Chapter 407: Booming Business

Chapter 407: Chapter 407: Booming Business

"I think you’re just jealous!"

"I already admitted her skills are good, so how am I jealous? I just can’t stand you all spouting nonsense here. Good cooking is a matter of talent. Do you really think some seasonings can turn things around? A clumsy cook couldn’t make a decent soup even if you gave them the nectar of the gods!"

"How would you know it doesn’t work if you haven’t tried it? I’ve tried it myself!"

"Tch! I’ve been cooking for half my life, and everyone who’s ever tasted my food has praised it. I don’t need any of those tricks. They’re unnecessary! Superfluous!"

"You...!"

Seeing the argument in the crowd getting out of hand, Ji Huan finally spoke up.

She said to the buck-toothed woman, "Since you’re so confident, Ma’am, do you dare to come up on stage for a competition?"

The buck-toothed woman wasn’t afraid at all. She strode onto the high platform in a few steps. "A competition it is!"

She thought she was going to compete against Ji Huan.

But to her surprise, Ji Huan shook her head. "It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to compete. If I were to accidentally win, you might say I was deliberately holding back before... and while that’s actually a compliment to me, it wouldn’t be fair to my seasonings."

The buck-toothed woman’s expression immediately soured.

"Don’t be so sure of yourself, little girl. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. It’s not yet certain who will win or lose. Just bring your best skills to the table."

Ji Huan still waved her hand. "I’m not being arrogant; I’m just self-aware. How about this? To avoid any unnecessary trouble, we’ll just pick someone else from the audience to compete against you. What do you think?"

The buck-toothed woman was reluctant.

But she was the one who had suggested Ji Huan might be holding back. She couldn’t really object if Ji Huan wanted to avoid suspicion by not competing herself.

She had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Ji Huan then asked the crowd if anyone was willing to come up and give it a try.

The crowd erupted in a buzz. No one had expected that coming to watch a competition would get more and more exciting.

Many people were whispering and discussing among themselves, but no one volunteered.

Mainly, they had never been in such a situation and were afraid of embarrassing themselves on stage.

Besides, the buck-toothed woman looked so confident; she clearly knew what she was doing. Anyone without real skill wouldn’t dare to go up.

And those who did have some skill couldn’t gauge her true abilities, so they didn’t dare to step forward either.

Ji Huan’s gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on the round-faced woman. "Auntie, would you be willing to come up and try?"

"Me?" The round-faced woman’s eyes were wide with astonishment.

After arguing with the buck-toothed woman, she was full of indignation and actually wanted to go up and challenge her.

But she knew her own skill level all too well. She was afraid that instead of venting her anger, she would end up dragging both herself and the young proprietress down to be laughed at.

But Ji Huan said, "It’s alright. Auntie, you can represent me. Just use my family’s seasonings and feel free to cook any simple, home-style dish."

She paused, then turned to the buck-toothed woman. "Ma’am, you shouldn’t mind, right? Of course, you’re welcome to use them as well."

"She can use whatever she wants. I don’t need them!"

That disdainful tone made the flame of anger in the round-faced woman’s heart flare up again!

’A competition it is, then! Who’s afraid of who?!’

After the round-faced woman got on stage, the two took their places at the stoves.

The three of them discussed it and finally chose tofu as the ingredient.

Tofu was as common as it gets. It looked easy to cook, but in reality, it was one of the hardest ingredients to get right.

The buck-toothed woman seemed completely confident about this.

The round-faced woman, not knowing the intricacies, just thought it was simple and wore a happy expression.

Ji Huan suppressed a smile and said to the buck-toothed woman, "Because this auntie isn’t completely familiar with all of my family’s seasonings, I’d like to stand beside her and explain them... I hope..."

The buck-toothed woman shot back, "The two of you can take me on together for all I care," and immediately started cooking.

Since she had said that, Ji Huan didn’t hold back.

The round-faced woman planned to stir-fry it as she normally would, then just add some Spicy and Savory powder.

Ji Huan suggested she try a different method.

The round-faced woman was a bit hesitant to try, but glancing at the buck-toothed woman’s deft movements, she felt that if she cooked as she usually did, she would undoubtedly lose. So, she listened to Ji Huan.

While guiding the round-faced woman, Ji Huan didn’t forget to observe the buck-toothed woman.

The buck-toothed woman first poured vegetable oil into the wok and heated it. She followed that by tossing in a large handful of chili powder, then added fermented black beans. After that, she put in the tofu, added a little water, stir-fried it evenly, and covered the wok with a lid. She used low heat to reduce the sauce, and just before taking it off the heat, she sprinkled on some Sichuan peppercorn powder.

