Resumen del episodio 1 de Granting You a Dreamlike Life
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A celebrated Chinese-American gourmet, Lin Jingyu, returned to Dongjiang city from France at the invitation of a popular website, Fresh, to create a special feature on local cuisine. Lin Jingyu, though young, was a true connoisseur, described as the world's youngest Chinese-American gourmet. Her primary motivation for accepting the invitation was to visit "One restaurant," a place deeply connected to her family history, serving as her grandmother's former residence.
It was her sole reason for returning to Dongjiang, a personal journey to reconnect with the traditional "Dongjiang flavor" and her family roots. Upon arriving at One restaurant, Lin Jingyu noticed an old photograph on the wall depicting two handsome and elegant men and a beautiful woman with exquisite features. She felt an immediate sense of kinship, recognizing the woman as her grandmother.
She attempted to be seated, but a waiter informed her that reservations were required a week in advance. Unfazed by such rules, Lin Jingyu entered the empty restaurant, perused the menu, and declared she wanted a `shengjianbao` (pan-fried bun). To her annoyance, the waiter stated it was a non-selling item, despite being listed on the menu. Lin Jingyu, growing increasingly frustrated, sarcastically remarked that the establishment was more pretentious than a Michelin-starred restaurant.
From the kitchen, Chef Cheng Musheng, who had been listening silently, emerged to challenge her. He openly disdained Michelin stars and food critics, comparing their judgment to "eunuchs commenting on marriage." Lin Jingyu revealed that she was indeed a renowned gourmet. Their heated exchange led to a wager: if Cheng Musheng could prepare a dish to her satisfaction, Lin Jingyu would share a personal love story.
She chose Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, a common dish that truly tests a chef's skill, and warned him that if the dish failed, the story would remain untold. When the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs were served, Lin Jingyu tasted them. Despite the uniformly sized, reddish-brown meat, its fragrant and crispy texture, and the seemingly perfect balance of soy sauce, yellow wine, vinegar, and salt, she immediately identified a critical flaw.
She precisely described the proper cooking technique for Dongjiang's Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, emphasizing the crucial "sweetness." The method involved boiling in broth, flipping for 20-30 minutes, and then adding sugar to melt and penetrate the meat for another 10 minutes. She noted that the sweetness in his ribs was unevenly incorporated, attributing this to the chef's unsteady hand while tossing the wok, a major culinary mistake.
She then pointed out his subtly trembling hands as he served the dish and the distinct, pungent smell of alcohol on him, concluding that he suffered from chronic alcoholism. Lin Jingyu declared that his cooking skills were unworthy of such a restaurant with a rich history, adding that "drivers cannot drink and drive, chefs cannot drink and cook," and that his chef's license should be revoked. With that, she left the restaurant.
Cheng Musheng pursued her but only caught a glimpse of her retreating figure and found a hotel room key card she had dropped. Later, Lin Jingyu posted a scathing review on Weibo about Cheng Musheng and One restaurant, ridiculing him as a "drunk chef" with the post "Drunk crab, drunk shrimp, not as good as a drunk chef. Dongjiang Yidao restaurant head chef negative review."
Her post quickly went viral, attracting widespread negative attention and comments for the restaurant, with over 200,000 shares in one day. Realizing the depth of her influence, Cheng Musheng decided to confront her. Using the found key card, he went to her hotel. He overheard her ordering pasta and salad through the door and, seizing the opportunity, prepared the dishes himself, delivering them to her room disguised as a hotel waiter.
Lin Jingyu, having had a few drinks, was already tipsy. She thoroughly enjoyed the pasta and salad, praising it as "five-star" worthy. Mistaking Cheng Musheng for a fan, she happily posed for a photo with him, even proclaiming, "You're my fan, right? You want to take a picture with me, right? Oh, just say so!"
The next morning, Lin Jingyu discovered a video of her praising Cheng Musheng's pasta had been posted online, leading to mockery and negative comments from netizens. Enraged, she confronted Cheng Musheng. He reminded her of their wager: since she had praised his cooking (albeit unknowingly), she owed him a love story, and only then would he consider removing the video. He further taunted her, suggesting she hadn't experienced love herself.
As Lin Jingyu had no personal love story to tell, she proposed that a story related to her family should count. Cheng Musheng agreed, and she began to recount the romantic tale of her grandmother, Duan Tianying, set in Dongjiang city many decades ago. The story's setting was none other than the "One restaurant," a place her grandmother had once lived and loved.
Lin Jingyu's narration transports the audience back to the bustling Dongjiang city during a time when it was a French concession. Duan Tianying, a vibrant and adventurous young woman, had arrived with her father, Jiu Suhong, the troupe leader, and her brother, Duan Tianci. Bored by the confines of the troupe and eager to explore the city's culinary delights, Tianying convinced her brother to sneak out with her to buy `shengjianbao`.
While queuing for the popular snack, Tianying accidentally bumped into a police officer. Duan Tianci quickly apologized, but the officer haughtily took a `shengjianbao` without paying, further angering Tianying about their arrogant behavior. Shortly after, when Tianying finally got her hands on the last `shengjianbao`, it was snatched away by Luo Fusheng, the wild and uninhibited second-in-command of the notorious Hong gang, who had grown up in the underworld.
Tianying, possessing a stubborn spirit and some martial arts skills, refused to yield and bravely fought back for her `shengjianbao`. Amused by her defiance, Luo Fusheng engaged in a playful struggle before ultimately making off with the `shengjianbao` on his motorcycle. Tianying was left fuming, stomping her feet in anger, while Duan Tianci tried to calm her down. Luo Fusheng, speeding on his motorcycle, arrived at the airport.
There, he joined Lin Qikai and Hong Lan, the beloved daughter of Hong Zhengbao, the leader of the Hong gang. Hong Lan’s eager greeting and adoring gaze made her affection for Luo Fusheng evident. The three were waiting for Xu Xingcheng, the esteemed eldest son of the prominent Xu family from Shanghai, who was returning from abroad. As Xu Xingcheng's plane landed, Lin Qikai, Luo Fusheng, and Hong Lan, along with others, went to greet him.
Hong Lan, clearly unimpressed with Xu Xingcheng, stated she disliked his "bookworm face" and that she'd rather choose Luo Fusheng, expressing disdain that Xu Xingcheng was considered worthy of her. She also pointed out that Luo Fusheng's motorcycle skills were more impressive than Xu Xingcheng's stunt pilot license. Xu Xingcheng, upon greeting his friends, was playfully chided for his "French habits" of kissing men as a greeting, which he defended as "normal in France." He also offered to take them for a ride in his plane.
