Mister Yu smiled happily when everyone turned to look at him. “Well, what am I supposed to say? Xiao Ming just convinced me. I figured he would be a good addition to this kind of show.”

The contestants started muttering again, feeling that this was really too lacking of an explanation! How could he fob them off with just this?

Fan Mei had the same thoughts and she wasn’t the kind to keep her doubts silent. She looked up to Mister Yu when it came to cooking. She really didn’t think that he should have a high opinion of Xiao Ming. After all, even though she hadn’t looked into his channel too much, it had still seemed too low-effort. “Mister Yu, you can’t just say you felt he was a good fit and ask us to believe that. Are you sure you weren’t influenced? The other channels wouldn’t have gotten this popular if they had no ability and some of these only have one person on the channel instead of three. It should have been much easier to incorporate them into the show.”

Mister Yu rubbed his chin at that, wondering how to best explain. “Well, there were several things that I considered. In fact, the number of people involved in the channels was one thing that also stood out to me.

“Now, you have to know that I don’t know too much about any of those channels. I really just saw the material that producer Bian showed me and decided based on that. There were some that I didn’t feel were fitting immediately upon watching while for others, it took some comparison. For example, there was a channel they showed me that always had two women cooking together.”

Fan Mei nodded. “That should be Little Kitchen. The two of them are mother and daughter and have been cooking together for more than a decade. They are on the ranking.”

Mister Yu didn’t know much about the stories behind the channels but producer Bian had given him some information at least. What Fan Mei said about Little Kitchen rang familiar. “Ah, yes, that should have been them. They were really good and I was considering them until almost the end. But finally, I figured that it wouldn’t fit what the producer had told me he had in mind for the show.

“What he was looking for was a second main judge that would be at my side in all the episodes while only the third judge would be swapped out each week. Thinking about that, I felt that this meant that the person I chose should fulfill certain points. One of that would be to be able to judge on his own.

“Now, I guess all these streamers would be able to do that to an extent. After all, they are all cooking regularly. But in the videos that the producer showed me for this particular channel, it seemed that the two women were always working together closely.

“This doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be able to judge dishes separately but I figured that it wouldn’t be right to just ask one of them to be on the show. Which one should even be invited? For this channel, clearly, while both members are good alone, it is the way they interact with each other and complement each other’s knowledge that makes this channel special. It wouldn’t have felt right to take that from them for the show. So no, if they were to be invited, I think that both of them should have been.”

The contestants that were a little more knowledgeable about the food streamer scene and had watched some videos from Little Kitchen knew exactly what Mister Yu meant. For those two, the interplay of their differences and similarities was their appeal.

The mother was cooking in a very traditional way, often telling the viewers about her mother and grandmother had made this or that recipe and how she had learned from them. Meanwhile, the daughter would bring in new ideas from outside that she chanced upon while at university, got from a friend, or saw online. Then, they would go through those things together, trying the recipes together and often adjusting them so it fit their taste and style better.

Imagining that just one of them was to be a judge would indeed be awkward because they could only bring in one aspect. Would they even want that? After all, it didn’t fit their channel’s image. And while it might help with making them more popular, they were clearly on a good way all by themselves. One of them taking part in ‘Golden Spoon’ while the other had to stay behind might not be too favorable to them. This did explain why they hadn’t been chosen instead.

Fan Mei had at least looked into each of the channels before she wrote her article and finally registered for the show, so she was also somewhat familiar with all of them. “Well, it’s good for the producer that you considered this kind of point as well. But anyway, that is just one channel with two people. And in fact, doesn’t Bright Yellow Water have three members? How doesn’t the same apply to them?”

Mister Yu nodded, not seeing a problem with that. “Oh, they do! To be honest, I really enjoyed seeing their interaction in the videos. It is different from Little Kitchen though. You know, this isn’t just about the number of members they have. It is also about the task they have.

“For the members of Bright Yellow Water, things were different than for the two women from Little Kitchen. Mister Xiao Ming is the only one who cooks. The other two are always there but they will take care of the other tasks that are necessary for this kind of channel and are never involved in the cooking process itself. So I felt that it wouldn’t be a problem to invite Xiao Ming as the judge. He is the one who is most knowledgeable about this topic among the members of Bright Yellow Water.”

