Chapter 316: The Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish That Overshadowed the 3 Star Dishes
Once Yue Hen had fully made up his mind, he no longer held back.
According to Kang Rong, most of the gourmet ingredients here were related to various spirit beasts. Even if they didn't have any special effects, simply consuming them could boost one's cultivation to a notable degree.
Though expensive, they were worth every coin.
Soon, the grandfather and granddaughter duo huddled together and whispered back and forth, quickly deciding on their selection.
Since they had already accepted Qi Han's goodwill—the gift of a bowl of Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth—the two of them only needed to order one more dish. As for the rest, Yue Hen simply ordered a large portion of egg fried rice for himself. But when it came to Yue Lian, he picked out a few dishes he knew she particularly liked.
For example—Crystal Sugar Hawthorns.
After all, when dishes worth over a thousand gold coins had already been chosen, there was no point in being stingy with the smaller items.
Once the Yue family duo had finished ordering, Kang Rong began placing his own order.
Earlier that noon at Nine Dragons Delicacy, Kang Rong had been the host. Originally, Yue Hen had intended to treat him in return that afternoon. But Kang Rong absolutely refused.
"How could a guest treat the host?" he argued.
Neither side was willing to back down. In the end, they agreed to just pay for themselves.
Back when they'd first met in their youth, Yue Hen had always been a man of principle. Knowing this, Kang Rong didn't feel offended in the slightest.
With the three of them having finalized their meals, Fu Ya returned to the kitchen.
Ordinarily, all she needed to do was deliver the order to Qi Han. But remembering what had just happened, she hesitated, then briefly explained the situation.
Upon hearing it, Qi Han's face registered clear surprise.
He hadn't expected things to unfold this way.
The idea of gifting a serving of Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth had come from his fondness for Yue Lian. Since she aimed to apply for Shrek Academy, the dish's effect on improving one's innate aptitude would be a tremendous help.
He had assumed that with Yue Hen being a 6 Ring Spirit Emperor, his wealth wouldn't be lacking. In that case, his gift would be just a little extra flourish, an icing on the cake.
After all, the Spirit Emperors he knew, whether from Tang Sect or Shrek Academy's inner court, always seemed to come from affluent backgrounds. That gave him the impression that all 6 Ring cultivators were well-off.
Who would've thought Yue Hen's situation wasn't as good as it looked? What Qi Han thought was a minor gift had turned out to be a life-saving favor in disguise.
If he had known earlier, he would've simply gifted a portion to both of them.
But now, it was too late.
If he gave another gift now, it would no longer be a gesture of goodwill, it would come across as charity.
And so, he let it go.
…
Yue Hen and Yue Lian didn't have to wait long before their dishes were served.
Not wanting to disturb the busy Qi Han again, they simply asked Fu Ya to pass along their thanks, then quietly took their leave.
Although Yue Lian looked a little disappointed—she hadn't gotten to say goodbye to Brother Qi Han—she was too mature for her age to make a fuss. As they left Han Shi, she simply turned back and cast a long, deep glance at its doors.
After this Food Festival, it would likely be difficult for her to return to Shrek City.
But if she got accepted into Shrek Academy, everything would change.
Not long after the Yue family duo had left, the restaurant also closed for the day. Once the dishes and cutlery were cleared away, Ping Xinyan and Ji Yunruo approached, their faces brimming with excitement.
"Boss Qi! The second day results of the Food Festival voting are out!"
"Oh?" Qi Han smiled calmly. "Judging from your expressions, the rankings must've changed since yesterday?"
"Yes!" Ji Yunruo's eyes sparkled. As a member of Han Shi, she took great pride in the results they had helped achieve. "The top ten dishes are still the same, but the order has shifted quite a bit!"
"Exactly!" Ping Xinyan jumped in eagerly. "Our restaurant's dishes now occupy the entire top eight!"
The moment those words were spoken, the faces of the other staff members lit up with joy.
Yesterday, one of the top eight spots had been stolen by another restaurant's dish—a fact that had left a bitter taste in their mouths.
But now, they had finally turned the tide.
Qi Han raised an eyebrow slightly, though his expression remained calm.
This was… within his expectations.
After tasting the dishes from the other two restaurants, Qi Han had already anticipated this outcome. It was only a matter of time.
Though the competition's dishes were good, they still couldn't compare to the eight that Han Shi had submitted for the Food Festival.
Some diners might not be able to tell the difference—only that everything tasted good.
But there were far more diners who could discern the nuances. And so, they cast their votes for the dishes from Han Shi.
Naturally, the gap in votes had only widened over time.
When Ping Xinyan fell silent, Ji Yunruo hesitated for a moment before speaking up cautiously,
"But… our restaurant's top-voted dish isn't Jade Dragon Tendon anymore."
"Hmm?"
Qi Han raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
"Then what's in first place?"
"Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish."
Qi Han hadn't expected that.
Logically speaking, a 3 Star dish should outshine a 2 Star one in both flavor and effect. It made sense they'd be more popular.
So why had two of their 3 Star dishes—Wensi Tofu and Jade Dragon Tendon—lost out to a simple dish like Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish?
He fell into thoughtful silence.
But standing nearby, Ke Ke, who's standing near one of the Qin sisters, seemed to realize something. He glanced at the pondering Qi Han before speaking up.
"Boss Qi, we've also tallied up the recommendation votes for today. First place went to Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish again. And what's more, none of the five 3 Star dishes even came close."
"…Huh?"
Qi Han was momentarily stunned.
It was one thing for the Food Festival votes to favor Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish over their 3 Star dishes.
But why, even in their own in-store recommendation ballots, were all five of their top-tier dishes losing to a 2 Star?
Was this even reasonable?
"Do you guys think… the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish tastes better than those five with special effects?" Qi Han asked, glancing around at his seven staff members.
Could it be that people in the Douluo Continent had a different palate from his own?
Sure, the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish was delicious, but it shouldn't be better than those five meticulously crafted 3 Star dishes.
The seven staffers exchanged glances, then shook their heads one after another.
They all agreed—the five Phenomenal Dishes were clearly superior in taste.
Then what was going on?
Qi Han scratched his head, momentarily baffled.
"…Could it be because of the price?" Fu Ya suddenly suggested in a quiet voice.
"Oh?"
Qi Han's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"How do you mean?"
"Well," Fu Ya continued, encouraged by his expression, "even though the menu now clearly states which dishes have special effects, very few people can actually afford them."
"In most cases, people only vote for the dishes they've actually tasted, right?"
"So maybe… since fewer people have eaten the Purple Card Dishes, even if every one of those customers voted for them, the total number of votes still wouldn't match up to the other, more affordable dishes."
Qi Han fell silent.
Because he felt that Fu Ya's theory… was very likely true.
Yes, they were selling more 3 Star dishes than before—maybe dozens per business day now.
But compared to the other dishes, which routinely sold in the hundreds, the gap in sample size was stark.
From a voting perspective, the 3 Star dishes were naturally at a statistical disadvantage.
If this were only about the Food Festival rankings, Qi Han wouldn't mind much.
No matter which of the restaurant's dishes came in first, it wouldn't stop him from completing his system's mission.
But… what about the recommendation system?
Was he really going to let the 3 Star recipes fall behind, completely overshadowed by 1 and 2 Star entries?
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