Chapter 122 Culinary Competition: Rice Balls, Fuding Meat Slices, Egg Pancakes...

Ah Zhu often solicited customers in front of Lin's restaurant. Most people in the neighborhood knew him. To avoid alerting the culprit, he spent some money to find a layabout to help him inquire.

As soon as Ah Zhu entered the door, everyone who was busy with their own things stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to him.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The rumors started from Zhang's teahouse. The first person mentioned was Zhang's eldest son, Shen Juan's betrothed."

He spilled out everything he had found out, and at the end, he resentfully muttered, "Like attracts like."

"It really was them!" Wang Xiaoyu stood up indignantly. "Shen Juan didn't get chosen herself, so she instigated her future in-laws to spread rumors! Her master taught her the recipe for the herbal drink without reservation, but she not only secretly passed it on, but also ruined the shopkeeper's reputation. She's truly ungrateful!"

Liu Xu, who had been listening from the side, asked, "Manager, should I go to Zhang's Teahouse and have them clarify the rumors?"

Ah Zhu: "Brother Xu, don't worry. I heard from that idler that most people don't really believe it. When Zhang's eldest son was talking, not many people responded."

Lin Yao shook her head: "Now people don't believe what Zhang Dalang said, but rumors are the most troublesome thing. Today everyone believes me, but who can guarantee that in time, uninformed people will spread rumors, and if there are too many rumors, even white can be turned into black. We can't just rely on others' explanations; we have to produce solid evidence to convince everyone that our culinary school can truly teach excellent skills."

She looked up at everyone and said, "In that case, why don't we hold a cooking competition?"

"A culinary competition?" The group was taken aback.

“We’ll put up notices and invite the town’s neighbors and diners to be judges,” Lin Yao continued. “We’ll have the apprentices cook the dishes I taught them. Each judge will be given a paper flower, and after they finish eating, they’ll vote for the dish they like best. Finally, we’ll select the winner from each group.”

Su Niang's eyes lit up: "This is a great idea! Let the apprentices cook for everyone to taste. They'll know how good their skills are just by tasting them!"

"That's right!" Wang Xiaoyu laughed. "Let everyone see how skilled our apprentices are. We'll make sure those who talk nonsense are speechless!"

When the restaurant opened in the afternoon, Liu Xu, A Zhu, and the other waiters enthusiastically introduced the cooking competition to everyone they met: "Come to our Lin Family Chef Academy in three days to watch the competition! The apprentices are making dishes made with secret recipes personally passed down by Manager Lin. You can be a judge, eat well, and vote for the winner. It'll be very exciting!"

The diners, who were regulars at the restaurant, readily agreed when they heard about this novel idea.

In less than an hour, the news that the Lin Family Culinary Academy was going to hold a culinary competition spread like wildfire throughout the entire Qingquan Town.

While washing clothes in her yard, Shen Juan overheard her neighbor excitedly talking about this, and she slammed the washing mallet into the basin, splashing water all over herself.

She was extremely flustered. If this competition were to take place, wouldn't all the lies she had told be completely exposed?

That day at Zhang's teahouse, she was so angry about losing the election that she lost her mind. Seeing that Zhang Dalang cared about her, she made up a story that Lin Yao took money but did nothing, and that she had paid tuition but hadn't learned anything real.

She was just looking for an excuse to vent her anger, but she never expected that Zhang Dalang would take her words seriously and tell the tea drinkers in the teahouse.

Now that she heard that Lin Yao was going to hold a competition, Shen Juan was filled with regret.

Three days later, an hour before mealtime, a number of people were already waiting outside the Lin family's culinary school.

The courtyard was already set up, with thirty stoves lined up in a row, pots and pans neatly prepared, and fresh ingredients stacked on the table, looking exceptionally tempting.

The apprentices who had arrived early to prepare began to tense up upon hearing the commotion outside.

Seeing everyone's nervous expressions, Lin Yao comforted them, "Don't panic, just do what you usually practice."

These words didn't have much effect. She walked to the center of the courtyard, looked at the thirty slightly uneasy faces, and patiently explained, "The ranking in today's competition really isn't important. What we need to do is, firstly, let everyone taste our skills and collect some real feedback so we can improve when we get back. Secondly, let the neighbors have a taste of our fresh food in advance, whet their appetites, and when we open our restaurant in Lin'an Prefecture in the future, or when everyone sets up their own stalls, they will be more willing to come and support us."

