Inside the livestream.
"Why do I feel like the streamer is making a lot of sense?"
"At this price, it really should be perfect!"
"The streamer isn’t just nitpicking; after all, look at the price."
"I’m exactly the kind of person the streamer is talking about, the type who loves taking pictures, and I like to get all the dishes in one shot.
Given how slowly this restaurant brings out the food, it would probably take half an hour for all the dishes to arrive. By then, I bet this tofu would be inedible."
...
Just as Li Mountain was chatting with the audience.
「In the offices of New-style Cantonese.」
Wu Jun sat quietly, staring intently at a screen. The massive display was split into a four-way grid, with each quadrant showing a different livestream.
He was the online promoter for New-style Cantonese and was also responsible for the restaurant’s crisis management PR.
During every meal service, he would search online to see if any streamers were visiting the restaurant.
Of course, most of the time, he relied on the waitstaff below to report such information to him.
Since Li Xiao had started his livestream on his phone the moment he walked in, his presence was naturally reported to Wu Jun.
Hearing Li Xiao’s suggestion, Wu Jun immediately became serious.
If Li Xiao were just some ordinary person or a minor streamer, even if he pointed out some issues, Wu Jun wouldn’t have been so concerned. According to standard procedure, for minor issues, he would simply log the problem and report it to the head chef during the daily review before closing or at the morning meeting.
This streamer, who went by the name "Brother Li Loves Food," might only have 140,000 followers, which, for a place like New-style Cantonese, made him just another obscure, minor streamer.
Even when they hired people for promotions, they wouldn’t even glance at a streamer with that few followers.
However, what caught Wu Jun’s attention was that while "Brother Li Loves Food" only had 140,000 followers, his livestream had over 7,000 concurrent viewers.
He had initially assumed the viewer count was inflated with bots and didn’t pay it much mind, but after observing for a while, he quickly realized he was wrong.
The engagement in the livestream was excellent. Even if the viewer count was padded, it couldn’t have been by much.
He became serious in an instant. A livestream with numbers like these could have a massive impact.
So, after noting Li Xiao’s suggestions, he only paused to think for a moment before picking up his phone and heading toward the back kitchen.
"Master Zhao, I have two clips of a customer’s suggestions here."
Zhao Long looked at the phone handed to him, frowning slightly.
"Doesn’t procedure say we review these during the nightly summary?"
"Why the rush today?"
Wu Jun quickly explained,
"This is a pretty influential streamer. His livestream has nearly 8,000 viewers right now. I highly recommend you take a look now."
Hearing the number of viewers in the livestream, Zhao Long didn’t hesitate and took the phone.
A moment later, after watching the two livestream clips, a thoughtful expression appeared on Zhao Long’s face.
He strode over to one of the workstations.
This was the station for preparing the White Cut Chicken. He used his chopsticks to pick up a small dollop of the ginger-scallion oil and put it in his mouth.
The next moment, his brow furrowed.
"Lin Xudong, haven’t I told you before? All minced ginger must be soaked in ice water and then drained before use. Why is there still so much ginger juice in this ginger-scallion oil?"
Everyone else’s eyes immediately turned to the man who had been called out, Lin Xudong.
Lin Xudong was a short young man, only about five-foot-three. He flinched when the head chef called him out by name, and he quickly stepped forward, his face a mixture of shame and fear.
"Boss Zhao, I’m sorry. It was a moment of carelessness. I always follow the procedure."
"It’s just... my son has bronchitis and has been in the hospital for a few days. I’ve been taking care of him, so I’m a bit tired, and some of the steps..."
Zhao Long looked at his ashamed face, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had heard a little about the man’s family situation. A couple of years ago, his wife had quietly run off with another man, abandoning their young son.
Honestly, the man had worked under him for many years, and he had given him plenty of support.
He had given him every benefit he could. To let him go home early to take care of his son, he had excused him from basically all overtime.
From his perspective, he had already done more than enough. So he waved his hand, cutting off the man’s explanation.
"Life is life, and work is work."
"You know full well how I usually treat you, right?"
Lin Xudong looked at his boss’s eyes and immediately lowered his head.
"Of course, you’ve been very good to me, Boss. Making a mistake like this means I’ve let you down."
"I’m docking this month’s bonus. Since your child is sick, I’m giving you the next three days off to take care of him. Understand?"
When he heard his bonus for the month was being docked, Lin Xudong felt a little resentful. ’My boss is being a bit unreasonable,’ he thought.
After all, a month’s bonus was several hundred yuan.
But when he heard he was getting three days off, his resentment vanished instantly. He had already used up all his vacation days for the month. His boss was indirectly giving him an excuse to take leave.
Zhao Long ignored the man’s profuse thanks and simply told him to throw out all the old ginger-scallion dipping sauce and immediately make a new batch.
As for the matter of having waiters remind guests to eat the Golden Tofu quickly, he was somewhat powerless. He could only report the issue to the manager on duty.
After all, the back kitchen was his domain, but the front-of-house staff operated under a different management system. If he interfered casually, it would only lead to organizational chaos.
Li Xiao had no idea that the relevant staff at New-style Cantonese had already taken notice of his livestream.
Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared much.
Because the third dish had arrived.
The young woman in the qipao introduced it with a smile,
"Black Vinegar and Yuzu Sea Urchin, made with Dalian sea urchin that’s currently in season. Please enjoy."
Seeing the ball of sea urchin placed before him, Li Xiao raised an eyebrow.
This portion of sea urchin had a very unique appearance. Unlike traditional orange-yellow sea urchin, this one had been meticulously prepared and presented a deep brown color.
Li Xiao felt a flicker of curiosity, as he had never seen sea urchin prepared in such a unique way.
Although he had tasted all kinds of sashimi, this sea urchin certainly felt novel to him.
He observed the deep brown balls of sea urchin and noticed their surfaces were dotted with tiny specks of yellow yuzu peel, which added a certain artistic flair.
However, compared to the fresh, orange-yellow color of typical sea urchin, this deep brown appearance seemed somewhat lacking.
As the saying goes, a good dish must appeal to the eyes, nose, and palate. It’s not just about tasting good and having a rich aroma; appearance is also crucial.
Before he even took a bite, the dish’s appearance had already lost it several points in Li Xiao’s mind.