Xu Yuehuai fished the lamb bones out of the soup. "Fish and lamb soup are so delicious. You are all chefs, yet you know nothing about this. It's clear that many of you are just charlatans."
Zhang Baolong was furious, but he had the upper hand in numbers and had indeed lost, so he couldn't lash out.
The first day of the competition is now over.
Xu Yuehuai became famous overnight. As she stepped off the stage, she was surrounded by a group of unfamiliar faces. "Miss Xu, you're really amazing! You've given us a real vindication! To be honest, Zhang Baolong has been causing us trouble for quite some time now. Only with you here could we..."
“Young lady,” someone said firmly, “we have lost, but we can still stay in the capital until the end of the competition. Now, just ask for whatever you need, and we will prepare it for you.”
Xu Yuehuai looked at everyone.
From their angry eyes and excited expressions, it was clear that they had been bullied by Zhang Baolong quite a bit in the past. Whether out of sympathy or for some other reason, Xu Yuehuai actually made a promise at this moment: "Don't worry, I will do my best to help you all, and I will not let you be homeless in the future."
The capital city is a major metropolis with a large population and great influence; if we're going to make money, we should all make money together.
Historical experience tells us that those who engage in monopolies will inevitably incur public wrath and resentment.
Everyone was even more excited than before after hearing Xu Yuehuai's words.
“You represent more than just yourself, Miss Xu; you also represent us. You have no choice but to win.”
"knew."
Xu Yuehuai nodded.
She then moved closer to Zhou Wan.
Zhou Wan laughed, "Mother, you really surprised me. You're always so amazing."
"I told you before that your mother's cooking skills are second to none and unparalleled in the world, but you never believed me. Now that you've seen it with your own eyes, do you believe it?"
"It's all my wife's fault. She's judging me by my own petty standards."
"Haha, not at all." Xu Yuehuai didn't like hearing this.
Before leaving, Xu Yuehuai saw Qi Guze's carriage at the crossroads.
"Congratulations."
Qi Guze got off the car.
Xu Yuehuai shook her head. "What's there to be happy about?"
"I haven't forgotten your invitation. I performed very well today and vented their anger." It's clear that Qi Guze was indeed "watching".
Xu Yuehuai was completely focused on the competition and hardly noticed where others were. When praised, Xu Yuehuai waved his hand and said, "This is called 'the wicked will be punished by the wicked.' I will be even better tomorrow."
We'll wait and see.
Once home, everyone's nerves visibly relaxed.
Zhou Wan went to prepare hot water for Xu Yuehuai, while Chun San Niang cooked for Xu Yuehuai.
Xu Yuehuai herself went to see three children who were learning, and all three children were exceptionally talented.
Jiang Qianqian has a photographic memory, and her mental arithmetic and mental calculation abilities are the best among the three.
Ah Qi was mediocre in his studies, but he became the teacher of the two, teaching them martial arts. As for Jiang Shichen, he learned things even faster, completely inheriting his mother's skills.
Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but gasp in amazement as she looked at what the three little ones had written.
"There are so many typos!" She wanted to correct them, but she was using simplified characters while the other person was using traditional characters. She could see that the characters were written incorrectly, but she couldn't correct them.
Most importantly, this era didn't even have dictionaries or other reference books for looking things up.
Xu Yuehuai thought to herself, "Education should start from childhood."
The meal was ready in no time, and Third Sister beamed with joy. "You've really brought honor to Tianxiang Restaurant. Judging from today's results, we probably won't have to leave in the future."
"Leave what? Go where?" Xu Yuehuai said with a grin. "In the future, we'll make a lot of money here, settle down, and open a chain of stores."
"What is a 'chain store'?" This novel concept is quite surprising.
Xu Yuehuai explained, "We have the same store name, the same owner, and many shareholders. We all work together to make our store flourish in the capital." Just hearing that is enough to get anyone excited.
"Good, good, good. In the future, we'll bloom osmanthus flowers everywhere in August." Third Sister sighed with emotion, looking at Xu Yuehuai with particular appreciation, "Thank you for saving me at this critical moment."
"We're helping each other out, please don't say that."
Xu Yuehuai raised her glass.
Everyone prayed for a smooth and successful future, and each drank their fill.
The next day, the emperor fell ill, which alarmed many people.
Qi Guze rushed to Changchun Palace. The Emperor was gradually recovering under the care of the imperial physicians. Seeing Qi Guze arrive, the Emperor reluctantly got up and said, "Over the years, I have relied on you to resolve difficulties and troubles. I have always trusted you. But how is my Crown Prince doing now?"
“He’s already in the capital, but it will take time for him to accept his new identity. We need to guide him gently and gradually get closer to him,” Qi Guze said.
The Emperor nodded, "We must not delay."
After saying that, the emperor fell into a daze.
Qi Guze did not dare to leave. After waiting for half an hour, the eunuch Fusheng brought in food, but the emperor did not eat anything and remained in a daze.
Qi Guze looked at the untouched food that had been delivered. "Your Majesty didn't eat it?"
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper meal,” Fu Sheng said anxiously. “There are a lot of people from the Imperial Food Bureau and the Imperial Hospital, but His Majesty remains unchanged.”
Qi Guze touched his chin.
"If His Majesty hasn't eaten by noon, remember to look for me."
He was in a hurry to watch Xu Yuehuai's match, so he said goodbye and left.
He was in a dazed state for the first half of the day, constantly complaining of a dry mouth. Although he had eaten something, he was still in poor condition, which alarmed the Central Secretariat.
Some of the concubines also brought food over, urging the emperor to eat some, but unfortunately, the emperor had no appetite at all and even chased the women away.
Meanwhile, Qi Guze had already arrived at yesterday's meeting venue.
Yesterday's competition resulted in the defeat of many, and today there are very few participants, but the large number of onlookers has paralyzed traffic. Qi Guze is worried that someone might cause trouble, so he has dispatched many military officers and soldiers to guard the surrounding area.
"Let's bring out our best dishes today."
Today's game is best two out of three.
They will provide the ingredients and let them use their creativity.
Zhou Wan looked at the ingredients on the plate: a large piece of pork belly, a large piece of beef shank, and nothing but cilantro and scallions.
The second one is just as simple.
Contestants need to make a choice, selecting one of two simple ingredients to showcase their skills.
Zhou Wan clenched her fists, feeling sweat dripping down her back. Jiang Shichen, standing beside her, asked, "How do you make this? Even stir-fries need side dishes, right?"
"Don't worry, Grandma is very smart, she will definitely find a way."
Jiang Qianqian was comforting Jiang Shichen, but she was also comforting herself.
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