China Entertainment's whatever you want

Chapter 725 Chinese Restaurant

【Chinese Restaurant】 is a business reality show launched by Mango TV in 2017.

The content is to select several celebrity guests as youth partners, open a Chinese restaurant in a scenic place abroad, and record the process of everyone working together to run the restaurant.

The program takes "management" as the main theme. Under the premise of promoting Chinese cuisine, it allows celebrities to experience the "difficulty" of management, and see how the guests face difficulties and whether they can overcome them one by one to bring joy to the audience.

In recent years, since the popularity of "Running Man" and "Go Fighting", various outdoor reality shows have emerged one after another. "Chinese Restaurant" can be regarded as a very distinctive variety show among them, and its ratings and popularity have remained high.

The first and second seasons were recorded in Koh Chang, Thailand and Colmar, France respectively, both places with extremely beautiful scenery.

The third season is set in the small town of Taormina on the Italian island of Sicily, which has a cliff on one side and faces the sea on the other. The city buildings are built on layers of rocks. From a distance, the green mountains and white houses are mixed together, and in the distance is the sapphire sea, which is beautiful beyond words.

In a manor-style restaurant by the sea, several guests from the [Chinese Restaurant] were gathering together for lunch.

"Yang Zi, do you want to ask where Gu Wei is? We are in urgent need of him now." The store manager Huang Xiaoming picked up a piece of fish on the table and asked casually.

"He said he can arrive today, I'll send him a WeChat message~"

Yang Zi quickly took a mouthful of rice, wiped her apron with her hands naturally, then opened her phone and sent a voice message on WeChat.

"Where are you? Did the plane land?"

"I'm so envious of you, Sister Yang Zi. You're able to get Gu Wei to help. Your connections are so strong!" Wang Junkai sat opposite Yang Zi, holding a bowl in his hand and making an envious sound.

"You are college classmates, right? I have seen photos of you having dinner together on the Internet, and also Zhang Yishan." Qin Hailu asked Yang Zi.

"Alumni, Gu Wei is one year younger than Zhang Yishan and I.

It’s just that they often played basketball together in school, so we always played together,” Yang Zi explained.

“The friendship between classmates is the most profound and unforgettable. Cherish it and it will be your lifelong wealth!” Brother Xiao Ming made a summary speech. He felt deeply about this, after all, he had been a bootlicker in college.

"Ding Dong~" Yang Zi's phone rang while everyone was chatting.

She opened WeChat and saw that Gu Wei had replied to her message.

"We are here, at a big gate~"

"Yang Zi, go and pick her up, don't go to the wrong place," Huang Xiaoming instructed.

"Okay, I'll go right away!" Yang Zi stood up and walked outside with his cell phone.

"There's a big job tomorrow. There's a wedding banquet to be held in our restaurant. Fortunately, Gu Wei and the others are here to help, otherwise we would be so busy!" After Yang Zi left, several people ate as usual, and Huang Xiaoming said to others.

"Can Gu Wei cook?" What Qin Hailu was most concerned about was how much work the new helper could do for them.

"I'm not sure about this, you have to ask Yang Zi, they are the most familiar with him!
But I suggest you don’t have too high expectations, the probability that Gu Wei can cook is too small since he is so busy.” Although Huang Xiaoming has a good relationship with Gu Wei, he has no idea whether he can cook, so he can only analyze it rationally.

"It doesn't matter whether you can cook or not, as long as you can come and work~" After recording [Chinese Restaurant] for such a long time, Qin Hailu was a little tired.

On the other side, Gu Wei and Meng Ziyi got off the plane and got into the program crew's car.

"Wow, the scenery in Italy is so beautiful. It would be a great place to vacation if I wasn't working!"

Meng Ziyi, who was sitting in the back seat, opened the car window and was in a good mood looking at the beautiful scenery outside.

"What are you thinking about? You are here to help with the work.

But we can go out for a walk after the restaurant closes at night." Gu Wei was in a good mood, and beautiful scenery always makes people feel relaxed and happy.

After a while, the car arrived at the designated place. Gu Wei chatted with Yang Zi on WeChat and then began to move things out of the car.

