to properly thank his old friend, President Cheng, and Head Chef Yuan.
…
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