Ye Jiayao believes that as long as it is a competition, there is no such thing as friendship first and competition second. It is all empty. As long as there is a competition, the outcome will be determined, and the outcome will be related to fame and fortune. Why does winning the gold medal in the Olympics mean The silver medal gap is so big, it speaks volumes.
If an individual participates in the competition, it is only about personal fame and fortune, but this competition is based on restaurants as a unit, so the impact on restaurants will be greater.
"This cooking competition was held once five years ago. At that time, Chef Niu from the Tianshangju faction came in third. From then on, Tianshangju's position in Jinling's catering industry was established. This time, Xuanlue!" Shopkeeper Li sighed.
Ye Jiayao asked curiously: "Who is first and second?"
"The first place was the chef of Sushanfang, Lu Yiming. Later, he joined the Imperial Kitchen. Sushanfang only made vegetarian banquets. Although it was very famous, the business was not as good as other restaurants. The second place was Zheng Fugui from Fuji, so , Fu Ji's status has been unshakable for five years. I heard that the imperial court also wanted to recruit him to join the imperial kitchen, but Zheng Fugui refused. Being an imperial chef is just a name, how can he earn real money by opening his own restaurant? .”
"Xiangyi Tower has risen in the past two years, and it is coming fiercely. This time they have poached Chef Niu. It seems that they are determined to win. There are also Qilin Pavilion and Jufulin, which have also developed well in the past few years. Let's Tianshangju is on the decline." The more shopkeeper Li thought about it, the more he thought it was wrong.
Ye Jiayao was very interested: "Shopkeeper, no matter what, we at Tianshangju are going to participate, right?"
"You have to participate even if you don't want to. If Chef Niu is still there, people would be happy not to participate, but now there are more gossips. Can't you find people in Tianzhang? Can't you make a move? But if you participate, you can only I can send you there." Shopkeeper Li looked at Ye Jiayao with a worried look on his face.
Ye Jiayao said with a smile: "Shopkeeper, don't be so worried about me. Maybe I can suddenly emerge and surprise everyone. Come on, tell me about Zheng Fugui from Fu Ji and Chef Niu. What are the unique skills of these two chefs who you think are the best?”
Shopkeeper Li snorted: "Chef Niu can't be said to be the most powerful. In Jinling City, he can only be ranked fifth. In fact, the real great one is Mrs. Rong. Er Niang learned her cooking skills from her." , It’s a pity that Mrs. Rong became a monk and became a sister-in-law.”
Ye Jiayao was very surprised. The most powerful one was actually a woman, and she was also a monk. Why
"Why does she want to become a monk?"
"This is a private matter and should not be discussed." Shopkeeper Li blocked Ye Jiayao's curiosity with one sentence and continued: "The second is Lu Yiming, the third is Zheng Fugui, and the fourth is Qilin Pavilion's chef Duan Qilin , However, during the competition that year, he happened to be seriously ill and missed the time, and Niu Shunbao was ranked fifth."
Ye Jiayao said: "Lu Yiming has already entered the imperial dining room, so naturally he will not come to compete again. Zheng Fugui also won second place, so he should be embarrassed to come again. In this case, with Duan Qilin and Niu Shunbao, we still have a chance to compete."
Shopkeeper Li shook his head: "No, no, it's true that Lu Yiming and Zheng Fugui will not participate in this competition, but their sons, Lu Xiaotian and Zheng Sanduo, will participate. They have learned from their family and have excellent cooking skills."
Nono is a bear, the competition is quite fierce, there are old guys and up-and-comers. Ye Jiayao suddenly felt that the situation was getting serious.
"Shop Manager Li, you don't have any other candidates anyway. It's up to me whether you live or die. You treat me like a dead horse as a living horse doctor. Can you say some words of encouragement? Don't vent my anger all the time." Ye Jiayao muttered.
Shopkeeper Li thought about it and realized that now he could only treat a dead horse as a living horse, so he said: "Forget it, you are right, I am calling you here today, so that you can prepare yourself for the cooking competition." Once the date and procedures are decided, let’s figure out a solution together, hey…”
Ye Jiayao thought for a moment and smiled mischievously: "Shopkeeper Li, no matter what rules they set, it is still about cooking. I think only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you be victorious. Do you think I should go to Fuji? Qilin Where else in the Pavilion can I go to Xiangyi Tower and try out their craftsmanship so that I can feel confident?"
Shopkeeper Li laughed and said, "Go ahead and pay the bill after you eat as much as you like."
Ye Jiayao pretended to be serious and said: "Yes, I promise to gain something from every meal, and I will never waste a penny from the restaurant."
Shopkeeper Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and waved her hand to tell her to leave quickly.
Shopkeeper Li continued to frown, but Ye Jiayao became more energetic. She was afraid that she would have nothing to do. The cooking competition was a platform for display and a shortcut to fame. What an opportunity. Oh haha... I have to make her ice cream mooncakes and crystal mooncakes quickly.
In the evening, when Ye Jiayao returned to the inn, shopkeeper Du smiled and waved to her: "Brother Li, come here."
"Brother, what's going on?"
Shopkeeper Du pointed to a one-hundred-tael silver note on the counter and said, "This is from your friend. I want to change you to a high-end room, and I will also provide you with breakfast and dinner, and give you some household items."