These words acted as a reassurance, and the tension on the apprentices' faces gradually faded.

The crowd outside the courtyard wall was still making noise, but inside the courtyard, the sounds of chopping and stir-frying vegetables could be heard one after another. The rich aroma gradually wafted out through the courtyard gate, making the people outside even more eager to go.

Seeing that everyone was gradually calming down and processing the ingredients in an orderly manner, Lin Yao picked up the box for the lottery and went out.

When Lin Yao came out, someone outside couldn't help but ask, "Manager Lin, when can we eat? The aroma is making my stomach rumble!"

This remark drew enthusiastic responses from the crowd, instantly enlivening the atmosphere.

"Please be patient, everyone, just wait a moment!" Lin Yao smiled and raised her hand to calm the crowd down. After the scene quieted down a bit, she continued, "Before we taste the snacks, please line up here to draw lots. There are three colors of lots: red, yellow, and green. Each color corresponds to a line."

She gestured for everyone to look at the two long tables on either side of the doorway. Liu Xu and Wan Chunlai were standing behind the tables, which were decorated with three baskets of paper flowers of different colors.

"Let me explain the rules to everyone!" Lin Yao's voice was clear and strong. "Our apprentices are divided into three teams according to their tastes: red sticks correspond to the sweet taste team, yellow sticks correspond to the spicy taste team, and green sticks correspond to the salty taste team. All the savory snacks are in this group."

She pointed to the paper flowers behind the table: "After everyone draws their lots, go to the table of the corresponding color to collect your paper flower. Later, after tasting the dishes of the corresponding team, if you find them to your liking, put the paper flower into that team's ballot box. In the end, the apprentice with the most votes from each team will receive a reward of five taels of silver!"

"Five taels of silver?!" A gasp rippled through the crowd, and some rubbed their hands together, eager to try it: "Then I'll have to give the flower to the best one!"

The crowd stopped urging them to start eating and formed a long queue. They took turns drawing lots from Lin Yao, and after receiving their lots, they excitedly went to collect their paper flowers.

Before long, the wooden door of the culinary school was pushed open from the inside, and two apprentices carried out a long table. The table was covered with white porcelain plates, and next to each plate was a small wooden tag with the name of the dish written on it.

The first dishes served were the snacks from the Salty Team. The diners who drew green slips quickly gathered around, looking at the unfamiliar names on the wooden signs such as savory pancakes, pan-fried buns, and egg burgers with curiosity on their faces.

Lin Yao considered that everyone had never seen these snacks from later generations, so she specially marked the name of each snack clearly, so that everyone could remember the name after tasting them.

"This savory pancake looks delicious!" Wu the blacksmith was the first to pick up a piece.

The golden-brown crust is brushed with a dark brown sauce and sprinkled with bright green scallions and white sesame seeds. One bite reveals a crispy exterior that crumbles easily, while the inside remains soft and chewy. The aroma of the sauce mingles with the fragrance of the pancake, spreading throughout the mouth. "Delicious! Even better than the pancakes from Luo Ji Pancake Shop!"

After finishing, he smacked his lips with lingering satisfaction. If there hadn't been only one pancake, he would have loved to have another.

The shopkeeper next to him, Mr. Li, chose pan-fried buns. As soon as he bit into one, the delicious broth flowed down between his fingers. He quickly sipped it, wincing from the heat, but couldn't bear to spit it out: "These buns are good! The bottom is crispy and the filling is tender!"

He examined the wooden sign carefully, memorized the name of the person who made the pan-fried buns, and turned to the person next to him, exclaiming, "Manager Lin taught us so well! This skill doesn't seem like that of someone who just graduated!"

The unique appearance of the egg burger attracted the attention of many diners.

The town's children lingered around the plate, reluctant to leave. An older woman picked one up and took a bite. The crispy crust mixed with the tender egg and a faint aroma of oil made her exclaim, "This egg burger is such a novel treat! I hope I can buy it more often in the future!" As she spoke, she tossed a paper flower to the apprentice.

A long queue formed in front of the glutinous rice balls. The apprentices spread out the steamed soft and sticky glutinous rice, wrapped it with crispy fried dough sticks, savory pork floss and pickled cucumber, and shaped it into a firm rice ball.

The woman took a bite as soon as she received it. The aroma of glutinous rice, the crispness of the fried dough stick, and the freshness of the pork floss blended together, making her exclaim, "This way of eating is novel! One is enough to fill you up for breakfast!"

