The film and television city starts from the courtyard

"Mr. Zhao, I'm in a bit of trouble. My master gave me a task to host a dinner party, but Zhizhenyuan Restaurant is out of chefs. Do you have any ideas?"

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "Did you book Zhizhenyuan in advance? If not, there are so many restaurants on Huanghe Road, any one of them will do. With your influence, Miss Wang, getting a private room is very easy."

"That won't do. We agreed to go to Zhizhen Garden. It's not right to turn around and go to another hotel. It's not good."

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Then let's go to Zhizhen Garden."

"Didn't you hear what I said? The chef at Zhizhenyuan is gone, so the place is closed. What are we going to eat? We can't just go for home-style dishes or barbecued pork buns, can we?"

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "It's alright. Since their chef isn't here, we can use their kitchen and cook for ourselves. It's quite a coincidence, actually. I just went to Hong Kong not long ago and learned a few local specialties. I'm sure they'll be satisfied."

Wang Mingzhu asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you can do it?"

“A man can’t say he can’t do it. If you’re worried, go to Zhizhen Garden now and try my cooking. If you like it, then you can continue to let them eat at Zhizhen Garden.”

Wang Mingzhu hesitated for a moment, but still felt it would be better to go to Zhizhen Garden first. After all, it was much better than going to Night Tokyo, and besides, she really didn't have much confidence in A Bao's cooking skills.

Fan Xinhua had also heard about the mass exodus of chefs from Zhizhenyuan. He had originally planned to go to Zhizhenyuan to cook for Li Li, but he learned from Minmin that Abao had already found an authentic Hong Kong chef for Li Li. The problem was that it was getting late, and the chef was still nowhere to be seen. The proprietresses from Huanghe Road were all watching the commotion from the doorway, and Fan Xinhua was getting anxious for Li Li.

He couldn't wait any longer. Since he was going to have dinner with A Bao and President Xu at Night Tokyo, he went directly to A Bao to ask him for clarification.

Why are you so concerned?

Fan Xinhua said, "I was just asking casually. Are you going to be a chef today?"

"Don't eat anything on Huanghe Road, let's try something different today."

Fan Xinhua asked, "Is this the menu?"

"Yes, let me figure it out for you, and I'll help you finish cooking, okay?"

After receiving the menu, Fan Xinhua immediately called Li Li and told her about its contents.

Li Li was naturally very clever. She knew that A Bao wouldn't show the menu to Fan Xinhua for no reason, so she immediately handed the menu to Manager Pan and asked her to make a promotional banner for the new dishes at Zhizhenyuan today.

Manager Pan hesitated and said, "I've only ever seen these three teas on TV."

"go quickly!"

After Manager Pan came down, he saw Zhao Shucheng and Wang Mingzhu about to come in. He quickly handed the menu to Minmin and asked her to make a banner, while he personally greeted Wang Mingzhu.

"Ms. Wang, Mr. Zhao, welcome. I'll take you to the private room."

Wang Mingzhu said, "Manager Pan, please wait a moment. I heard that your chef left. Will you still be able to operate normally tonight? If not, Mr. Zhao would like to borrow your kitchen to cook for my guests himself."

Manager Pan said, "Ms. Wang, don't worry, our chef will be here soon. But if you're still not comfortable with that, you can have Mr. Zhao do it himself."

Manager Pan naturally knew that Wang Mingzhu was a highly sought-after figure on Huanghe Road because of Boss Bao, so if Wang Mingzhu insisted, it wasn't impossible for Zhao Shucheng to cook for himself. Besides, Zhao Shucheng was now a prominent figure in Shanghai, someone who could buy an entire building in Nanjing at once, and naturally a person of immense prestige on Huanghe Road.

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "Manager Pan, then I'll borrow your space for now, so Miss Wang knows I wasn't exaggerating. But once your chefs arrive, just have them serve the dishes as usual."

"Alright! Xiao Li, take General Manager Zhao to the kitchen!"

Zhao Shucheng followed Xiao Li to the kitchen, and Wang Mingzhu, feeling a little uneasy, followed them into the kitchen as well.

Upon arriving here, Zhao Shucheng felt as if he were back home. After putting on an apron and chef's uniform, he began to get busy.

Knowing that Zhizhenyuan wasn't truly without a chef, Zhao Shucheng only ordered five dishes: Jiuji Beef Brisket, Hong Kong Style Roast Goose, Claypot Rice, Typhoon Shelter Fried Crab, and Emperor Fried Rice.

Wang Mingzhu was surprised that Zhao Shucheng could actually cook, and that every dish was delicious and visually appealing. She was finally relieved, as she could now perfectly complete the task her master had entrusted to her.

