Chapter 46 Cooking Competition
Round Two: Preparing the Filling
Chef Zhao's knife skills were indeed impressive; the ground pork was chopped into tiny pieces on the cutting board, and the scallions were cut into hair-like strands. He scooped up a spoonful of salt, two spoonfuls of soy sauce, and poured in half a bowl of sesame oil, his movements bold and sweeping: "The aroma has to be strong enough!"
Su Yingxue was much quieter. She first stirred the ground pork, which was three parts fat and seven parts lean, clockwise until it became firm, added a little sugar to enhance the flavor, and then gradually added water, kneading it into the meat. "The ground pork needs to absorb a lot of water to be tender," she said, smiling at the crowd of onlookers. "Add the chopped green onions last, so the aroma doesn't escape."
When blanching the vegetables for the three-delicacy filling, Chef Zhao blanched them directly in the pot for half a minute, then squeezed them dry, and the vegetables were wilted. Su Yingxue, on the other hand, only blanched them for ten seconds, then quickly rinsed them in cold water. The leaves were still a vibrant green, and the vegetables made a crisp sound when chopped.
"Oh, this little girl's quite particular." Chef Zhao smirked. "You'll see when it's steamed. Just looking good isn't enough! My method makes it taste better!"
Round Three: Wrapping and Steaming
When Su Yingxue pinched the dough, her fingers moved with such nimble grace, it was like dancing. She rolled the dough, making the center thicker than the edges, and then pleated it in one fluid motion—eighteen pleats in total, perfectly aligned, like a blooming white peony. Chef Zhao's buns were equally well-made, each one perfectly square and upright. His speed was astounding. Truly worthy of a master chef from a long-established brand.
"Time's up!" Hou Defa held up his phone to keep track of the time. "Forty minutes exactly!"
Once the steamer was steaming, Su Yingxue's buns went in first. Fifteen minutes later, steam carrying the aroma of meat and vegetables wafted out, blurring the glass window with white mist. Chef Zhao's buns were steamed for three minutes longer; when the lid was lifted, the aroma was even stronger, but with a savory flavor.
"This flavor is absolutely amazing!" Chef Zhao shouted at the top of his lungs. "I've used this secret recipe for ten years! It's definitely better than what you, young lady, are making."
Review time
The cafeteria ladies gathered around first. Aunt Li took a bite of Chef Zhao's steamed bun: "The dough is too hard, the filling is a bit salty, but it's quite flavorful." Dr. Zhang tasted Su Yingxue's pork and scallion bun, his eyes lighting up: "The dough is fluffy, the filling is juicy, and the scallion flavor is just right!"
When it came to the three-delicacy buns, Chef Zhao's mushroom flavor was too strong, overpowering the sweetness of the greens. Su Yingxue's buns, however, amazed everyone—the crispness of the greens, the richness of the mushrooms, and the freshness of the eggs and carrots blended perfectly. The moment the soup burst in your mouth, even Grandpa Wang couldn't help but nod in approval.
"I concede." Chef Zhao suddenly put down his chopsticks. He took a bite of Su Yingxue's steamed bun; it was fragrant, delicious, and incredibly soft. Delicious. He pulled off his chef's hat to wipe his sweat. "This girl's steamed buns... are definitely better than mine." He turned to Grandpa Wang and said, "Brother, let's go."
Grandpa Wang's face flushed red: "You...you really admit it?"
“That young lady not only makes great steamed buns,” Chef Zhao pointed to the mountain of empty plates piled up beside the steamer, “even the judges ate them all. I admit defeat wholeheartedly.” He leaned close to Su Yingxue’s ear and whispered, “Actually… I wanted to give you a hard time because you were stealing business from my savory pancake stall.” Seeing Su Yingxue’s eyes widen, he quickly waved his hand, “But your skills, I admire them!”
Su Yingxue took a bite of Chef Zhao's steamed bun, the savory flavor filling her mouth. Actually, his buns were very well made, but a little too salty. She remembered the soy milk that came with the buns in the restaurant and realized that this was part of the business.
Her steamed buns were simply not as heavily seasoned as Chef Zhao's, which may have won the approval of those around her. Understanding this, Su Yingxue cupped her hands to Chef Zhao: "You flatter me. Chef Zhao, your steamed buns are also very good. They are the kind of light flavor that everyone in the cafeteria is used to eating."