"Hello! Gu Wei, Ziyi!"

Within two minutes, Yang Zi, wearing short-sleeved shirt and jeans, appeared in front of the two men.

"Hello, Sister Yang Zi~" Meng Ziyi was not familiar with Yang Zi, so she greeted her politely when they met.

"Come and help me get the things!" Gu Wei was not polite and directly assigned Yang Zi to do the work.

"What are all these?" Yang Zi was not surprised. He looked at Gu Wei moving things out of the trunk one by one and asked curiously.

"The gifts I brought for you are a box of red wine, various seasonings and ingredients brought from China, and this," Gu Wei said as he took out something wrapped in oil paper that was thick at one end and thin at the other from the trunk.

“Jinhua ham! It’s said to taste super good!”

"Wow, Chef Lin will definitely like your gift!" Yang Zi took the big ham from Gu Wei and almost dropped it. "It's so heavy!"

"6 kg~"

As he spoke, Gu Wei had already unloaded all the things, and there were still two suitcases, his and Meng Ziyi's, on the ground.

"It's hard to move so many things, especially this box of red wine!" Yang Zi scratched his head. "Wait a minute, there is a folding cart in the store, I'll get it."

After saying that, she trotted back to the restaurant.

"Why are you back? Where is Gu Wei?" Everyone in the restaurant had finished their meal. Huang Xiaoming asked Yang Zi who had returned alone.

"He brought a lot of stuff, it's not convenient to carry it, I'll come back to get the cart~"

"I'll go with you to help." Seeing this, Huang Xiaoming put down his work and followed Yang Zi out.

200 meters away is where Gu Wei gets off the car to unload the goods.

After Huang Xiaoming came out, he first hugged Gu Wei.

“Welcome to our little white house, our holiday paradise.

Next, please accept everything in the future with a holiday mood! "Huang Xiaoming smiled and warmly welcomed Gu Wei, and then greeted Meng Ziyi next to him.

"On vacation? I thought I was here to help in the kitchen~" Gu Wei raised his eyebrows with a smile.

"Haha, labor is also part of vacation!"

The four of them put the things Gu Wei brought on a cart and walked back together.

After entering the restaurant, Gu Wei and Meng Ziyi greeted and got acquainted with the financial officer Qin Hailu, lobby manager Wang Junkai, chef Lin Shuwei, and kitchen assistant Tong Zhuo.

"Gu Wei has brought us a lot of gifts, everyone please accept them!" Huang Xiaoming called on others to unload the goods from the cart.

"This is - Jinhua ham!" Chef Lin Shuwei is a connoisseur and he saw the big ham among the pile of things at first glance.

"There are also red wine, seasonings, and canned food."

"I like canned food. I haven't eaten it for many days. I really want to try it." Qin Hailu's eyes lit up when he heard about canned food.

"What is this?" Yang Zi opened a bag and took out two red clothes from it.

"Chinese wedding dress?"

"Yes, Chinese-style groom's suit and bride's suit. There's a wedding tomorrow, and these are the clothes prepared for the newlyweds!" Gu Wei looked at the clothes in Yang Zi's hands and smiled. He prepared a lot of the food himself, but these were given to him in advance by the program crew.

After a while of noise and chatter, everyone sat down and started to assign tasks.

"Gu Wei, can you cook?" The store manager Huang Xiaoming coordinated the overall situation and arranged everyone's work. Of course, the two new recruits, Gu Wei and Meng Ziyi, could not be let go.

“Simple stir-fry is OK~
Oh, by the way, I can speak Italian and can help entertain some local guests."

[Chinese restaurant] is located in Sicily. It serves both local customers and tourists from other places. Some speak Chinese, some speak English, and some speak Italian.

Usually Yang Zi and Wang Junkai work as waiters. They are good at Chinese and English, but they can only rely on mobile phone translation for Italian-speaking customers.

"That's great, you can help us a lot!" Huang Xiaoming said excitedly, clapping his hands.

"Then, when it's not busy, you can help Chef Liu in the kitchen, and if there are local guests coming, you can come and help.

