As soon as the chef said this, the people around couldn't help but speak up for Xu Qinyu, "There is no rule that says that if you are late, you can't continue to participate in the competition. What's more, it's a two-hour competition. As long as you finish it within the time, it will be fine. If Miss Xu didn't make three dishes and a soup in the remaining time, she should be eliminated. But now she is only late because of the delay on the road, and you let her out. What's the reason? Oh, don't you know that your cooking skills are not as good as Miss Xu's, and you want to use this method to get her out, thinking that you can win the championship?"

Someone else said, "Ms. Xu is still covered in blood. Did something happen on the way? She didn't mean to be late."

After the man finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qinyu and said, "Ms. Xu, were you delayed by something on the way?"

Xu Qinyu was very grateful to those who spoke up for her. She said, "I was attacked by robbers on the way, so I was delayed."

The people suddenly became panic-stricken.

"Why are there robbers outside the city?"

"The area has been quite peaceful in recent years, so why are all the robbers running outside the city to rob people?"

"Oh my God, I hope things won't get chaotic again. We've only had a few years of peace and stability. Don't let things get chaotic again."

Xu Qinyu said, "Don't worry too much, everyone. Those robbers came prepared. It seems that they came for my competition today. They don't want me to participate in today's competition. Moreover, they have all been executed and are now being taken to the government office, waiting for the official to interrogate them and see if the case can be solved."

"Yes, on the way here I saw the police and the robbers lying on the ground. It seemed that many people died. Tsk tsk, they really deserved it."

"Could it be that someone didn't want Miss Xu to win the championship, so they hired a robber to kidnap Miss Xu on the way and prevent her from participating in the competition today? What a vicious heart."

"No way, how could such a person want Miss Xu not to participate in today's competition? Then there will be nine people left, so could it be that one of these nine people bribed the robbers to kidnap Miss Xu?"

Xu Qinyu thought to herself that they didn't want to kidnap her, but wanted to kill her directly.

In such a world and era, if a woman is kidnapped by robbers, even if she is released, she will be drowned in rumors and gossip. Even if she is not afraid, she will be greatly affected.

Everyone started talking.

Some people even couldn't help but make a noise. The chef who just said that Xu Qinyu was late but still able to participate in the competition, and whether the rules were too lax, said: "You didn't bribe the robbers to prevent Miss Xu from participating in today's competition? You are the only one in the room who said that the young lady was not worthy of participating in the competition because she was late."

The chef started to panic, "No, it's not me."

He just felt that it would be embarrassing to lose to a young girl, so he vented his dissatisfaction.

After listening to this, Kong Kun felt a little uneasy for some reason. He didn't know what happened with the robbers, but Miss Xu said that someone wanted to stop her from coming to the final competition today. That must be the chefs on the field, because only the nine of them had a vested interest in her. As long as she couldn't win the championship, the nine of them would be the only ones left to win.

The nine people knew very well that as long as Xu Qinyu was there, they would have no chance.

But he did not hire robbers to kidnap Miss Xu, and he was not capable of doing such a thing. So who could the remaining eight people be?

If it was done by one of the remaining eight people, why would he feel uneasy?

The judges immediately said, "Everyone, be quiet. Now that Miss Xu is fine and the robbers have been arrested, the government and the governor will naturally give Miss Xu justice and find out who is behind it. Don't delay Miss Xu now and let her start the competition as soon as possible."

Xu Qinyu nodded and thanked him, then came to her seat. She took off her cloak, but it was stained with blood, and the clothes inside were still clean. She washed her hands and began to prepare the dishes.

The stove, large pot, and other kitchen utensils and ingredients are all ready.

Xu Qinyu calculated the time and found that there were still three and a half hours left, which was almost enough time. There was only one dish that was more troublesome and required boiling the soup.

She first boiled some water and killed two old hens.

She was very efficient, and even tasks like plucking the chicken were done quickly. Finally, she smeared some ginger slices, green onions and Huadiao wine on the cleaned chicken to remove the fishy smell. Then she placed the whole chicken in a clay pot, added clean water, sealed the pot, and started to make chicken soup.

