Imperial kitchen.
Gui Fenghuo arrived in a flurry with Bai Hao, immediately driving everyone away and emptying the entire imperial kitchen.
Ning Wan and Su Yuewan, on the other hand, became mere spectators, quietly waiting for their performance.
“Young man, come on, show us the sentiment behind your cooking, for whom you said you’re cooking.” Gui Fenghuo gestured for him to enter.
Bai Hao didn't stand on ceremony. He took a quick look at the layout of the imperial kitchen to familiarize himself with the atmosphere. From the baskets of ingredients placed to the side, he finally picked out a few eggs and tomatoes.
"There's no need to make complicated dishes. Let's just make a simple scrambled eggs with tomatoes." Bai Hao weighed the eggs and tomatoes in his hand and began to prepare.
First, wash the tomatoes, then remove the stems and cut them into pieces, setting them aside. Next, beat a few eggs, then heat the fire, add oil, and once the oil is hot, add the eggs.
When the eggs were fried to a tender yellow color and set, I added the tomatoes and stir-fried them briefly. Then I added some water and sugar, and started to simmer slowly...
Gui Fenghuo frowned and looked somewhat grave as he watched Bai Hao's series of actions.
In his opinion, Bai Hao's method of cooking was nothing special; it was as ordinary as it gets. While such a method is generally considered good, it doesn't fully bring out the flavor of the ingredients. How could a tomato and egg stir-fry made this way possibly taste better than his?
But Bai Hao didn't care about these details. He smoothly cooked the dish and brought it out of the pot, steaming hot.
"Come and have a taste, everyone." Bai Hao took the dish out of the pot and invited Gui Fenghuo, Ning Wan, and Su Yuewan.
"Is there any left for us? I'll have some too." Ning Wan had already smelled the aroma of food, and although she had just finished eating, she was still drawn to it.
It smells so good.
Ning Wan was the first to pick up a piece of egg and put it in her mouth, savoring it carefully. Gui Fenghuo and Su Yuewan were both watching her.
"How about it?"
Ning Wan's expression was somewhat strange. She didn't speak, but kept chewing, quickly finishing the bite of egg. Then she picked up a piece of tomato and savored it carefully, her expression gradually shifting from suspicion to surprise.
"It's actually...delicious!"
"How does it compare to what Senior Gui made?" Bai Hao had anticipated Ning Wan's reaction, so he wasn't surprised, since he was quite confident in his cooking skills.
Gui Fenghuo was also looking at Ning Wan, waiting for her evaluation.
"Ahem." At such a solemn moment, Ning Wan cleared her throat before saying, "In terms of taste alone, this dish is slightly different from Gui Feng Huo's scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but the difference is not significant."
However, Bai Hao's dish had something beyond just taste; it left a warm and comforting feeling from the inside out, something that's hard to replicate through flavor alone.
After eating this dish, Ning Wan felt very at ease and at ease.
"Is there anything good to eat?" Gui Fenghuo picked up his chopsticks with some skepticism, took a bite of an egg, and savored it carefully.
"How is it?" Bai Hao looked at him calmly.
Gui Fenghuo didn't speak, but carefully savored each bite, and slowly put down his chopsticks.
He looked at Bai Hao in disbelief and asked, "How did you do that?"
He actually tasted something beyond the flavor of this dish; the comforting and warm feeling it gave him more than made up for the lack of flavor. It even surpassed the taste itself.
This was the first time he had ever tasted such an amazing dish. How was it even made?!
Seeing Gui Fenghuo's expression, Bai Hao already knew that he had given in, so he smiled faintly and said, "This is what I mean by 'heartfelt intention.' It's not just about having heartfelt intention in cooking, but also about having heartfelt intention in eating these dishes."
He doesn't cook for the sake of cooking, but for the people who eat the food.
Therefore, this dish carries an extra touch of thoughtfulness.
"Is this a token of my affection for the person who will eat this dish?" Gui Fenghu murmured.
“Of course, I am not as good as Senior Gui in terms of the heart and soul in cooking, and that is something I need to learn from you. If Senior Gui could also learn to add more ‘heart and soul’ to his cooking, I’m sure his culinary skills would reach a new level,” Bai Hao said earnestly.
Strictly speaking, neither he nor Gui Fenghuo lost.
Because their dishes are not aligned with the same direction, they are not really comparable.
However, if their cooking philosophies can be combined, the dishes will definitely taste even better.
"Treating everyone's intentions with sincerity... I understand, thank you for your guidance." Gui Fenghuo clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to Bai Hao and said.
He's not the kind of person who can't accept defeat; on the contrary, he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly and was quite happy about it.
Because he finally found the shortcomings in his cooking, so he can take it a step further.
For a chef who truly loves cooking, it's not a bad thing for others to point out his shortcomings; on the contrary, it's an extremely rare thing, because only with flaws can there be room for improvement.
The fact that there is room for improvement means that his cooking skills can be further improved, and that is the greatest treasure!
...
After Gui Fenghuo "admitted defeat," he not only did not feel ashamed, but also lowered himself and insisted on discussing cooking with Bai Hao, and the two had an in-depth exchange.
As it happened, Su Yuewan planned to stay here for one night, so Bai Hao was forced to stay and have an in-depth discussion with Gui Fenghuo for the entire night.
He taught Gui Fenghuo how to cook a good dish with care, while Gui Fenghuo taught him how to bring out the flavor of a dish. The two learned from each other and made progress together.
Even when Bai Hao and Su Yuewan were about to leave the next day, Gui Fenghuo still came to see them off with reluctance.
"Brother Bai, I'll definitely visit Luohai Sect to see you next time I have the chance!" Gui Fenghuo waved and said goodbye loudly.
"Okay, I'll wait for you!" Bai Hao waved goodbye loudly.
Until the carriage drove away from the palace and left the capital...
"Looks like your relationship has progressed quite quickly this night," Su Yuewan said, seemingly teasing Bai Hao and Gui Fenghuo as they looked reluctant to part.
"Of course it's hard for two chefs to part ways when they meet." Bai Hao accepted Su Yuewan's gaze frankly.
"By the way, you said yesterday that cooking should be done with heart. How did you come to that realization?" Su Yuewan suddenly asked.
"Hmm? Actually, I just made it up on a whim, and who knew Gui Fenghuo would believe me?" Bai Hao shrugged and said.
Su Yuewan: "..."
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