Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 76: Everyone passed the third round. The question setter was cunning; Frozen Tofu was one of them.
The 25 minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Xia Ming pressed the bell again in the last few seconds.

This time, he made a dish called "Imitation Crab Roe Tofu", which is essentially a delicacy that uses salted egg yolks and finely diced carrots to simulate the texture of "crab roe".

Because this dish needs to be steamed, it will take a little longer. The main point is to enjoy the flavor of the tofu and vegetarian crab roe combined together.

After the judges had tasted it, Zhang Yong felt that the combination was not yet sufficient and rejected it.

The others, however, typed "pass".

This also means that he has passed the third round of the tofu competition.

Before him, Lai Chi On was the first to make "Stir-fried Tofu with Scallions". After the judges tasted it, Tam Chi Fung gave it a rejection, while the others gave it a pass.

Wang Qingrui made "Chicken and Tofu", but the seasoning was specially made. The final product was tofu that was crumbly but not mushy, which won unanimous praise from the judges and passed with a full vote.

Lolo went against the grain this round, making a "coffee tofu dessert" after making honey-glazed tofu in the previous round.

Essentially, tofu is cut into cubes, cooked in coffee to infuse it with coffee aroma, then coated in glutinous rice paper to lock in some of the coffee flavor before being coated in flour and deep-fried at a low temperature.

Finally, small brownish pieces are formed on the outside, then rolled in a little cocoa powder for adjustment, and finally wrapped in fried bread slices. The final product is a dessert with a bitter main flavor, but with a bean aroma when chewed carefully.

This dish was quite controversial in this round. Sui Wubai acknowledged Luo Luo's creativity but disagreed with the taste of the dish and rejected it.

Tan Zhifeng believed that the same approach could be used even better, so he also refused.

Luo Yumin felt that the idea was good, but the technique was lacking, so she ultimately chose to abstain.

The remaining four all passed, so she passed the third round without any major incident.

After three rounds, nearly two hours had passed on the field. Chef Li's forehead was already starting to sweat, while the other three contestants were still in relatively stable condition.

In the live stream, many viewers noticed Chef Li's unusual behavior and expressed their concern.

However, some discerning viewers noticed the unusual pace of the game.

Inside "Brother Hui's General Store" in Sichuan and Chongqing.

Xia Minhui pulled the shop's roller shutter door down halfway to block the midday sun, while he watched the live stream of "One Meal to Fame" on his phone.

He raised an eyebrow after seeing the three-round tofu test questions.

"This topic looks familiar. It seems like it came up once when I was young, but that was so many years ago."

He rubbed his temples, picked up a glass of white wine, and took a small sip.

"The biggest problem with this topic at the time was to stay true to your choice amidst endless competition."

"Whether you focus on technique, creativity, or use flavor to complement the dish, as space is compressed, the options available are becoming fewer and fewer."

"But I remember those matches lasted half an hour each. Oh, and who won in the end?"

Just as he was muttering to himself, the roller shutter door suddenly moved, and then a woman in leather pants with aquamarine dyed red, a slightly seductive appearance, and her chest heaving entered the general store.

She first waved her hand to fan away the smell from the grocery store, then looked at the disheveled Xia Minhui in front of her, her face instantly filled with anger.

Xia Minhui ignored the woman's anger and turned around to ask.

"Wen Zhixia, about 24 years ago, during one of the promotion exams, there was a seven-round tofu trial. Which one was it, and who won in the end?"

Wen Zhixia blinked, then immediately switched to work mode. After a moment of contemplation, she looked up.

"You're talking about that 'Tofu Septet' competition from the penultimate round of the national 'Hua 6 Level' qualifying tournament back then, where the 'King of Mushrooms from Yunnan,' Luo Shurong, gave the questions on the spot, right?"

"You didn't remember advancing yourself back then! And you're asking me?!"

Upon hearing that he had advanced, Xia Minhui suddenly realized what had happened.

