Chapter 15: Noodles Dancing in the Mouth

Watching the last delivery driver take the wonton noodles, Li Xiao clasped his hands together and addressed the audience in his stream.

"All the deliveries have been sent out, and I’ve set up a poll in the stream."

"Only those 100 viewers can participate in this poll."

"There are two things to vote on. You’ll need to rate my handmade Shrimp Wonton Noodles and the Shrimp Wonton Noodles from Yun’s on a scale of 1 to 10."

"To the 100 lucky viewers, after you’ve tasted both bowls of wonton noodles, please remember to come back to the stream and vote. Thanks, everyone."

"Also, feel free to post review videos after you’ve eaten."

"Remember to tag my account when you post. After 24 hours, the video with the most likes will get a 1,000 yuan prize from me."

Hearing Li Xiao’s words, the stream chat erupted in another chorus of groans.

"Oh my god, what kind of rich-ass streamer is this?"

"1,000 yuan, that’s half a month’s salary for me!"

"At first, I thought I only missed out on two bowls of noodles. I didn’t realize I missed out on 1,000 yuan!"

"I was picked in the second batch! That 1,000 yuan is mine!"

"Other streamers are always begging viewers for donations! This god-tier streamer is actually giving out perks to his audience!"

"Gonna follow him now. I didn’t get picked this time, but I’ll definitely get it next time!"

...

While the stream chat was buzzing with discussion.

「Songlin Villa, Building 3, Apartment 618.」

"Hello, Mr. Zhou, your delivery is here!"

The door opened, and a middle-aged man in his forties stepped out.

The middle-aged man took the delivery and went back inside.

Seeing the delivery bags in his hands, Zhou Lin’s wife, Zhang Wenxiu, was a little surprised.

"Oh? Doesn’t our dear Chief Chef Zhou usually hate takeout? Why the sudden urge for two orders today?"

Zhou Lin shook his head.

"I didn’t order them. Someone sent them to me."

Zhang Wenxiu grew even more curious.

"Who would send two delivery meals to our Chief Chef Zhou?"

Zhou Lin’s expression turned a bit serious.

"I won them in a giveaway on a streamer’s channel."

"The streamer is quite young, but he’s an expert at making wonton noodles."

"One of these two meals was handmade by the streamer himself."

"That’s why I’m rather interested. I want to see if he’s the real deal or just all for show."

Zhang Wenxiu was surprised.

Her husband was the executive chef of a five-star hotel, after all.

He had incredibly high standards, so for him to give such high praise to a so-called streamer was unexpected.

This piqued her interest in the two meals her husband was holding.

So, she urged him,

"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and open them so we can try!"

Zhou Lin knew that food was best eaten hot, so he quickly opened the two different packages.

He swiftly poured the soup bases into the noodle bowls.

Zhou Lin looked at the two bowls of wonton noodles in front of him.

After a moment’s hesitation, he turned his attention to the bowl on the left.

This was the one made by the streamer known as Brother Li Loves Food.

He didn’t rush to use his chopsticks. Instead, he picked up the spoon and ladled up some of the broth.

As he brought the clear broth to his lips, Zhou Lin’s eyebrows rose slightly, a look of astonishment in his eyes.

’Making a bowl of soup is easy, but making a good, clear broth is very difficult.’

’And yet, while this broth before me is crystal clear, its flavor is incredibly rich and mellow.’

’The subtlety of the pork spine, the umami of the dried shrimp and sole, the robustness of the Jinhua ham—the four elements complement each other perfectly. The faint notes of pepper and ginger completely eliminate any hint of gaminess from the broth.’

’Just one sip makes your whole mouth water.’

’Forget everything else, the skill shown in this broth alone is enough to land a job making stocks at a five-star hotel.’

A glint appeared in his eyes. If his expectations for this bowl of noodles were a 70 out of 100 before, they had now shot up to a 90.

’To make a good, authentic bowl of wonton noodles, the wontons, the broth, and the noodles are all indispensable.’

He used his spoon to scoop up a wonton and popped it into his mouth.

Since it hadn’t been soaking in the broth for long, the wonton wrapper had just the right amount of toughness, with a springy texture that made you want to take another bite.

The shrimp filling was fresh, tender, and juicy. Each wonton concealed a whole, plump piece of shrimp, and its fragrant aroma filled the mouth, intoxicating the senses.

The pork wasn’t completely minced, giving it a full, meaty flavor when chewed.

The filling also contained crispy fried sole flakes and toasted sesame seeds, which made the aroma richer and added layers of complexity to the overall texture.

Zhou Lin nodded in satisfaction.

He didn’t rush to make a judgment, but quickly picked up a small bundle of bamboo-pressed noodles with his chopsticks.

The thin bamboo-pressed noodles were coated in broth, appearing translucent with a brilliant golden hue.

The moment the noodles entered his mouth, Zhou Lin’s eyes widened.

That explosive, crisp texture was like countless tiny, crunchy tendons bursting in his mouth.

He had, of course, eaten many noodles that claimed to be crisp, but this was the first time he had ever experienced a texture as perfectly crisp as these bamboo-pressed noodles.

He could even feel—and hear—the crisp CRACKLE as the noodles snapped between his teeth.

After swallowing the noodles, he didn’t rush to eat the rest.

Instead, he closed his eyes, savoring the peculiar sensation of the noodles dancing in his mouth.

Seeing his expression, Zhang Wenxiu, who had been waiting patiently at his side, couldn’t hold back any longer.

She immediately grabbed a spoon and chopsticks and began to taste it for herself.

...

Similar scenes were playing out for the other 99 lucky winners.

Li Xiao chatted idly with his viewers while waiting for the lucky winners to return and vote.

Of course, he wasn’t actually very nervous.

He had already tasted his own handmade wonton noodles yesterday, and they were excellent.

As for the noodles from Yun’s, he had tried them before, and they were just so-so. The system had also only given them a score of 71.

Comparing the two, while he wouldn’t say they were worlds apart, the difference in quality was still obvious.

If it were only one or two people tasting them, he might have been worried.

After all, everyone’s tastes are different, and it would be perfectly normal for one or two people to prefer the Shrimp Wonton Noodles from Yun’s.

Therefore, if the number of tasters was too small, there was a real possibility he could lose the competition.

But now, the number of tasters was 100.

Even if a few people with unusual tastes chose Yun’s, the vast majority would still choose his.

Since all the deliveries were within the same city, the wait wasn’t too long.

Twenty minutes passed, and the scores on the screen, which had been static, finally began to change.