Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"Let the feast begin!"

As Fang Zhentao, who was standing at the door of the private room, called out, several waiters immediately filed in with trays. The first dish was a braised platter of Chaozhou goose meat, feet, wings and gizzards arranged in a fan shape and drizzled with old braising sauce. As soon as it was served, the aroma filled the private room.

The second dish was steamed grouper. The fish was cut evenly, and the cooking time was just right. The fish meat was tender enough to fall off the bone without falling apart. The soy sauce was clear and the scallions were bright green.

The third dish is lobster baked in golden broth.

The fourth dish is steamed abalone with black bean sauce.

The fifth dish is steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli.

As dish after dish was served by the waiters, each one exquisite and meticulously prepared, the guests in the private room were dazzled. Unlike the dishes at Chen Rongfei's graduation banquet, Chang Liangming and Lin Depeng had truly put in their best efforts to cook this feast.

"Come on, everyone, stop just watching and start eating," Chen Xiangui said with a smile, taking the lead by picking up a piece of grouper and placing it in Grandma Wei Shufen's bowl.

Grandma Wei Shufen picked up her chopsticks and took a small bite of the fish that her son Chen Xiangui had put on her plate. As the eldest among the guests, she started eating as soon as she did. Only then did the others at the main table and the accompanying tables begin to eat.

Chen Xianfu picked up a piece of lobster meat with his chopsticks and said to Chen Xianhai next to him while chewing, "This tastes even sweeter than the one I had at Rongfei's college entrance banquet last time. It seems that Chef Chang and Chef Lin have kept their skills to themselves."

"Of course! Look, Master Ye is here today too. If we don't show off our true skills, Master Ye will say we're not proficient enough, haha!"

Chen Xianfu and Chen Xianhai thought nothing of what they were saying, but to others, it took on a different meaning. Ye Daqiu coughed lightly and said, "It's not that Liangming and Depeng have to work harder just because I'm here today. Their skills are both from my teaching, and they would never hold back. The reason the dishes are so delicious today is mainly because the ingredients were fresh enough. That's something that can't be compared."

"Yes, Master Ye is right," Chen Zaiguang understood what Ye Daqiu meant. "The ingredients today are indeed fresh, the fish has a fishy flavor, and the braising sauce is rich. They really put their heart into it."

"Yes, yes, they really put their heart into it," Chen Xianfu and Chen Xianhai realized they had misspoke and quickly echoed their nephew Chen Zaiguang's words.

Lin Qingsheng and Chen Lianxiang stood up. Lin Qingsheng raised his wine glass above his head and addressed the Chen family members and guests in the private room, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, today is the engagement banquet of Lin Qingsheng and Chen Lianxiang. Thank you all for gracing us with your presence. I, Lin Qingsheng, am deeply grateful!"

"Here, I wish you all peace, joy, and all the best. A toast to you all!"

"good!"

Lin Qingsheng immediately tilted his head back and downed the wine in one gulp, followed by the others. Lin Qingsheng and Chen Lianxiang didn't sit down immediately, but instead refilled their glasses and went together to Chen Xiangui. Chen Xiangui smiled and stood up. Lin Qingsheng placed his glass below Chen Xiangui's and respectfully said, "Dad, today is the day of my engagement with A-Xiang. Thank you both for your trust. I'd like to propose a toast to you, wishing you good health and happiness!"

Chen Xiangui nodded with a smile, and lightly clinked glasses with Lin Qingsheng. "Okay, whatever you like."

Huang Lanzhi held Chen Lianxiang's hand, and the mother and daughter whispered to each other. Lin Qingsheng drank two more cups with his father-in-law, Chen Xiangui, before returning to his seat with Chen Lianxiang. Chen Zaixing seized the opportunity, holding a whole bottle of freshly opened Moutai in one hand and a wine glass in the other, and walked over with a grin.

"Sister, hehe," Chen Zaixing chuckled as he moved closer to Chen Lianxiang. Lin Qingsheng knew from his posture that he was up to no good.

Chen Lianxiang knew her younger brother's alcohol tolerance, and she dared not let him directly try to get Lin Qingsheng drunk. So she first "challenged" Chen Zaixing, saying, "You little brat, you knew your sister was getting engaged today, and you only came at the last minute, right? Tell me how you should be punished."

"I'll punish myself with three drinks," Chen Zaixing said readily, opening the bottle cap, pouring a full glass, and drinking it down in one gulp. He downed all three glasses in a row as easily as drinking water. Lin Qingsheng thought to himself, "Good heavens, this guy's an alcoholic."