Oh, and there’s a wedding tomorrow, so you have to perform two shows.”

Gu Wei listened and smiled bitterly: "Isn't it a bit too much work for me?"

"Those who are capable should do more work!" Huang Xiaoming smiled and patted his shoulder.

"What about Ziyi? What would you do?"

After Meng Ziyi came in and greeted everyone, he stood quietly aside. When Huang Xiaoming asked him, he said confidently, "I can stew rice and stir-fry tomatoes and eggs."

After saying that, she did not forget to emphasize again: "It's delicious!" Gu Wei was not surprised by her answer at all. From the recording of "Flowers and Youth 3" to now, this is still Meng Ziyi's specialty.

“Okay, then add scrambled eggs with tomatoes to the menu and leave it to Ziyi.

You usually work at the front desk like Yang Zi, and let her guide you."

Huang Xiaoming was not a fool. Seeing Meng Ziyi's expression, he knew it was unrealistic to expect her to cook, so he assigned her some simple tasks.

After Gu Wei and his companion arrived, they quickly started working at the Chinese restaurant.

The restaurant began to serve customers in the afternoon. Meng Ziyi and Yang Zi were busy at the front desk, while Gu Wei put on an apron and went to the kitchen to help Lin Shuwei.

First he helped to wash and cut vegetables, and then he could do some simple stir-frying independently. The taste was not very delicious, but it was always salty enough.

During this time, I also went to the front desk to help receive two tables of Italian-speaking guests.

"I didn't know before that Gu Wei could speak Italian. When did he learn it?"

Yang Zi held a menu notebook in front of her chest, looking like a waiter in a restaurant, watching Gu Wei talking to two white foreigners in a language she couldn't understand.

“When we were recording [Flowers and Youth 3] in Brazil, he was able to communicate with the locals in Portuguese.

In his words, he has some talent in languages, so he knows many foreign languages.

Sister Zi, aren't you and Brother Wei classmates in college? Haven't you seen him learn foreign languages ​​before?"

Meng Ziyi was dressed the same as Yang Zi, with an apron wrapped around her chest. She had just made some scrambled eggs with tomatoes, which tasted pretty good and not a weird dish.

"We are not in the same class. When we were in school, I saw him playing all the time. Could it be that the top students are working hard in secret when we can't see them?"

As the two were standing aside chatting, the store manager Huang Xiaoming came over with a frown on his face.

"Are you two looking at the handsome guy?
There are new guests over there, why don’t you go and greet them quickly! "

"I'll go right away, right away." Yang Zi finally reacted, stuck out his tongue embarrassedly, and trotted over.

"Um, I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything I can help with." Meng Ziyi also lowered his head and walked towards the kitchen.

In the [Chinese restaurant], the manager Huang Xiaoming is still very authoritative.

Although he often speaks in a "blunt way", everyone still listens to him.

After a busy period, the business ended for the day when the last table of guests left.

The evening breeze was blowing and the sun was slowly setting over the hillside.

After a busy day, a group of people finally had time to have a quiet dinner at the [Chinese restaurant].

Everyone sat down around a long table at the outermost edge of the restaurant by the sea. Chef Lin prepared several dishes, Gu Wei also fried some Mu Shu pork, and Meng Ziyi, who got the chance to show off, finished his specialty, tomato and egg.

"Thank you Gu Wei and Meng Ziyi for joining us. You have helped us so much on your first day today!"

After everyone sat down, the store manager Huang Xiaoming raised his glass.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you, Brother Wei and Ziyi!"

"There's not much I can do. Chef Lin is in charge of the kitchen. He also taught me a lot of techniques for cutting vegetables and cooking."

Gu Wei raised his glass and everyone took a sip together.

"Hmm~ This red wine tastes very good. Where did you buy it, Gu Wei?" Everyone was drinking the box of red wine that Gu Wei brought today. Huang Xiaoming took a sip and smacked his lips to savor the taste.

He owns his own winery and wine brand, and has done some research on wine.

"This is the kind of wine you gave me before!" Yang Zi tasted it after taking a sip.

"Unicorn? Never heard of this brand?" Huang Xiaoming picked up the red wine bottle next to him and read the English words on it.

