Huayu Chef

063 The Troubles of Red

Wild kitchen is paralyzed.

It is physically paralyzed and can no longer function.

The shop was packed with people, none of them ordering food or buying braised dishes; they were just taking pictures with their phones. Real customers couldn't get in. The kitchen entrance was blocked to prevent customers from crowding into the kitchen and causing a hazard, and to prevent employees from getting out.

The two sides stared at each other through the shop window partition.

Everything was normal in the morning, but it gradually got out of control in the afternoon, and Zhang Jinxuan is helpless about how things have turned out.

With a wry smile, he patiently persuaded, "The customers outside can't come in. Please make way for the other customers after you've finished taking pictures, so as not to affect their dining. I'm not leaving; I'll stay in the restaurant today. You can take pictures whenever you want."

Nobody moved.

"Wild Kitchen is a place to eat, a public place. Please dine in a civilized manner and observe safety and order. There are already so many people gathered in the store, which poses a safety hazard. If everyone continues to crowd together and not move, I will have no choice but to call the police for help."

"Please cooperate, okay?"

No sooner had Zhang Jinxuan finished speaking than someone outside started cursing, "The people in front, come out after you've bought yours! What the hell are you doing blocking the way inside?"

"Yeah, I've been waiting for over ten minutes."

"Brother Xuan, I support you in calling the police."

"Call the police……"

Perhaps due to the overwhelming opposition, the fans who had been crowding the store finally took action, reluctantly pushing their way out. However, some remained unmoved, standing still and taking photos with their phones.

The customers weren't easy to deal with either; they would rush into the store at the slightest sign of trouble to help break the deadlock.

Zhang Jinxuan called out, "Slow down, slow down, be careful."

"Brother Xuan, why are there so many people today?"

"I was wondering the same thing. It must be because the third episode has aired. Have you guys watched it?"

"I saw it. Brother Xuan is really good. He even beat Brother Kid, who is so strong."

Zhang Jinxuan joked, "Kid is a winner in life, and I'm a loser."

"Ha ha."

"This phrase is all over Weibo today. Brother Xuan, you're so witty."

"I not only have jokes, but also braised dishes. What would you like to buy?"

"Ten tiger-skin chicken feet."

"Hold on."

Wild Kitchen is back in operation. Customers come in, exchange a few pleasantries, buy their things, and leave. This is the kind of scene that Zhang Jinxuan is happy to see.

If things were like this every day, Wild Kitchen wouldn't need to open, he wouldn't need to come, and what would be the point of everyone filming?

Sometimes, when fans get really crazy, it can be quite abstract.

They didn't even shout any support slogans, so they're probably not organized fans of Xuan Ni, but rather wild fans who got hooked on "Wild Kitchen".

Just as we were busy, a commotion suddenly broke out in the shop.

"Wow, it's the goddess of streetlights!"

"Streetlight Goddess Huang Mengying is here."

"She's so beautiful in person, and has such a great presence."

"The shade of her lipstick is so pretty."

"Hello, goddess."

"Huang Mengying, I'm a fan of yours, can I take a picture with you?"

"Huang Mengying..."

Huang Mengying was dressed casually, wearing sunglasses, lipstick, and with her long hair flowing down her shoulders. She looked stylish and beautiful, with a goddess-like aura.

She was probably taken aback by the enthusiasm of the customers. Fortunately, she wasn't alone, and the four members of the "Women's Gang" quickly stepped forward to protect her.

Seeing this, the customers in front of Huang Mengying kindly let her buy first.

"You all line up, you don't need to let me go first."

"It's okay, goddess, you can buy it first. We're willing to wait. We can just take a picture together later."

"Thank you."

Huang Mengying walked to the braised food window, peeked out and said, "Brother Xuan, five chicken feet, five duck necks, five duck wings, and please cut the duck necks into small pieces for us."

Then, in a very low voice, she asked, "Why are there so many people in the store today?"

"I guess it was the 'Wild Kitchen' that attracted them. They blocked the store for about ten minutes. If you had come a little earlier, you wouldn't have been able to get in."

"That's crazy."

"Who says otherwise?" Zhang Jinxuan glanced at her and asked, "Where did you go having fun today?"

Huang Mengying laughed in surprise, "How did you know?"

"Sunglasses, lipstick, and casual clothes—isn't this the standard attire for you, the streetlight goddess, wandering the world?"

"Haha." Huang Mengying covered her mouth and laughed, her tone cheerful: "I went shopping with the women's group. By the way, Brother Xuan, Xiao Dangjia sent you a WeChat message but you didn't reply. He chatted with me for a while. I don't know how to comfort him. You must have a way. Call him back when you have time."

Zhang Jinxuan asked with concern, "What happened?"

Huang Mengying said with a laugh, "Thanks to you, he's become famous. Today, a lot of people went to his shop to watch him cook. He has gained a lot of fans on Weibo and Bilibili. He's not used to this change and is a bit at a loss and confused."

"You're a big star, you have experience with this kind of thing, didn't you try to talk to him?"

Huang Mengying rolled her eyes at Zhang Jinxuan and said in a coquettish voice, "Compared to you, I'm no big star. I've gained a lot of fans recently thanks to you, and I keep getting recognized when I go out. It's so annoying."

Indeed, it is extraordinary.

