"Take him on as an apprentice? Heh." Lu Yongliang let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Boss Su’s skill with Hubei Cuisine is on par with my own. It was only a dozen or so dishes, but he showcased nearly the entire spectrum of Hubei Cuisine’s techniques and methods. Me, be his master... I don’t think I’m quite up to it."

"You’re being too modest..." Shang Mingke said, shaking his head with a smile.

’You’re the acknowledged number one expert in Hubei Cuisine!’

’If you aren’t qualified, then who is?’

Of course, Lu Yongliang didn’t know that Su Chen had actually just crammed at the last minute to make those dishes. If they had cooked just a few more dishes against each other, Su Chen would have been no match for Mr. Lu.

Lu Yongliang didn’t respond, instead continuing to watch the video on his phone with great interest.

DING!

Lu Yongliang glanced at a new message. His previously smiling face immediately darkened. "Bah! This good-for-nothing apprentice! Instead of thinking about how to improve himself, he’s always messing with these crooked schemes!"

"Oh?"

"He sees people making money from food vlogging and shooting videos, so he wants to get in on it too. He doesn’t even stop to consider if he has the skills for it!"

Shang Mingke smiled.

The short-form video trend really was a bit crazy these days. It was said that a creator with a million followers could easily make several million a year, an income comparable to some large, established companies.

No wonder everyone wanted to jump into that race.

After honing your skills for more than a decade, you’d most likely end up working in a hotel kitchen, earning ten or twenty thousand a month at the very most. It truly couldn’t compare to how quickly you could make money with short-form videos.

But everything had its pros and cons.

Shang Mingke clicked his tongue. "Uncle Lu, you could actually use the internet to promote Chu Cuisine. Information spreads incredibly fast online these days. If you could build a Chu Cuisine account with a million followers, it would be highly effective."

"Really?" Lu Yongliang wouldn’t have believed it from anyone else, but he trusted what Shang Mingke said.

"Yes. I don’t know much about the internet myself, but if you could really build an account to the level of Master Sui’s, Chu Cuisine would become famous nationwide."

In his free time, Shang Mingke also scrolled through short-form videos and enjoyed watching food-related content.

He’d discovered long ago that whenever a major influencer reviewed a restaurant or did a special feature on a particular place, crowds of people would immediately flock there.

He wasn’t sure about the specific results, but at the end of the day, you still had to have some real skill of your own.

"If that’s really the case, I could let that apprentice of mine give it a try. Aigh!" Lu Yongliang slapped his forehead. "With what little skill he has, he dares to do food vlogging?"

"When it comes to food vlogging... you don’t always need to be exceptionally skilled. Besides, if I remember correctly, didn’t Liu Ahbao already earn his Senior Technician certification?"

Liu Ahbao, Lu Yongliang’s youngest disciple, was considered the most talented among all of the old master’s apprentices.

At the young age of twenty-eight, he had already obtained his Senior Technician certification.

You have to understand, the exam for that certification required complete mastery of the techniques of one school of cuisine, as well as proficiency in the cooking skills of at least two others.

Although the standards for that certification were a bit watered down these days, Liu Ahbao’s skill was indeed the strongest among all the apprentices. He was also Lu Yongliang’s most capable assistant when preparing for high-end banquets.

"Let him do whatever he wants," Lu Yongliang said, huffily putting away his phone. "The relationship between a master and apprentice isn’t like it was when I was a boy. I can’t get in his way."

Shang Mingke had an idea.

"Uncle Lu, didn’t you want to have Boss Su come to E Province for a culinary exchange?"

Hearing Su Chen’s name, Lu Yongliang immediately perked up. "What are you getting at?"

"It’s perfect. Since Liu Ahbao wants to get into the online world, you can suggest he starts by reviewing Boss Su’s restaurant. It’ll give him a chance to broaden his horizons and build a connection with Boss Su. Opportunities are bound to arise from that."

HSSS!

Lu Yongliang didn’t speak, but instead mulled over the idea.

’That young apprentice of mine has been coasting on his bit of talent, and he’s definitely gotten a big head these past few years.’

’He just came to me saying he wanted to make food vlogging videos, but he didn’t know where to start.’

’If I have him go review Boss Su’s place, for one, it could take him down a peg. For two, it could bring some publicity to Boss Su’s company. And it would also strengthen my connection with Boss Su.’

’This kills three birds with one stone!’

’Leave it to Shang Mingke to come up with something like this!’

"Yes! This is a great idea." Lu Yongliang thought for a moment and immediately agreed to the plan.

Shang Mingke nodded as well. "It’s a shame that since Ah Bao is just starting out, his account won’t have much reach. It can’t bring Boss Su any tangible benefits. He should bring Boss Su a gift when he goes."

"A gift? Heh, I’ve already got one prepared!"

Lu Yongliang leaned in and lowered his voice. "The new Hubei Cuisine cookbook is about to be released, isn’t it? When I get back, I’m going to add Boss Su’s Steamed Wuchang Fish recipe to it and credit him by name. Once it’s published, I’ll send him a copy! Heh heh!"

Shang Mingke nodded slightly.

That really was an excellent gift.

The Hubei Cuisine cookbook Lu Yongliang mentioned was officially compiled and published by the E Province government. Having your name printed in it was a great honor, equivalent to having your version of a dish officially recognized by E Province as the best.

This was a gift that no one but Lu Yongliang himself could truly give.

「Meiweilai Company.」

By the time Su Chen woke from his nap, the sky was already growing dim.

The closing time at Delicious was now 8 PM, and it was almost time to clock out.

Seeing Su Chen emerge, the Delicious employees all stood up at once and quickly gathered around him.

"Boss, you’re finally awake."