The dishes arrived, starting with a stewed soup.
Cheng Su personally served the soup to everyone, bowl by bowl, before introducing, "This is Pig’s Tail Eucommia Soup, which clears heat, detoxifies, nourishes yin and strengthens the kidney. The ingredients also include goji berries, and it has been simmered over a low flame for three hours. Everyone can drink it with confidence, as it’s very nourishing for the yin."
Ying Jian and the others noticed that the soup was very clear. Upon tasting, the flavor of the medicinal herbs filled their taste buds, delightfully sweet, prompting them to nod to themselves in approval.
"This is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a signature dish of Joy Soon Loy. It’s meaty and delicious, neither oily nor greasy. County Chief Ying, Principal Gong, you’re both educated and well-informed. Today, I’d like you to critique this dish for me, see if it’s authentic?" Cheng Su served Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to them both.
Ying Jian and Gong Mingdong were quite surprised and exchanged glances. They didn’t expect Cheng Su to be so generous, offering not only Maotai Liquor but also Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The stewed soup too must have been costly.
"Speaking of Qing City, if you’re looking for the most authentic Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, it has to be Fa Ji Restaurant. Their version is very good," Ying Jian commented.
Cheng Su’s lips curled into a smile, but she remained silent, just watching Ying Jian.
After Ying Jian took a sip, he let out a surprised sound, "This flavor..." it was so similar to Fa Ji’s. How could such a small restaurant make such an authentic Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?
"County Chief Ying, what do you think?" Cheng Su asked with a smile.
"Not bad, it’s on par with Fa Ji’s," said Ying Jian.
Cheng Su laughed, "County Chief Ying truly has the palate of a gourmet; I can’t fool you. This Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is the signature dish of the former head chef at Fa Ji."
"Oh?"
Cheng Su called Old Song over to introduce him, "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is Chef Song’s ancestral dish, rumored to be a dish made for the emperor. He’s no longer with Fa Ji. It was with great effort that I managed to recruit him to my little restaurant."
Old Song smiled modestly in response.
Realizing the situation, Ying Jian turned to Gong Mingdong and said, "It seems that from now on, if we want to enjoy such famous dishes, we have to come to Joy Soon Loy."
"There are still many dishes to come, so please save some room. To meet esteemed figures like County Chief Ying and Principal Gong for the first time is a blessing for me, Cheng Su. I’ll drink to that," said Cheng Su.
She tilted her head back and drained the cup of liquor without any hesitation or shyness.
Ying Jian and Gong Mingdong both raised their glasses.
As the dishes were served one after another, Cheng Su displayed her public relations skills, deftly introducing the dishes while also keeping everyone’s glasses full, encouraging drinking and eating without neglecting Xiao Ya. She managed to cater to everyone’s needs, adept and charming, which earned her silent admiration from Ying Jian and the others.
For a young woman barely out of her twenties to have such networking skills was indeed remarkable.
Moving on to discuss the current economy of Qing City, Ying Jian and Gong Mingdong acknowledged that although it was developing, it was lagging behind other second- and third-tier cities. Some business owners were dissatisfied, and in some more remote areas, there were even calls to ’down with capitalism’, with people reluctant to venture out, contributing to severe poverty.
"County Chief Ying, such people have simply not yet experienced the benefits of economic improvement. They have not felt an increase in their quality of life or income. If they did, they wouldn’t talk like that. If roads and factories were built in those areas, and assuming there were no dormitories in the factories, with workers living far from home, they would inevitably need to rent houses for living. Wouldn’t that bring income and benefits to those regions?" Cheng Su seized an opportunity to interject.
Ying Jian’s hand paused on his wine glass as he looked at Cheng Su with surprise.
As if not noticing the surprise in his eyes, Cheng Su continued, "People who don’t value economic development only do so because they haven’t yet fully benefited from it. Once they do, who would complain about the smell of money?"