My life is over!

After finishing his three cups, Chen Zaixing refilled his own glass and then said to Lin Qingsheng, "Qing...brother-in-law, shall we have a toast?"

Chen Zaixing wanted to call Lin Qingsheng by his name, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was glared at by Chen Lianxiang and had to quickly change his address to "brother-in-law". Lin Qingsheng picked up his glass and said, "Okay, then I'll have a drink with my brother-in-law."

"Fifth brother, drink less. Your brother-in-law will have to go to other tables to toast later," Chen Lianxiang had no choice but to persuade him. When Chen Zaixing saw his sister say this, he touched his nose, knowing that his little thoughts had been seen through. "Okay, then I'll drink this one. We can drink another day."

While Chen Zaixing and Lin Qingsheng were drinking, Chen Dong and Chen Zaiguang were sipping their drinks and chatting. Chen Zaiguang, having finished toasting his master Ye Daqiu, returned to his seat and, overhearing Chen Dong and Chen Zaiguang's conversation, perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, asked Chen Dong, "Adong, what do you think of my 'Nanyue Tower'?"

"Not bad, the decor is quite impressive," Chen Dong joked with a smile. "Third Brother is now a leader in the catering industry. When are you planning to open another branch of 'Nanyue Lou'?"

"Ah Dong, you're joking. Opening a branch takes time. Besides, I need that many master chefs in the kitchen," Chen Zaiguang said, shaking his head. "Ah Dong, opening a restaurant is not like opening a 'Kendall Chicken' fast food restaurant, where you just fry things. Without master chefs in charge, the restaurant's signboard will be smashed in no time."

"Finding a head chef is easy, just hire one," Chen Zaifang, sitting to the side, interjected. "In this day and age, if you have money, you don't have to worry about not finding a good chef, right?"

"You make it sound so easy. Do you think a good chef is like a cabbage at the market, someone you can just hire casually? They're the star chefs of the local restaurants, they wouldn't just come here so easily," Chen Zaiguang said noncommittally to his cousin Chen Zaifang's words.

"Third Brother is right," Chen Zailong said. "Moreover, there are more privately owned restaurants now, and some famous chefs have already been hired. Those who wanted to start their own businesses have also opened their own shops, so it's really hard to hire them."

Chen Dong chuckled and looked at Chen Zaiguang, "Third Brother, I have an idea that can help you hire a great chef and also enhance the reputation of your 'Nanyue Restaurant'."

Chen Zaiguang became interested after hearing this, "Adong, tell me, what's the solution?"

"Yes, Ah Dong, you're very knowledgeable. Give me some advice," Chen Zaiguang said, placing a piece of goose meat in Chen Dong's bowl and looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to come up with his so-called idea.

"Now that China's reform and opening up is continuing to deepen, I dare not say that every household has a television set, but at least more than 30% of households have one," Chen Dong said slowly. "Nowadays, most of the TV programs are operas or news, and there are very few dramas."

As Chen Dong spoke, Chen Zaiguang and the others didn't dare to interrupt. Chen Dong continued, "Third Brother, your 'Zairong Catering' could totally fund a program with a TV station in Tuocheng or Huadu. I've already thought of a name for you: 'Chef God Showdown'!"

"A battle of culinary masters?!"

Chen Zaiguang asked, puzzled, "Adong, what exactly is this 'Chef God Competition' all about? Tell your third brother in detail."

"Third Brother, this 'Chef Showdown' is exactly what it sounds like. We invite all the chefs who want to show off their culinary skills to the show. We'll also invite a few master chefs from various cuisines to be judges, like your master, Master Ye Daqiu," Chen Dong explained to Chen Zaiguang with a smile.

"Chef Ye is a national-level master chef specializing in Chaozhou and Tuozhou cuisine. We specially invited such a master chef to come, which not only promotes the cuisines of our master chefs but also enhances the reputation of 'Nanyue Lou'!"

"We can definitely raise the total prize money for the tournament. 100,000 for the champion, 80,000 for the runner-up, and 50,000 for third place. Basically, we'll set the prize money however it creates the hype, and get the event really popular!"

"Furthermore, these three winning chefs will have the opportunity to be hired by 'Nanyuelou'. If the show becomes a big success later on, we can even open another 'Nanyuelou' branch in major cities like Huadu or Shanghai!"

"This 'Nanyue Restaurant' isn't just for Chaozhou and Turkic cuisine. We can also serve Cantonese, Hakka, Sichuan, and Shandong cuisines—any cuisine that our participating chefs have, we can list them separately on the menu!"