Manager Pan was initially worried that Zhao Shucheng wouldn't know how to cook, which would make the kitchen difficult to clean and upset the new chef.

But after seeing Zhao Shucheng cook, and the kitchen spotlessly cleaned, she immediately realized that Zhao Shucheng was truly skilled. If the proprietress hadn't mentioned that Boss Bao had already hired a chef, she would have recommended Zhao Shucheng to be the head chef.

Of course, she was also well aware that someone like Zhao Shucheng, who could afford to buy a building and even run his own restaurant, was probably someone that Zhizhen Garden simply couldn't afford.

Wang Mingzhu asked curiously, "Is this the 'feast' you were talking about? It's a bit too ordinary, isn't it?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Miss Wang, don't underestimate these dishes. This is Kau Kee Beef Brisket. Only Kau Kee in Hong Kong is the most authentic, and mine is just as good. Typhoon Shelter Crab is also one of the top ten famous dishes in Hong Kong. As for Emperor Fried Rice, it looks like ordinary egg fried rice, but the ingredients are all top-quality, so the price is naturally not cheap. It's only because of you that I made it. Otherwise, if someone asked me to make a bowl of rice, I wouldn't bother to do it for less than several thousand dollars."

"This Emperor Fried Rice is different from ordinary egg fried rice. Not only are the grains distinct and coated with egg, but it's also made with Thai fragrant rice, seasoned with abalone sauce, and enhanced with bird's nest. Moreover, this time I specially used olive oil instead of regular cooking oil, and the crab claw meat provides a seafood flavor. You'll know once you taste it!"

With a tentative thought in mind, Wang Mingzhu put a spoonful of fried rice into her mouth, and was immediately stunned, her mind filled with the seaside and memories.

"This is so delicious! I never knew you had such culinary skills. It's a shame you don't open a restaurant."

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "My culinary skills are definitely meant for state banquets, otherwise they wouldn't be wasted. It's a pity I don't have the opportunity. In ordinary restaurants, my dishes are so delicious, it's unfair if they don't charge three to five thousand yuan for a single dish. But who can afford that? So I simply stopped being a chef and stopped running a restaurant. It's better to do business."

"Would it kill you to stop bragging a bit? You have to cook dinner yourself tonight. Those foreign guests have definitely never had such delicious food before. The chef will surely be satisfied."

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "No problem. Just because we need Miss Wang's help, I will definitely do my best. But Manager Pan, when will your restaurant's chefs arrive? I'll try not to disturb them, so they don't see me getting angry in the kitchen."

Manager Pan didn't actually know when the chef Li Li had hired would arrive, but thinking it should be around dinner time, he said, "They should arrive before 6:30. Don't worry about disturbing them, Mr. Zhao; I'll explain the situation to them." "Alright, Ms. Wang and I will go to the private room to wait. Ms. Wang, I'll come down to cook the rice after your guests arrive!"

"Okay, I'll contact them right away!" Wang Mingzhu knew that this was a rare opportunity. Zhao Shucheng's cooking was so delicious that if she missed this chance, she didn't know when she would get another one.

After Zhao Shucheng and Wang Mingzhu left, Manager Pan saw that the dishes on the table were almost untouched, so he immediately asked the waiter to take them to Li Li.

"Boss lady, this was made by Mr. Zhao himself. I never expected Mr. Zhao to have such skills. Fatty Chef can't compare to him at all."

When Li Li saw the dishes Zhao Shucheng had made, she immediately recognized what they were.

"I never expected Mr. Zhao to have such culinary skills. Could he have been from Hong Kong before? No, he doesn't have a Hong Kong accent, and the information he investigated wasn't from Hong Kong either. Could it be that he learned these dishes just because he went to Hong Kong?"

Seeing Li Li standing there in a daze, Manager Pan asked curiously, "Boss lady, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I'm just curious where Mr. Zhao learned this cooking skill. It's not something an ordinary chef can do. There are only a handful of people in all of Hong Kong who can make this beef brisket and this Emperor Fried Rice."

"Boss lady, you actually recognized this as Emperor Fried Rice. I thought it was just ordinary rice and vegetables. I only found out because Mr. Zhao introduced it to me."

"Of course I know it, but most people can't make it taste this good, and the ingredients aren't that particular. In fact, Zhao Shucheng probably made some improvements to it."

Manager Pan was truly impressed this time. The boss's wife is indeed the boss's wife. No wonder she can open a restaurant in Shanghai. She has seen far more of the world than others.