There are three stoves in total. One stove is used to stew soup, and she plans to use the other stove to steam rice. However, it is still early now, so the rice can be steamed later.

Freshly cooked rice is the most delicious.

The three dishes and one soup she made today were all made with relatively common ingredients, some of the cheapest ingredients.

The purpose of the three dishes she made today was to use the cheapest ingredients to make the most delicious dishes, and mainly to let the people below learn from her. These ingredients were not expensive, and they could buy them and cook them on weekdays.

Three dishes and one soup.

As for soup, Xu Qinyu plans to make Wensi tofu, which will also be the most expensive dish among the three dishes and one soup. In addition to tofu, the remaining ingredients need to be ham, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, shredded chicken and other side dishes. She uses broth as the base.

For the other three dishes, she planned to make stir-fried pork intestines, a braised fish, and the most common stir-fried bean sprouts.

The ingredients for all three dishes are very cheap. Fat intestines and fish are only one or two cents per pound, and bean sprouts are about the same price. These are dishes that ordinary people can afford.

When they saw Xu Qinyu's ingredients, both the common people below and the old gentlemen who were judging were a little surprised, and couldn't help but feel a little worried. The ingredients of the other contestants were relatively expensive. In addition to a lot of rare game, even the ordinary vegetables were relatively expensive dishes, unlike Xu Qinyu, who only had one bean sprout.

"What is Miss Xu planning to do? The ingredients are so cheap. Besides the chicken, there is also the pickled pig's hind leg that Miss Xu brought with her. What else is tofu? Fish? And pig's offal? Miss Xu won't lose to the others in a while, will she?"

In their opinion, these ingredients are too cheap. They rarely buy fish and pork offal to eat on weekdays. Maybe the fish in the Xiao Niangzi Restaurant is delicious, so they are willing to buy it. They are reluctant to cook it themselves because it will be fishy if boiled directly in water and not very delicious.

Just in terms of ingredients, everyone felt that Miss Xu had already lost half the battle.

Xu Qinyu continued calmly. She was killing the fish. While cleaning the fish, she would say, "One of the tendons of the fish needs to be removed. Also, the black membrane inside the fish's abdominal cavity needs to be torn off. Tear it off cleanly. When killing the fish, the gallbladder must not be broken, otherwise the bile will seep into the fish meat and the fish will taste bitter when cooked."

As she spoke, a fish had been killed very quickly.

The people around didn't understand why she was talking to them at first, but the judges had already realized something. The ingredients used by Miss Xu were the cheapest ones, and even poorer people could afford them. But no matter whether it was fish or offal, the taste was not very good and was very fishy. So, Miss Xu wanted to teach these ordinary people how to make these cheapest ingredients delicious, right?

After killing the fish, Xu Qinyu washed it several times with clean water, and said, "The blood stains after killing the fish must also be cleaned, wash it twice more, and then you can start to marinate the fish. The fish is relatively large, so you can make a few cuts on the fish meat, so that it is easier to taste. First, apply ginger slices and green onions, rub a few times, and if conditions permit, you can add a few drops of strong liquor to remove the fishy smell, and then apply a proper amount of salt, so that it can be better tasted after a while, at least marinate for 25 minutes."

She didn't use Huadiao liquor this time, and also used the cheapest liquor.

After saying that, she placed the marinated fish on a plate and began to clean the fat intestines.

Then he told the people below how to use wood ash to clean the fat intestines.

After cleaning the fat intestines, blanch them in water first, then add water again, add ginger slices, scallions, star anise, peppercorns, and two other cheaper spices to the water, as well as strong liquor, soy sauce, and salt, and start brine-cooking the fat intestines.

The brine used in restaurants to cook pig intestines often uses many kinds of spices. She uses the cheapest ones here, and this brine can be used several times.

She also briefly talked about the comparison between various seasonings and ingredients.

At this moment, the people finally realized what was going on and said, "Xu, Miss Xu wants to teach us how to cook fish and offal, right?"

“It seems so…”

"Ms. Xu is really kind-hearted."