Fried skewers and hand-pulled pancakes are also very popular. The golden fried skewers are crispy and fragrant after being brushed with special sauce.

The diners ate with great satisfaction, and many even went to ask the apprentice who made the dish for his name after finishing, patting their chests and saying that they would patronize the restaurants in Lin'an Prefecture in the future.

Zhang Dalang, who was not far away, had originally come to see Lin Yao make a fool of herself. But seeing this scene, he clenched his fists and then relaxed them, relaxed them and then clenched them again.

Shen Juan actually dared to lie to him!

He believed her and thought that those drink recipes were all modified by her, and that the ones Lin Yao taught him didn't taste nearly as good.

Now it seems that she just made it up, and I blame myself for being so easily swayed by others and not asking around properly.

Zhang Dalang had been studying in Lin'an Prefecture and rarely returned to Qingquan Town. Now, he had only been back in town with his family for a few months, so he naturally didn't know how bustling the Lin Family Restaurant used to be.

If he had known that Lin Yao was truly capable, he certainly wouldn't have spoken like that to the teahouse patrons.

Zhang Dalang felt that he would never be able to face anyone again.

We had just finished the savory dishes when the spicy dishes were served. The roasted chicken frame was a bright red color, and its aroma was irresistible as soon as it was placed on the table.

Butcher Zhang picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The meat was firm and chewy, spicy and fresh, and the more he ate, the more fragrant it became. He couldn't help but say, "If only we had some wine, this chicken frame would be perfect with wine!" After he finished eating the bones, he couldn't bear to throw them away and immediately tossed the paper flowers to the apprentice who was making the roasted chicken frames.

The sliced ​​meat from Fuding floated in a white porcelain bowl, the soup was clear and bright, and it was sprinkled with coriander and dogwood.

The diner scooped up a spoonful and blew on it. The meat slices were tender and bouncy, and the soup was fresh with a hint of spiciness. After finishing a bowl, he felt completely refreshed and nodded repeatedly: "This meat soup is exquisitely seasoned and warms the heart and stomach!"

The "Sad Jelly Noodles" dish is a delight for spice lovers. The jelly noodles are smooth and tender, mixed with bright red chili oil and minced garlic. It's so spicy that people sweat from their noses but can't stop eating. One woman was gasping for breath from the spiciness but laughed and said, "It's spicy enough! I really enjoy it!"

The fried pork tenderloin has a golden and crispy exterior, and the meat inside is tender and juicy. It is coated with dogwood powder, and the roasted sweet potato skin is brushed with sauce, filled with pickled radish and minced meat, making it sour, spicy and appetizing.

The area in front of the spicy dishes was bustling with activity. Diners were sweating profusely as they ate, and many were drinking water because of the spiciness, yet they still wanted to try the next dish.

The final sweet snack was something people were eagerly anticipating.

Chicken biscuits are golden in color, crispy on the outside, sweet and salty, and become more fragrant the more you chew them.

Shopkeeper Li's wife picked up a piece, ate it, and couldn't help but lick her lips: "This cake is chewy and not too sweet, perfect as a tea snack!"

The osmanthus cake is snow-white and soft, with a rich osmanthus fragrance. It melts in your mouth, and the children hold the plate tightly, unwilling to let go.

The honey-brewed pear soup is sweet and refreshing; one sip and the dryness in your throat instantly disappears.

After all the dishes had been tasted, Lin Yao had the ticket box put away and counted the paper flowers in front of everyone.

As the votes were announced one by one, the final results were revealed: the salty team's fried skewers received the most votes, the spicy team's roasted chicken racks came out on top, and the sweet team's chicken biscuits outshone everyone else.

The three award-winning apprentices blushed with excitement as they accepted the five taels of silver handed to them by Lin Yao, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

From the teahouse not far away, Xu Zhiheng was sitting in a spot that offered a perfect view of the bustling scene at the Lin family's culinary school.

"My lord! They've all finished eating!" Jin Yu wailed.

Jin Yu's sorrow was indescribable; her increasingly round face was filled with regret. "Why can't we go eat? If you don't want to go, fine, but why won't you let me?"

No matter how much Jin Yu wailed and howled beside him, he remained unmoved. Since being too direct would scare her away, he would proceed slowly and deliberately.

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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, please consider adding this to your favorites~ [droopy-eared rabbit head]