Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 251 A Hundred Cups of Customized Lemonade? Turns out they're a vibrant college couple! (7K combined chapters)

"Control Room"

"Grandpa, why is this happening? The best-rated item is water, and the second best is lemonade? And why is the difference between the two so small?"

"Is this still a 'Level 5' chef competition? You wouldn't even see something this outrageous on a variety show!"

Qiao Haiqi frowned, her cool eyes revealing great doubt.

Qiao Jie, who was standing to the side, laughed when he saw his granddaughter's expression.

"Is it outrageous? Perhaps it's different from what you think?"

After hearing what Qiao Jie had said, Qiao Haiqi pondered for a moment, then confidently raised her head.

"What's the difference? It's nothing more than the so-called 'compensation mentality.'"

"Exploiting the workers' simplicity and kindness, then offering free water to create a so-called 'feeling of guilt,' has absolutely nothing to do with being a chef."

"If all cooking competitions are like this, I might as well set up a stall at the entrance and give eggs to every audience judge."

"Does that mean all the audience judges need to accept this favor from me?"

"Hmph, what culinary genius, once in a century? He's just a petty, mercenary merchant who uses nothing but underhanded tricks."

Qiao Haiqi's eyes revealed a disdainful expression. She had never really understood why her grandfather valued this young man named Xia Ming so much.

Admittedly, he is good-looking and takes cooking quite seriously.

But many chefs are like that, it's not just him. As for your skill level...

In Qiao Haiqi's eyes, Xia Ming could never surpass the judges.

Otherwise, the offensive and defensive positions would have been reversed long ago.
Looking at his granddaughter's black-and-white view of the world, Qiao Jie could only watch helplessly.

After all, his son is busy with his own affairs and rarely disciplines his granddaughter for long periods of time. He himself is always on the go and rarely has a heart-to-heart talk with her, and his granddaughter doesn't really listen to him.

However, his fundamentals are still good; he hasn't gone astray. It's just that his views on many things in the world are somewhat too one-sided.

Fortunately, I'm not too old. If I broaden my horizons and stop spending all my time watching those ancient romance dramas, I can catch up slowly.

"Haiqi, do you really think that these workers gave Xia Ming good reviews simply out of guilt?"

"Otherwise what? It can't be a glass of plain water that tastes better than the food they're eating!"

Hearing his granddaughter's words, Qiao Jie sighed slightly.

"You'll see, we'll be doing short interviews with some workers later, and then you'll understand that things might not be as they seem."

"Or rather, Xia Ming at this moment is more like a mirror. The amount of revenue is only temporary, but through the positive reviews he receives, we can discover some unexpected problems of other contestants."

"Kitchen No. 23 - Peeling"

Chef Chen Hongyu looked at the revenue statement next to him with a delighted expression.

"A total of 32 servings were sold, totaling 3168 yuan. We are currently in first place. I knew the organizers might arrange for a group of customers to pay 100 yuan. Setting the price at 99 yuan is simply the greatest operation I have ever done in my life."

Of course, the cost of the "Italian seafood hot pot" at 99 yuan a serving is not low, but he calculated that he actually has more points than he can spend.

"For the workers, the pictures on my menu are eye-catching enough, the seafood is of good quality, and it's the most authentic 'Enorian' flavor. They have limited choices, so it's no surprise it sold out."

After looking at the pleasing revenue report, his gaze turned to the "positive feedback report" on the side.

In stark contrast to its "number one in revenue" status, "Chen Hongyu's" "Italian Seafood Hot Pot" only received 16 positive reviews, barely reaching half of its sales volume.

He didn't expect everyone to understand the food or give it a good review.

It's worth noting that the organizers gave each diner two hearts as a token of approval.

However, the rules clearly state that you only need to roll one ball as a minimum guarantee.

So here's the question: if you have a credit limit of 100 yuan, spend 99 yuan, and the remaining 1 yuan can't be used to buy anything, where did the missing guaranteed heart go?
The result is obvious.
"Wait, is there something wrong with these people? They'd rather throw in plain water than give my cooking a good review?"

"They weren't like this when they were eating; they had clearly eaten everything edible!"

If the rules hadn't clearly stated that the goods sold must match the name, he would have even suspected that Xia Ming was secretly supplying the workers with liquor.
Kitchen No. 49 - Leather

Chen Xiaodong wasn't too surprised that Xia Ming got the top spot on the popularity list.

He felt that only by standing in front of Xia Ming could he truly understand how terrifying he was.

