Capítulo 889: Chapter 888: The Counterfeit Comeback (Part 2)
“Ha—”
“Who said that having ample ingredients guarantees delicious food? Otherwise, why haven’t those ingredient suppliers dominated the culinary world?”
It’s not just idle talk. It’s for a reason that Wei Zhong is called the ‘Reserve Pastry King.’
With an impassive face, he said, “Dahe Rice is good rice. With a long growth cycle, it undergoes the waters of all four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—and is a premium rice, produced only once a year. It truly captures the essence of nature.”
“The key is, Dahe Rice has a distinctive texture, falling somewhere between glutinous rice and indica rice. If one had to categorize it, it would be a special type of Japonica Rice.”
“Why must Ge Yang Rice Cake be made with Dahe Rice and high-quality local spring water?”
Wei Zhong looked right at Xia Yu.
“Can’t say, can you?” A mocking smile played at his lips. “The judges question you because they know that, before making Ge Yang Rice Cake, Dahe Rice must be soaked in spring water for 3 to 10 days first!”
“During soaking, the two merge. The rice absorbs the water, becoming moist and soft, while the trace elements rich in spring water are gradually absorbed into the rice grains. Meanwhile, the water washes away elements that would affect the quality of the rice cake… hehe, from a microscopic perspective, there’s a special microorganism in the spring water that can ferment during soaking, causing some small molecular substances in the Dahe Rice to disappear!”
After delivering this knowledge bomb, Wei Zhong fixed his gaze on the young man.
“So then…”
His gaze sharpened.
“How did you manage to achieve the effects of a 3 to 10 days soak between Dahe Rice and spring water in just one hour?”
The camera, the judges, the audience—all eyes were on Demon King Xia.
The uncle in charge of student number 9 kept wiping his sweat.
The uncle was just as bewildered, his expression vacant. Yes, how exactly did Demon King Xia make the Ge Yang Rice Cake?
Upon hearing this, Xia Yu merely grinned, “Want to know?”
He pointed to the dish on the table.
“Then have a taste!”
“Hmm—”
The judges’ eyes returned to the dish.
Plain Ge Yang Rice Cake?
Apart from Lu Qinghong, who seemed to be pondering something, and the elder engrossed in observing due to his interest in folk culture, the remaining three judges all expressed skepticism!
Ge Yang Rice Cake is not particularly sophisticated when served plain; it can be further processed and cooked.
Or rather, the plain rice cake, like a brick, can it even be eaten?
Even in Ge Yang, homemade rice cakes are sliced, mixed with shredded meat, bean sprouts, winter bamboo shoots, etc., and stir-fried.
“His hands…”
Lu Qinghong, however, had a keen eye.
She was observing Xia Yu’s hands.
These hands shared a similar style with those of Wei Zhong and Ye Feizhou.
Not to say they were fair and smooth, but they had a mysterious aura—once scanned by the eyes, they captivated attention.
If in the midst of cooking, these hands would unquestionably be the main focus of the camera!
Moreover.
In the tense cooking session earlier, Lu Qinghong had noticed that after the student on station 9 hammered out the rice cake batter with a wooden mallet, Demon King Xia stepped in, took the rice batter to a clean countertop, and continued a mysterious deep processing using the raw strength of his hands!
In contrast to the footage of Wei Zhong and Ye Feizhou assisting students…
A faint familiarity birthed a terrifying notion in Lu Qinghong’s mind—
Whoa!
Could it be that the culinary techniques overlapped!
“Let’s have a taste, and we’ll find out!”
Under the table, Lu Qinghong’s well-shaped legs twisted in excitement once more.
Is it plain?
What will it taste like?
Fixing her gaze on the white block on the plate for a few seconds, Lu Qinghong suddenly laughed. Without picking up chopsticks, she pinched a piece of pure white rice cake with two slender fingers, bringing it close to her nose for a sniff, and her smile suddenly blanked out!
“Thud!”
A solitary drop of spring water seeped slowly through the cracks of a deep mountain ravine.
The images and the lake of her heart seemed to overlap at this moment.
