The family left the police station; it was already late.

Kong Xinlin felt uneasy, but his son was hungry, and his wife, unaware of the reason, was clamoring to go home.

The old master of the Kong family thought that he should stay in the same car with his great-great-grandson and great-granddaughter-in-law, since he couldn't stay with them for long.

He asked Kong Xinlin to drop him and Madam Wei off at the crossroads, but Kong Xinlin, feeling uneasy, went home first.

The old man and Madam Wei went back to Xiaoxi's courtyard house.

You could say I went this time with a thick skin, but I had no choice.

Xiaoxi and her friends were about to have dinner when she became very impatient. She thought Kong Xinlin was so annoying, and his elders were cleaning up his mess again. When would this ever end?

Mrs. Wei had always been in business, and business people are known for their thick skin.

"Xiaoxi, I'm so sorry. I didn't raise my son well. I really want to thank you for saving my grandson. To show my sincerity, I'm giving you my winery in Shanghai as a token of my gratitude for saving my grandson."

Madam Wei was sincere. She secretly blamed herself, realizing that she had been so happy to see her grandson was alright in the courtyard that she hadn't had a chance to thank Xiaoxi yet.

The patriarch of the Kong family was also present, repeatedly expressing his gratitude and apologizing.

"Alright, I accept your apology and gratitude, but it's not right for Kong Xinlin to rely on you older generation to cover for him in everything."

The old master of the Kong family and Madam Wei nodded hurriedly, agreeing obsequiously, not feeling at all that it was wrong for someone of their age to be lectured by a young girl.

Seeing that the matter was settled, the two of them hurriedly left the courtyard. If they didn't leave, would they have to shamelessly stay for dinner?

The main reason is that Grandpa Kong had been away from home for so long, and walking around with a black umbrella couldn't take it anymore.

When Madam Wei returned home, she naturally called her son again and gave him a severe scolding. Kong Xinlin also felt deeply guilty, realizing that he had truly failed.

Next, let's talk about the preliminary rounds of the international culinary competition.

After the first round, Ye Zhongnan advanced to the second round with the highest score.

A few days later, the second round of the competition began at the International Convention and Exhibition Center.

This time the venue was much smaller, and Ye Zhongnan had entered the second round with a high score, so his position in the competition was very good. In addition, this time, more than half of the people were eliminated.

Xiaoxi didn't put much effort into the venue setup this time; it was the same as everyone else's. Mainly because it wasn't necessary, and besides, her second brother's cooking skills were indeed outstanding, so she was sure to win.

The second round of the competition was about snacks. China has a wide variety of snacks, with each region having its own unique specialties.

The contestants came from all over the country, so everyone got to show off their skills.

Ye Zhongnan's first snack was Dingsheng cake, a type of cake from Jiangnan.

This mold is quite exquisite; it's a container carved from pear wood in various flower and shape patterns. He ordered it many years ago and brought it to the venue this time.

It's just the right size to hold a small bowl of wet rice noodles, into which various flower and vegetable juices have been added. There are red, yellow, and green ones—they look very appealing.

Ye Zhongnan and Xiao Xi made pastries with patterns of peaches, plum blossoms, five-pointed stars, etc., and steamed them in a steamer after pouring them out of the molds.

This steamer is part of Xiaoxi's iron pot set, and it includes a steamer.

Soon, the area around their competition venue was filled with the sweet and glutinous aroma of rice cakes, making the spectators unable to move away. Even before the rice cakes were fully steamed, they were already waiting on the sidelines.

Because the steamer is a magic tool, it only takes a few minutes to steam.

Everyone watched with drooling mouths as Ye Zhongnan took the rice cakes out of the steamer and stamped them with red seals while they were still hot. Each rice cake had the words "Determined to Win" on it.

Guests from Jiangnan all know that Dingsheng means rising to a high position and reaching its peak, which is an auspicious name.