Chapter 121: The Soup... Not Enough Depth?

Xu Bo's expression revealed a hint of danger and madness.

"A good taste tester can provide important feedback to the chef," he said, "helping the chef better identify flaws and areas for improvement."

"My dad has a lot of expertise in food. If he can give some critiques, it would be far more effective than the opinions of ten random people."

After speaking, Xu Bo stood up and walked to the counter, like a warrior preparing to charge into battle. He washed his hands, then skillfully and powerfully kneaded the dough beside the counter.

"What if your dad finds out?" Chen Jianhai asked worriedly.

"As long as I can get an objective evaluation to improve my noodles, I'll accept it!" Xu Bo said through gritted teeth while kneading the dough.

"At worst, you'll have to bring me food to the hospital every day," he added. "Once my leg heals, I'll come back and be your head chef!"

At that moment, Chen Jianhai's long-dormant heartstrings were suddenly plucked! He was moved...

Damn, in his twenty-plus years of life, he never thought the first person to move him would be his good brother! ... This is terrifying!

Chen Jianhai quickly adjusted his mood, frantically thinking about his various anime wives to calm down. After a long while, he finally steadied his emotions and said, "How could a big guy like me deliver food to you every day!"

"If you really end up in the hospital, I'll have Bai Cheng bring you food every day."

Xu Bo laughed and said while kneading, "Bai Cheng isn't fierce enough. I prefer someone like Tian Qingning!"

Chen Jianhai replied disdainfully, "If you say so, Xie Zhulongxiong is the fiercest. I'll have him serve you every day."

"Get lost."

After cursing with a smile, Xu Bo became silent. His expression turned serious and focused, his eyes fixed on the dough. Stretching, folding, slapping...

Every move was like a pilgrimage, filled with a sense of ceremony and professionalism.

Stretching the dough, boiling the soup, preparing the ingredients, seasoning...

All done in one go! Xu Bo carefully placed two bowls of tin foil clam vermicelli spicy beef noodles on the delivery counter. After instructing the waiter, he watched as the waiter delivered the noodles to Xu Batie's table.

...

"Sir, your tin foil clam vermicelli spicy beef noodles are ready. Please enjoy."

"Okay, thank you."

Xu Batie looked at the bowl of tin foil clam vermicelli spicy beef noodles in front of him with a strange expression.

This bowl of noodles, isn't it just combining two main dishes? Today it's clam vermicelli beef noodles, will tomorrow be rice with dishes, and the day after that steamed buns and rolls?

Sigh... I miss my son! My son can casually make a bowl of beef noodles that's better than this!

Xu Batie picked up his chopsticks and put a small clam in his mouth.

Hmm... The sour and spicy flavors are well-balanced, and the fresh juices of the clams seep into the beef broth. Although the taste is somewhat unique, the combination creates a very interesting flavor.

It makes you want to take another bite after finishing one.

Let's try the noodles~ After a few bites, Xu Batie suddenly paused. Then he picked up two more chopsticks full of noodles and tasted them again.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the noodles?" the middle-aged man across from him asked curiously.

"These noodles taste very similar to those made by Xiao Bo," Xu Batie said, eyes wide with surprise, as he picked up a few more noodles to taste.

"Old Xu, I think you're just missing your son," the middle-aged man said. "Xiao Bo is studying abroad now. How could he be here cooking noodles for you?"

"That's true..."

Xu Batie's expression turned a bit wistful, but then he proudly said, "My son got into study abroad purely on his own merit, without me having to worry about a thing."

"He not only excels academically but also has a talent for cooking, especially noodles. They taste amazing!"

Talking about his son, Xu Batie immediately perked up, his tone growing louder.

By the end of the meal, the tin foil clam vermicelli spicy beef noodles were the first to be finished.

A waiter, who had been watching closely, quickly approached as Xu Batie and his companion were about to pay the bill and softly asked, "Sir, hello."

"We're currently conducting a customer satisfaction survey for the hotel," the waiter continued. "How did you find the tin foil clam vermicelli spicy beef noodles?"

In the past, Xu Batie would have casually replied with a "not bad" to brush it off. But perhaps because this bowl of noodles reminded him of his son, Xu Batie thought for a moment and then seriously said:

"The noodles are good, but the design is too gimmicky, lacking depth and missing a bit of flavor."

"Overall, it's decent."

The waiter quickly jotted down Xu Batie's comments and then sweetly said, "Thank you, sir, for your valuable feedback."

...

After sending Xu Batie and the middle-aged man off in the elevator, the waiter immediately ran back to the kitchen. 

"They finished eating? What did they say?" Xu Bo stood up instantly, nervously asking.

"The gentleman said the noodles were too gimmicky, lacking depth and missing a bit of flavor," the waiter said, handing over the notes.

Xu Bo grabbed the notebook, read the comments several times, then turned to Chen Jianhai and asked, "What does this mean...?"

Chen Jianhai was taken aback. I don't understand cooking, so asking me is pointless! And if you don't know what your dad means, how would I know!

But he only dared to think these thoughts. Seeing how obsessed Xu Bo had become with creating a good signature dish, Chen Jianhai, as his good brother, could only offer support.

So, he nervously said, "My understanding is that Uncle Xu might be saying the broth's concentration and cooking time aren't enough?"

"That's why he said our noodles lack depth...?"

Chen Jianhai spoke cautiously, afraid of misinterpreting and misleading Xu Bo.

"Broth... broth, broth!" Xu Bo murmured, repeating the word three times.

Then, as if realizing something, he tore off the page with the comments and ran back to the kitchen to deepen the broth.

...

"Phew!" Chen Jianhai took the sightseeing elevator back to the lobby.

That was a close one. Xu Bo's leg was saved, and the high-end swimming ring in his hotel was also saved.

In the elevator, there was a couple who seemed to have just checked in.

The woman was calmly leaning against the elevator wall, watching the fish in the aquarium sightseeing elevator. 

But the man was brimming with excitement and curiosity, his eyes darting around like a curious baby, not getting enough of the sights!

When the elevator doors opened, the couple walked towards their room.

As they walked, the woman said helplessly, "It's not your first time evaluating a hotel, why are you so excited!"

The man, unable to conceal his excitement, replied, "I don't know..."

"From the moment I entered this hotel, I felt completely at ease," he said. "It feels like when we used to skip classes to go on dates. I just can't help but be drawn to it, you know..."

The woman rolled her eyes at him. "I get it, your artistic flair is acting up again."