But what puzzled him was that Xia Ming's cooking also ranked second on the best-review list.
That 3-yuan glass of lemonade
"Xia Ming, do you have any unique techniques for boiling water?"

"I can understand the 'compensation mentality,' after all, you're obligated to do what others do, but how do you explain this lemonade?"

"Many people are clearly just using it to reach the minimum order amount. Although it's cheap, quite a few people are buying it."

"Given that voting is limited to products you've already purchased, lemonade has a significant advantage due to its high sales volume, but isn't your positive review rate a bit too high?"

After glancing at Xia Ming's sales figures, Chen Xiaodong effortlessly calculated that Xia Ming had sold a total of 112 cups of lemonade.

As for why it can be accurate to single digits...
Naturally, Chen Xiaodong paid special attention to Xia Ming.
Well, actually, the price was too high. Chen Xiaodong, who didn't get a single order, watched the first round of the competition, which lasted nearly two hours, while preparing vegetables and seafood in the kitchen.

Even after reading it all, he still didn't understand how Xia Ming had obtained so many hearts.

Especially lemonade
"Kitchen No. 15 - Qian"

Zheng Zeqian, by some twist of fate, drew this room, and then...
I made two servings of fried rice in the first round and received two positive reviews.

Unlike Chen Xiaodong, Zheng Zeqian did not take advantage of the lack of business to constantly process ingredients. Instead, he started his most familiar mode of slacking off.

He put a few chairs together in the kitchen and lazily made himself a small bed there.

The way they looked, it seemed like they weren't worried about their sales at all.

"It has to be Xia Ming. He has truly mastered the art of tailoring his approach to different people."

"The water supply can be seen as an experiment, and the fact that so many hearts were obtained is also related to the blind box-style competition rules."

"But this lemonade is truly impressive. I really don't understand how he can do that so precisely just by observing."

"What's even more outrageous is that he spent the entire time pouring water. Could it be that this guy could split himself into two and monitor every move in the entire 'banquet hall'?"

"I'm truly ashamed of my own physical strength and mental capacity."

"Kitchen No. 32 - Heng"

Bai Heng placed the last dish on the conveyor belt, then let out a long sigh of relief and leaned against the side to catch his breath.

Because there were two freshly cooked, low-priced dishes, she was the busiest person in the entire competition this round.

Of course, the results were also quite impressive.

"Cold Fish Skin Salad (NT$9): 6 servings"

"Stir-fried Crispy Tripe (NT$48 with rice): 19 servings"

Stir-fried mutton (NT$49): 21 servings

"Stir-fried eel with eggs (NT$72): 5 servings"

Total amount: 2355 yuan.

We are currently in second place.
She knew that the pricing of 48+49 was key to her achieving this ranking.

"I was lucky to find a team of workers paying exactly 100 yuan. If the price had been higher, I wouldn't have been at a significant advantage."

Bai Heng also has some more expensive dishes, but her initial approach was still to focus on quantity.

With its good price-performance ratio and culinary skills, it has managed to maintain a stable total revenue while garnering balanced positive reviews.

Because she has been running a restaurant for many years and is also an online celebrity, she knows the role of positive reviews in filtering diners.

This round is for workers, but what about the next round? And the round after that?

It's important to know that the average voucher amount for diners is 450 yuan, which means that if a wave of vouchers is lower than this amount, the remaining waves will definitely make up for it.

Her upper limit for this is 1000, and she speculates that the target audience might be gourmets or food bloggers.

To take a more radical approach, it could be many big names in the catering industry.
After all, this is a formal competition, and the final 24 selected players must be convincing to the public.

As for why Xia Ming was able to secure first and second place at this stage with just "two cups of water," Bai Heng also had his own understanding.

"Does this guy really have no limits to his energy? He can remember almost everyone's preferences even in such a chaotic situation."

"This ability shouldn't be on the Huawu 5 exam; it should be on 'The Brain.'"

Actually, Bai Heng didn't realize at first that Xia Ming's dishes were ordered individually. It wasn't until she checked the feedback from diners that she discovered the clue.

After all, the total price of her two dishes was exactly 97 yuan.
He's basically playing support for Xia Ming.
"For the same customers, some people's lemonade was at room temperature with ice placed separately, while others' ice was added directly to their cups. This certainly couldn't have been done haphazardly."

"He's as precise as a machine, constantly manipulating everyone's sense of taste."

Bai Heng sighed. She could see through it, but she couldn't do it.

This is the biggest difference between her and Xia Ming.
"Judges' Explanation Panel"

As the workers left one after another, the seven judges did not show much expression on their faces.

