As soon as Xu Yanxia finished speaking, she saw the few people in front of her were visibly stunned.
The fake imperial chef, Jin Jiexiang, even thought he had misheard and specifically asked her again, "Director Xu, you said your grandfather was also a disciple of Master Lyu Jizong?"
"Yes."
Xu Yanxia nodded.
She then saw him ask with an incredulous look, "You mean that master of Lu cuisine from your provincial capital, Master Lyu Jizong, Master Lyu?"
"Correct, it's Master Lyu Jizong from Huaixiangju in our provincial capital,"
Xu Yanxia smiled at him again and said, "What, is there another Master Lyu Jizong in the Lu cuisine world?"
As her words fell, Jin Jiexiang looked utterly dumbfounded.
It was the professional judge, Master Chef Chen, who asked her, "May I ask for your esteemed grandfather's name?"
"You're too polite, Master Chen,"
Xu Yanxia smiled again and said, "My surname is Xu, so of course my grandfather's surname is also Xu. When he first became a disciple, his name was Xu Dazhu, but he later changed it to Xu Fangshu. If I remember correctly, he should rank between your master, Elder Zhang Dingxin, and Elder Bao Deshun, as the second disciple of Grandmaster Lyu Jizong."
"So you are the granddaughter of Second Uncle Xu?"
Master Chef Chen's face lit up with realization, and he quickly extended his hand to shake hers again, saying, "I truly never expected to meet a descendant of Second Uncle Xu here!!!"
"I also didn't expect to meet both of my martial uncles today,"
Xu Yanxia also smiled, specifically saying to Master Chef Chen, "It's rare that Martial Uncle Chen still knows of my grandfather."
"How could I not know!"
Master Chef Chen immediately exclaimed with emotion, "I've heard from my master since long ago that Grandmaster Lyu took in six disciples in total. The eldest and the third are in Jingbei, the second and fourth are in their hometown, the fifth is in the provincial capital, and the youngest martial uncle is in Shencheng."
As he spoke, he also cautiously tried asking her, "Second Uncle Xu... is he doing well?"
"My grandfather is doing fine,"
Xu Yanxia immediately replied with a relaxed smile, "As it happens, he's in Jingbei these past couple of days. If all goes well, I'm planning to invite him to watch the finals live."
"That would be wonderful!"
Master Chef Chen immediately said with a relieved expression, "I must also pay a visit to him! To be honest, our Jingbei Lu Cuisine Association is currently planning to compile a complete lineage chart. My master passed away a few years ago. Nowadays, among their generation, probably only Martial Uncle Xu, Martial Uncle Bao, and that Martial Uncle Wu in Shencheng remain. They are all treasures of our school!!"
"Yes."
Xu Yanxia smiled. Seeing him ask again, "I remember hearing from my master before that Second Uncle Xu was also in Jingbei back in the day, but later he seemed to have left? Has he been in Qingcheng all these years?"
Xu Yanxia gave a simple answer, "I only heard from my grandfather recently that back then, it was during a special period. A leader who brought him to Jingbei was transferred to the northwest, and due to various reasons, he returned to our Qingcheng. He's been in Qingcheng all these years, running a small restaurant and raising my brother and me."
Of course, given Martial Uncle Chen's age, he likely understood that era better than she did. Upon hearing this, he nodded and didn't ask further.
Meanwhile, Jin Jiexiang, who had regained his composure, asked her with a suspicious look, "That doesn't add up, Director Xu. Since your grandfather is also from the Lu cuisine tradition, how did you end up in the south doing Cantonese cuisine?"
Xu Yanxia smiled again and said, "I went to Rong City for university. Later, after graduation, I entered the Rong City catering industry while job hunting."
"Actually, major restaurants nowadays don't just serve local cuisine. For example, yesterday at Decuilou, I ordered a dish of 'Drunken Aroma Duck Tongues,' which is actually a Su-Zhe cuisine style dish."
As her words fell, the expression of Decuilou's head chef, Zhao Yanting, turned rather unpleasant.
Master Chef Chen, however, nodded again and said, "That's true. Nowadays, fusion cuisine is basically the trend everywhere. Take Jingbei for example, which restaurant doesn't sell Sichuan-style pickled cabbage fish or boiled pork slices!"
