Ma Hua looked up at the smiling examiner in surprise. He knew this was level nine, but there was nothing he could do. Before, he hadn't even reached a level as an apprentice. Just as Ma Hua was about to nod in agreement, he heard the system's voice in his mind.
{Ding-dong}
{Detecting that the host is currently being looked down upon, God-level selection is activated}
{Option 1: Admit defeat on the spot and say you don't need to take the test, rewarded with a "frantic" cooking state.}
{Option Two: Accept the challenge on the spot and successfully complete the assessment, stunning everyone. The reward is a "single-minded" cooking state.}
Without hesitation, Ma Hua chose option two in his mind. Then, somewhat speechless, he looked at the system's reward one. Good heavens, he was still flustered and overwhelmed. In the kitchen, knives and pots are merciless; how many hands did he have enough to cut everything?
The examiner's eyes showed even greater satisfaction when Ma Hua nodded. However, he then asked Ma Hua to wait a moment. Somewhat confused, Ma Hua walked to the ingredient area to make his selection.
A moment later, the examiner who had just asked the question walked over to Ma Hua with a smile. To Ma Hua, this looked like he had ill intentions. "Ahem, young comrade, you know it's not fair to many comrades to let you continue the test, so the dishes you prepare next must be your own creations. Do you understand?"
“Hmm,” Ma Hua nodded to indicate that he knew. After thinking for a moment, he walked to the water tank next to him. Ma Hua looked at the grass carp swimming in the water tank and chuckled mischievously. “You’re the one. The famous dish of later generations, boiled fish.”
Anyway, this famous dish only appeared in 1983, so if I'm making it now, then it's my own original creation, no problem.
Ma Hua deftly scooped the grass carp from the tank, cleaned it skillfully, and placed it on the cutting board. Holding the fish's head down with her left hand, she used her right hand to slice the flesh off the bones from the tail. She repeated the same process on the other side. Then, she gently removed the large bones from the belly, chopped them into small pieces, and set them aside.
Finally, picking up the fish fillets he had just sliced, he held the knife at a 45-degree angle in his right hand and cut the fish into evenly thin slices. While Ma Hua was focused on slicing the fish, the examiners gathered around. They were curious about what dish Ma Hua was making. The fish slices were uniformly thick, translucent, and boneless—the young man's knife skills were impressive! But what dish was he making? Sashimi? Or fish hot pot?
Ma Hua ignored them, focusing instead on preparing all the side dishes before starting to cook. When she finally placed the cooked fish in the bowl, a hint of disappointment flashed across the examiners' faces. "Is that all?"
Ma Hua gave a wicked smile, spread the prepared Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers on the fish fillets, heated the wok with cooking oil until it smoked, and poured the sizzling oil over the fish. The enticing aroma filled the entire house with a sizzling sound.
"It smells so good! It smells amazing!" "Mmm, just the aroma is making my mouth water. I bet this dish will be delicious!"
Before Ma Hua could even place the dish on the examiner's table, the examiner who had just asked the question began tasting it. "Hmm, the fish is tender and chewy, the side dishes are numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant." After the examiner finished speaking, he immediately put down his chopsticks, picked up a spoon, and scooped up a spoonful of fish soup. "The soup is fresh and fragrant, not bad, not bad, not bad at all, young comrade Ma Hua."
Then he urged all the examiners to come and try it. After everyone had finished, he finally asked, "Young man, what's the name of your dish?"
"Boiled fish," Ma Hua replied casually. This dish is a famous dish from later generations; it will absolutely astound you.
"Not bad, not bad, you're a promising young man," the examiner said after praising him, then turned to the other examiners and said with a smile, "Well, didn't I tell you this young man was capable?"
"Well, Old Wang really knows how to judge people. We have to admit it." "Alright, stop teasing the young man. Hurry up and tell him the results." The examiners joked with each other.
"Ahem, young comrade, we are very satisfied with your dish, but the highest grade we can give you here is level six. If you want a higher rating, you'll have to take a higher-level exam."
"Thank you so much. I'm already very satisfied with Level 6, but I haven't asked your name yet," Ma Hua said apologetically. He knew very well that he had met a benefactor; otherwise, even if his level was high, he could only progress level by level.
"My surname is Wang, Wang Defa. My colleagues usually call me Master Wang as a sign of respect," Master Wang raised his head with a touch of pride, seemingly quite pleased with the title.
“Oh, thank you so much, Master Wang,” Ma Hua said again, expressing his gratitude to Master Wang.
The onlookers all looked at Ma Hua with envy. This guy was amazing; he passed Level 6! And his food smelled incredible! He was so talented! They wondered who his teacher was.
When the exam results were announced, apart from Ma Hua who received a Level 6 chef's certificate, only two of the other candidates failed, and one person was exceptionally granted a Level 8 chef's certificate.
After Ma Hua received his chef's certificate and said goodbye to the examiners and candidates, he rushed to the factory. His wages were already low, and if he had to pay half a day off, how could he survive? He hoped that handing in his chef's certificate would give him a raise.
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