Compared to chefs who prepare food while observing diners.

The judges had an exceptionally clear perspective; they had noticed Xia Ming's unique approach to lemonade long ago.

However, they did not point it out directly because it was difficult for the viewers in the live stream to discern Xia Ming's intentions based solely on appearance.

To truly understand, one must combine it with the worker's experience and description.

At this moment, the host randomly stopped a "painter" and began to conduct a brief interview with him.

"Hello, what dishes did you order?"

The painter saw the camera and laughed heartily.

"I just ate with my companion. We ordered a 'fish soup hot pot,' a 'cold chicken noodle soup,' and a 'lemon water.'"

"Which dish did you like the most? How did you give it a good review?"

"This one"

The painter paused for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly.

"I gave the fish soup hot pot and lemonade a good review each. The shredded chicken cold noodles were a small portion, and the flavor wasn't particularly outstanding to me. I think they're not as good as the braised noodles at the little restaurant next to our construction site."

"Maybe it's just that I don't understand how to eat it, but it always feels a bit strange."

Upon hearing his words, the host nodded.

"If you had to choose your favorite one from among them, what would you pick?"

The painter blinked, then smiled and spoke.

"Lemonade, I think it's quite refreshing."

Okay, thank you~

After getting the answer, the host interviewed two painters in succession and found that almost everyone who had ordered Xia Ming lemonade had a very good impression of it.

According to them, the lemonade was just lemonade in the common sense, without any alcohol or other additives, but for some reason, it was quite pleasant to drink.

But when asked where they felt comfortable, they couldn't answer immediately.

Finally, after interviewing a group of people, a porter came out.

He accurately described the taste of lemonade.

"It's sweet and sour, with a very distinct flavor. I even added ice to my drink. After taking a bite of the stir-fried beef tripe and then a sip of lemon water, I felt completely refreshed."

Upon hearing his description, a welder passing by stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, is this what your lemonade is like? Mine didn't have ice in it; it was on the side, but I didn't add any."

The host, who was puzzled as to why lemonade won MVP, quickly pressed for an answer.

Upon asking, it was discovered that the welder's lemonade had a mild taste and a slight saltiness.

After some investigation, the welder discovered the problem. "I feel that this boss, number 44, is quite meticulous. People may not know this, but we welders actually develop occupational diseases after doing this job for a long time."

"Besides the eyes and lungs, we have a very high chance of getting mouth ulcers. I myself get blisters in my mouth at least twice a month."

“My son told me it’s some kind of UV damage, but we’ve been through so many years, we’ve just gotten used to it.”

"When the pain is severe, I rinse my mouth with salt water, then take a vitamin C supplement and apply it to the ulcer. It helps it heal faster."

"I originally thought everyone's lemonade tasted the same as mine, but it turns out they're different!"

Upon hearing this, the mover realized what was going on.

"Ah, I know, no wonder it tasted like a lemon-flavored energy drink to me. My drink must have had extra lemon and sugar added."

"People like us who do manual labor need to eat and drink our fill."

"We sweat a lot and feel sticky all over, so drinking something cold feels refreshing."

As the two different workers gave their accounts, the viewers in the live stream realized what was going on.

[Wow, is this what they call "playing favorites"?]

To be precise, this should be interpreted as "serving water according to the person being served."

No wonder it received so many positive reviews; the lemonade even surpassed plain water in the end—it was a personalized experience!

【No, how much effort must they put into understanding their customers? It's just a 3-yuan glass of lemonade, is it really necessary?】

As for the returns, since this is only the first round, they weren't as high as expected. However, the positive reviews will remain and have an impact later on.

No, good reviews don't put food on the table; sales revenue is the final criterion for judging the competition!

No, here, positive reviews really can be a meal ticket. You know, the average amount of money diners have is fixed; some have less, some have more. What do you think is the first thing those people who aren't short of money look for when they taste a dish?

[But what you get in the hearts is water! I can understand those people drinking water to quench their thirst, but if they had more money, they could have chosen other, more expensive drinks!]

[Please read the rules carefully, bro. The number of hearts is calculated based on the individual chef's rating. This means that even if I get the best reviews to number one and then modify the dishes on my menu, my heart count won't reset to zero. Understand?]

In other words, Xia Ming didn't make much money, but he gained fame. Wow, what a cunning move!

How can that be considered cunning? Each group, even each individual, received their lemonade individually, and he continuously provided water to others throughout the process. His service was impeccable.

