Chapter 289: Chapter 188 The Eye of Discrimination is really useful! The reward for the first round of competition! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3
Having said that, he took out his phone, took a photo of the big screen on site, and casually posted it in his Friend Circle:
"My son-in-law is representing Fishing Platform in the Yanjing Top Ten Foreign-Related Hotels Cooking Competition, and he clinched first place in the first round. It’s truly a cause for celebration!"
Shen Jiayue had already thought about how to console Lin Xu after he was eliminated. He actually won first place right off the bat? Last time he claimed over and over that he didn’t understand this stuff, was he lying? It’s one thing to lie to others, but to lie to me too? Hmph! Without five kisses and three hugs, I won’t forgive you!
「Meanwhile, in the consultant’s area.」
Dai Jianli nudged Guo Weidong from behind. "Brother Dong, when did you start spreading rumors like the seniors in the residents’ group? With these seasonings, even if it were us, we might not be able to guess them all correctly 100% of the time. Cinnamon, cardamom—once they’re ground into powder, they’re too similar and hard to distinguish."
Guo Weidong was also bewildered. After Guo Xinghai had eaten barbecue last time, he’d specifically mentioned this, even hoping there wouldn’t be a seasoning segment. Who knew this kid would turn out to be a seasoning expert? This is too surprising, isn’t it?
「At the competition site.」
When Guo Xinghai and Wei Qian saw Lin Xu’s score, they were both inwardly delighted. Awesome, awesome. Lin Xu is really amazing!
"Damn! You’re clearly an expert, yet you claimed you didn’t understand any of this last time, making us worry for so long just now." Wei Qian glanced at the team scores, with Fishing Platform’s group temporarily in the lead, and couldn’t help but lightly punch Lin Xu. Although he planned to jump ship and leave, he didn’t want to see Fishing Platform trampled underfoot by other hotels.
Guo Xinghai, looking at the score on the big screen, said to Lin Xu, "That Huo Yifan is the son of Huo Yuanchao, the executive chef of China Grand Hotel’s Summer Palace restaurant. He’s been learning culinary arts from a young age and masters various cooking techniques. This time he’s hell-bent on crushing you."
Crush me? Lin Xu didn’t quite understand. "Why, though?"
Guo Xinghai whispered, "For this competition, Huo Yuanchao proposed that Fishing Platform’s advisory group take part. Your master then retorted in the group chat, ’Is Fishing Platform supposed to be giving you lot face by doing that?’ And that’s how the feud began."
Lin Xu was speechless. Master, can’t you just enjoy your honeymoon peacefully? Or at least show some private concern for Lucy and the girls. Why go around stirring up trouble and making enemies? A perfectly good competition has been turned so fraught with tension. Having such a troublesome master really gives one endless worries. Besides Master, there’s also that troublemaking senior brother. Tsk... If other culinary schools’ lineages are broken, it might be because they became financially free and switched careers, or perhaps they never learned the real skills. But if my own lineage were to break, it would definitely be because we made too many enemies and got ourselves killed.
「After the scores were announced, it was time for the judges’ comments.」
The head judge, Liu Zhengyu, holding a microphone, looked at Lin Xu and said, "If it weren’t for me personally putting those seasonings into the boxes backstage twenty minutes ago, I would really suspect that someone was cheating... Can you tell us how you identified these seasonings?"
If you’re going to ask about that, then I’ll just have to make something up on the fly.
Lin Xu thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of that, I have to thank Chef Dai from our Fishing Platform’s Building Eighteen. He gave me some dry dipping sauces a few days ago, and I’ve been wanting to reproduce them, so I studied the ingredients obsessively. It just so happens that today’s competition involved this; I guess luck was on my side."
As Lin Xu said this, Dai Jianli, ever the joker in the consultant’s area, quickly stood up and waved to everyone, exclaiming, "Lin Xu is talking about me! Ha ha! Welcome, everyone, to visit our Building Eighteen. Photographer, give me a close-up! It’s not often I get to sneak an ad in..." His shameless antics caused the audience to burst into laughter.
Liu Zhengyu smiled and looked at Lin Xu with admiration. This young man truly has talent. He had watched very clearly during the competition: Lin Xu only took two small sips before he began to write. Meanwhile, the one who came in second, Huo Yifan, had drunk more than half the bowl and still missed identifying a few items. People truly can’t be compared!
After commenting on Lin Xu’s answer, Liu Zhengyu looked at Huo Yifan and asked, "I see you drank the most of everyone here. How did it taste?"
Huo Yifan’s face flushed; he sported the buzz cut common among chefs. Upon hearing the head judge’s question, he replied seriously, "Hard to swallow."
"Then why did you drink so much?" Liu Zhengyu asked.
Huo Yifan glanced at Lin Xu. "To win."
Seeing this formidable contestant look at him, Lin Xu smiled back and nodded in greeting. Right, Master’s grudges are Master’s. Us young folks shouldn’t stoop to the level of the old-timers.
However, to Huo Yifan, this gesture seemed like... Huh? So you just luckily got first place? And now you’re provoking me? He turned his head away expressionlessly, leaving Lin Xu somewhat baffled.
Damn! Is he really that petty?
「Soon, the critique was finished.」
Liu Zhengyu announced, "Congratulations to contestant Lin Xu for securing first place in this round of the competition."
As soon as his words ended, a system notification sounded in Lin Xu’s mind: "The host has successfully garnered first place in this round of competition, completing the serial task [Overcoming Challenges] part one, and has been awarded a Gold Level Points Overdraft Card."
(Gold Level Points Overdraft Card: Allows the host to have a 500,000 points overdraft limit. The overdraft must be repaid with 700,000 points within one month, or else a random Perfect Level dish will be canceled.)
What the—?! An overdraft of 500,000 points requiring a repayment of 700,000 within a month? Even loan sharks aren’t this predatory! Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you to the banking regulator? Damn! Tasks with unrevealed rewards are always traps, huh? I used a precious special Experience Card only to get a high-interest overdraft card. The more I think about it, the more ripped off I feel! But what’s done is done; I’ll just have to keep my head down and continue the competition. I hope the upcoming rewards aren’t such a rip-off.
「After the first round of the competition ended.」
The eliminated contestants left the stage. Following a brief adjustment, the second round began. Two staff members pushed in a trolley laden with winter melon, cucumber, pumpkin, white radish, carrots, and lactone tofu. What’s this...?
"These are all ingredients suitable for showing off Knife Skills. This round isn’t going to be about Knife Skills again, is it?" Wei Qian placed his cleaver on the table. As long as I can use my own cleaver, I’m confident I can make it into the top five this round.
Just as he was thinking this, Liu Zhengyu stood up and said, "According to the standard competition sequence, this round would typically showcase Knife Skills Technique, but today let’s mix it up. We’ll still compete in Knife Skills, but not Basic Knife Skills... Please choose your favorite ingredient and show off your decorative cutting Technique. Remember, it’s decorative cutting. If you’re just slicing or julienning, you won’t score any points."
Decorative cutting Technique? This is totally outside my expertise! Although my Knife Skills are decent, they’re all Basic Knife Skills for slicing and julienning. As for decorative cutting Technique, I’ve truly never encountered it. What do I do now?
He browsed through the system interface. When he saw the Points Overdraft Card he had just received in the item column, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly, Damn it, System, you really are an outstanding loan shark!