Chapter 292: Chapter 189: Mastering the Flower Knife Technique! Good heavens, Boss Lin is going after the sculptors’ livelihoods! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]_3
"Alright!"
At the competition site, Lin Xu still didn’t know that the live-streaming room was already boiling with excitement. He was still holding a chef’s knife, focused intently as he gently drew the tip of the knife across the tofu submerged in water. After carving out the shapes, he carefully pricked away the excess tofu with a slightly longer bamboo skewer, then continued to carve. This process tested one’s patience and the steadiness of the wrist; the slightest carelessness could lead to a defect, so Lin Xu could only concentrate and handle it carefully.
Meanwhile, the other competitors were immersed in their own creations. Everyone was among the best from various international hotels, and some might be the pillar of a hotel restaurant in the future. They were all familiar with the technique of carving. They could not only carve common ornate patterns but also create new ideas based on the variability of the ingredients. For instance, right now, Guo Xinghai used the green skin on the top of a radish to carve a beautiful Jade Cabbage, preparing to use it as a garnish on the plate. Zhuang Yizhou, who was ranked third in the last round, utilized the curved part of a pumpkin to carve out a shape resembling a black-canopied boat. Everyone was carving with dedication, striving to prove their strength.
Since Lin Xu was carving in water and the chef’s knife in his hand was too large, it was impossible to capture the details from a distance. Thus, Wu Kexin approached with a cameraman from the TV station for a closer shot. From afar, when they only saw Lin Xu occasionally move the tip of the knife on the tofu, they had no idea what he was carving, but now that they were closer, the online viewers could see. Lin Xu was actually carving two fish on the Lactone Tofu. The two fish were connected head to tail, looking somewhat like a pair of fish-shaped jade pendants. But these two fish were carved in a long shape from the Lactone Tofu, not only plump and lively in appearance but even the fins and Fish Scales were meticulously detailed.
The moment the fans in the live-streaming room saw this, they immediately exploded with excitement:
"Holy shit, the Jade Carving community is gonna blow up!"
"Not just the Jade Carving community, big bro. Stone, wood, and clay carving communities will blow up too when they see Boss Lin’s skills."
"Who would have thought that Boss Lin would once again kick the Sculptor’s rice bowl."
"Not only did he kick it, but he also disdainfully said with a block of tofu and a chef’s knife, ’Is that all?’"
"Seeing the dozens of carving knives on my rack, I feel the urge to throw them all away and switch to a chef’s knife."
"Me too. My carving knives worth thousands can’t compare to Boss Lin’s chef’s knife; it’s so heartbreaking."
"These two fish are so beautiful; how much would it cost to buy them?"
"Upstairs, don’t bother asking. Die Lianhua, the big shot, already smashed a million on it. You’re gonna have to wait your turn."
Because the live-streaming camera moved in closer, the on-site spectators, who previously could not see the carving details, also took out their phones to enter the live-streaming room to watch. When Lin Xu’s family saw the two lifelike, plump fish in the water basin, they were also astonished.
"Good heavens! My brother-in-law’s skills are incredible!"
"When did Xiao Xu learn to carve like this? The shapes are incredible."
"No way, I have to show Old Tan and the others. The kid is making me so proud!"
"Old Lin, take a look at our son’s skill. Isn’t our family’s old grandma having her seventieth birthday in a few days? When Xiao Xu comes home, let’s have him show off his talent to her."
"Definitely, the old lady has been looking forward to him coming home."
"Mom, don’t forget I’ll be going too; Dundun and I will both be back!"
"I won’t forget. With such a good daughter-in-law, how can I not show you off to our relatives and friends?"
At the consultant seats, Xie Baomin looked at the scene on his phone, filled with emotion, saying, "My master must be thrilled. My junior brother is really impressive. It’s a pity there isn’t a middle-aged group competition; otherwise, I’d show off my cooking skills as well."
Everyone was amazed by this extraordinary technique. Carving double fish on a hard material was already challenging, and without sufficient experience, no one dared to take it on. Yet, Lin Xu dared to carve on Lactone Tofu, which would crumble at the slightest touch. This skill was truly admirable!
Finally, when Lin Xu finished carving the two fish and added some decorative waves around, the double fish carving symbolizing abundance year after year was complete. At the moment he put down the knife, his wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, and even his back and legs began to ache. He had been too engrossed; his body hadn’t been active or relaxed. Now that he abruptly put down the knife, all sorts of discomfort swept over him.
