Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"As the saying goes, the older the better, so for this time, let's choose a three-year-old hen as the main ingredient."

As I strolled casually through the market, my gaze swept over the chickens and ducks squawking in front of various stalls in the poultry market, and an idea already formed in my mind.

"Boss, would you like to buy chicken?"

Seeing Zhou Quan walking towards him, the owner of the chicken coop immediately perked up, got up from his recliner with a grin, and stood in front of him rubbing his hands together.

"Give me a three-year-old hen."

Without hesitation, Zhou Quan stated his request.

"OK, just a second!"

Upon hearing Zhou Quan's words, the boss smiled and then ran to the chicken coop behind him, looking at it from left to right.

"Young man, you're really lucky. This is the last time we have old hens that are over three years old. All the others have been bought up to make soup. If you had come any later, this chicken would probably have been sold too."

Finally, he chose a lively one, tied its wings, and handed it directly to Zhou Quan, talking as he did so, as if the chickens in his shop were very popular.

"I said I want a three-year-old hen, yours is at most two and a half years old!"

Taking the hen from the boss, ignoring his mutterings, Zhou Quan placed his hand on the chicken's belly, his expression changing slightly. He then returned the chicken, a hint of anger appearing between his brows.

This guy actually tried to fool him with a two-and-a-half-year-old hen! He's got some nerve! It seems there are unscrupulous merchants in every country.

"Don't talk nonsense, sir. These are all genuine three-year-old hens. Customers who have bought them before have all said they are delicious after making soup with them!"

Upon hearing Zhou Quan's words, the shop owner was taken aback for a moment, but then continued without batting an eye, even putting on an expression that said, "Don't make things difficult for me."

"Old hens that are over three years old have very firm hamster teeth, especially in the belly area, and their leg meat is also very firm, in addition to the chicken feet..."

Seeing that the boss was about to act like a rogue, Zhou Quan's tone became increasingly unfriendly. He then pointed to the old hen in front of him and told him how to tell the age of a hen.

"You're very clever. You know how to use an old hen of similar age to fool people. Even an experienced chef would have a hard time telling the difference."

But I'm different. I grew up on a farm and I'm very familiar with chickens and ducks. If you run into me, you're in for a world of hurt!

"I can let this go this time, but hurry up and bring me your store's hens that are at least three years old, not even a day late!"

As he spoke, Zhou Quan's voice rose a few decibels, and his reasoned analysis drew a crowd that gathered around him, discussing the scene before them.

"Whatever you say, my chicken is perfectly fine! So many people haven't detected anything wrong with it, you think you're so great? Who do you think you are?"

Zhou Quan's voice grew louder and louder, and more and more people gathered around him.

Although the boss knew he had run into an expert, he absolutely could not admit it at this moment, otherwise all the reputation he had built up over the years could be ruined today!

But what's wrong with this kid? He looks only seventeen or eighteen, but he acts like a seasoned pro, even more arrogant than a chef in his forties or fifties!

Didn't his elders tell him that he should be careful with his words and actions after he left home, or he might offend people?

"What's going on? Why is everyone gathered here?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems the old man who sold the chickens sold a chicken that wasn't old enough to be sold to a young man. Now the young man is demanding justice."

"Isn't this chicken of pretty good quality?"

"I'm not sure. It seems the other party has their own method of identification, and then they started arguing. Now neither of them will give in."

The people around chattered amongst themselves, none of them hastily taking sides. The chicken vendor, seeing Zhou Quan standing silently, assumed he had him under control and was about to press his advantage to turn the tide...

"Sigh, I'm a top-level chef, would I deliberately lie to frame you?"

As he spoke, Zhou Quan slowly took off his coat, revealing the master chef's armband underneath, which he waved in front of everyone present.

In an instant, the whole audience fell silent.

Although most of the people present were ordinary people, there were one or two discerning individuals who immediately recognized the true origin of the armband on Zhou Quan's hand.

"This is a dragon-shaped armband for a top-level chef in China."

These words shocked the entire audience.

"A Chinese master chef armband? Isn't China the country with the highest difficulty level to become a master chef?! This guy looks so young, how could he be a master chef from China?!"

"It actually came from China."

"I feel that what he just said is probably true. A master chef would not lie about such a small matter. Besides, China seems to have its own set of methods for distinguishing ingredients."

The words of those around him made the chicken seller's face turn pale and then red. He knew he was in trouble and could no longer utter any forceful words.

Who would have thought that this seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy was actually a legendary master chef! He's really messed up this time.

"That must be a problem with my eyes. I'm old, so it's normal for me to occasionally pick one or two wrong."

You can choose any chickens you like here; you don't need to pay. Consider it my apology.

His mind raced, and soon he came up with a way to salvage the situation. The chicken vendor smiled obsequiously, then stepped over to the chicken coop, quickly selected some, and placed the best chickens in the shop on the counter for Zhou Quan to choose from.

Since the other party is a master chef, he must know many chefs around him and have many people who want to curry favor with him.

Everyone says that the King of Hell is fierce but his underlings are difficult to deal with. If he offends Zhou Quan, his business will probably be difficult in the future, which is something he absolutely does not want to see!

