Chapter 95 Means
In the following days, news came that some restaurants were closing down.

Most of them are small restaurants with good quality and cheap prices.

The reasons for bankruptcy vary. Some are due to being found to have cut corners, some are due to the chef’s poor cooking skills and attitude, and some are due to debt collection.

At first glance, these are all very normal reasons.

But the outbreak concentrated in these few days has become a little abnormal.

Moreover, due to the frequent vicious incidents in small restaurants, diners have lost their trust in small restaurants and would rather go to more famous restaurants even if the prices are higher.

As a result, the remaining small restaurants have lost their customers and are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Elder Li's hair has turned white with worry these days. The chefs from small restaurants all came to the Guangdong Chefs Association, hoping that the elders could come up with a solution, otherwise they would really have no way to survive.

But what can the elders do?
We can't force all the restaurants to share the profits from their customers.

If they really do this, they will completely alienate themselves from the Guangzhou culinary community, and no one will listen to them anymore.

"Tell me, what should we do?"

Elder Li urgently summoned all the elders, explained the situation, and asked.

There was silence.

The elders looked left and right, and everyone had the same look of confusion on their faces.

They all knew that this was Elder Wu's conspiracy, but this conspiracy was impossible to resist. No matter what they did, things would not change.

In the end, the elders discussed for a long time, but ended up saying a bunch of useless nonsense, and cursed Wu Cheng at the same time to vent their emotions.

On the way back, Luo Tian walked in the alleys he often walked on weekdays. The streets that were once bustling and bustling with business were now closed everywhere. Occasionally, there was a restaurant open, but there was no one inside. Only the chef sitting in front of the door, staring blankly.

Outside the major restaurants, there were many people queuing, but there were even more people looking hesitant.

They lingered outside the door, hesitating, and finally sighed deeply and turned away.

The luxurious decoration, exquisite food and high prices kept them away.

Even though the door was open and the waiter greeted the guests warmly, they couldn't muster the courage to step inside.

Even the people who walked out of the restaurant had a hint of bitterness mixed in with the happy smiles on their faces.

Luo Tian felt heavy-hearted and his pace gradually quickened as he walked quickly through the street, as if by doing so he could put all his worries behind him.

Soon he arrived at the door of Yangquan Restaurant, where there were many more customers than usual.

He used to be proud of it, as this was the restaurant he had worked hard for his entire life and it embodied his countless efforts and glory.

But at this moment, seeing so many guests, he felt only irritation and a bit of guilt, as if he had taken away something that belonged to others.

In the end, Luo Tian could only sigh, avoiding the crowd and walking in through the back door.

A deep feeling of powerlessness lingered in his heart.

Things have begun to change, and all he can do is watch them getting worse and worse. He once thought that he could work as a chef for more than ten years, but at this moment, he suddenly lost interest in it all.

It would be better to give the position to Jidi and live a free and easy life, rather than being involved in countless right and wrongs.

"Ugh……"

"Master, this is the twelfth time you sighed."

Xu Qing said.

"Really? I didn't even notice it. Sigh..."

The thirteenth time.

Xu Qing counted silently in his heart.

When it came to the usual study time, Master Luo Tian was obviously not in good shape today.

Master Luo Tian also reacted and said, "I'm sorry, I'm really... Did you notice the situation outside?"

Xu Qing nodded.

These days he often goes out, asks for information, and observes these changes.

I have to say that Elder Wu’s move was indeed brilliant.

According to his understanding, the restaurant that went bankrupt had previously been poorly managed and had few customers, so bankruptcy was only a matter of time.

It was just that Elder Wu ordered all of these restaurants facing bankruptcy to close down within a short period of time, and at the same time spread unfavorable news everywhere, creating an atmosphere that small restaurants were not trustworthy. Coupled with the previous incident at Tianhong Pavilion, people's doubts were exacerbated, which ultimately led to the current situation.

It is indeed not easy to change this situation.

Master Luo Tian said: "You may not know that it is not the large restaurants like Yangquan Restaurant that support Guangzhou's reputation as the 'food capital', but the small restaurants scattered throughout the streets. Small restaurants do not have as rich and diverse dishes as large restaurants. Many of them specialize in one dish, make it the best, and make it the signature dish of the restaurant to attract customers."

"Small restaurants are not as good as large restaurants, whether in reputation, interior decoration, or taste. The way they attract customers is to constantly innovate and incorporate novel practices into the dishes. Almost every day, new dishes are born here, and many of them amaze me. Maybe the taste is a little lacking, but they are constantly creating new things, and this desire to win by surprise is much stronger than that of large restaurants."

"Large restaurants need stability, because change is not always a good thing, so they try to keep the taste the same and strive to bring the same delicious taste to all customers. If small restaurants don't change, it will be difficult for them to survive. Life forces them to seek innovation and change. And the changes in small restaurants will also drive the changes in large restaurants."

"But now..."

Master Luo Tian stood up and looked at the streets in the distance. "Now, this vitality has gradually disappeared. The 'food capital' that is constantly innovating will eventually become a stagnant pool. Wu Cheng once said that the number of small restaurants should be reduced and a chef assessment mechanism should be introduced to ensure the vitality of large restaurants. However, in this way, the chefs' pursuit of skills has become purely driven by profit. Their only purpose is to constantly hone their skills, and there is no longer any intention in it. This is exactly why I strongly opposed it at the beginning."

Luo Tian sighed and said, "But in the current situation, it seems that the only way to survive is to follow Wu Cheng's wishes. Otherwise, we will gradually wither away."

Wu Cheng's methods left them with no choice.

Luo Tian felt deeply moved. These years in the imperial city had indeed made Wu Cheng grow a lot. Back then, he yelled at them at the top of his lungs, trying hard to convey his ideas to them and gain their approval, but in the end, all he got was silence and resistance.

But now, he said nothing, but once he used this method, these pure chefs had no way to resist. They could only become his puppets, being manipulated by him to achieve his own goals.

(End of this chapter)