"It's me! That's alright then! It's normal."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhixia's blood pressure spiked instantly, and she clenched her fists as she walked toward Xia Minhui.

Xia Minhui blinked, his face showing no fear.

"How did I win that match?"

Wen Zhixia subconsciously entered search mode again.
"I remember in the second round, you put a block of firm tofu in the freezer, and then in the seventh round, you took it out and used it directly, crushing the other opponents with the ingredients and ultimately winning the victory."

Xia Minhui nodded.

"I remember now. Back then, freezers were still a rarity. They had only recently transitioned from medical to commercial use, and they were very expensive."

"Hmm, as expected of me, as expected of my own son, he really looks exactly like me!" Just as he was muttering to himself, he suddenly felt a gust of wind brush past his ear.

"Exactly the same as you! Where have you been all these years? If you don't tell me the truth, I'll beat you to death!"

Then he felt a heavy blow to his back.

He coughed a few times, bringing up all the wine he had just drunk.

But Wen Zhixia showed no sign of stopping, raising her hand to deliver another heavy blow.

Xia Minhui quickly waved his hand upon seeing this.

"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I only have a few months left to live. I asked to see you one last time before I die, and you still did it."

"Huh? What happened? How come you only have a few months left to live!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhixia immediately stopped and began to massage Xia Minhui's arm.

"Heart problems? Stomach issues? Could it be cancer? Why didn't you tell me? Come on, I'll take you abroad. Oh, no need, things are pretty advanced in China now."

Just as Wen Zhixia was anxiously concerned about Xia Minhui's condition, Xia Minhui remained silent.

"Alright, stop rubbing. I have something to tell you."

As he spoke, Xia Minhui leaned close to Wen Zhixia's ear. Wen Zhixia blinked but did not look away.

She felt Xia Minhui's breath tickling her ears until they turned slightly red, and then she heard a sigh.

Actually, I'm perfectly fine. I was just lying to you.

"!?"

With a loud crash, the roller shutter door at the entrance of Hui Ge's grocery store was pulled down, followed by cries of pain from inside.

Passersby watched curiously for a few moments, but eventually chose to leave. In the quiet alley, only the sound of ping-pong balls could be heard.

About 20 minutes later, the brutal fight ended. Xia Minhui sat to the side rubbing his body, and Wen Zhixia had also calmed down. She was watching the live stream on his phone.

"So, this guy called the 'Chuanyu Ice and Fire Chef' is your son?"

"Ok!"

"He's really handsome; he must have charmed quite a few girls!"

"Absolutely, regardless of whose bloodline you are!"

After dodging Wen Zhixia's punch again, Xia Minhui stopped fooling around and told her about what had happened before the match.

After listening, Wen Zhixia nodded.

"It really is quite similar to you back then. You mean it was Grandpa Luo who set the questions? That's unlikely. He's in a wheelchair now, so he probably wouldn't be running around like that."

Xia Minhui was deep in thought and was about to reach for the wine when Wen Zhixia interrupted him mid-air.

He pulled his hand back and frowned.

"There must have been quite a few people watching that competition back then, so the questions might not have been set by Mr. Luo."

"But the biggest problem with this match right now is that the time has been changed."

Wen Zhixia was also taken aback when she heard this.

"The time has been changed, and the number of rounds in the competition is uncertain. Based on the usual time for quick-freezing firm tofu at -40℃, it would take about 3 hours and 10 minutes to complete the change in the texture of the ingredients."

"We've already reached the third round. If we still put them in at the start of the second round, the judges will have 6 to 10 minutes to evaluate them."

"If the time is compressed further later on..."

Upon realizing this, her pupils suddenly contracted.

"There isn't enough time; we're short by about 25 to 30 minutes."

Xia Minhui nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"So, the person who set this question is really cunning! The frozen tofu was a trap!"

(End of this chapter)