She certainly had her own technique.

However, she didn’t use the meat that had been prepared on the side, seeming to believe that tofu and meat were two ingredients that shouldn’t be paired together.

On the round-faced woman’s side, there wasn’t enough time to teach her anything complex, so Ji Huan could only simplify the process as much as possible.

Cut the tofu into cubes, blanch them in boiling water with a little salt to remove the beany taste, then remove them and soak them in fresh water.

Mince the fermented black beans, chop the garlic sprouts into sections, and mince the ginger.

Heat oil in a wok, add minced meat, and stir-fry until it breaks apart and changes color. Add a spicy red bean paste and stir-fry until fragrant. Then, add the fermented black beans, minced garlic, and minced ginger in sequence and continue to stir-fry.

Add some of the broth from cooking the meat earlier, bring it to a boil, then add the tofu cubes. Put in a suitable amount of soy sauce, season with salt, and then add a little of the Spicy and Savory powder. Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry, and once it’s reduced, it’s ready to be plated.

Throughout the entire process, Ji Huan only gave verbal instructions, and the round-faced woman followed them perfectly. While her cooking couldn’t be said to have captured the essence of the dish just yet, it was passable.

When they were about halfway through, the buck-toothed woman’s expression changed.

The reason was that the aroma wafting from the other side was so overpowering it completely masked the smell of her own dish.

Before the comparison even began, she already knew the answer in her heart.

Sure enough, after the two dishes were brought down to the crowd, it was obvious that the round-faced woman’s was more popular.

It was bright red, spicy, savory, and fresh, with a silky texture and a rich, fragrant aroma. It won on appearance alone.

Only the old gourmand, after tasting it, expressed some slight regret, feeling the technique wasn’t quite perfected.

But there weren’t many people as picky as him. Most found it appetizing and perfect with rice; by the end, they were wishing they had a bowl of it.

Without a doubt, the round-faced woman had won this round.

Or rather, it was Ji Huan and her seasonings that had won.

The round-faced woman was overjoyed.

She had never felt such a sense of accomplishment. The first time she had ever been in the spotlight was, surprisingly, due to her cooking—the very thing she was worst at.

"See, I told you! These seasonings are really amazing!"

The buck-toothed woman, for her part, was a good sport and admitted defeat cleanly.

She knew in her heart that the round-faced woman had won not only because the method Ji Huan taught her was more refined, but also thanks to all those little bottles and jars she had scorned.

"I never expected..."

Ji Huan smiled. "Talent is indeed a major factor in mastering any skill, but how many people have natural talent like you, Ma’am? For most people, hard work and practice are just as indispensable.

"You said before that if the cooking is bad to begin with, adding anything to it is useless. I agree with that.

"But the standard for ’good’ varies from person to person.

"If someone is only at a ten-percent skill level, and these things can help them reach thirty percent, isn’t that a good thing?

"If someone is already at a fifty-percent level, these might just help them get to eighty percent. Is that not also good?

"And if one is already at a master’s level, perhaps these could help them achieve a new state of perfection. Wouldn’t that be making something great even better?

"So, you see, these sauces and seasonings don’t just add flowers to brocade; sometimes, they truly have the power to turn something rotten into something miraculous.

"How far they can take you all depends on the user’s own skill."

"Well said!"

Amid a wave of applause, the loudest shout still came from the troublemaking rogue.

The buck-toothed woman hesitated, then asked, "This... these seasonings, how much do they cost?"

The people in the crowd also began asking about the seasonings.

Xu Laifu broke free from the surrounding crowd, jumped onto the high platform, and struck the bronze gong again.

"Those who wish to purchase sauces and seasonings, please form a line and enter the shop! Someone in there will answer your questions."

Manager Hong also seized the opportune moment to announce that from this day forward, he would be partnering with Ji’s Flavor Industry.

"For those who didn’t get a taste or didn’t get enough, if you’d like to try the food first, Hongfu Restaurant welcomes you! All of the dishes from today’s competition are available for sale!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the stream of people immediately split into two groups.

Most of the men flooded into Hongfu Restaurant, while most of the women crowded into Ji’s Flavor Industry.

Both shops were busy from noon until late in the afternoon before they finally got a break.

Not that they had a choice.

One shop’s shelves were empty, and the other’s ingredients were gone. Business was just too good!