Playing the Lute to a Cow

They had been thrown out just like that. They really hadn't been shown any respect at all.

In the car, Zhen Xiaoqiu frowned. "You really called it. Once the show aired, no one was willing to receive us anymore. What do we do now?"

"We'll try other restaurants. Fu Lin Restaurant, Lei Garden Restaurant, A Yi Abalone, Da Fu Hao, Jia Lin Building, Quan Ji Seafood Restaurant... There are plenty of restaurants in Hong Kong."

But after visiting many restaurants, they were refused by every single one. It was as though they had coordinated beforehand, guarding against the show with utmost caution and refusing to even let them through the doors.

The following evening, the second episode aired. Its ratings remained high, but the Imperial Kitchen suffered as well. Like Da Long Feng Restaurant, its reputation had been ruined and its business plummeted.

Gourmet Roast had truly become famous.

Boss Wu smashed another television.

He picked up the phone again. "A Rong, that Stephen Chow—I want both his legs. Both legs!!!"

At the same time, an old acquaintance sought out Jiang Hao.

"Uncle Quan, it's been a long time." Inside a private room at a hotel, Jiang Hao greeted an elderly man.

"Ah Xing, come sit down. I asked you here because there's something I want to discuss with you." The old man spoke in an unhurried tone.

This old man was the vice president of the Hong Kong Catering Association and had considerable influence. Back when Stephen Chow had been in the restaurant business, he had also paid his respects to this old man.

"Please, Uncle Quan."

"You and I have some history. A Da caused your catering company to go bankrupt, and you got your revenge on him. Those matters have nothing to do with anyone else. I hope you won't drag other restaurants into this. You know, once a restaurant's reputation is ruined, business becomes difficult."

"I understand your situation now. You're having a hard time too. Several members of our association discussed it and put together some money for you. Take it and use it for living expenses. As for that show, I think it would be best not to continue it. What do you say?"

As he spoke, the old man pushed a check in front of Jiang Hao. Jiang Hao looked at it. The amount was five hundred thousand.

Five hundred thousand was merely a drop in the bucket to the former Stephen Chow, but for an ordinary person, it was a huge sum.

"It isn't easy for us to build up a reputation, and we can't allow anyone to destroy it so easily. If someone tries to smash our rice bowls, we certainly won't be happy about it. It's like a room with flies in it—we'd definitely find a way to swat them dead. Isn't that right?" Uncle Quan said again, still calm and unhurried.

Money and threats.

Jiang Hao nodded. "I understand, Uncle Quan. I know what to do. By the way, Uncle Quan, you won't interfere if we make shows about foreign restaurants, right?"

Uncle Quan chuckled. "They aren't members of the Hong Kong Catering Association, so naturally we have no authority over them."

Jiang Hao picked up the check, nodded to the old man again, and left the hotel's private room.

On the way back, Jiang Hao transferred the money into his bank card. When he returned to Zhen Xiaoqiu's home, he found her worrying. Seeing him come back, she said irritably, "Hey, where did you go? Our show can't go on, and instead of thinking of a solution, you're running around everywhere."

Jiang Hao sat down and looked at Zhen Xiaoqiu. "Our show needs a change in direction."

"How should we change it?"

"Why do we have to keep focusing on Chinese food? The world is huge. We should take the audience to see it—Indian food, Japanese food, French food, Italian food, and so on. We can do all of those, can't we?" Jiang Hao said.

Zhen Xiaoqiu's eyes immediately lit up.

"That's right, we can do those too! How did I not think of that? I'll get someone to work on a proposal and come up with scripts for several episodes right away." Zhen Xiaoqiu sprang back into action as if she had been injected with Chicken Blood and ran off to work.

Now that he had money, Jiang Hao actually did not need to keep making this show. He could spend money eating and tasting delicacies from around the world. Once he had eaten enough, he would naturally complete the mission.

But was five hundred thousand enough? It really was not.

Someone would surely say, wasn't five hundred thousand enough just for eating?

One had to know that eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and smoking all burned through money. Some top-grade ingredients, such as tiger penis, bear paws, deer lips, and camel humps, were extremely expensive even before being made into dishes. It was perfectly normal for someone to spend hundreds of thousands on a single dish.

When Xiaoqiu returned, she already had a proposal in hand. She placed it before Jiang Hao. "Take a look at this script. You're still the lead."

Jiang Hao read through the proposal. "Very good. As long as we keep doing it this way, the ratings won't fall."

Xiaoqiu was delighted. "Then we'll start tomorrow."

"Alright, let's begin."

After saying that, Jiang Hao paused. Looking at the excited Zhen Xiaoqiu, he said, "Xiaoqiu, I'm planning to move out."

Zhen Xiaoqiu froze. "Why are you moving out?" But she stopped there. She felt she had no right to stop him. "Well, that's true. You've been sleeping on the sofa for a week already."

"Of course, if you let me sleep in the bed, I won't leave." Jiang Hao said with a smile.

Xiaoqiu's expression hardened. "You should just go die."

After all, they had lived under the same roof for several days, coming and going together and working on the show together. She had grown accustomed to this kind of life. Now that Jiang Hao was suddenly leaving, she felt a faint sense of reluctance.

That day, Jiang Hao moved into a rented apartment.

The next day, the Gourmet Roast team set out again. This time, they were heading to an Indian Restaurant called Basil. It had been recommended by Michelin, so it ought to be worth looking forward to.

The restaurant's decor was luxurious and grand, like a palace. Indian music played in the background, while beautiful Indian women danced on a stage.

Jiang Hao and Zhen Xiaoqiu sat down and began ordering. A camera beside them filmed the scene. The restaurant assumed they were recording some kind of couples' show and paid them no mind.

"Sukha, giant grilled prawns, Indian flatbread, homemade yogurt, curry lamb, mashed kidney beans, tandoori grill, and Indian spiced tea."

Looking at the food on the table, Jiang Hao felt he truly had no appetite. But since they had ordered it, he might as well taste it. Perhaps there would be an unexpected surprise.

Unfortunately,

There was none.

He tasted every dish, yet did not gain a single point of the Taste of Gourmet Food mission value. He was deeply disappointed. Jiang Hao felt that they should end the show as soon as possible so he could escape this place.

"Please call your head chef over. I'd like to comment on these dishes," Jiang Hao said to the young waiter.

"Yes, sir."

The young waiter quickly invited the head chef over. The chef had a dark complexion and nodded in greeting to Jiang Hao and Zhen Xiaoqiu.

Jiang Hao pointed at the food on the table. "I think we made the wrong choice. This is truly... awful. Curry, curry, curry. Everything has only one flavor."

"And the appearance of these dishes is simply a disaster. Lumps and puddles, yellow and sticky, like something that came out after a bout of diarrhea. Couldn't you at least make them look more appetizing?"

The young waiter beside them was dumbfounded. It was his first time hearing a customer criticize their food so mercilessly.

Then he looked at the Indian chef, who remained smiling and kept nodding.

Both Zhen Xiaoqiu and Jiang Hao were stunned. This chef's composure was incredible. He was not angry even after all that. The young waiter quietly said, "You two, our chef doesn't understand Chinese. Would you like me to translate?"

"Pfft—"

Zhen Xiaoqiu could not hold back her laughter. Jiang Hao looked utterly embarrassed. After talking for so long, he had been playing the lute to a cow.

And so, they ended their trip to the Indian Restaurant.