Everyone was very happy. Although some of the spices were the cheapest, they were still quite expensive for them. But if they really wanted to buy some, they could afford just a few spices for cooking. Besides, Miss Xu said that the brine could be used several times instead of being thrown away after just one use. If they wanted to eat it on weekdays, they could buy more and use it as brine.

Everyone watched it carefully.

Xu Qinyu only started steaming the glutinous rice after she had brined the pig intestines.

The japonica rice has been washed and dried, and then soaked in an appropriate amount of water for half an hour. This way, the steamed rice will be more fragrant, soft and chewy.

Even when making the simplest steamed rice, she would pay attention to the ratio of rice to water, as well as the size of the fire.

After boiling the rice for a while, serve the rice soup, which also tastes rich in rice aroma.

When steaming the rice, she poured a little oil on the edge of the pot, so that the crust below would taste better.

While the rice was steaming, Xu Qinyu was not idle either. She started to prepare the ingredients for Wensi tofu. She cut all the ingredients into shreds first. She had great knife skills and could cut the shreds as thin as hair. People only saw the knife in her hand as an afterimage. The mushrooms, ham, bamboo shoots, soaked black fungus, and green onions were all sliding in her hands. Except for the green onions, the other side dishes were still intact after being cut.

When Xu Qinyu put the side dishes in the bowl and shook it gently, the hair-thin side dish strands spread out.

Everyone then realized that it was not that Miss Xu did not cut the silk well, but that she cut it too small and it was impossible to tell anything from the outside. Only when it was put into water and spread out could the entire structure be seen.

"Seeing these hair-thin side dishes, I had a feeling of 'as expected' in my heart. As expected, even with the most ordinary side dishes, Miss Xu can make different dishes. I just don't know what Miss Xu is planning to do by cutting these side dishes into the size of hair?"

"This knife skill is really amazing!"

Everyone was amazed.

"Ever since Miss Xu made that 'National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance' a few days ago, I am not surprised no matter what Miss Xu makes now."

After Xu Qinyu finished cutting the side dishes, she began to cut the main ingredient of Wensi Tofu, which was naturally tofu.

The tofu should also be cut into thin strands like hair, with the bottom connected and not falling apart, so that the whole thing looks more like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Xu Qinyu began to cut the tofu without even using chopsticks as an auxiliary tool. Her knife was like a shadow, and the tofu seemed motionless, but it was already filled with thousands of threads.

Only four servings of braised pork, braised pork intestines and stir-fried bean sprouts are needed, which is enough for the judges and diners to taste. However, the Wensi tofu is served in bowls. If Xu Qinyu wants to prepare thirty bowls of Wensi tofu, she has to cut thirty pieces of tofu.

Fortunately, there was enough time and the soup was still hanging, so she didn't mind the trouble and continued cutting the tofu.

She cut thirty pieces of tofu, put them into clean water and gently shook them until they were as thin as hairs. One piece of tofu had thousands of tofu shreds, all in the shape of hairs. She did not cut the bottom of the tofu, so it was still connected, like a blooming chrysanthemum, but much thinner than the petals of a chrysanthemum.

The most important thing is that she didn't waste any of the thirty pieces of tofu. She cut them all in one go.

Just based on this knife skill, I want the old gentlemen who are judging to give the championship today to Xu Qinyu.

Even the other chefs were a little distracted, all paying attention to Xu Qinyu's movements.

After the Wensi tofu and all the side dishes are prepared and the rice is steamed, move the rice and the pot to the side and use the two pots for cooking.

One pot is braised fish, the other is fried pork intestines.

"Ms. Xu is really amazing. She can cook two dishes at the same time."

"Look at how cautious the other chefs are. The contrast with Miss Xu is so stark. Miss Xu is not worried at all."

After the braised fish and fried pork intestines were ready, Xu Qinyu stir-fried the bean sprouts.

Her stir-fried mung bean sprouts are only stir-fried with a small amount of oil and salt, without adding any other seasonings. They are cooked on high heat for 20 seconds.