[Some Douyin users are still too inexperienced. The essence of this competition, when broken down, is still winning based on the quality of the dishes. I'll make a prediction here: the final rankings will definitely be determined in the last two rounds, when professional judges will be on the panel. As for the earlier rounds, I suspect they were just for honing or testing the chefs' mentality.]

I agree. Otherwise, using this kind of variety show gimmick in a national-level competition would be too controversial.

"Control Room"

"How is that possible? Is this something a human could do?"

Qiao Haiqi gritted her teeth.

Over a hundred custom-made cups? Just for positive reviews?
With so much effort invested, aren't you afraid you won't make it to the end of the competition?

Keep in mind that this round of the match will last for 12 hours.
Seeing Qiao Haiqi's appearance, Qiao Jie, who was standing next to her, smiled.

"Haiqi, do you remember what I said at the beginning? The most basic thing for a chef is 'diner's judgment.'"

Qiao Haiqi took a deep breath.

"But Grandpa, aren't the usual 'diners' judgments' all proposed by the diners themselves?"

"Chefs aren't mind readers; how could they know what diners crave at any given moment? They don't have mind-reading abilities."

Qiao raised his gaze, a nostalgic expression on his face.

"Haiqi, what you said is actually not wrong."

"For example, you go into a Hunan restaurant and specifically tell the chef not to put scallions in it."

"This is your own request, and in most cases, chefs will respect your requests."

"But that's not enough. Sometimes, customers don't even know what they need. In those cases, an excellent chef needs to use their experience to help customers make a judgment."

"Of course, you can say that you are famous and your dishes are highly praised by others."

"The whole world is fascinated by your cooking and becomes a prisoner of your cuisine."

"Even so, if you keep making customers adapt to the chef, there will come a day when..."

"They will be lured away by chefs who are more to their liking and who are more considerate of their tastes."

"Unless every dish you make can awaken the dining pleasure in your customers from the depths of their soul, one day you will have nothing."

"So here's another question: the first step in creating dishes that awaken a diner's soul is to understand their needs and preferences."

"Let's say I'm from Hunan province, used to salty and spicy food. Other foods just don't taste quite right to me. If you asked me to eat Italian food at 'Enolia,' I'd probably find it a bit strange."

As he spoke, Qiao pointed to the interview screen.

"This is the best example. Do you remember what the first worker said?"

He said the portion of "shredded chicken cold noodles" was small, the flavor wasn't particularly outstanding, and he felt it wasn't as good as noodles with braised sauce.

"Could it be that a Level 4 chef is inferior to a roadside braised food vendor?"

"The root cause is himself."

"He was a painter. When he worked in the morning, he was exposed to volatile gases. The gases would flow back into his mouth through his nose, leaving a faint chemical smell in his mouth."

"The contestant who made the 'Chicken Shredded Cold Noodles' reduced the amount of sesame paste, making it a noodle dressing instead, after considering its accessibility and cost."

"This move may have taken into account that children might eat the noodles later. I believe that the seasoning he prepared is only slightly bland for the average adult."

"The price of 'Cold Chicken Noodles' is also very suitable for adding to a larger order, but the main reason why it doesn't receive as many positive reviews as Xia Ming's is that its flavor has become stagnant."

"The painter, whose breath still carried a faint chemical odor, ate 'cold chicken noodles.' The noodles didn't completely mask the chemical smell, resulting in an uneven flavor profile."

"No matter how well the food is prepared, it tastes different when it reaches the worker's mouth. How can it possibly receive high praise?"

"On the other hand, Xia Ming, even while constantly providing drinks to diners, still had the mind to consider these factors. How can he not deserve the title of 'attention to detail'?"

At this point, Qiao sighed and patted his granddaughter on the shoulder.

"Haiqi, there's no such thing as luck in this world. If everything depends on luck and you can succeed at anything, there's only one explanation."

"This isn't luck, it's part of one's ability."

Qiao Haiqi's expression was touched after hearing her grandfather say these words.

She admitted that her previous prejudice against Xia Ming stemmed from her grandfather's attitude.

Qiao is a "Level 8" chef in China. Over the years, he has traveled around for the Chefs Association and has taken on many students.

But even at the age of 70, he has no apprentices.

If he himself is open-minded, has a modern teaching philosophy, and advocates for education for all, then it would be fine if he fully embraced academic education.

But he happens to be the sole successor of "Li Xing," one of the "Five Swords of the Capital."
Even if not for myself, but for my deceased master, I must preserve the roots of this lineage.

Originally, this had nothing to do with Qiao Haiqi, since her culinary talent was limited.