"I'll take the chicken, and I'll pay you the same. I won't take advantage of you for such a small thing. Let it go this time, but don't do this kind of fraudulent business again, or you'll get a lesson for it."

Seeing the other party back down and try to appease him, Zhou Quan said coldly, "If it weren't for him coming today, I probably wouldn't have been able to see through the chicken seller's tricks."

Although the difference between two and a half years and three years is only half a year, the taste should not be much different. However, for the competition between Taigong and Baiyuan, inferior materials are very likely to affect the final grade.

"Yes Yes Yes..."

After a series of apologies and greetings, the chicken seller finally managed to get rid of this troublesome person. He breathed a sigh of relief and decided that he couldn't afford to make any mistakes for the next few days, at least not during this period. Meanwhile, Zhou Quan headed off to another place.

He also needed to buy some ingredients for making soup, hoping that this time the boss wouldn't be as cunning as before, always thinking of doing unethical business.

“The quality of your dried goods is not high. I want the top-grade ones, dried goods that have been aged for several years. Money is not an issue.”

Miyoko Hojo put the strainer that the boss had handed her back, her voice indifferent.

The dried goods in front of me are clearly mass-produced items; even before they were dried, they weren't from the highest quality batch of seafood.

If it were just for her own use, that would be one thing, but this time it's for Teacher Bai Yuan, so she has to buy the best ingredients so that he can have an easy time too.

The reason she chose dried seafood such as clams and scallops was mainly because Bai Yuan's teachings had profoundly influenced her.

Dried goods, after being aged for a long time, not only have extremely high nutritional value, but also an extremely delicious taste, making them very suitable for making soup.

When making soup, dried ingredients release a unique umami flavor, adding a rich taste to the soup that is incomparable to that of ordinary fresh ingredients.

Of course, dried seafood alone is not enough to make a good soup; it also needs the flavor of other ingredients, such as pork ribs and winter melon.

Besides, it seems that Teacher Bai Yuan is also very skilled in medicinal cuisine; he can buy some common Chinese herbs on the market, so at least he won't have trouble choosing...

With many ingredients for making soup in mind, Hojo Miyoko wandered back and forth in the market, and by the time she returned home it was almost evening.

Zhou Quan returned half an hour earlier than her and had been waiting in the villa for a long time.

When I saw her, I looked puzzled. She was carrying so many bags and packages; had she packed up half the market's goods?

If that's really the case, then it's terrible.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, here you go."

Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, Hojo Miyoko blushed slightly, somewhat confused. She then took two steps forward and handed all the bags she was carrying to Bai Yuan.

"You've brought the whole market back with you, haven't you?"

Feeling the weight in his hand, Bai Yuan couldn't help but complain.

“I was worried that you wouldn’t have enough, so I bought all the ingredients that are suitable for making soup.”

"Although it's a good fit, there are just too many of them."

As Bai Yuan weighed the object in his hand, a complex expression crossed his face. He blamed himself for not explaining the rules to her properly before leaving.

Now, hearing Hojo Miyoko's lively voice, he could only swallow his anger, since he had indeed forgotten about it.

"According to the rules, all the ingredients brought back must be used, and a maximum of three can be discarded."

Zhou Tai's voice rang out at just the right moment.

"Huh... how come there's such a rule?!"

Hojo Miyoko looked surprised after hearing this.

However, since it's a competition, there must be some restrictions.

They assess whether the master and apprentice's ideas resonate, rather than simply buying ingredients and having the chef select and prepare them.

That would be too simplistic. The apprentice's role would be merely to run errands, which would defeat the purpose of the competition.

"I know. Now that we've brought all the ingredients back, let's start cooking."

"Alright, let's start cooking."

Instead of blaming Hojo Miyoko, he gently patted her head. Bai Yuan looked at the ingredients she had brought, but instead of cooking them, he sorted them first to understand their characteristics.

Beside him, Zhou Tai saw that Bai Yuan was not discouraged, and silently nodded to himself before slowly walking to the kitchen counter.

In any case, not getting angry easily is a remarkable thing in itself.

He remained nonchalant even when trusted juniors made mistakes that affected his own performance.

For some reason, Zhou Tai suddenly felt that he might actually be able to set up a world-class tournament.

"I'm sorry, Professor Bai Yuan, I didn't understand the rules and acted on my own, which has caused you trouble..."

Having figured out what she had done, Hojo Miyoko clenched her fists slightly, her face filled with regret, and she knew perfectly well what wrong she had done.

She's too presumptuous.

"Now is not the time for punishment. I will punish you properly after this competition is over."

"Finish cooking now, and don't talk anymore, or we'll lose the game."

Seeing Hojo Miyoko step forward with a guilty look on her face, Bai Yuan made a shushing gesture in front of her mouth, signaling her to stop.

Seeing this, Hojo Miyoko immediately covered her mouth, knowing that if she continued to chatter, she would lose the game directly. So she stood still, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down.

"let's start."

After glancing at Bai Yuan, Hojo Miyoko didn't say anything. Instead, she went to the kitchen counter and looked at the ingredients that were neatly categorized in front of her, her mind racing.

If you only use a few of these ingredients, you can definitely make a delicious soup.

However, if you use all of them, you'll only end up with a pot of something that doesn't taste like anything else, and the soup will taste very chaotic.

How can we make their flavors harmonious?