The three dishes were ready and the broth was also boiled. Xu Qinyu took out the two chickens and cut the remaining chicken thighs into thin strips, which also became a side dish for the Wensi tofu.

First, blanch thirty pieces of cut Wensi tofu in water for a dozen seconds, then take them out and put them in the soup pot. Xu Qinyu began to cook the soup base. Put the iron pot on high heat, add the skimmed broth and boil it again, add shredded mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, fungus, ham, and chicken, add salt and boil, pour it into the soup pot, add shredded green onions, and the fresh and tender Wensi tofu is ready.

This soup doesn't need any other seasoning, just salt is enough.

Everyone was stunned. The cheapest ingredients were used to create the most expensive taste and appearance.

Xu Qinyu asked someone to help bring the food to the table.

There were two long tables in total. Two dishes and twenty bowls of Wensi tofu were served on one table. The remaining dish and ten bowls of Wensi tofu were served on the other long table.

Xu Qinyu added half a bowl of rice for each person, and the rice in the pot was almost empty, just enough for thirty small bowls. She even controlled the amount of rice she steamed.

The rice was drained clean, with a whole piece of hot pot left at the bottom of the pot. Xu Qinyu divided the hot pot into thirty portions, keeping a large piece for herself. She then smeared the hot pot with her homemade fermented bean curd from a wooden barrel, and asked the assistant chef to put the hot pot on plates and distribute them to the twenty judges and ten diners.

There was a large piece of hot pot left, which Xu Qinyu left for Lianhua.

Lian Hua saved her life today, and she could never repay her for that, so she made more delicious food for Lian Hua.

Don't underestimate this piece of hot pot. It tastes so good that it can make you dizzy. The mellow aroma is all over your nose. It is topped with fermented bean curd, which has a salty aroma and the crispy aroma of the hot pot.

In fact, this small piece of pot crust is delicious when eaten alone, with spicy sauce or fermented bean curd on it, or with vegetables on it. It can even be eaten dipped in soup. When it absorbs the soup, the soup bursts in your mouth when you bite it, and you can also smell the burnt aroma of the pot crust.

Xu Qinyu handed the pot to Lianhua. Lianhua grinned, thanked Xu Qinyu, took the pot and took a bite. With a crunch sound, she squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

The people around were drooling.

The judges also selected ten diners to taste the food with them.

Take the first bite of the glutinous rice, it is sweet, fragrant, soft, chewy and each grain is distinct.

The braised fish tastes tender, salty and fresh, with rich juice and delicious flavor.

The fried pork intestines are salty, spicy and chewy. The more you chew, the more delicious they become. Paired with a mouthful of rice, they are really satisfying.

These two cheapest ingredients can be used to create such delicious dishes.

The stir-fried bean sprouts are crispy, tender, refreshing and slightly sweet, which is very refreshing. They are also especially refreshing and delicious when paired with glutinous rice.

The bowl of Wensi tofu was the last one everyone tasted. It was soft, tender, smooth, melted in the mouth and extremely delicious.

After the judges tasted each dish, they couldn't help but start eating them with rice.

Some people who wanted to taste the Wensi tofu first couldn't help but put down their spoons and started eating the dishes, fearing that if they chose to drink the soup, the dishes would be eaten by others. Soon, half a bowl of rice and three dishes were eaten up, and they ate them all cleanly, without a single strand left, but they were not even half full. They wanted to continue eating, but there was no rice or dishes, so everyone started drinking soup, and they drank the soup leisurely, and began to taste the taste of every mouthful of soup.

"I wonder what this soup is called? It tastes really fresh, fragrant and smooth." One judge couldn't help but ask.

Xu Qinyu said, "In addition to these common side dishes, Wensi tofu can also be paired with other side dishes. The main thing is the soup base. The seasoning is only salt, because the chicken soup is already very fresh. If there are too many seasonings, it will steal the taste of the soup base and the ingredients. In addition, the shredded ham inside is also a whole ham that I pickled during the month of leukorrhea. This ham needs to be pickled for a full year before it can be eaten. It can be fried, stir-fried, or stewed. The ham that has been pickled for two or three years can be eaten raw. The raw ham slices taste salty and mellow, fat but not greasy, lean but not dry. I have raw ham slices in the restaurant outside the city, but there is a daily limit."