Wei Qian, who had just finished carving a Prosperity Peony, quickly supported his arm. "Take a few steps to move around first. You stood in the same position for too long, and your blood circulation has been impaired." As he spoke, he glanced at the ’Abundance Year After Year’ in the basin and immediately smiled broadly. This round is in the bag!
Lin Xu moved to the side, limbered up his body, took a couple of sips of water, and just as he sat down, the system’s prompt rang out in his mind:
"Host has received praise from over a thousand people within the set time limit, officially earning the Superior Carving Technique. Congratulations to the Host."
"Host has used the Superior Carving Technique to create a Perfect Level Carving, completing the Hidden task ’Over-level Challenge,’ and has earned a Perfect Level General Cooking Technique—Fried Crispy. Congratulations to the Host."
Phew...
Didn’t expect there to be this kind of reward.
The effort just now was not in vain.
Soon, the other contestants had also completed their own carving presentations. The judges filed down from their seats and began scoring. In this round of competition, several contestants chose Lactone Tofu. However, their carvings, either a little white rabbit or a white salamander, were all quite aesthetically pleasing but seemed a bit abstract and stiff compared to Lin Xu’s. The two fish carved by Lin Xu looked as alive as real fish. When you looked close, you might even worry the fish would suddenly flick their tails and splash you. Such lifelike carvings, even in the Sculptors’ circle, deserved to be respectfully addressed as master.
Circling the two fish was Huo Yifan, who had also chosen Lactone Tofu. He had watched the replay of Fishing Platform’s live stream and felt that defeating Lin Xu would not be a big problem. So, seeing Lin Xu choose Lactone Tofu this time, he swapped his radish for tofu, planning to have a good contest with Lin Xu. He carved a layered rose out of the Lactone Tofu. The petals were very thin; in the water, they even seemed to drift slightly.
But compared to Lin Xu’s twin fish, there is still a certain gap.
Sigh...
Can’t compete!
Soon, the scores were out. Lin Xu secured first place with a perfect score of 10. Huo Yifan’s white rose, because of its beautiful shape, scored a high 9.9, coming in second. Guo Xinghai got 9.7 points, tying for third place with Zhuang Yizhou. As for Wei Qian, his carving of a Prosperity Peony, which was too similar to another contestant’s work, only received 9.1 points, ranking seventh. After a contest of skill, everyone’s scores were quite close. It wasn’t easy to pull ahead.
"Host has successfully attained first place in this round of competition, completing the multi-stage task ’Overcoming Challenges’ second stage, earning an Excellent Level Pickled Vegetable Dish Technique—Pickled Cucumbers."
Pickled cucumbers?
At least it’s better than the last round’s reward.
But the thought of the high-interest debt owed to the system made Lin Xu feel a sense of urgency, always wanting to open for business to fill the points deficit as soon as possible.
Is the system using this as a way to urge me to work hard and make money?
As he was thinking, Liu Zhengyu, holding the basin with the twin fish, commented, "Borrowing what Mr. Lishan said about Lin Xu in the last competition: some people earn ten points because their craft is worth ten points, while others earn ten points because the full score is only ten. Thank you, Lin Xu, for showing me the spectacular brilliance of traditional Chinese carving techniques, and for giving me hope for Chinese cuisine!"
After this round of competition, more contestants were eliminated. Now only fifteen contestants remained on the field. After a short break, the staff again brought in a new rack, filled with wet noodles, Sliced Noodles, shredded pancakes, rice noodles, Ho Fun, Ersi, rice, bread pieces, and other ingredients, as well as a full range of condiments like Scallion and Ginger, Eggs, Shrimp, and greens.
Liu Zhengyu, taking the microphone in hand, stood up and said, "The essence of food is to satisfy hunger, and no matter how good-looking a dish is, it’s no good if it doesn’t fill you up. Therefore, the content of this round is—using your respective skills, make a main dish, including but not limited to various stir-fried noodles, fried rice, stir-fried flour noodles, stir-fried shredded pancakes, and so on." After saying that, he clapped his hands. "The time for this round is half an hour. Start now, lads, and show me your ability to work the wok!"
Staple food?
Lin Xu, who had already recovered, heard the requirement, and a slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
The Perfect Level Yangzhou Fried Rice that my son helped me draw the other day finally has a chance to shine.
So what are we waiting for?
Let’s go!