Chapter 404: Appearance is Justice

Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Appearance is Justice

Yesterday evening, Manager Hong had already arranged for his men to set up the stage for the competition.

Now, his restaurant’s waiters carried out two simple, sheet-metal-bound stoves and placed them in the center. Large woks were set on top, and on either side, long tables were arranged, laden with all the necessary ingredients, oil, salt, and utensils.

Meanwhile, Ji Huan had pulled a banner taut and hung it above her shop’s sign.

The banner was emblazoned with a long line of elegant calligraphy: The First "Hundred Flavors Cup" Cooking Competition.

She chose this name partly to make it sound official, and partly, of course, due to her own mischievous sense of humor.

However, she never imagined that the "Hundred Flavors Cup" would go on to be held year after year.

It gradually evolved from a simple cooking competition into the most prestigious culinary showdown, with participants no longer limited to Yeyang. Famed chefs from other prefectures, other counties, and even from south of the Northern Pass all considered it an honor to be listed on the "Gourmet God Rankings."

The Gourmet God Rankings were, of course, also Ji Huan’s creation. She shamelessly considered putting her own name at the very top, but ultimately decided against it.

In those martial arts novels, wherever there was a ranking, there was bound to be blood and conflict. The person ranked number one could never know peace, forced to face endless rounds of challenges until they were finally defeated by a rising star.

It wasn’t that Ji Huan was afraid of losing; she just didn’t want to spend the rest of her life slinging a wok. How exhausting would that be?

So, she chose to keep a low profile, hiding her accomplishments from the world.

But today, she had no choice but to take center stage.

The street was already bustling with pedestrians. As they walked, they noticed the commotion over here and began to stop in their tracks.

At first, they were confused, assuming this new shop was being converted into a restaurant.

Only when the banner was raised did they understand: there was going to be a cooking competition.

The people of Yeyang had never seen such a spectacle before and were immediately intrigued!

Manager Quan of Quanju Xuan noticed something odd. Why was everyone on the street swarming toward East Street?

One of his waiters, who had been out running errands, happened to pass by East Street on his way back and knew what was going on.

"It’s Hongfu Restaurant. They’re teaming up with some new shop to hold a cooking competition. A huge crowd has gathered to watch the fun."

The moment he heard it was Hongfu Restaurant, Manager Quan’s face filled with unconcealed disdain.

’A second-rate restaurant like that can only rely on these kinds of gimmicks to attract people,’ he thought.

At the same time, Manager Xian of the Liuxian Building was also shaking his head.

Relying on such unorthodox methods might attract a crowd for a short while, but it wasn’t a sustainable strategy.

At the end of the day, in this business, the food itself is what truly matters. If the dishes don’t taste good, all the fanfare in the world is useless.

In the open space in front of Ji’s Flavor Industry, the crowd grew larger and larger. More than half of them had found their way here holding flyers.

At 9 a.m., firecrackers popped, and the competition officially began.

Hongfu Restaurant’s head chef was already in position. Ji Huan also tied up her sleeves, fastened her apron, and took her place in front of the other wok.

Xu Laifu and Manager Hong stood in the center of the stage and struck a bronze gong with a loud GONG.

"Everyone! Recently, my restaurant and Ji’s Flavor Industry have had a disagreement over certain matters. Left with no other choice, we have set up this contest. We ask you all to be the judges and see whose culinary skills are superior!"

Hearing this, the crowd below immediately began to buzz with discussion.

"Looks like Ji’s Flavor Industry is really changing its business! Why else would they compete in cooking?"

"If they’re really opening a restaurant right across the street, it’s no wonder they’ve locked horns."

"Don’t tell me whoever’s skills are better gets to open their shop, and the loser has to close down? The stakes are too high!"

Despite saying that, the people in the crowd were clearly even more excited after hearing the announcement.

"In that case, I’d say things look a little dicey for Ji’s Flavor Industry. Hongfu Restaurant sent out their head chef, but the other side has their owner competing personally... Just look at her. Does she look like she knows how to cook?"

You couldn’t blame the man for saying so; Ji Huan really didn’t look the part.