At the side, Qian Huang was nodding like a chicken pecking rice. This was something that couldn’t be denied. Li Shui and he had both proven by now that they really couldn’t cook and weren’t just acting. They could eat but cooking was a different matter. So Xiao Ming was indeed the one who was perfect for being a judge while they could be ignored and wouldn’t even be offended.

Mister Yu couldn’t help but look at him and laugh at his expression. “Actually, I think that a connoisseur of good food would also do really well as a judge. But when it comes to a cooking show, I think it is valuable to have judges that are able to give feedback on the process itself. If something doesn’t go that well, they should be able to provide the contestants with possibilities of how they could have done better.

“Although, at the same time, they shouldn’t be too rigorous in their thinking.” Mister Yu stopped at that, his gaze becoming thoughtful. Once again, he wasn’t quite sure how to explain himself.

Producer Bian hadn’t asked much and just taken his word for it when he said that he would prefer Xiao Ming as the second judge and contacted Bright Yellow Water. He hadn’t needed to explain anything and just silently made his decision. This time though, he would have to explain and explain well at that or Xiao Ming might get into trouble.

To be honest, this whole matter was quite strange to him and he really didn’t feel comfortable with it but Xiao Ming had been kind and he did feel that he deserved this chance so he would do his best. As for his current explanation … “Personally, I’m already not that young anymore. When it comes to modern cooking, there are many things that I am not familiar with because they are from a time I grew not up in and haven’t necessarily kept up with.

“I try to be open-minded about them though. There are ways that make originally strenuous tasks easier and that isn’t against good cooking practices. Instead, it can help people find their joy in cooking and that is a beautiful thing. If somebody has a different philosophy on cooking, then I don’t want to say that they are wrong in any way.

“I personally believe that there is no right or wrong way to cooking. There is only a right way to cook for a certain person. So if somebody chooses a way that isn’t my way, it might still be the right way for them. As long as the result is a tasty dish that somebody can enjoy, they have done well.

“A good judge, I believe, is somebody who holds that same philosophy because somebody who doesn’t would be forcing the contestants into a mold they might not fit and don’t even want to fit. They might destroy somebody’s love for cooking and that is the last thing a cooking show like ‘Golden Spoon’ should want.

“Both the ability to judge and the open-mindedness to judge in a way that takes a contestant’s unique perspective into mind are what Xiao Ming has. The material I saw led me to believe that.”

Fan Mei wanted to speak up again but Mister Yu pretended not to have noticed and continued talking. He had finally found a good way to explain and was just about to get to the part about Xiao Ming himself. If he let somebody else interrupt him, he’d lose the plot.

“Of course, I can’t speak for the whole channel but in the videos, I was shown that day, he explained different ways to go about a dish, even showing one or two in detail. That is speaking to his ability to accept other ways to do something. Surely, he has a preferred method for all of this. That is just something that you will develop over time. But he is open to trying other ways and seeing other people use a method that they personally like better. Otherwise, he wouldn’t show different ways but only use the one he is most familiar with. Other streamers did precisely that.

“Also, by the time I had narrowed down the channels whose streamers I thought might work well as a judge, producer Bian showed me some additional information on them to make the final decision easier. For example, they showed me how they conducted themselves on that online platform where people post those short snippets or pictures and videos.” He thought for a moment but couldn’t remember the name.

“Ah, I don’t know much about these things either, but I believe that my granddaughter has made a profile for me. Every now and then, she will help me post something. Now, the members of Bright Yellow Water are clearly much more familiar with it.

“It was a bit odd for me to see their posts at first because their channel consists of three people so when they post something or comment, you don’t know who it is at first. But they usually make sure to mark down somewhere who is currently interacting with people. I guess in some cases, they might’ve done everything together, so then they leave that out. But anyway, you know what to expect and people younger than me and a little more in touch with these online things might be able to get that without needing it to be explained to them.

“In any case, a lot of these posts were in preparation of their videos. For example, they are giving people the opportunity to buy the ingredients beforehand and cook alongside them. I thought that that was very nice. Even though they cook on camera and everyone else that watches them can’t be seen, it makes it into an activity with many people. Cooking and food should be like that: something everyone can enjoy together.