Because there wasn't enough ham.

The 2,000 hams pickled last year cannot be eaten yet, let alone eaten raw. What we eat are still the hams from the previous two years. There are not many left, and many people still like them. The number is limited to ten portions every day, and there are even only about ten thin slices in a plate.

The judges were tempted again by what Xu Qinyu said.

They had clearly only eaten half a bowl of rice, but it felt as if they had not eaten anything. Their stomachs were growling, so they planned to go to the restaurant outside the city and have a good meal as soon as the competition was over today.

The judges all knew in their hearts that with such cooking skills, Miss Xu would be the winner this year.

After finishing the soup, there was still a small piece of hot pot on the plate. The judges were reluctant to waste it, so they took a bite and tasted the crispy, salty and fragrant taste.

This small pot is so delicious!

Xu Qinyu said, "It's smeared with fermented bean curd, which is also a kind of moldy tofu. I made it myself. Let the gentlemen have a taste."

The judges nodded repeatedly as they chose the dish.

The ten diners all said the food was delicious and ate it with big mouthfuls. After a while, half a bowl of rice and vegetables was finished. Then they started to drink the soup. They didn't know how to taste it and just gulped it down. They finished a small bowl of Wensi tofu in just three or two gulps. They just felt that it was very fresh, tender and delicious. After drinking the soup, they ate the small piece of steamed bun.

"This hot pot smells so good, so good."

"It's so delicious. After eating the meal made by Miss Xu, I will die without regrets."

"Hey, we used to eat pig food..."

"We won't have the chance to eat the food cooked by Miss Xu in the future. We can't afford to go to Xu's either. But Miss Xu taught us the recipes of these dishes in detail. We can cook them at home in the future. But they will definitely not be as delicious as Miss Xu's."

Everyone was eating hot pot and talking in low voices.

They were finally reluctant to finish the hot pot and ate it very slowly.

In the end, all twenty judges gave full marks, and ten diners also gave full marks.

Xu Qinyu thanked him with a smile, then went downstairs and returned to Lianhua.

Lotus had already finished her potsticker and looked at Xu Qinyu with a salty look, "Master, the potsticker is so delicious!"

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "I'll give you a whole pot of hotpot when we get back."

Lianhua nodded hurriedly, "Yes, I'll also smear the fermented bean curd you made on it."

"Okay." Xu Qinyu smiled, "I'll even make you a hot and sour soup for you to dip in the hot pot."

Lotus nodded vigorously, already eager to eat the hotpot.

Although Xu Qinyu arrived half an hour late, she was the first to finish.

By now the time had come, and the other chefs had unloaded the firewood one after another and served their dishes and rice for the judges and diners to taste.

The judges simply tasted the food at this point, taking just one bite of each and not eating more, and then gave their scores.

The other diners ate very neatly, as each group of diners made their selections freshly.

If you were the first group of diners, you would have tasted the difference.

Similarly, except for Xu Qinyu's full score, the highest average score of the remaining nine contestants was only 90. If it weren't for Xu Qinyu this year, the 20 judges knew in their hearts that the average scores of the others would definitely be above 95. However, with the food comparison made by Miss Xu, the highest score would be 90.

When the scores of the ten contestants came out, the judges laughed and said, "I think everyone already knows who is the champion this year. It is Miss Xu. She has scored three perfect scores in a row. Let us congratulate Miss Xu. Now this piece of iron ore also belongs to Miss Xu."

Xu Qinyu thanked him with a smile and took the brocade box, which was a little heavy. She opened the box and took a look. The iron ore inside was faintly emitting red light. It was only the size of a fist and was obviously different from ordinary iron ore. She couldn't tell what material it was made of, but it could be used with ordinary iron ore to forge the sharpest and hardest knives. This small piece of iron ore was enough to make a complete set of knives, and she could ask someone to help forge them when she returned.