A blind stick tapped the ground, making a tapping sound.
There was a person from the program crew nearby, carrying the food and helping to place it in front of the judges.
Aqiao looked up at the screen with wide eyes.
"This...she...is blind? Wait, how is she supposed to cook?"
Aya looked at the young lady on the screen who was leaning on a blind stick, and her emotions suddenly became complicated.
She hopes that this brave young lady can win, but she is also worried that her visual impairment will become an obstacle for her to walk in the kitchen.
Aya prayed silently in her heart, hoping that the blind girl could get an apron.
The judges also looked in surprise at the visually impaired contestant in front of them who was holding a blind stick.
"Please start your self-introduction."
The girl holding the cane smiled shyly, "Hello, I'm Mengya. Today I'm going to make bamboo shoots and pork belly stew."
In front of the judges was a simple earthenware jar. After opening the jar, a strong aroma of meat emanated from the jar.
When it comes to stewed pork belly with bamboo shoots, this meat dish must be eaten with rice.
Fu Shilang scooped a spoonful of rice from the rice bowl next to the earthenware jar and looked at Meng Ya with a slight admiration.
The rice is cooked just right, the rice grains are crystal clear and at the perfect dividing point between dry and wet.
Cooking rice is a very common thing, but even though it is such a common thing, many people don’t care much about it and think that cooking rice is nothing more than adding rice and water.
Add more and it will be wetter; add less and it will be drier. As long as the rice is not as dry as sand or as wet as porridge, it is edible anyway.
Being able to cook rice to perfection is a precious skill.
What makes it even more valuable is that the person who cooked this rice can't even see it clearly.
Fu Shilang was really curious, so he just asked.
“When you cook rice and season it, how do you know how much to add?”
Mengya smiled relaxedly. She couldn't see the judges' expressions clearly, she could only see hazy light and shadow, so she didn't feel nervous at all.
She explained, "When I'm packing the rice grains, I feel them to see how much there is. I also feel for water. When it comes to seasoning, I taste as I go."
Fu Shilang nodded, but after he finished his action, he realized that Meng Ya couldn't see him, so he said, "Well, your rice is cooked very well, and the thickness of the bamboo shoot stew sauce is also very good."
"Thanks."
Fu Shilang picked up a dried bamboo shoot and a piece of pork belly, put them on the rice, and put them into his mouth together.
Mmm! The pork belly is covered in sauce, paired with chewy bamboo shoots and soft rice.
This dish! Good!
However, Fu Shilang did not say anything, but just walked back to the judge's seat silently.
It's the next judge's turn to taste.
Yuwen Yi walked forward, picked up a dried bamboo shoot with chopsticks and chewed it, then ate a piece of pork belly, and finally swallowed a mouthful of rice.
He said nothing and returned to his seat.
Then Wen Qi came forward to taste it.
She also scooped up a spoonful of rice, ate it with the dried bamboo shoots and pork belly, and then walked back to her seat.
After a long silence, and because Mengya couldn't see the judges' expressions, she began to feel a little nervous.
Aqiao outside the screen was also very nervous and held her breath.
These three judges were very good at keeping the audience in suspense, and their expressions gave no indication of how they felt about the dish.
"Ahhh, tell me quickly! What are you doing to the little sister?"
Aqiao stood up for Mengya and said, "If it's good, then pass it. If it's not good, then forget it. Why are these judges delaying time?"
Finally, someone among the judges spoke up.
"Mengya, your food is delicious. The bamboo shoots and roast pork can even rival those in some home-style restaurants, but..."
Yuwen Yi's "but" successfully made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
"MasterChef is a serious competition, and I need to ask you a realistic question: will your visual impairment affect your cooking? Remember, we give aprons to those we believe have a chance of making it to the finals, and your visual impairment will hinder you throughout the competition. Honestly, I don't think you can make it to the end."
"If you are given an apron out of sympathy, it would be unfair to other capable contestants."
No one expected that Yuwen Yi would say such impolite words.
Ah Qiao was so angry that she cursed out loud, "Yuwen Yi, this Zhongdeng is full of ulterior motives! He's biased and yet he's saying these high-sounding things!!! That young lady's cooking is delicious! She should be allowed to pass! What nonsense about whether she can make it to the end!!! What kind of word games are you playing to humiliate me!"
Yuwen Yi's words were so sharp that even Fu Shilang next to him showed an expression of disapproval, and Wen Qi frowned and prepared to say something.
Unexpectedly, before the other two judges spoke.
Mengya spoke.
"Mr. Judge, I am a woman."
She spoke quietly, her lifeless eyes fixed in mid-air.
"As a woman, I have survived well in this world, which is enough to prove that visual impairment is not an obstacle for me at all."
Yuwen Yi looked at Meng Ya. "Oh, are you saying that your gender is more difficult than your visual impairment?"
Mengya still had a peaceful smile on her face, but her words were completely contrary to her expression. "Isn't it? If reality is contrary to what I said, there should be three or two female judges sitting here, instead of me standing here and having a male judge judge my physical defects."
Aqiao widened her eyes in disbelief. The blind girl on the screen looked weak and fragile, but at that moment, she was able to point out the key problem so sharply and fight back mercilessly.
She is so bold!
This made Aqiao feel a surge of admiration in her heart.
To be honest, at the beginning, Aqiao still had sympathy for the blind girl.
At this moment, this emotion has quietly changed.
It is no longer just pity and sympathy, but a sincere appreciation and love.
This love comes from the courage and wisdom shown by the young lady. Her sharp words are like a sword, piercing through the hypocritical appearance and making people look at her sideways.
What kind of experience shaped her? Although she is blind, her heart is as clear as a mirror; she looks fragile and powerless, but in fact she has great energy.
Thinking of this, Aqiao felt more and more that she was deeply attracted to Mengya. She was eager to get to know her better and see her further performance in the competition.
——
It's time to revisit some of the foreshadowing from before.
By the way, blind people are not necessarily completely blind. Many people with visual impairments still retain their sense of light, which does not mean that everything in front of their eyes is pitch black.
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