That single droplet of spring water fell straight into the depths of her soul, instantly permeating her being with a primitive flavor!
“Ah—”
An echo of her long sigh reverberated through the empty valley.
Gulp!
In reality, Lu Qinghong seemed to shatter the stillness, while the remaining four judges’ throats moved.
Bellies spasmed, the hunger signal surged forth, swift and relentless.
“Indeed, this is the most authentic Ge Yang Rice Cake!” the elder exclaimed, taking a bite of the white rice cake, his whiskers standing on end, “Not sticky or greasy! Soft but springy, with just the right amount of chewiness!”
“How was this achieved?”
Another judge shouted in surprise, cheeks puffed out as he continued to devour piece after piece until the white slice of cake was completely gone.
Filled with food—especially rice cake—ordinarily difficult to chew even with the best teeth, yet no strain showed on the judge’s expression. Instead, he enjoyed it heartily and joyfully laughed out loud, “It’s like eating gummy bears…”
“Gummy bears? Well, that’s a rather fitting analogy, but unlike children’s snacks, what I tasted was an invitingly quiet New Year, free of worries!”
A judge closed his eyes in enjoyment, his face serene.
Every judge was utterly absorbed.
“Meaning!”
Ye Feizhou couldn’t help casting a glance at the grinning Demon King Xia, as if things had gone just as expected.
“Indeed, his dishes are on par with Chef Wei’s!” Ye Feizhou thought, secretly amazed.
Does the student matter?
No, virtually invisible.
The seemingly simple two servings of rice cakes more resembled two Lin Chefs using a foreign body to duel from a distance—a war without smoke!
This left Ye Feizhou deeply affected.
Soon, another plate was emptied.
An elder judge with a high hairline exhaled as he slouched into the chair, adopting a signature Ge You lie-down, rubbing his belly as he spoke: “Who says New Year’s is a break? The period before and after is so busy people lose their minds. There’s no true holiday spirit. But now, I deeply appreciate this rice cake—it’s given me a taste of a peaceful New Year…”
New Year, peaceful?
Whose New Year isn’t bustling with noise?
Yet the other four judges simultaneously nodded with smiles, clearly in agreement. Such is the concern of New Year, something all adults understand.
“A seemingly simple rice cake, yet full of profound intentions, thank you!”
One after another, voices of amazement.
The female host covered her mouth in surprise, “Then, everyone, please give your scores!”
“Wait!”
A deep voice interrupted.
“I said earlier, without special and highly efficient culinary techniques, the 3 to 10 days soaking time to integrate Dahe Rice with spring water cannot be condensed into an hour!”
Full of doubt, Wei Zhong’s face showed disbelief.
He didn’t look at Xia Yu but stared at the line of judges, “Did he achieve it? If not, how can they claim the flavor is a pure Ge Yang Rice Cake…”
“Shut up—”
But it wasn’t Xia Yu speaking.
Female director Lu Qinghong propped her chin with her hand, smirking, “He indeed achieved it!”
“Don’t believe it?”
She exchanged a glance with Xia Yu.
Ha.
That little assist was accepted, proving it was quite simple. Xia Yu turned back to his original station and brought out another plate of rice cakes, holding it with both hands in front of Wei Zhong, “Would Senior Wei dare to try it?”
He enunciated “senior” deliberately, with a teasing look in his eyes.
Wei Zhong’s anger soared!
A sudden burst of rage!
“I must see what immortal trick you have up your sleeve…”
Since he had been using cooking techniques, focusing on assisting his student, Wei Zhong hadn’t noticed the “culinary technique overlap” on display.
But Ye Feizhou had constantly paid attention to Demon King Xia.
At this moment, seeing Wei Zhong’s angry demeanor, Ye Feizhou couldn’t help but smile wryly, opening his mouth to reveal the truth.
But at that moment, Wei Zhong quickly grabbed a piece of rice cake, and there was no stopping it.
“Sss…”
An intense chill pierced his fingers, swiftly spreading across his entire hand. Wei Zhong’s hand shook, and the pure white rice cake piece dropped onto the stage floor with a plop.
Absolute silence.