Chen Xuan sat down, introduced herself briefly, and then Lu Yuan got straight to the point: "Ms. Chen, I'm here today to purchase a recipe."
"What recipe?" she asked.
"Stuffed Tofu Stems," Lu Yuan said. "I am willing to pay 1 million for the recipe."
Chen Xuan blinked, momentarily thinking she had misheard.
1 million?
Stuffed Tofu Stems was indeed a dish that required some skill, but for an experienced chef, especially for these senior chefs, it wasn't that difficult.
Moreover, Chen Xuan wasn't one to make things difficult. As long as they weren't being overly aggressive, she was more than happy to exchange culinary knowledge and didn't see the need to charge.
This wasn't something she could quite understand.
"Ms. Chen, we at the Hunan Cuisine Association are also interested in purchasing the recipe for the Divine Fish. We are willing to pay 1 million as well," Wu Zhou said seriously.
Chen Xuan: "???"
If it weren't for the two of them being right in front of her, she would think they were joking.
1 million just to buy a recipe?
Seeing Chen Xuan in silence, Wu Zhou quickly added, "Ms. Chen, the price is negotiable. This is just our initial offer. If it doesn't work for you, we can discuss further."
Wang Tao and the others were completely at a loss for words.
If the challenge were based on who made the most money, it was obvious that Chen Xuan would be the winner.
Even without considering the financial aspect, her recent performances had been so impressive that it was almost blinding.
"The Stuffed Tofu Stems has been lost for a long time, and to see it again from your hands is truly rare. Ms. Chen, please, do sell us the recipe," Lu Yuan urged. "Rest assured, this recipe won't be for personal profit. I will return it to the Lu Cuisine system. If all goes well, it will definitely appear at the national banquet this year!"
Chen Xuan's heart stirred. She seemed to understand why these two were willing to pay such a high price for the recipe.
That 1 million was more for legitimacy than for publicity.
Moreover, this was a win-win situation for her no matter how she looked at it.
So, Chen Xuan nodded: "I have no objections."
Hearing that, both of them let out a sigh of relief.
Just then, the door of the restaurant was pushed open, and a young couple walked in.
Zhang Cuilan greeted them, "Are you here to eat?"
"Yes," they sat down, took a quick glance at the menu, and said, "Divine Fish, Stuffed Tofu Stems, Winter Melon Soup…"
The man ordered one of each new dish without hesitation.
Zhang Cuilan's mouth opened slightly: "Do you want all of these?"
"Yes, all of them."
At this point, aside from the two of them, the only other customers were Lu Yuan and his party.
Lu Yuan and the others also heard what they said and looked over with curiosity.
After all, these dishes weren't cheap.
And it wasn't even mealtime yet; it was just past ten.
"They're probably here because of the reputation," a local chef said.
Pang Tong stared at them for a moment and then shook his head. "They look a bit like Michelin inspectors."
"Michelin?" Everyone was stunned, including Chen Xuan.
"Really? Are they Michelin?"
"Uh… does Michelin even need to hide anymore?"
"Michelin has special inspectors who go incognito to eat, and their meal expenses are covered by Michelin. Quite a sweet deal."
"This is what you call a true food lover?" Wang Tao mused, chuckling. "If they're really Michelin inspectors, that'll be interesting."
Fu Ying turned to Li Prof. and Ma Lawyer and asked, "What do you think? Is there a good chance this restaurant could get a Michelin star?"
"It's hard to say," Ma Jingyao replied. "Michelin's standards actually go against what the general public likes. Especially in recent years, the restaurants Michelin's awarded stars to are mostly expensive ones, not necessarily the tastiest."
"Why not base it on taste? Isn't that what a restaurant is all about?" Lin Fei questioned.
Ma Jingyao smiled but didn't reply, his expression saying it all.
"Lin Fei's got her head in the clouds, doesn't she? Why? Because Michelin stars are often bought!"
"A private rating organization like Michelin, do you really expect them to evaluate based on taste?"
"Michelin's not the same as it used to be; more and more restaurants are just buying their stars. I remember several in Taiwan did that, and it's really frustrating."
"No matter how it works, if Chen Xuan's restaurant actually gets a star, even a one-star Michelin will definitely increase customer flow. That's a good thing!"
Zhang Cuilan, confirming that the couple was indeed ordering every dish, reminded them, "Some of these dishes take quite a bit of time to prepare."
"How long?" the man asked.
"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Stuffed Tofu Stems take about three hours, and the Winter Melon Soup and Divine Fish take about an hour…"
"Three hours?" The woman frowned. "Can't you make it faster?"
Zhang Cuilan sighed. "It's all freshly made, no way to rush."
The man replied, "Go ahead, we'll wait."
Zhang Cuilan turned to Chen Xuan and said, "Chen, they've ordered the new dishes."
"Okay." Chen Xuan nodded, then said to Lu Yuan and the others, "Mr. Lu, you all sit tight. I'll make two portions of each dish. You've traveled a long way; it's a good opportunity to taste my cooking."
Lu Yuan smiled. "Let's do it together; I'll help out."
Chen Xuan quickly waved him back to his seat. "Mr. Lu, please just sit back. I can handle it on my own."
A local chef added, "Mr. Lu, you'd better not get involved. If they really are Michelin inspectors, helping might affect their scoring standards."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan nodded. "Then I really shouldn't interfere."
After all, when it came to Michelin stars, getting one could bring in a lot of business.
The man and woman overheard their conversation and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like our identities have been guessed."
The woman didn't care. "So what if they've guessed? Doesn't matter."
Just then, the man's phone rang. He checked the caller ID in surprise. "It's from President Xu."
"Hello, President Xu, they're here too? They'll be here soon? Okay, I understand."
He hung up and said, "Fang Fei and Zhang Qing will be here soon."
The woman asked in confusion, "Why are they coming?"
"President Xu said if the taste of the dishes is good, they'll award the star today."
"What?" The woman was stunned, and it took her a moment to react. "Directly award a star?"
"Pretty much."
"This restaurant has such power?"
"It's not that it has power, it's just too popular," the man said. "Michelin's reputation has been a bit down recently, people say we're out of touch. President Xu thinks that since this place is so hot right now, we should give it a star to make it a win-win situation."
The woman nodded, looking at the simple decor of the restaurant with admiration. "This restaurant is really lucky."
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]