Chapter 296: Chapter 191: Sweet and Sour Eggplant + Dry-Fried Eggplant = Flavored Eggplant! [Extra for Grey Come and Go]
Back at the judges’ table, Liu Zhengyu was still savoring the Yangzhou Fried Rice prepared by Lin Xu. It wasn’t that the main dishes made by the other competitors weren’t delicious; it was just that this particular Yangzhou Fried Rice was exactly to his taste. All the ingredients carried a rich umami flavor, and the dry, fragrant rice grains, further enhanced by the aroma of lard, were simply irresistible. As the president of the National Tourism Association, Liu Zhengyu had visited almost every restaurant in five-star hotels across the country and tasted countless delicacies. But he had never been so obsessed with a serving of fried rice as he was today. Unfortunately, Lin Xu had made only one portion. With around ten judges present, everyone got just one or two bites, which was far from satisfying.
On the consultants’ bench not far away, Dai Jianli, holding a plate of biscuits, offered them to Xie Baomin. "You really guessed it! Our little brother’s fried rice went straight to the judges’ hearts. He absolutely deserves first place!"
At that moment, Xie Baomin was actually feeling a bit hungry. He took two biscuits to try, then turned to He Baoqing and said, "Boss, can you swap some chefs from the Snacks section with mine?"
Upon hearing this, He Baoqing immediately retorted, "Don’t even think about it. You’ll definitely try to palm off a kitchen helper on me."
Xie Baomin popped another biscuit into his mouth. "No, I’ll swap my head chef from the stir-fry section with you. Our up-and-coming chef, Qin Wei, specializes in various home-style dishes. You’ve heard of him, right?"
As Building One was closest to Building Two, He Baoqing naturally knew Qin Wei. Besides being introverted, this young chef didn’t have many other issues. Not like Wei Qian from Building One, who was becoming slicker by the day. Lately, Wei Qian had been constantly swapping shifts with the chefs who bullied him; who knew what he was scheming.
With this in mind, He Baoqing looked at Xie Baomin and asked, "Old Xie, are you really willing to trade Qin Wei for one of my pastry chefs?"
"Yes, but let’s be clear: they must know how to make these biscuits. If you try to send me a kitchen helper from the Snacks section, I’ll definitely have a bone to pick with you."
When He Baoqing heard this, he scoffed. "You think I’m like you, always trying to trick people? Just give the nod, and we’ll make the swap!"
"Then I’ll go back and talk to Qin Wei. After he arrives, just symbolically give him a bonus of a thousand or two to appease him. That kid is sensitive; just make sure he doesn’t feel slighted."
"Don’t worry, Old Xie, I know what to do."
Within Fishing Platform, such personnel transfers were actually quite normal, especially with the tacit approval of the head chefs. The personnel department would provide full cooperation.
After settling Qin Wei’s matter, Xie Baomin then turned to Qiu Zhenhua. "Qiuqiu, that front desk manager in the qipao at your reception... Little He, right? I’d like to swap Shu Yun for her. Are you willing?"
Qiu Zhenhua had been enjoying the unfolding drama when Xie Baomin suddenly dragged him into the conversation. But wait a minute... Shu Yun? Wasn’t she just voted the most popular front desk manager for the first half of the year?
He looked at Xie Baomin and asked, "Don’t try to fool me. Would you really be willing to part with an outstanding employee like Shu Yun?"
Xie Baomin sighed. "I have no choice. A few days ago, I had a fight with Shu Yun because of Lin Xu. Things have reached a point where we can’t work together, so I want to transfer her out."
Oh? All the surrounding head chefs looked on, their expressions like spectators at a juicy drama. No one had expected that someone at Fishing Platform would actually dare to argue with Old Xie.
Qiu Zhenhua still couldn’t believe such good fortune would fall into his lap. But seeing Xie Baomin didn’t seem to be lying, he nodded. "I’ll go back and talk to Little He. If she’s willing to go to Building Two, we’ll swap. Don’t worry; if Shu Yun comes to Building Six, her bonuses won’t be lacking."
Although Little He from Building Six was quite good, there was still a gap compared to Manager Shu Yun. After all, Shu Yun had even been praised by foreign heads of state; she was the benchmark among all front desk managers at Fishing Platform. This swap was definitely a win.
After they confirmed the exchange, Xie Baomin breathed a long sigh of relief.
Although his junior brother hadn’t yet tried to poach Shu Yun and Qin Wei, the intention was practically written all over his face. As his senior brother, Xie Baomin could see it clearly. To prevent his junior brother from feeling awkward about poaching from his own people, he had devised this plan. By transferring Shu Yun and Qin Wei out, his junior brother could invite them to join Lin Ji’s Food without any reservations.
As for what He Baoqing and Qiu Zhenhua would do after their staff were poached... Hah! The culinary world is a treacherous place. If this experience makes He Baoqing and Qiuqiu a little more wary, they’ll have me to thank for the lesson!
As they were talking, another contestant was eliminated, leaving only seven on stage. Not a single member of the Fishing Platform trio had been eliminated. They dominated the group points leaderboard, their position virtually unshakeable.
At that moment, two staff members brought in a large basket of eggplants and wheeled in a new rack. On it were various ingredients like pork belly, salted fish, beef, and Scallion and Ginger.
Head judge Liu Zhengyu stood up, microphone in hand, and announced, "Eggplant is a very common ingredient, featured in countless dishes. This round’s challenge is to create a dish using eggplant. There are no restrictions on flavor profile or cooking method. You have half an hour. The timer starts now!"
Eggplant? So, this round has a limited ingredient.
Fans in the live stream instantly erupted:
"My Garlic Paste Eggplant must get some recognition!"
"Please make Minced Pork with Eggplant; it’s my favorite!"
"Braised Eggplant, ready for action!"
"How can our great Sichuan’s Fish-Flavored Eggplant not make an appearance?"