It was almost six o'clock, but the chef that A Bao had mentioned hadn't arrived yet, so Li Li had to call A Bao to ask who she was supposed to meet.

Abao told her that the person was right across from Zhizhen Garden, and that Lili could just go there directly.

After Li Li walked over, she realized that it was behind Jingxiu's tobacco and sundry shop, in an inconspicuous little restaurant on Huanghe Road, where a mysterious old man, Uncle, was sitting.

The old man said, "Miss Li is very punctual!"

"Punctuality is a fundamental requirement for being a person and doing business. Who are you?"

"Uncle!"

Today is actually a crucial day for Huanghe Road, also known as the Battle of Huanghe Road. Originally, Huanghe Road had more than 100 restaurants, attracting countless wealthy people to spend money here every night. However, the ten female bosses led by Lu Meilin have now settled down here, allowing them to dominate the area.

However, Li Li's arrival disrupted this dominant position, so they wanted to teach Li Li a lesson and prevent him from continuing to run a restaurant on Huanghe Road.

The uncle and the others watched this war without gunfire from the sidelines, which was nothing new on Huanghe Road. Apart from a few restaurants that managed to survive, many others closed down within three months.

The competition between restaurants on Huanghe Road boils down to the same three things: cutting off power, cutting off supplies, and poaching chefs. Of course, there's also the most important one: competing with their respective backers.

Li Li benefited greatly from Uncle's words. After going out, she saw a large bus parked at the entrance of Zhizhenyuan. Then, Chef Ding led the chefs to Zhizhenyuan.

Chef Ding originally led his team directly into the kitchen, intending to prepare dishes according to his own menu, but he saw Zhao Shucheng busy in the kitchen alone.

Manager Pan quickly said, "Head Chef, this is Zhao Shucheng, General Manager Zhao. He's hosting a banquet at Zhizhen Garden today, and since he didn't know when you would be arriving, he wanted to cook something himself."

Chef Ding wasn't angry. Instead, he asked, "Zhao Shucheng, Zhao Sheng? Is he involved in the stock market?"

Manager Pan nodded and said, "Mr. Zhao, you've dabbled in stocks before, what's wrong?"

Chef Ding immediately lost his previous arrogance. You see, in Hong Kong, almost everyone is involved in the stock market, although many people know nothing about stocks. But that doesn't stop them from admiring those who can make money in the stock market.

Although Zhao Shucheng only stayed in Hong Kong for two months, his reputation spread widely in Hong Kong during that time. Everyone knew that a northerner had come and defeated many big players in the stock market, making a lot of money and being called a stock god.

"Manager Pan, would it be convenient for me to go and have a word with Mr. Zhao?"

Manager Pan was somewhat surprised by Chef Ding's attitude, but he didn't dare to make a decision on his own, so he could only say, "I'll go ask General Manager Zhao!"

Manager Pan walked over and said, "General Manager Zhao, Head Chef Ding would like to say something to you, what do you think..."

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. Besides, this is Chef Ding's territory. I should have told Chef Ding before I came here."

Chef Ding told the chefs he brought to get busy, and then walked over to Zhao Shucheng. He saw the dishes Zhao Shucheng was making and was immediately surprised.

"Mr. Zhao, hello. I am Ding Sheng, Chairman Jia's private chef. I have long admired your name."

"Chef Ding, I've heard so much about you in Hong Kong, I never expected to meet you here today. Come on, take a look at these Hong Kong dishes I've prepared, are they alright?"

Chef Ding lightly touched the food with a tasting spoon, took a bite, and said, "Zhao Sheng's cooking is very authentic, especially this Nine-Flavor Beef Brisket. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a Nine-Flavor Beef Brisket. But this Emperor's Fried Rice is different from the common way of making it?"

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "As expected of the head chef, I made a slight modification to this dish, using crab claws. Of course, it would be even better if we used foreign seafood, which would also allow us to sell it for a higher price. As for the other ingredients, such as olive oil, salmon, or abalone, they are all commonplace and not worth mentioning."

Chef Ding dared not think that Zhao Shucheng's Emperor Fried Rice was anything special, after all, he also made fried rice, especially Ship King Fried Rice.

However, the ingredients on the two sides are worlds apart. The Ship King Fried Rice uses mackerel, paired with Jinhua ham, wild scallops, Gaotang sea duck eggs, and pickled mustard greens, but in essence, it can only be considered a low-end version of the Emperor Fried Rice.

Of course, he didn't consider himself inferior. He admired Zhao Shucheng's willingness to innovate. The traditional Emperor's Fried Rice was already quite good, but after Zhao Shucheng's improvements, the taste was even better. (End of Chapter)