...

Today, Xu Milu, who rarely gets a day off, is busy selecting menus for the upcoming culinary competition.

"Little aunt, please spare me! I've already tried no less than seven dishes today. Let me count them for you: lean pork and chicken feet stew with conch, ginkgo and kelp stew with pig's stomach, stir-fried shredded pork tenderloin, steamed meatballs in a three-sauce braised pot, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, braised pork with kelp and potatoes, and deep-fried octopus tentacles. Trust me, they're all delicious, really! When you stand there, your knife skills will surely stun the viewers in the live stream!"

Li Ning groaned, clutching his overeaten stomach. In front of him were several empty plates, and his assistant, Xiao Sun, looked both happy and pained, clearly also stuffed.

"That won't do. This is my first time participating in a formal competition, so I can't not take it seriously. There are two more dishes, seafood noodles and cold braised pig's trotters. They'll be ready soon. Wait until I give you three feedback before you leave. If you can't finish, pack it up and take it home."

As Xu Milu spoke, her hands continued to move.

Remove the vein from the prawns with a toothpick, remove the teeth and internal organs from the abalone, remove the head and teeth from the octopus, wash them clean and cut them into small pieces, and clean the mussels and clams and set them together for later use.

Add a small amount of salt and an egg to the flour, add water and knead into a dough. Let the dough rest for a few minutes, roll it out into a sheet, cut it with a knife, apply a little cooking oil to your hands and tear it apart. Boil water in a pot, cook the noodles until done, rinse them with cold water, drain and set aside.

Cut scallions into sections, dice bicolor mandolin peppers, shred ginger, and crush garlic. Heat oil in a pan, add scallion sections, shredded ginger, and diced chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant. Add octopus pieces and abalone pieces and stir-fry. Add cooking wine and light soy sauce for seasoning. Finally, add water. Once the pot boils, add clams, mussels, and noodles and cook until the water boils again. Serve on a plate.

Clean the pig's trotters thoroughly. First, use tweezers to remove the surface hairs, then singe the skin over high heat. Scrape off the black ash on the surface with a knife. Add hot oil to a pot, add Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add light soy sauce, rock sugar, dark soy sauce, and cooking wine in that order. Next, add star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Put the pig's trotters, which have been split in half, into the pot, and then pour in enough water to cover the trotters to braise them.

Continue cooking over high heat until the sauce thickens, then remove the pig's trotters and refrigerate them. Xu Milu made a batch yesterday, and it tastes just right now.

The pig's trotters have firm skin and tender meat with a chewy texture. Even the meat hidden in the crevices of the bones is full of chewiness. Dip them in some minced garlic and vinegar, and they're simply the perfect accompaniment to alcohol.

Mu Yang's message came at this moment.

[Mu Yang: Junior sister, are you alright?]

[Mu Yang: Ren Honghe didn't do anything to you, did she?]

[Mu Yang: I've heard a little about it, but I don't know the specifics. If you have any difficulties, please don't hesitate to ask.]

Xu Milu: "..."

Her eyes were blank.

What happened? Did she pick up the wrong script?