While Lin Xu was waiting for the designer Dou Wenjing had found to produce the blueprints, his senior, Xie Baomin, hurriedly pushed the door open and entered the shop.
"Junior Bro, when are you going to renovate this place? Many customers have started heading to Building Number Two to order your ’Family’ dish. I had someone try making it, but the presentation fell far short of yours; I didn’t have the nerve to serve it to customers... If you don’t get back to work, the reputation of Building Number Two will suffer!"
Building Number Two originally didn’t have much fame, its business incomparable to that of Building Number Ten. But ever since Lin Xu won the championship on behalf of Building Number Two, many customers who dined at Fishing Platform took a detour to Building Number Two to try something new, which greatly boosted its turnover. So Xie Baomin wanted to seize the opportunity and urged Lin Xu to go back to work as soon as possible. With the prestige of the cooking competition champion, he believed that the business in Building Number Two would reach new heights. Of course, the most important thing was finally not having to patiently explain to customers why the ’Family’ dish wasn’t available anymore.
"Director Liao of the Dining Department is really devious, announcing on the spot at the competition that Building Number Two would serve your dish. Now, customers are calling every day asking when the new dish will be available, and the front desk at Building Number Two doesn’t know how to respond."
Lin Xu offered Xie Baomin a cup of Sour Plum Soup, saying, "Bro, don’t worry. If there are no problems with the blueprints once they come out, I’ll shut down for renovation right away... I’ll be getting a salary for going to work, right?"
"Of course, you will! Could I, your senior, ever shortchange you?"
Lin Xu then asked, "What about the guys from the cart? They won’t have anywhere to go and can’t help much with the renovation. How about letting them join me at Fishing Platform?"
"No problem. As long as you’re there, everything’s easy to discuss!"
"Then could you arrange for someone to guide them in their cooking?"
Xie Baomin put down his cup of Sour Plum Soup and said, "Junior Bro, are you treating our Building Number Two as a training class?"
"I just want them to improve under your guidance, Bro. After all, you’re the five-time champion of Fishing Platform. Let them bask in your glory too."
Xie Baomin smiled helplessly and said, "You’re really good to your employees. Sure, they can come. The back kitchen in Building Number Two is quite idle; it’s just right to find some work for those fellows."
After they finished discussing business matters, he turned to Lin Xu and asked, "Did you see the photo Master posted?"
"Saw it. He’s actually living it up in Sanya. But to tell you the truth, Master is almost seventy, and he has kept his figure very well—he even has abs."
Yesterday evening, Master Gao posted a photo on his social media of himself shirtless, drinking beer by the sea. Against the sunset, this old man wearing sunglasses had a wide smile on his face, but what was most striking was his physique—tanned skin, solid muscles, and even a defined six-pack. Lin Xu couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
Xie Baomin said with a laugh, "The Sea King indeed. Health is always his priority. Master hasn’t stopped exercising for years, and his body is better than that of many young people."
Could this be the reason why Leopard Print Lady can’t keep away from Master?
But I can’t use that nickname anymore.
Because after their trip, who knows? They might come back and directly hold a wedding, officially promoting her to the position of fifth wife.
Master, this old Sea King who leaves traces of romance everywhere...
Only a rich, leisurely, and resourceful woman like her could handle him.
The two brothers chatted for a while.
Lin Xu stood up and said, "Lunch will be ready soon. How about eating here?"
Xie Baomin nodded. "Alright," he said. "I’ll make a home-style dish, and you guys can help me critique it."
Lin Xu was somewhat surprised. You’re a five-time champion at Fishing Platform with such high cooking skills! Who are we to critique your dishes?
He asked curiously, "Bro, have you taken on some kind of hospitality task?"
But home-style dishes... Foreign dignitaries don’t often eat those, do they?
Xie Baomin said with a wry smile, "No hospitality task. Last night, my youngest son came home from his boarding middle school, and I personally cooked a whole table of dishes to treat him. I thought I was doing something nice for the kid, but he said my cooking was too fanciful and not as delicious as the school chef’s. That got me so mad I couldn’t sleep all night."
Lin Xu was flabbergasted.
I thought my student Shen was uniquely filial.
Turns out my Senior Brother’s child is also this ’dutiful.’
A grand display of filial piety indeed.
Amused, he asked, "Which dish hit a nerve?"
Xie Baomin grumpily picked up an eggplant from the rack, one that had been set aside for the afternoon, and said, "Braised Eggplant! With such a spread—Glutinous Rice Chicken, Braised Lamb, Fried River Shrimp, and Sautéed Diced Pork—he actually said the Braised Eggplant from the school canteen tastes better! He even said my dishes weren’t appetizing with rice."
That dish is indeed often seen in school canteens.
Back in his university days, Lin Xu had also loved eating Braised Eggplant. The batter-coated eggplants were first deep-fried, then stir-fried again in the wok, becoming soft and delicious. They had a mix of sweet and savory flavors, with a hint of tartness from tomatoes—it was extremely satisfying paired with rice.
Especially the sauce from this dish; when mixed with rice, it was incredibly fragrant.
Lin Xu hadn’t expected it to be that dish. Updates are released by novel⸺fire.net
He said with a smile, "You know, Bro, when I was in university, I particularly loved Braised Eggplant—it’s unbeatable when mixed with rice. The only dishes that could rival it would be something like Minced Pork with Eggplant or Salted Fish and Eggplant Stew."
Xie Baomin perked up upon hearing this and declared, "Then help me critique it when it’s done. Let’s see if it’s as tasty as the school canteen’s version! I’m set on conquering this dish. If I can’t make it better than the school chef, I’ll resign tomorrow and find a job at a middle school!"