“But what convinced me even more was how sometimes, the three of them would make posts referring to a video that had already been streamed and telling their viewers to show them what they made. Even though Xiao Ming couldn’t taste those things, he would try to give a bit of advice based on how things look or the problems that their viewers described.

“For all intents and purposes, he was acting as a judge for them at that time. Or maybe it would be better to describe it as guidance but that is what I expect of a good judge. So, seeing this, I was completely convinced that Mister Xiao is the right person for ‘Golden Spoon’.

“You see, giving feedback seems easy enough if you know how to cook, doesn’t it? But I believe that it takes a special kind of person for this. You need to be honest, you want to give the other person something that they can really use but you also need to do it in a way that they can accept.

“Some people will have difficulties doing something. Even if they come and ask you for your opinion, they might not always be as open as they had thought and instead secretly held expectations. If those are disappointed, so will these people so a judge needs to be able to take that into consideration and be kind even while giving negative feedback.

“From what I saw from those posts that the producer had printed out for me, I thought that Mister Xiao was good at that. Even when a situation seemed difficult, he dealt with them beautifully. He just has this talent to find the right words to reassure somebody even if everything goes wrong.” He turned to look at Xiao Ming and couldn’t help but nod a little. “Now, we haven’t had to do that much with each other personally yet.

“We only met one another a few times before the show already started. And now, after the casting, it’s only the second day that we spent together almost in full. So far, I feel that my original impression was right. Xiao Ming has been the same kind person I expected him to be. Seeing the way he talked to the participants in the casting last week and also how he was giving feedback today, I believe that I made the right choice.”

Fan Mei furrowed her brows, but there really wasn’t anything she could say. This didn’t mean that she was willing to accept it though. Even though everything that had been shown so far pointed in the other direction, she trusted her gut. There was something odd about that Si Jin and his relationship with Xiao Ming was just the most likely explanation. How could she give up after this setback? “Did the other streamers not seem like they would be kind enough to give the right feedback?”

Mister Yu felt troubled at that. His granddaughter had warned him over and over that he shouldn’t say anything that could be interpreted negatively in front of a camera. Now, what he had to say about some of these channels … he was afraid that would be a negative thing indeed. And while he was an honest person who would not mind being open about it, it might indeed be better not to say so directly.

He thought for a while and then shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to go that far. As I said, I don’t know any of these channels in detail. I only have a very limited view of what the streamers are capable of that is based on the videos and posts that I was shown.

“Mister Xiao was able to convince me with those, more so than others were. There wasn’t just one reason either. It was everything taken together: The fact that he was only one streamer — or at least the only one cooking on his channel —, the fact that he seemed open-minded about trying out other ideas, how he had already shown online that he can give feedback, and yes, also the kindness he demonstrated.

“In fact, there were more considerations that went into my decision, some only based on minor details that would take too long to tell you about. But at the end of the day, with Mister Xiao, everything was just right. With the others, there was something or the other I felt to be lacking.

“That might not necessarily have been because they weren’t able to provide that, but because I wasn’t shown. After all, I only got a small peek at everything in a limited time and was asked to make a decision right on the spot.

“It is very well possible that I would have made a different decision if I had been shown different videos or had had more time. But that wasn’t the case and based on what I saw that day, I felt that Mister Xiao was perfect for the role. And as I said, so far, I have not regretted my choice either. I do believe he is very well-suited for this.”

Mister Yu furrowed his brows a little, feeling that if he talked any further, he would just repeat himself. Unfortunately, that Ms. Fan still looked unconvinced. Ah, he really didn’t know what it was with this suspicion. Had Xiao Ming done anything to deserve this?

Not knowing what else to do, he couldn’t help but lean forward, looking at Chu Yu An for help. “Ms. Chu, what about you? You’ve only had the chance to look at how Mister Xiao is doing today but what are your thoughts so far?”

Chu Yu An raised her brows when she was suddenly pulled into a situation where she only should have been a bystander and then glanced at Fan Mei as well, realizing why Mister Yu was doing this.

To be honest, by now, she was really happy that she was only a temporary judge and didn’t even live in China. After all of this was over, she could just return home to her fiancee and their little restaurant, and be done with all of this drama.

She wasn’t sure if it would be this easy for Xiao Ming. But then, she now had an opportunity to help him out a little. She should make it worthwhile.