She had a slender, tall figure, dressed in a light-apricot, front-opening blouse with a standing collar and pipa sleeves that made her look as delicate as a flower. Her gray-green, one-piece pleated skirt, however, gave her an air of unique tranquility and composure.

Her face was like white porcelain, and her eyes and brows were simply exquisite. Even other women found it hard to look away.

A person like her belonged in the pampered seclusion of an inner chamber, not hovering around a stove.

And once the competition started, Ji Huan’s performance certainly didn’t disappoint their expectations.

The head chef already had his ingredients in the wok while she was just starting to chop hers.

Not only was she slow, but she also nearly cut her hand, making those in the audience who were close enough break out in a cold sweat for her.

When she finally put the ingredients into the wok, she was startled by a spatter of oil and jumped back a step, drawing continuous laughter from the crowd.

However, there were no sounds of criticism or scolding. It was likely because no one had high expectations for her to begin with, so they watched with a tolerant attitude, treating it all as a bit of fun.

Ji Huan was tempted to pick up the oily wok and use it as a mirror. ’Beauty really is justice,’ she thought, admiring herself while sighing internally. ’Even when I do something clumsy, people just think it’s cute.’

Fortunately, she controlled herself and focused on cooking.

Hongfu Restaurant was an affordable eatery that catered to common folk, so they didn’t serve overly high-end dishes. Besides, their strategy this time was to be down-to-earth; it wouldn’t be appropriate to make something too highbrow and inaccessible.

So, they chose conventional dishes that were quick and easy to make.

The first dish was stir-fried pork with cauliflower.

Since the vegetable gardens had closed for the season and the cellars were nearly empty, all the vegetables for this event were provided by Ji Huan.

This was how Manager Hong learned about the existence of dehydrated vegetables, and he proposed a partnership on the spot. Ji Huan didn’t agree immediately, however, as she needed to see if there would be any left over after her delivery to the army.

Besides the vibrantly green vegetables, the meat was genuine, thick-cut pork belly. Its rich fattiness was enough to make one’s mouth water.

The passersby hadn’t expected them to be so generous for a simple competition.

Was this really free for them to eat?

Because of the large crowd and Ji Huan’s slow pace, the Hongfu Restaurant chef managed to stir-fry two full woks, serving up ten whole plates, by the time Ji Huan had finished her first.

The chef’s dishes filled two trays, which Manager Hong and one of his waiters personally carried down for the onlookers to taste.

Ji Huan managed to portion out only three small plates, enough for a single tray, which Xu Laifu carried down for the crowd to sample.

The onlookers had all assumed Ji Huan’s cooking would be a disaster, but surprisingly, its presentation looked quite decent.

Someone took a pair of chopsticks, first trying a piece of vegetable, which they found so-so. Then they picked up a slice of pork, and after just two chews, they froze.

It wasn’t that it tasted bad, it just felt very bland. It wasn’t as if there was no salt... How to put it? Compared to the head chef’s plate, it lacked a rich, meaty flavor.

Clearly, she lacked both experience and control over the heat.

And so it went. After a round of tasting, not a single leaf was left from the chef’s two trays. In contrast, Ji Huan still had two and a half of her three plates remaining.

The crowd was murmuring.

"What’s the point of continuing? The gap is so huge, it’s obvious she can’t win."

"They said it’s a competition, how can they stop halfway? Isn’t that just tricking us? I came all this way specifically to taste some good food!"

On stage, the head chef also asked Ji Huan, "Are we still competing?"

"Of course!" Ji Huan huffed. "Don’t get cocky. The only reason I lost this round is because you didn’t let me use my seasonings. Otherwise, who knows who would’ve won?"

A roar of laughter came from below.

"This young lady sure is stubborn."

"You can say that again..."

The head chef, having already won a round, was feeling quite pleased with himself. Hearing her words, he waved his hand dismissively.

"Go ahead and use them, then. We wouldn’t want people saying I’m an old-timer bullying a newcomer. But let me be clear: if you use your seasonings and still lose to me..."

"Impossible!" Ji Huan declared firmly, then beckoned to someone below the stage.

Zhou turned and ran into the shop, returning shortly with a small, round wooden tray that she handed up to her.

Ji Huan picked up a small ceramic bottle from the tray, brought it to her nose, and took a sniff. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled with absolute confidence.