Huang Rong smiled sweetly, her expression becoming even more smug.
I won't tell you!
Li Huan laughed too. "Little girl, you're just asking for trouble by keeping me in suspense."
Hong Qigong said, "Rong'er is naughty! You must have shaved this round tofu with a kitchen knife!"
Li Huan seized the opportunity to shout, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Hong Qigong asked, "Why is it impossible?"
Li Huan said, "I have been studying cooking since I was a child, and I studied various foreign cooking techniques for ten years. I have never seen any chef who can use a kitchen knife to cut a piece of tender tofu into the shape of a ball!"
"As we all know, soft tofu is so fragile that it falls apart at the slightest touch and cannot be squeezed. If you were to try to carve it into a round ball with a knife, it would be extremely difficult, akin to carving words on a grain of rice!"
The onlookers were also incredulous and began to discuss it amongst themselves.
Hong Qigong put the tofu balls back on the plate and said with a smile.
"Young man, you don't know this, Rong'er is not only an excellent cook, but also has superb knife skills!"
"She uses her family's 'Orchid Flicking Acupoint Hand,' which allows her to move her ten fingers with such gentleness and dexterity that the force she exerts is so subtle that it can touch tofu without breaking it, or slice tofu with a knife without shattering it!"
"Seventh Master, you have a good eye!" Huang Rong laughed happily. "Upon closer inspection, you can tell that I used the 'Orchid Flicking Acupoint Technique'."
Li Huan blinked, pretending not to understand.
"Orchid Acupressure Technique? What is that? Are you holding an orchid and massaging acupoints? What does it have to do with slicing tofu?"
Huang Rong immediately burst into laughter, amused by Li Huan.
Guo Jing couldn't understand either, and just kept laughing foolishly along with Huang Rong.
Hong Qigong took a sip of beer and said, "The Orchid Finger Technique is the unique skill of Huang Yaoshi, the master of Peach Blossom Island. It is an extremely exquisite acupoint striking technique, named for its hand gestures that resemble orchids!"
Li Huan frowned and continued acting: "Huang Yaoshi, the master of Peach Blossom Island? Is he a herbal medicine seller?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Rong laughed even harder, unable to straighten up.
Hong Qigong sighed: "Alas... Young man, you claim to be a wanderer who has seen and experienced much, how come you don't even know Huang Yaoshi, who is famous throughout the martial arts world?"
Li Huan said, "I've been to many foreign countries overseas. Doesn't that make me a wanderer? Doesn't that make me well-traveled and knowledgeable? What business is it of mine if Huang Yaoshi sells medicinal herbs?"
Hong Qigong nodded: "Old beggar understands now. You've been so busy setting up your stall to sell boxed lunches that you know very little about the martial arts world in the Central Plains, and you know very little about the famous figures in the martial arts world!"
Li Huan suppressed a laugh: "That's right! I'm only focused on selling boxed lunches to make money, why would I care about the martial arts world?"
Hong Qigong said, "Your temperament is quite simple! As a cook, you only need to focus on studying cooking skills and ignore the affairs of the martial world!"
Li Huan said, "That's right! As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise! If a chef doesn't practice cooking, are they supposed to practice martial arts?"
“That’s not right!” Huang Rong immediately retorted. “If I didn’t know martial arts, how could I use my unique skill to cut such round, tender tofu with a kitchen knife?”
Li Huan put on an act, pretending to be stunned, striking a thoughtful pose while muttering to himself.
"Cooking skills... martial arts... can martial arts really be used to cook...?"
Suddenly, Li Huan pretended to realize something.
"I understand! In some situations, martial arts really can be used to cook, creating special delicacies!"
Hong Qigong stroked his beard and said, "That's only right! Knife techniques, sword techniques, staff techniques, palm techniques, fist techniques, and profound internal energy can all be applied to cooking!"
Li Huan said excitedly, "Thank you for reminding me. I will definitely spend money to find a martial arts master and become his apprentice to improve my cooking skills!"
At this moment, bait is thrown out to lure Hong Qigong into the trap.
Seeing that Li Huan had become interested in martial arts, Huang Rong suddenly became alert and hurriedly reminded Hong Qigong.
"Seventh Master, enjoy the steamed tofu while it's hot!"
Hong Qigong picked up his chopsticks, lifted another round piece of tofu, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
In an instant, Hong Qigong's eyes lit up, and he quickly chewed and swallowed the tofu.
Then he ate a few more pieces of tofu, making smacking noises, with an expression of great enjoyment.
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! The surface of this tofu looks ordinary, but it actually contains the meaty aroma of ham!"
After praising it, Hong Qigong used his chopsticks to break a round tofu in the dish into small pieces and examined it carefully.
"The tofu has a meaty aroma, but there's no minced ham inside. Strange, strange..."
Guo Jing interjected, "Rong'er will definitely use the rich broth from the ham to simmer the tofu over a low flame, so that it can absorb the meaty aroma of the ham!"
After saying this, Guo Jing smiled, feeling that his words made sense and that he had surely revealed the secret of heaven.
“You’re wrong!” Li Huan immediately refuted Guo Jing’s judgment.
Guo Jing's smile faded, and he quickly asked, "What did I do wrong?"
Li Huan said, "If you're going to stew tofu in ham broth, why bother shaping it into round balls? That's like taking off your underwear to fart—completely unnecessary."
Hahaha, everyone burst into laughter.
Huang Rong frowned slightly: "Hmph, vulgar!"
Hong Qigong looked completely bewildered: "Even this old beggar couldn't guess how this steamed tofu is cooked..."
Before Li Huan could speak, Huang Rong quickly said, "I'll first split a ham in half, dig out twenty-four round holes, cut tofu into balls, stuff them into the holes in the ham, then put the ham back together, tie it tightly, and steam it until cooked!"
Hong Qigong suddenly realized: "After steaming, pour the tofu out of the ham; it has already absorbed the aroma and umami flavor of the ham!"
Huang Rong smiled and said, "That's exactly right."
Upon learning the true cooking method, Hong Qigong gave a thumbs-up and praised it enthusiastically.
Guo Jing and the onlookers cheered.
Li Huan looked directly into Huang Rong's beautiful eyes and said loudly.
"Actually, you can cut small square holes in the ham, cut tofu into small cubes, and stuff them into the square holes in the ham. They can absorb the savory flavor of the ham just the same!"
"But you deliberately dug out round holes for ham and shaved out round pieces of tofu, clearly showing off your family's martial arts skills!"
"Furthermore, there are twenty-four round tofu pieces in total. If I'm not mistaken, you gave this dish an elegant name: 'Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlit Night'!"
Huang Rong was shocked once again!
How could the other party know so clearly about my wonderful ideas?
*Smack!* Hong Qigong slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his emotions running high.
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! 'The Moonlit Night Over the Twenty-Four Bridges'—what a fitting name! It instantly elevates the atmosphere! This old beggar is utterly impressed, completely awestruck!"
Huang Rong was overjoyed: "Seventh Master, you flatter me!"
Guo Jing chuckled and said, "Rong'er, you're sure to win this dish!"
Hong Qigong ate a few more pieces of steamed tofu, finished his beer, and waved his hand to urge, "Young man, please bring your second vegetarian dish!"
Li Huan walked to the food bucket, took out five or six pieces of pineapple from the "Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple", put them into the lunchbox, and handed them to Hong Qigong.
The bright yellow pineapple, coated in thick, sticky gravy, is glistening with oil and looks incredibly appetizing.
Smelling the rich aroma, Hong Qigong hurriedly asked, "What kind of dish is this?"
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