If I don't develop my own career in the future, I might end up taking a minor administrative position in the culinary association.

But it's unclear whether his father was serious or joking, saying that once Qiao Jie takes on his personal disciple, he'll arrange for the two of them to get married.

Qiao Haiqi couldn't tolerate this.
So the more Qiao Jie liked someone, the more she disliked them.

Of course, there is another reason for this.
During this Level 5 exam, she actually took a liking to a very excellent chef.

"Although this guy is a bit lazy, he's mature and handsome, and his cooking skills are excellent, no worse than Xia Ming's."

Indeed, compared to Xia Ming's "utilitarianism" in his previous videos, Zheng Zeqian is more in line with Qiao Haiqi's wishes.

To this
Xia Ming said
none of my business
He never intended to become an apprentice, and now he doesn't even know that Qiao Jie has taken a liking to him.

At that moment, he was rapidly processing the collected cups.
Compared to bowls and chopsticks, cups are much faster to wash and sterilize, so they're sure to be ready for the next round of diners.

His judgment at this moment is the same as that of the previous netizen.

"If all the diners ahead are like this, then it's very likely that these are some extra obstacles set up to exhaust the chef's energy."

"We still need to generate revenue, but as customers bring more money later on, building a good reputation becomes more advantageous than competing for early revenue."

Xia Ming now understood what the question setter meant.

"A chef who is truly confident in himself will use the 12-hour and 3-hour shifts in reverse."

Even if a diner with a large amount of "consumption vouchers" isn't served in the last round, they'll at least be fourth or fifth.

"In other words, the so-called 3-hour preparation time can actually be turned into 5 hours or 7 hours."

"This is somewhat similar to the story of Tian Ji's horse racing strategy."

"Those who come before build a reputation, and those who come after focus on quality."

"If the quality of the food can completely overshadow the reputation, then whether or not you get a heart doesn't really matter that much."

Of course, just because he can figure it out doesn't mean everyone can.

Even if they can figure it out, they still have to assess whether their own strength is enough to outlast those who focus on quality.

"The Chefs Association still values ​​young people more because these rules are essentially beneficial to them."

"They have more opportunities to make targeted adjustments to the menu and can get some positive feedback from early customers."

"This could help them gain an advantage in a later stage. This may also be a comprehensive manifestation."

Xia Ming knew that there was no absolute fairness in a cooking competition.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to teach these players so many lessons.

The Chefs Association wants contestants who are quick-witted, have excellent culinary skills, and are stronger overall.

This is because such people have greater potential, stronger learning ability, and better adaptability compared to somewhat rigid master craftsmen.

Now enter "Hua5 Level", then filter again to enter "Hua6 Level".

Then, aiming for the "all-around top-tier" Hua 7 level will be more competitive.

Whether it's the king Gu in the basin or the Gu worm that's about to be sacrificed.

The stronger the team, the stronger the "Hua 7 level" they will produce in the end.

Of course, for Xia Ming, any match can help him increase his fame.

With greater fame comes greater convenience in resolving many issues in the city.

"At that time, I can try opening a private kitchen, and as for charging, it will naturally use top-quality fresh ingredients."

"After all, private kitchens aren't necessarily located in China. Even if they are in China, some unique ingredients can still be traded."

"When you're unknown, you have to ask people for help; when you're famous, people come to you. This principle applies to almost any world."

Therefore, even though Xia Ming already understood the Chefs Association's purpose, he would still do everything he could to maximize both "positive reviews" and "revenue" in this round of the competition.

He wants to leave behind a record that future generations can only admire on the stage of the first national live broadcast of the "Hua 5 Level" competition.

Of course, he also noticed that the staff had begun to update the menu extensively.

"These contestants must have also noticed the advantages of 'lemonade' and 'drinking water' in terms of increasing order value and winning over diners, so even with a fixed score of 500, they still had to modify their menus."

"Some people aren't unwilling to make changes, but they're still observing. After all, they can only make two revisions, and they're worried that catering to those who came earlier might allow them to be overtaken in the final stage."

Of course, Xia Ming had no intention of changing the menu, because compared to these newcomers...
He has the added benefit of the positive feedback from the first wave of workers.
This can be considered as gaining a prestigious reputation.

Just as Xia Ming finished preparing the kitchen utensils, after a brief change of the menu, the second wave of diners arrived as scheduled.

As Xia Ming watched them walk hand in hand into the banquet hall, his eyebrows involuntarily twitched.

"Oh wow, this time it's a vibrant college couple."

(End of this chapter)