167: Incredible knife skills

First, there was the preparation of vegetarian ingredients like cauliflower, cabbage, taro, tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms.

The blade danced gracefully, fingers lightly pressing the knife handle, and the light of the blade flowed like mercury.

Each vegetable was quickly processed, instantly covering the cutting board, then sorted and flown into their respective containers.

Next was the processing of red and white meats like chicken, beef, and fish.

The slender and sharp knife danced lightly between his fair, long fingers.

The next moment, the blade sliced diagonally into the muscle, and with a slight tremor of his wrist, perfectly square meat cubes filled the white porcelain bowl, as smooth as jade.

Under the light, each piece of meat presented a uniform size and specification.

If anyone were to take out a precise ruler to measure, they would be surprised to find that the deviation between each meat cube would never exceed the thickness of a single strand of hair.

After the meat segmentation, Lu Chuan began his carving demonstration.

A slender utility knife twirled and circled around a half-eaten carrot.

As the knife tip moved lightly, the carrot unfurled like a blooming rose, layer by layer, revealing pink petals with edges as delicate as cicada wings.

Where red and white intertwined, natural gradients appeared like a meticulous peony painting, exuding a captivating beauty.

And when carving the winter melon, the knife moved in a circuitous path.

Thin slices peeled off layer by layer, like unwrapping a cocoon of time, eventually stacking into a translucent jade cup, as if to hold a pool of clear moonlight.

The camera clearly captured every movement of Lu Chuan.

His flowing knife skills made everyone hold their breath.

"Oh my god! These knife skills, can a human really do this?"

"Anime brought to life, hey! Wife, look, it's your favorite 'Little Chef of China' live-action version!"

"Unbelievable, Mom opened the door for unbelievable—it's unbelievably here! If I tried, I'd probably lose all ten fingers, right?"

The audience gasped in succession, all marveling at the incredible knife skills.

And the Regular Customers were even more frantic.

They knew Lu Chuan possessed peak culinary skills, and every time he set up his stall, the food he sold was supremely delicious.

Thus, more and more people became curious if Lu Chuan's knife skills would also be excellent.

Some held a positive opinion, believing that knife skills and culinary skills were inseparable; at most, his knife skills might be slightly inferior, but certainly not by much.

But others believed that knife skills and culinary skills were two different things; many chefs could cook excellent dishes, but their knife skills were terribly messy and unpresentable.

The two sides argued endlessly, and ultimately, neither could convince the other.

But seeing it with their own eyes now exceeded all the Regular Customers' expectations.

Lu Chuan's knife skills were actually no less impressive than his culinary skills!

"Little Boss is truly a God of Cooking reborn! He really has no weaknesses!"

"Just his culinary skills alone have conquered everyone, and then to add such astonishing and exquisite knife skills, oh my goodness, if I were these contestants, I'd just give up!"

"Why did I, at this age, meet such a flourishing Little Boss, boo hoo hoo!"

Zheng Xingyao listened to the wailing around him, his face twitching uncontrollably.

But then, he once again convinced himself, letting out a series of sneers.

Just knife skills, it won't affect the outcome!

Hmph! Who told you to choose mixed stew as your competition dish!

Just wait to die!

On the judges' panel, the Association Chairmen listened to the gasps of amazement from the audience behind them, and then looked at Lu Chuan, who was effortlessly preparing the ingredients, their bodies involuntarily straightening slightly, no longer as casual and composed as before.

They say experts see the nuances, while laymen see the spectacle.

These Association Chairmen were already the leaders of the culinary world in their respective cities, at least at the level of senior chefs.

And Dai Xuesong, from the provincial capital, had even one foot in the door of the senior technician level.

At this moment, how could they not see Lu Chuan's true skill level?

Dai Xuesong's relaxed eyelids slightly closed, trying his best to conceal the fluctuations in his eyes, but from his slightly trembling hands, one could see the turmoil in his heart.

At such a young age, to possess such strength!

And he was already old and frail... In comparison, a sense of desolation arose in his heart, turning into a tide that eroded his inner being wave after wave.

As the most prestigious among them, Dai Xuesong was in this state.

The other Association Chairmen performed even worse.

Compared to the talent before them, they only felt that they, at their age, had truly lived in vain.

Chairman Luo, who had been the most boisterous earlier, was now staring intently at Chairman Neng Xing.

The thought of him having mocked Lu Chuan in front of his arch-rival Chairman Neng Xing earlier made his face flush with embarrassment.