“I didn’t give you the recipe for the savory pancakes you asked me for last time. You went online and found a chemical recipe yourself, which gave someone a stomachache. My master even scolded you! It was the right thing to let you leave Fumanlou back then.” Chef Zhao lowered his head and said a few more words to Grandpa Wang: “The young lady is making steamed buns here, and you're cooking stir-fries. It won’t interfere with your business. Just do your job well and don’t do these weird things. Your business will come back.”
Several caregivers nearby said, "Old Wang, your cooking is delicious too. Don't make things difficult for that young girl."
"I've missed your braised eggplant after just a few days," Dr. Zhang chimed in from the side.
"You guys..." Grandpa Wang looked at everyone apologetically, "You actually welcome me back to cook?"
Su Yingxue smiled at Grandpa Wang and said, "I also want to eat Grandpa Wang's rice bowl."
Grandpa Wang laughed. "Alright, alright, I've apologized to Miss Su. I'll be back to do business tomorrow."
Su Yingxue: "Then everyone, remember to buy the steamed buns I made when you buy food."
The people around burst into laughter. The atmosphere became much more harmonious.
The heat in the kitchen hadn't dissipated yet. Su Yingxue was busy organizing the newly bought sauce jars when her phone "dinged" in her pocket—it was Huang Yifei's number.
She wiped her hands and took out her phone; the contact name "Huang Yifei" popped up prominently on the screen. As soon as she answered, a familiar, slightly urgent female voice came from the other end: "Xiao Su! Help!"
Su Yingxue was taken aback, and lowered her voice: "What's wrong?"
"It's Lu Linchuan! That troublemaker!" Sister Huang's voice rose eight octaves. "Didn't he say he'd finished writing a new song the other day? I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but this kid hasn't been eating much since yesterday! This noon he only drank two sips of the millet porridge his assistant made for him. When I asked him what was wrong, he said he 'had no appetite,' which worried me to death!"
Su Yingxue frowned: "Is he tired from writing songs lately?"
“I’m not tired,” Huang Yifei sighed, “I’m just obsessed with writing songs! He said that when inspiration strikes, he works non-stop. He didn’t sleep until 3 a.m. yesterday, and when he woke up this morning, he said his stomach was upset. I was wondering if he was under a lot of pressure, but he wouldn’t say when I asked him—you know, this kid, who is usually so proud, is now as listless as a kitten.”
The muttering of Huang Yifei's assistant could be faintly heard on the other end of the phone: "Sis, Teacher Lu is spacing out again; he hasn't touched the shredded pork with garlic sauce in his lunchbox..."
Su Yingxue's heart tightened. She remembered seeing Lu Linchuan last month; he was so thin then, and she had managed to coax him into eating a few bites, thinking he was getting better. It seemed nothing had changed.
"Aunt Huang, where is he?"
"Where else could he be? Staying at home, of course!" Huang Yifei's tone was both anxious and helpless. "I was thinking of calling you to ask, didn't you say last time that he would listen to you? Could you... come over? Just to help me out, I really can't do anything about him!"
Su Yingxue glanced at the clock on the wall—it was twelve o'clock, and the work in the cafeteria was temporarily over.
After hanging up the phone, Su Yingxue hurriedly went home to change her coat, then rummaged through her bag and took out her thermos, filling it with two packets of her usual stomach-soothing tea. She also grabbed two bags of homemade steamed buns and wontons, packing them into the bags.
Two hours later, the taxi stopped in front of a white detached villa. Su Yingxue rang the doorbell, and Lu Linchuan's assistant, Xiao Zhou—a bespectacled, refined-looking young man—opened the door. He visibly relaxed upon seeing her: "Miss Su, you've finally arrived!"
The living room was dimly lit, with the curtains half-drawn. Lu Linchuan sat at the far end of the sofa, wearing a loose black knit sweater with the collar slightly open, revealing a section of his pale collarbone. He held a sheet music in his hand, but his gaze was fixed on the window, and he didn't turn around when he heard the door open.
"Teacher Lu, Miss Su has arrived," Xiao Zhou said softly.
Lu Linchuan slowly turned his head, and when he saw Su Yingxue, his brows relaxed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his indifferent expression: "Why are you here?"
Su Yingxue ignored his words, walked straight to him, squatted down, and looked up at him: "Aunt Huang said you're not eating?"
Lu Linchuan looked away: "I have no appetite."
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