Chapter 124: What is the Gourmet Record?

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: What is the Gourmet Record?

After his bitter pleas to Zhu Jin failed, Li Shan received a phone call.

His expression shifted several times, as if he wanted to explain something.

But he was cut off by the person on the other end of the line.

In the end, Li Shan hung up, dejected.

Looking like he’d lost his soul, he staggered outside.

Everyone watched his retreating figure with a mix of pity, satisfaction, and indifference.

「About half a minute passed.」

"Hey! Your camera!"

Qi Pei’er snapped to her senses and hurried after him.

Fu Chao sneered.

"Is there any need to worry? He probably won’t be using it anymore... Ah, crap, the guy didn’t pay!"

With that, he also gave chase.

Nan Zhi smiled faintly and raised a hand to pat the top of Nan Yi’s head.

Then she noticed Nan Yi was snickering too.

"Let’s go, Yiyi. We’ll head back to the kitchen for now."

’There’s a huge pile of orders we haven’t finished.’

’Of course, the most important thing is... to keep a low profile.’

"Wait!"

Nan Zhi stopped and turned around.

The person who had called out to her was none other than Zhu Jin.

His eyes seemed to glow, and he rushed over like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, looking far too eager.

So much so that Nan Yi instinctively grew wary and stepped in front of his mother.

"What are you doing?"

"It’s alright."

Nan Zhi gently pulled Nan Yi to her side and looked at Zhu Jin with a questioning gaze.

Belatedly realizing how abrupt he had been, Zhu Jin gave an awkward laugh.

Only then did he remember his purpose for coming over.

"Oh, right! I came to ask if you’re interested in having Nan Family’s Small Restaurant participate in this year’s second-half Gourmet Record selection?"

The people in the restaurant and the livestream audience were still reeling from the juicy drama of Li Shan’s public exposure.

And then, another bombshell dropped, leaving them all dizzy...

[The Gourmet Record? The *real* Gourmet Record?]

[Are you kidding me?! This is Zhu Jin! Not some fraud like Li Shan. He’s the genuine chairman of the Gourmet Record committee! A great gourmand! A super-tycoon!]

[Alright, alright, we get it. Is it really that exciting? It’s just some selection process...]

[I’m so mad I could laugh. That’s not what some people were saying when they were trashing Nan Zhi earlier! Calling her a marketing-made ’God of Cookery,’ saying she was asking to be humiliated, predicting an on-air disaster... I’ve got my little notebook out, I remember who you are!]

[Is there any Hua Country person who doesn’t know the prestige of the Gourmet Record? A personal invitation from the committee chairman is something people in the industry can only dream of!]

[That’s right, I’m a professional chef. If I were personally invited by Zhu Jin to participate in the Gourmet Record selection, I’d wake up laughing in my sleep!]

...

What is the Gourmet Record?

It’s the world’s most authoritative ranking of Chinese cuisine! Bar none!

The Gourmet Record publishes a TOP 100 list every six months, with rankings adjusted based on judges’ scores.

Anyone who uses this list to choose where to eat will never be disappointed!

Therefore, every time a new list is released, foodies from all over flock to check out the restaurants—

It’s not uncommon for a restaurant to go from deserted to booming after being featured in the Gourmet Record.

The list’s true, immense influence can be seen in how a once-unheard-of small town can explode into a new, popular tourist destination simply because of a Gourmet Record recommendation!

Furthermore, Michelin, the Gourmet Record’s counterpart, judges its star ratings on multiple factors like the taste of the dishes, restaurant service, and ambiance. Restaurants that achieve the highest standard of three Michelin stars are all exorbitantly priced.

But the Gourmet Record is different.

Its sole criterion is that the food tastes good!

Deliciousness is the ultimate truth!

As a result, the TOP 100 list often features affordable small shops, night market food stalls, and roadside food stands.

And besides the ranking itself, the Gourmet Record has also branched out into a professional food magazine, *Gourmet Delights*, and an app catering to the internet age, "Gourmet Review."

The former’s subscribers are mostly high-net-worth individuals, taking a high-brow, exclusive approach.

The latter is aimed at the general public, cataloging nearly every restaurant, big or small, in Hua Country, and even allows ordinary people to participate in the scoring.

For the younger generation especially, opening the "Gourmet Review" app to pick a restaurant based on scores and other diners’ reviews has become an essential part of going out to eat.

...This just goes to show how wide the Gourmet Record’s reach is!

However, Nan Zhi didn’t answer right away.

She first pondered for a moment.

Amidst everyone’s silent screams of ’Say yes! Say yes!’, Nan Zhi slowly began to speak:

"If circumstances allowed, I would of course be delighted. The problem is, this restaurant won’t be open in the second half of the year. So... I’m very sorry."

The guests and show staff: ’Oh, right. They’re filming a variety show.’

The livestream audience: ’Ugh, why do we keep forgetting that?’

The restaurant patrons: ...

"What? It won’t be open in the second half of the year? Why not?"

A curly-haired woman was so agitated she shot to her feet and voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

Nan Zhi let out a soft "um."

"Actually..."

The curly-haired woman had already rushed forward and grabbed Nan Zhi’s hand.

"Don’t! This place has already become our family’s daily cafeteria! If you close down, where will we eat?!"

Nan Zhi looked past the woman to her table—a family of five, three generations, all sitting there neatly.

Nan Zhi tried to explain:

"Ma’am, we’re..."

"Is it because your ingredients are too good and you’re not making enough money to stay open? That’s fine! You can raise your prices! Raise them as much as you want! We can afford it!"

The woman cut Nan Zhi off with particular earnestness.

Nan Zhi: ...

Everyone else: ...

They had only ever seen people "harvesting leeks."

They had never seen the leeks themselves gain sentience, jump out of the ground, and beg to be harvested!

What kind of magic did Nan Zhi’s food possess?!

[I can’t understand it unless she’s put a curse on them.]

[This lady’s family must be well-off. A family of five eating here every day can’t be cheap!]

[There are plenty of rich locals in Yanjing!]

[Ah, am I the only one who understands how she feels? A small restaurant I loved moved far away from my home, and I’m so busy with work I can’t even go once a week. I was so upset I cried all night! I wasn’t even this sad when I broke up with my boyfriend!]

[Me too! I used to get takeout from this place that was only open two days a week and closed for five. I had to plan my schedule just to hit them up on those two fixed days! It’s true what they say, in this world, only the diners starve, not the chefs!]

...

This time, Nan Zhi had to quickly explain before the emotional woman could speak again:

"Ma’am, we’re filming a variety show."

The curly-haired woman was dumbfounded.

Besides the woman, not everyone present knew the truth, and they were also shocked to hear it—

"What? It’s not a restaurant, you’re filming a show?"

"Will we be on TV then?"

"What’s the name of the show?"

"..."

Just then, Fu Chao, having failed to catch Li Shan, walked back in, grumbling alongside Qi Pei’er.

The moment the two of them stepped into the restaurant, someone pointed at him:

"Ah! So you really are Fu Chao!"