Abandoned the Immortal Cultivator, returned to his hometown to farm and sing

Chapter 1227, Section 1216: The Ghost Chef
Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

What's going on? Eating vegetables is now associated with the fandom?

A young man opposite him listened and pondered for a moment, then realized it really did sound like it.

"Master Liang is a fan, and Master Lin is an idol."

"I spent 188,000 yuan just to buy an album. I ate the food, but the albums are piled up under the bed."

"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a rare card."

It seems this guy has been pursuing her quite a bit too.

Old Liang had never heard of these things before and was quite curious. "Then what is 'voting'?"

Why is this old man studying this?

Er Ya blushed and explained, "It's just... it's just... buying extra things to make my idol's ranking rise."

"Oh, right, chefs aren't ranked, they only have titles, and those aren't voted on." She laughed as she finished speaking.

result.

Old Liang, however, nodded with a strange expression. "There really is someone similar. I bought an apartment next to Master Lin's restaurant and stay there for a while every month, just to snag some food."

"..." Everyone was speechless.

Buying a house just to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?

Is it that exaggerated?

Across from them, the middle-aged man suddenly spoke up, "Is this the Jinxiu Huating residential complex? I also have one, in building number seven."

Mr. Liang was also quite surprised that there were neighbors. "Mine is in building number eleven."

Then he asked in return, "Xiao Dai, you also came for Master Lin's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "I was unlucky. I only found out in 2017. I only managed to snag one three times. Master Lin retired in 2020."

Old Liang laughed heartily, “I’ve been squatting for six years and managed to snag one eleven times.”

Only eleven times in six years, Master Lin's drop is quite low.

At this moment, another grandfather spoke up, "I found a chef named Tang Yu in Jinan who makes excellent stir-fried double crispy noodles. I also bought a house next to his private restaurant. Anyone who needs the door lock code can ask me."

Upon hearing this, Old Liang said, "Tang Yu and Master, I know him. He is the eldest disciple of the late Lu cuisine master Jing Xiang. Next time you go, ask him to make three-shredded shark fin and braised four treasures. These two dishes are troublesome, he doesn't like to make them, so they are definitely not on the menu."

"Ah, this Chef Tang, I've been there seven or eight times, and I've never heard him mention these two dishes..."

The two started chatting, and it was like reciting the names of dishes, with one classic Shandong dish after another coming out of Old Liang's mouth.

And how they swindle and deceive that poor guy, Tang Yu, who just wanted to open a private restaurant and live a carefree life, turning him into a workaholic, working 996 or even 007.

This really caused a stir.

One by one, the grandfathers asked Mr. Liang for advice on how to uncover hidden menus from their favorite chefs and how to become hard-working themselves.

Mr. Liang is very open to sharing his knowledge, throwing out all sorts of industry secrets as if they were free.

Anyway, he's retired and won't see the younger generation anymore; his colleagues in their forties and fifties have long since retired.

Liang Yue and the others were shocked again.

Seriously, are you all exaggerating like this?
People buy houses just to be with a chef.

This is even more exaggerated than idol worship.

The words "eating and drinking" are terrifying; they really are a waste of money.
-
"Actually, Master Lin is alright. Back then, at least you could get his if you paid. But Master Gao Bingyi, you couldn't get his even if you paid."

The topic changed again at some point.

"I am a middle-aged man named Dai Kang who became Liang Lao's neighbor," he sighed.

“Of course! I’ve wanted to try Master Gao’s Four Happiness Meatballs and Braised Pork in a Jar for over ten years, but I’ve never had the chance,” Old Liang was the first to respond.

"I still want to eat Master Zhou Xiaoyan's Wensi Tofu and braised whole pig's head," Old Hou said irritably.

“What’s that compared to Master Xu Jisheng’s Bao Gong Banquet, Hongwu Banquet, and Bagongshan Tofu Banquet?” Old Sun immediately chimed in.

It was met with strong condemnation from a group of grandfathers.

That's too greedy. Liang Yue and the others are very familiar with these chefs; they've all appeared at Xinwei and are chefs who have worked at state banquets.

Indeed, there are only a handful of state banquet chefs still active today, and they have long since retired, only appearing for major events.