Ye Jiayao thought with her toes that the so-called friend was not that stupid donkey? Who wants him to mind his own business? Can you buy peace of mind with one hundred taels of silver? Not that cheap.
Ye Jiayao said: "Brother, please ignore him. I live well. There is no need to exchange it. I will return the banknote to him."
Shopkeeper Du nodded and said: "It's okay to give it back to him, but brother, I thought about it, you live in my store, and you help me do this and that every day. I feel bad that you live in a local store. This is good. Now, you can move to the Herringbone House on the second floor, and you can give me an idea about the rent, just one tael a month."
Ye Jiayao was stunned: "Brother, there's no need for this!"
Renzihao costs 300 copper coins a night, which is more than 9 taels a month. If you just give me a tael, it's like living in vain. This is not a matter of a few taels of silver. She felt very bad when a local store gave her a 30% discount, but how could she feel embarrassed now that a personal store offered her a 10% discount
"Okay, okay, it's settled, your sister-in-law and I have discussed it." Shopkeeper Du said with a smile.
Ye Jiayao said sternly: "Brother, you have already taken care of me enough. If you keep doing this, I will be embarrassed to live in it. Please take it back quickly, otherwise I will have to find another place to live."
Shopkeeper Du was a little angry: "Brother, you're just saying that you're having an affair with me, right? You're calling me big brother for nothing, right? I'm running an inn by myself, so what's the most important thing? Isn't it a house?" "
"But your house is not empty, it is used for business." Ye Jiayao reasoned with him.
The two were at loggerheads, and finally the second mother came over to make a decision. Both parties gave in, and Ye Jiayao moved to a herringbone house, and the rent was three taels of silver a month.
Ye Jiayao thought that since her salary had been raised anyway, her quality of life should also be improved accordingly, so she agreed.
After all, it was all the stupid donkey's fault. After Ye Jiayao moved the house, she took the money and went to find the stupid donkey.
Prince Jing'an's Mansion was easy to find, and he found out as soon as he inquired about it. When Ye Jiayao came to the door of the mansion, he saw a wide open door, two large stone lions on the left and right, a row of lanterns hanging high, and guards guarding the door. It was very grand.
Just as Ye Jiayao was about to step up the steps, the guards came to chase them away: "Open your eyes and see clearly, this is the Hou Mansion, no idlers are allowed to enter."
Ye Jiayao looked down at her clothes, which were indeed a bit shabby. They were made of homespun gray clothes, but she didn't look like a beggar! The clothes are still clean and not patched! It seems that the watchdog of the Jing'an Marquis Mansion is not that good either. He judges people by their appearance. It is further deduced that like a master, there must be a servant, so the master here cannot be a good person.
"Did you hear that? Why don't you leave quickly?" the guard shouted.
Ye Jiayao took out a one-hundred-tael silver note and slapped it on the guard's chest, and said: "Brother, I'm here to pay back the money. Please give the silver note to your prince. By the way, if he is free, If you are in a panic, go to the Flower House and have a drink. He doesn’t have to worry about my business. I will definitely tell you. If you dare to put it in your pocket, the prince will ask you later. Don’t blame me for not warning you!"
After saying that, Ye Jiayao patted her butt, put her hands behind her back, and left in a swaggering manner.
The guards were stunned by her, who was this person? He was dressed so shabbily, and he looked like a poor boy at first glance, but he was very bold. He actually dared to call himself "I" and even teased the prince. He was really brave.
However, he was really frightened by this kid, and he didn't dare to neglect, and immediately went in to find the prince.
Xia Chunyu was in her mother's room, listening to her talk. Something that didn't interest him at all and was a headache.
"Chun'er..." Mrs. Xia Youshi, the Marquis of Jingan, smiled softly, and the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes could not hide the joy in her heart, and they gathered together happily.
Ever since he was nicknamed "Silly Donkey" by Yaoyao, every time Xia Chunyu heard his mother call him Chun'er, he thought she was calling him "Silly Er".
"Today, I went to the palace to meet the Queen. The Queen told me that the Queen Mother intends to point out Princess Liuli to you. This is a great thing. Everyone knows that the Seventh Prince is the Queen Mother's most loved one. The son is the most trusted brother of the emperor. Unfortunately, he died young. Princess Liuli was raised in the palace by the Queen Mother. As soon as she got married, she was named a princess. Whoever marries her can inherit the fiefdom of the Seventh Prince and become the king of a vassal. , all the princes and sons of the whole dynasty are not interested in this idea, but the Queen Mother is the only one who has taken a fancy to you... "
Xia Chunyu said indifferently: "My son is not blessed to accept it."
He had long heard how unruly Princess Liuli was when he was on duty in the palace. If he married such a daughter-in-law, the entire Marquis Mansion would be shaken up by her. My mother was so happy that she didn't even have tears to cry.
Xia You clicked her tongue and scolded: "Why are you talking like that? Don't be stupid. This is the Queen Mother's wish. The Queen Mother's wish is the Emperor's wish. Do you want to disobey the imperial edict? No one else can ask for it. You Isn’t it stupid to still be so dismissive?”
"Madam, someone is looking for the prince outside." The maid came in to report.
Xia Chunyu said in her heart, "It's a good thing to come!" He stood up hurriedly and said, "My son is going out to take a look. It may be official business." He immediately ran away.
Xia Youshi sighed gloomily. She was full of joy before, but now she was worried.
(End of chapter)