"I haven't seen you properly thank me. How about you come over next Tuesday?"

"what?"

Zhang Jinxuan quietly shared the good news: "We've secured the store on Jian'an West Road."

Huang Mengying's eyes lit up with joy, and she cupped her hands in greeting, saying, "Congratulations! Brother Xuan's Wild Kitchen is growing bigger and bigger. I'll come to see you on Tuesday."

"Go directly to the new store on Tuesday afternoon."

"Ook."

Here, your braised dishes.

"Thank you, you're busy now, I'm leaving."

Take care.

"Bye, Brother Xuan."

"My four junior sisters, please come visit often when you have time."

Huang Mengying greeted the guests, fulfilled the requests of several fans for photos, and then gracefully left with her braised food.

Zhang Jinxuan took off his plastic gloves, asked Sister Liu to take over for him, washed his hands, and went out through the back door.

I took out my phone, connected to the internet, opened WeChat to check the message from Little Chef, and then called him.

The call was connected very quickly.

"Hey, Brother Xuan."

"Little Master, I'm so sorry, the shop has been so busy, I haven't had a chance to check my phone. Just call me if you need anything."

"My family also owns a restaurant, so I know you must be very busy. My matter is not a big deal, so I won't bother you while you're working."

"It's nothing, don't be so formal. How's business at the shop today?"

The young chef's voice was full of joy and satisfaction: "Business is booming. At noon, customers come one after another, and the tables are never empty. Many people come to the store specifically to see me, comfort me, and encourage me. It feels great."

"Oh right, Uncle Yu from Deyun Club also came to my shop. He ordered a plate of my Lao Bao San, praised it, and even asked me for your phone number, Brother Xuan."

Zhang Jinxuan asked in astonishment, "Grandpa Yu asked you for my phone number?"

"right."

"You gave it to me?"

"Yes, you gave it to him. Aren't you all actors? Brother Xuan should know Uncle Yu, right? Almost everyone in Tianjin knows him."

Zhang Jinxuan touched his nose. "It's a one-sided acquaintance, right? Did you get his phone number?"

"I don't want it."

"Why didn't you take it?"

"I'm sorry, I don't want it."

Well, let's wait for Uncle Yu to contact us first and see what he's up to. If he comes to challenge us on behalf of Deyun Society, we'll have to cook him a good meal and send him to the green belt to escape, to get justice for those who learned to cook from him in their past lives.

Haha.

"Let's not talk about Uncle Yu anymore, let's talk about you. What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know, I just like cooking and I wanted to help my parents. I didn't think too much about it at first. This time I suddenly became popular, and my classmates, teachers and relatives called me one after another. Some people advised me to make more cooking videos, and some people advised me to cook more dishes in the restaurant to attract customers. There were all kinds of opinions, and I felt that they all made sense. I wanted to do them all. It was very chaotic."

Zhang Jinxuan understands Xiao Dangjia's feelings very well. When the first episode of "Wild Kitchen" became popular, many people praised him. When people praise you without putting you down, it's easy for you to get carried away.

The young master is only 15 years old, at an age where he can get carried away by a single word and is more easily influenced by the outside world.

"Little Chef, do you like cooking?"

"I like it very much."

"Have you considered pursuing a career as a chef? Do you want to run Xingyuan Restaurant like your parents, or pursue higher-level development? For example, becoming the head chef of a large restaurant, or even a master chef?"

"I hadn't thought about that..."

"Let me give you a little advice: focus on your studies first, get into high school and then university. Once you graduate, have accumulated a certain level of knowledge, and are more mature, then you can consider your career."

"I once chatted with a master chef. This master chef is very skilled, one of the top chefs in the country. He often complained that he didn't study much when he was young, that his knowledge was shallow, and that he lacked imagination. He felt that he had reached the pinnacle of his culinary skills and couldn't go any further. He believed that being a chef is like doing scientific research; in the end, it all depends on culture, knowledge, and imagination."

"You're 15 years old this year, and you've already laid a solid foundation in culinary skills, which is better than many people. You can definitely have more options. Even if you don't want to be a chef in the future, you can use your knowledge to change careers and start a new business."

If you can't tell whether the current prosperity is real or fake, then calm down and do what you should do, and let time tell you.

To be honest, Zhang Jinxuan quite admired the young master. He was a good kid, and he had said so much just now for his own good. Whether the young master listened or not was up to him.

After a moment, the young chef asked, "Brother Xuan, can I learn to cook from you?"

"Sure, I just found a new shop that's expected to open in June. Come find me at the shop during the summer vacation, and I'll arrange an internship for you at the second stove. You can learn a lot from the head stove master."

"Thank you, Brother Xuan."

"It's nothing, don't mention it. Oh, I just got a call coming in, let me take this. We can talk again later."

"Okay, bye-bye, Brother Xuan."

"Bye-Bye."

After finishing his call with Xiao Dangjia, Zhang Jinxuan dialed another unfamiliar number originating from Hangzhou.

"Hello, are you Mr. Zhang Jinxuan from 'Wild Kitchen'?"

"I am Zhang Jinxuan, who are you?"

"My name is Yu Hangying, a variety show producer at Blueberry TV..."

Yu Hangying, isn't that the executive producer of "Wild Kitchen" in the previous life?

Good grief, the person in question has come knocking on our door.