Most people would never have the chance to try it.

"Um... have any of you followed Chef Xu, who made the 'Extreme Flavor Banquet' today?" Xiang Boming asked curiously.

"I did pursue him, of course I did." This time it was Old Hou who answered happily, "Xu Ze, the Ghost Chef, was a very famous person in the early 2000s."

"I remember he was in this restaurant back then, which was called Fanrenju." Old Sun also knew this.

"Xu Ze, the 'Ghost Chef,' is as fast as a ghost and as cunning as a demon in his seasoning. He's full of ingenious ideas. Diners are bewitched by him." Old Liang recounted the origin of Chef Xu's nickname, "He became famous in the late 1990s, but his reputation gradually faded around 2013 or 2014."

That's because a few years later, Fanrenju began to decline.

However, Old Hou had a different opinion.

"No, the Ghost Chef said that eating his dishes can bewitch you and make you unable to forget them, as if you are bewitched by a ghost."

"Humans have three souls and seven spirits. Once someone sits in a mortal's dwelling, at least two of their souls are nailed to the stool. The rest? Ha, they're soaking in the dish too..."

Wow, no wonder you're a food journalist!

This description has turned into a supernatural theme...

"How often do you eat here?" Xiang Boming asked curiously.

As a result, all of them shook their heads.

Ok?
The previous description was so exaggerated, it was like a ghost story.

These people bought houses and participated in lucky draws just to get Master Lin's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Why is it that Master Xu's visits are less frequent now?
"Sigh, transportation in Tianhan is so inconvenient. Just to get a bite to eat, you have to take a slow train for more than 20 hours. It's exhausting," said Old Liang.

"I don't even dare to fly on a plane; it's terrifying to fly over the Qinling Mountains," said Old Sun, still shaken by the experience.

"Back then, there was no online ticketing. You had to queue at the train station to buy a ticket. And the trains to Tianhan were all just passing through. There were no sleeper berths or direct trains. You had to transfer in Zhengzhou. I think it was Zhengzhou?" Old Hou waved his hand.

In conclusion, Mr. Liang said, "This place is too remote. Unlike Guangdong, Guangxi, and Shanghai, which have many famous chefs, or Beijing, which has many time-honored brands, this place is only home to Chef Xu."

“It’s a long journey anyway, why not go to Sichuan Province or Chongqing? At least there’s local cuisine, small restaurants, and surprises at every turn,” Old Hou added.

Anyway, when it comes to Xu Ze, the Ghost Chef, they genuinely like him.

But back then, the traffic at Tianhan was... sigh, we couldn't afford to mess with it, we really couldn't afford to mess with it.

This is actually the reason why Fanrenju gradually declined over the years.

With the brilliant chef Xu Ze in charge of the cooking, and in his prime, he's still in his prime.

Putting everything else aside, just look at this group of gourmets. They're the kind of people who would buy a house and land just to have a meal, and they can certainly keep a restaurant going.

Unfortunately, Tianhan is too remote. The highways and high-speed railways connecting it to other parts of the country have only been open in recent years.

Fanrenju missed out on a good time.

It was only with smooth transportation that Tianhan was able to develop its tourism industry, which then exploded in popularity.

"Now it's all good. It's so convenient to come and go. Jiweilou Restaurant has reopened, and Ghost Chef Xu Ze has returned to the scene. We're in for a treat!" Old Liang was genuinely happy.

"I wonder how much a house costs in Tianhan?" the young man he brought suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Old Liang was surprised. "There's no need to buy a house now. It's not like it used to be."

The young man scratched his head sheepishly, "But there's still wontons available this morning..."

Hey, he's really greedy. He hasn't even finished dinner yet, and he's already thinking about breakfast.

Old Hou surprisingly nodded, "We should see. We're lucky to be able to eat Chef Xu's food today since it's the opening day. Chef Xu is quite old, so there's a good chance we'll have to fight for his food in the future."

Upon hearing this, the grandfathers all nodded in agreement, responding with a string of "yes, yes, yes."

Some impatient young people are already showing real estate agent prices to people in the neighborhood next door...

opposite.

Liang Yue and the others: ...Huh?? Are you serious?
(End of this chapter)