"You old Xing, you're a real veteran actor, I didn't expect you to hide such a move and deceive so many of us!"

Facing Chairman Luo's question, Chairman Neng Xing did not immediately refute.

Only because he, at this moment, was also very surprised.

"Huh?!"

Chairman Luo immediately laughed in exasperation.

"Still pretending? Have you become addicted to deceiving people? Save it, with just his knife skills, no one here has the right to eliminate him! I'm telling you, old Xing, you are truly despicable!"

Chairman Neng Xing still seemed a bit dazed at this moment; he slowly turned his head to look at Chairman Luo, as if he hadn't heard clearly, and spoke again.

"Huh?"

Chairman Luo: "..."

...Back to the competition area.

Lu Chuan wiped the knives clean and returned them to their original places one by one.

Then he began the formal cooking.

First was the preparation of the soup base.

Lu Chuan blanched the cleaned chicken carcass and pork leg bones, skimmed off the foam, and then placed them into a winter melon pot to simmer for a rich broth.

At the same time, he started another pot, heated oil to sauté scallions, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fried root vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, and taro until slightly golden.

Then he added pork skin, leg bones, and chicken to stew together.

As time slowly passed, the meat broth in the pot began to whiten, and wafts of aroma drifted out.

At this point, Lu Chuan added pork heart and other offal, along with dried squid, clams, and razor clams, and other seafood ingredients.

The briny taste of the seafood added the unique flavor of the ocean to the soup base.

And the addition of pork offal (locally called Luohan meat, lychee meat in Fujian) further ensured the freshness of the soup and the abundance of ingredients.

Making soup is a meticulous task, and making mixed stew requires even more patience.

Lu Chuan, standing with his hands behind his back, occasionally stirred the ladle, skimmed off the foam, and observed the color of the broth.

Once the ingredients simmering within also began to whiten, Lu Chuan, with quick reflexes, poured in the already mixed seasonings of salt, sugar, balsamic vinegar, white pepper powder, and other sauces, then added cornstarch water to thicken the soup further.

Finally, he added balsamic vinegar and cabbage, cooking until just done.

At this point, the mixed stew was almost formed; Lu Chuan sniffed the aroma and nodded with satisfaction.

Before serving, he added a final spoonful of balsamic vinegar and pepper, sprinkled with garlic sprouts and chopped green onions, then covered it with the winter melon lid.

As the stove flame extinguished, the host's voice simultaneously rang out.

"Time's up! All contestants, please step away from your workstations!"

Hearing the host's words, most contestants immediately put down their work and quickly left their workstations.

Only a few contestants panicked, clearly having mismanaged their time, resulting in their dishes not being completed within the allotted time.

For these contestants, the host publicly announced their disqualification, showing no mercy.

Lu Chuan looked at the disheartened contestants leaving, sighed softly, and then paid no more attention.

Competition is cruel; this is a fact every contestant should know. If one's skills are inferior, one should go back and practice diligently, striving to stand until the end next time.

Having experienced much hardship in his youth, Lu Chuan, who was much more mature than his peers, deeply understood this principle.

He shook his head, no longer thinking about it, but looked towards the judges' panel.

At this moment, he was surprised to find that all eyes on the judges' panel were now focused on him.

These gazes were incredibly fervent, making Lu Chuan feel uncomfortable all over; he couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Dai Xuesong smiled at Lu Chuan before retracting his gaze, while also reminding the others.

"Ahem, let's all compose ourselves and start tasting and scoring the dishes."

Chairman Luo and the others, realizing their gaffe, quickly nodded awkwardly in agreement.

"Indeed, indeed! Let's begin then!"

The host below, seeing that the judges were ready, immediately announced the start of the scoring segment.

Most contestants, upon hearing this, immediately straightened their bodies, their expressions becoming a bit more serious.

Only their unconscious small actions, like gripping their clothes or wiping sweat from their foreheads, revealed their inner tension at that moment.

However, a small group of contestants aiming for the championship remained relaxed and at ease, even having the leisure to observe the nervous reactions of other contestants and find amusement in it.

But when they scanned the crowd and their gaze fell upon Lu Chuan, they couldn't help but pause.

No other reason than Lu Chuan was overly relaxed at this moment.

Running to the iron rack, gnawing on a half-eaten cucumber while chatting and laughing with the person next to him—was he really here to compete?

Was this self-abandonment, or genuine confidence? It must be the former...

Thinking of Lu Chuan's last-minute arrival earlier, these contestants thought with some hesitation.