Chapter 80 Our Sanya has made great progress
San Ya's eyes became brighter.
The fat chef looked very arrogant, and was boasting about his cooking skills with saliva flying. He talked about how he was the apprentice of the imperial chef in the palace and how he had prepared a banquet for the prefect, which attracted the admiration of the people around him.
At this moment, the crowd behind suddenly rushed forward. San Ya lost her balance and was pushed out. She staggered to the bottom of the stairs and fell right in front of the fat cook.
"Ouch!"
The attention of the entire audience was instantly focused on this little girl who suddenly appeared.
The fat cook was in high spirits when he was interrupted, and his face immediately fell. He looked down and saw a skinny, plainly dressed, yellow-haired girl holding half a string of candied haws. The displeasure on his face immediately turned into contempt and ridicule.
"Whose little girl is this? Don't you have eyes?" He said in a condescending tone, "Little girl, this is a place where men compete in cooking skills. You shouldn't be here. Go home quickly and learn women's rings and needlework from your mother. That's what you should do!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd around him immediately burst into laughter.
"That's right, go home quickly, little girl!"
"Hahaha, do you still want to compete with Chef Wang?"
These mocking sounds were like needles piercing San Ya's ears.
She was just there to watch the fun, and being squeezed out was just an accident, but the fat chef and the ridicule from everyone instantly ignited her anger.
What's wrong with being a girl? What's wrong with learning needlework? Who says women are inferior to men?
San Ya's stubborn temper flared up. She threw the candied haws in her hand to the ground, raised her head, straightened her body, and said crisply, "Who says women can't compete in cooking? Today, I want to learn from you!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience fell silent for a moment, and then burst into even louder laughter.
The fat chef looked like he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He held his stomach and laughed so hard that his fat body was shaking.
"You? Challenging me? Hahaha! Has your hair grown back yet?"
"It's none of your business whether I've grown up or not!" San Ya's face flushed with anger. "Just tell me, do you dare to compete? If you're afraid of losing to a little girl, it's not too late to admit defeat now!"
Now it was the fat chef's turn to stop laughing.
If he refused, wouldn't he really be accused of being afraid of a little girl?
His face darkened and he snorted coldly, "Fine! You're so ignorant! Today I'll show you what it means to be better than others! If you lose, kneel here and kowtow three times!"
"It's a deal!" San Ya showed no sign of weakness.
In the teahouse next door, a waiter who had just finished delivering tea to the embroidery workshop happened to see this scene. He recognized it as the boss's daughter and ran towards the embroidery workshop in fear.
"Oh no! Oh no! Shopkeeper Feng! Your third daughter wants to compete in cooking with Chef Wang from the Guest House, and she's even going to kowtow!"
When the news reached the embroidery workshop, Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo were shocked.
Feng Lan's first reaction wasn't anger. Instead, she immediately said, "Let's go! Let's go support San Ya!"
She understood her daughter. Although San Ya loved to play and make trouble, she was definitely not the kind of person who would act unreasonably. She must have suffered a great injustice to be so impulsive.
Chen Kangbo didn't say anything and directly called Da Ya and Er Ya, and the whole family rushed to the Yingke Building in a mighty manner.
When they arrived, the competition had already begun.
The rules are two out of three, each team makes three dishes, which are then tasted by the people on the scene. Whoever gets the most support wins.
The first dish is about knife skills.
The fat chef looked very proud and used his special skills to cut a piece of tofu into thin strands as thin as hair. The tofu could be put into water without falling apart, which won applause from the whole audience.
When it was Sanya's turn, she took her time, picking up an ordinary potato, peeling and washing it. With a flick of her wrist, the knife made a crisp and rhythmic sound on the chopping board. In just a few moments, a whole potato was transformed into a plate of fine, even, and crystal-clear potato shreds.
She blanched the shredded potatoes in clean water and mixed them with simple seasonings.
A refreshing and delicious cold potato shreds is ready.
Everyone initially thought the dish was too simple, but after taking a bite, they were all stunned. The shredded potatoes were crispy and chewy, and the sour and spicy flavor was appetizing. It looked simple, but the taste was incredible.
In contrast, the fat chef’s Wensi tofu, although good-looking, tastes bland and is more attractive than practical.
In the first game, San Ya won with an overwhelming advantage!
The fat chef's face turned green in an instant.
He didn't expect that he would lose to a yellow-haired girl!
Before the second round began, he secretly called a servant over while preparing the ingredients, whispered a few words in his ear, and stuffed a string of money into his hand.
The servant understood, nodded, and quietly slipped out through the back door.
All of this was seen clearly by Feng Lan, who had just arrived and was standing on the edge of the crowd.
She remained calm, winked at Chen Kangbo, and then followed him quietly.
The boy ran to the corner of the street, found a few idle-looking hooligans, stuffed money into their hands, and told them to go and show their support for Chef Wang later. No matter how delicious the food San Ya cooked was, they had to say it was unpalatable.
Feng Lan sneered, and as soon as the boy left, she walked over and showed the badge given to her by the second concubine.
"Brothers, the county magistrate is investigating a case involving several individuals suspected of cheating in the competition and disturbing public order. Please come with us."
When those thugs saw the official badge, they were so frightened that their legs went limp. How could they dare to take the money to do the job? They begged for mercy repeatedly and confessed everything that Chef Wang had ordered them to do.
Feng Lan didn't make things difficult for them. She just gave them a few warnings and told them to leave.
After she finished dealing with all this, she returned to the reception building, and the second round of competition was about to begin.
This time, Sanya made a dish of Mapo Tofu. The bright red broth, the white tofu, and the emerald green onions were enough to make one's mouth water just by looking at it.
The fat chef made a famous crab meat lion head dish.
The result is predictable. Those bribed thugs did not show up, and the people voted based on their taste buds, and San Ya won again.
Two consecutive wins, the winner is decided!
Chef Wang looked ashen. He couldn't understand why he had lost so badly.
"I won, it's time for you to fulfill the bet." San Ya looked at him and said calmly.
Chef Wang's face turned the color of liver. He was asked to kneel down and kowtow to a little girl? How could he survive in the county town in the future?
He was so angry that he pointed at San Ya and scolded her, "Don't be so proud! You can only cook a few home-cooked dishes that are not presentable. What a crooked way! What we cook in our restaurant are all serious banquet dishes! What do you know, a country girl like you?"
Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect that Chef Wang couldn't stand losing and even cheated in public.
San Ya looked at him, but instead of being angry, she smiled.
"Uncle, you're right. What I cook is home cooking."
She looked around at the people around her and said loudly, "How many people in this world eat banquets every day? Aren't we all just eating ordinary home-cooked meals?"
"There's no distinction between high and low dishes. If the diners find them delicious and heartwarming, then they're good dishes! There's no distinction between high and low chefs either. If they cook with care for the diners, then they're good chefs! You don't even understand this principle. It's no wonder you lost to me!"
San Ya's words were powerful and resounding.
All the people present spontaneously applauded, and the applause was like thunder and lasted for a long time.
Chef Wang was left speechless by what she said, his face turning pale and blue. Finally, amidst the contempt and ridicule, he sneaked into the restaurant in shame and never dared to show up again.
Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo looked at their daughter standing in the middle of the crowd with neither arrogance nor servility, and proud smiles appeared on their faces.
Chen Kangbo excitedly said to Feng Lan, "Our San Ya has made great progress!"
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