Compensation from Ningquan Residence

Taking advantage of the good mood, the chef surnamed Zhao quickly distributed the dishes on the tray.

After tasting it, the diners all nodded in approval:

"Hmm... the taste is as good as ever."

"I'm eating it without any problem. I think that person is just looking for trouble."

"...Huh, why do these two dishes taste even better than the ones we had before?" a customer exclaimed in surprise.

The chef surnamed Zhao quickly explained, "After all, it's a competition. I performed exceptionally well, giving it my all!"

"It's perfectly normal that you think it tastes better than before!"

"Oh, I see..." The guest nodded and didn't say anything more.

Just then, Nan Xu finally spoke:

"Why jump to conclusions so quickly? Why don't you all try my food?"

Upon hearing this, the diners immediately glared at Nan Xu with hostility.

Incited by the chef surnamed Zhao, they all regarded Nan Xu as a villain who had come to challenge them.

"Hmph... Putting aside whether you can win or not, even if your dish is really tastier, so what? It doesn't mean there's something wrong with Ningquanju's food, does it?" an older diner sneered.

However, they did not refuse to taste the food because of this.

"Since it's free, I'll try it, but I won't agree with your point of view..."

A guest took the small plate, picked up some vegetables, and put them in his mouth to chew slowly.

The next moment, his eyes widened in shock: "This taste...!"

"How...how can this be? It's the same dish, yet the experience of eating it is completely different!"

The regular customer on the other side also put down his chopsticks, a look of surprise on his face: "The fresh aroma of the vegetables is perfectly locked inside by the precise cooking time. The seasoning is just a touch, complementing the natural flavor of the vegetables without overpowering them at all."

"This steamed pork with rice flour is also excellent. The aroma of the pork is absorbed by the rice flour, which completely alleviates any greasiness... Amazing, amazing!"

Several diners made strange expressions after tasting Nanxu's dishes.

"I didn't think much of it when we ate it, but now that I think about it... why do these two dishes that were served when we ordered seem a little less fresh?"

Upon hearing this, a look of panic flashed across the chef's face!

"What? How is this possible!"

Although he didn't initially think he would lose, he assumed that even if he did lose, nothing would happen.

The regular customers of Ningquanju will continue to support him as always.

But if Nanxu's dish could make these regular diners realize that he used inferior ingredients, then things would be different.

Upon seeing this, Nan Xu's lips curled up slightly.

His two dishes contained hidden secrets.

When making these two dishes, he specially used "all rivers flow into the sea," imitating a high-end secret seasoning recipe, and adjusted the seasoning.

This seasoning has the effect of "evoking a specific memory in a person's mind" and is usually used to enhance the impression a dish makes.

For example, dishes themed around "spring" can evoke images of vibrant life and the flourishing of all things. Dishes themed around "warmth" and "cozyness" can remind people of a mother's embrace.

This time, he used it to evoke memories of "tasting the same dish," and with such a clear contrast, diners who had eaten inferior dishes would naturally notice the difference.

Although with his current skill level he can only imitate one or two tenths of it, it is enough for a mere eighth-grade dish.

Just as the chef surnamed Zhao was at a loss, Nan Xu stepped forward and said:

"Your intuition is correct."

"This guy is using inferior ingredients to try and deceive your palates."

"Some of you thought the dish you just ate was better than the one that was served when you ordered it. That's because he didn't dare to cut corners this time, not because he did anything extraordinary."

Nan Xu's voice wasn't loud, but the content of his words caused a huge uproar among the crowd!

"What?! Is that really how it is?"

"I was wondering why something tasted off to me..."

"We've been scammed!"

The diners finally realized what was happening, and what followed was a torrent of anger towards Ningquanju.

"Refund! Refund!"

"How dare they feed us stale ingredients! I'm never going to this restaurant again!"

"They accuse us of being suppressed by competitors, but I think they're just using us as pawns!"

"Where's the person in charge? Come out and speak! If you don't come out, I'll smash this shop!"

When the chef surnamed Zhao realized that his scheme had been exposed, his face turned deathly pale, his head buzzed, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

"What...what should I do?"

"That's it! Escape! I can't continue working here, but if I move somewhere else, I might have a chance to make a comeback!"

He immediately used his lightness skill to prepare to jump out of the window.

But the next moment, his vision blurred and a figure was already standing in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nan Xu said calmly.

Upon seeing this, the diners cheered.

"Good job! Chef, grab him!"

"Quick, surround him! We can't let him get away!"

Soon, the area was completely packed with diners.

Chef Huang finally arrived late. Seeing this scene, he seemed to have finally confirmed something and gave a wry smile.

"Everyone, this whole situation is entirely Ningquanju's responsibility. As the head chef, I failed in my supervisory duties, and I have let you all down."

He bowed deeply to the diners: "We will refund all your expenses for today. In addition, I will also offer you a small apology as a token of our remorse."

"As for the chef Zhao Xiu involved, he will be dismissed and handed over to the authorities for prosecution due to his crimes of embezzling procurement funds and using substandard ingredients."

Some people were satisfied with this handling of the matter, while others were not.

But in any case, the chef named Zhao Xiu is finished.

Hearing the "ding" sound indicating the task was completed, Nan Xu opened the task panel, glanced at it, and smiled.

The experience points of just over 20,000 are neither too many nor too few, but the "compensation and thank-you gift from Ningquan Residence" in the rewards is something to look forward to.

Nan Xu waited quietly for a while, watching as Master Huang saw off the angry diners and then summoned several constables to take Zhao Xiu away.

After the last customer left, the restaurant finally quieted down.

Master Huang wiped the sweat from his forehead, came to Nan Xu's side, and said apologetically:

"Young master, please excuse my poor appearance."

"Thank you for pointing out a major hidden danger for Ningquanju. Otherwise, if we had continued to delay, the disaster would have been even greater when the incident occurred."

"We are willing to offer five hundred taels of silver, plus a culinary manual, as compensation and a token of our gratitude. What do you say?"

Nan Xu pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "I'll take the money. As for the cooking skills... if the cooking skills here are the ones that are widely circulated in the market, I'm afraid I would have already mastered them."

"How about this, the second condition is that I will manage Ningquanju for three days. During this time, I will temporarily take over as the head chef, and you will assist me."

"I want 50% of the net profit, and you can split the rest yourselves. What do you think?"