Gu Wei smiled and said, "This is the wine made in my own estate. It has long been out of sale. It's normal that you haven't heard of it~"

"You also bought a wine estate. Where is it?"

Huang Xiaoming looked surprised. He bought a wine estate in France in 14 and founded his own wine brand "LAN".

In the beginning, I made some money by relying on the information gap between China and abroad, plus the celebrity effect and good packaging. However, in recent years, the Internet has become more and more developed, and people have lost their filter for foreign wines, making it increasingly difficult to make money.

Moreover, the wine estate costs a lot of maintenance every year, and Huang Xiaoming is considering whether he should sell the estate and cash out in time.

"Médoc region on the left bank of Bordeaux, France"

"Isn't that the same production area as Mouton Rothschild and Golden Rose? I know the wine estates there are quite expensive and basically not for sale to the public." Huang Xiaoming is knowledgeable.

“It was a coincidence that I bought it when Unico Manor was in a loss-making state due to poor management.

However, its brewing technology was very good, and it was the only third-level winery in the Medoc region that was sold to the outside world at that time.

So I bought it.”

"Third-level winery?" Qin Hailu listened with a bewildered look on her face. Although she often drank red wine, it was mainly for a good sleep and she didn't know much about wine itself.

Huang Xiaoming looked at everyone's blank expressions and explained slowly, "This winery classification dates back to the 18th century. It was under the impetus of Napoleon III that the official classification of Bordeaux wineries was established in Bordeaux, France, the world's wine center.

Because it was 1855, it is also called "Bordeaux 1855 Classified Growth".

The Bordeaux 1855 classified growths are divided into first growth to fifth growth, and there are currently 61 wineries in total.

There are only five first-class wineries among them, such as Lafite and Latour, which are well-known to everyone.

Being rated as a third-class winery means that its brewing technology is also at an upper-middle level in the Bordeaux region.

You should know that in addition to these 61 wineries, there are actually many wineries in France that cannot be rated as high-quality wines.”

Huang Xiaoming was embarrassed to say that his own winery was just a small winery that could not be rated as high-end and had no reputation. However, people in China did not understand. As long as they were told that the wine was authentic red wine from the Bordeaux region of France, they would think it was very high-end and must be a good wine.

"Wow, Gu Wei, it turns out that the wine you gave me in the past two years is so valuable!" Yang Zi exclaimed while holding the bottle of wine beside him.

She said this, attracting everyone's attention.

Yang Zi quickly explained, "Gu Wei sent me several boxes of this wine during the Chinese New Year in the past two years, and Zhang Yishan and his friends also have some."

“After I bought the winery, I stopped selling this brand of wine, but I continued to produce it every year.

I can’t finish the extra wine by myself, so I’ll give some to my friends.” Gu Wei said with a smile.

Meng Ziyi raised his hand weakly: "Actually, I have some too, but I don't drink much, and I take most of it home to my parents."

"Gu Wei, this is so mean of you. You didn't even ask me to give you some?" Huang Xiaoming felt that he had a good relationship with Gu Wei, and shouted somewhat aggrievedly.

"Haha, Brother Xiaoming, you have your own winery, so I can't send it to you."

"Well, I don't care. You have to get me some later." Huang Xiaoming was embarrassed to say that the quality of my wine is far inferior to yours.

It has been more than two years since Gu Wei bought the Unico Estate. As it is no longer sold to the outside world and there is no sales pressure, his requirement to the winery masters is not to rush for speed or quantity, but to maintain the quality.

Under this condition, the quality of wine has become better and better in the past two years.

If it were to be rated again now, it is possible that Unico Manor might be able to be upgraded to the second level.

"No problem, everyone here will have a share, no one will be left out!" Gu Wei said generously.

Because a lot of red wine is brewed every year, this kind of wine is included in the New Year benefits distributed to employees by his company.

However, the quality of wine produced by the same winery can vary. The best quality wines should definitely be reserved for yourself and your closest friends.

"Thank you Gu Wei!"

"Thank you!"

Everyone raised their glasses again.

(End of this chapter)