He even gave her a thumbs-up, saying, "Young lady, I've watched your performances from the previous episodes. Your skills are very solid, and you handle various cuisines quite authentically. You've brought honor to our school!"
"You flatter me."
Xu Yanxia smiled modestly and took the opportunity to compliment him in return, "You are highly respected in Jingbei's culinary circle and are truly a role model for us juniors like myself."
"I dare not accept such praise, I dare not."
Master Chef Chen chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
Before they could chat a few more sentences, Decuilou's head chef, Zhao Yanting, spoke up and asked Xu Yanxia, "So it turns out we're from the same school after all this. How come you never mentioned your lineage in the previous episodes of the show?"
Xu Yanxia smiled once more and said, "As the saying goes, 'The master leads you to the door; the rest is up to you.' I'm still young. If I came to participate in a variety show and kept mentioning my lineage with every sentence, wouldn't it bring shame to our grandmaster if I messed up a dish?"
The pointedness of this remark seemed rather evident, as Zhao Yanting immediately choked on his words.
The other two also instinctively cast their glances towards him.
"......"
After all, everyone knew that their Decuilou had always used its lineage as a selling point.
Especially today, they had been trending on social media and getting criticized, nearly dragging Elder Bao into the mess as well.
Meanwhile, Ye Shu and a few of her friends exchanged glances, silently cheering in their hearts.
That's their Director Xia for you! Insulting someone without using a single swear word is the highest form of skill!
Of course, Zhao Yanting clearly wasn't convinced, but before he could speak again, someone else entered the studio and greeted them—
"Master Chen, long time no see!"
"Director Xu, we meet again!"
"Chef Zhao, it's rare to see you here too."
...
It was none other than one of the judges rumored to be replaced this morning, Teacher Qiao.
Right now, Teacher Qiao was clearly already made up and styled. As he approached the group, he smiled and shook hands with everyone...
Seeing this scene, the film emperor Yao Yi'an and his assistant, who had also just entered the studio, couldn't help but be taken aback.
The assistant whispered, "What's going on? Wasn't he supposed to be replaced?"
Yao Yi'an, however, smiled and said, "Clearly, the Lu family's capital is more powerful!"
"Come on, let's go say hello too."
He then walked towards them.
However, before he could reach Xu Yanxia and the others, he saw someone else enter the studio door.
Almost simultaneously, the director, producers, and other staff in the studio immediately rushed forward, bowing and scraping as they shook hands with the newcomer, their attitude extremely respectful.
The young assistant glanced at the newcomer, a man around sixty-something with slightly graying hair but still upright and composed in posture. Just as he was curious about the man's identity, he heard his boss, Yao Yi'an, utter a low exclamation—
"Director Wang!"
"They actually managed to invite him to be a judge this time!!!"
That's seriously impressive!
Saying this, he also immediately went up to greet him.
—You must know, this was the president of the Jingbei Tourism Association, a former high-ranking official in the Jingbei tourism system.
Although he is now retired, his connections with official channels remain very close.
One could even say that in certain matters, he represents the official stance.
It's quite obvious that neither Decui Lou nor this production team could possibly have invited such a big shot.
That leaves only one possibility.
At this moment, Actor Yao was immensely grateful he had backed the right horse this morning!
...
However, as the saying goes, while some rejoice, others lament. Not far away, Jin Jiexiang, who hadn't managed to push forward to greet the big shot, exchanged a look with his teammates, all feeling a bit bewildered.
Teammate Xiao Fang asked, "What's going on? Weren't we told it was that Director Zhu who was coming today?"
—This was what the people from Decui Lou had personally told them this morning.
This Director Zhu from the Tourism Association was one of the shareholders of Ya Yan. Additionally, that Master Chef Chen was a fellow apprentice of Zhao Yanting, and the other party had even confidently assured them that Teacher Qiao would also be replaced by one of their own people...
That's why they had willingly thrown in their lot with the other side, even going so far as to alter their already prepared menu.
But looking at the current situation, it was completely different from what was promised!
Not only had Teacher Qiao come, but that Director Xu had also struck up a connection with Master Chef Chen, and this newly arrived Director Wang was clearly not someone from Decui Lou either...
"What should we do, Master?"
Xiao Fang frowned and asked Jin Jiexiang again, "Did we back the wrong horse?"
Jin Jiexiang silently took a deep breath and could only say, "Let's just focus on cooking our dishes well for now."
...
