Genshin Impact, the spear remains.

"But Brother Bai's approach is exactly the opposite. He chose 'Braised Pork Knuckle in a Pot.' The so-called 'braised' means that the pork knuckle is first boiled and seasoned, then steamed, and finally deep-fried until the skin is crispy. So this dish has a golden and crispy skin, a tender and juicy interior, and a very mild flavor, which is the exact opposite of your spicy sea bass."

Zhongli didn't go into too much detail about the culinary issues, knowing that the girl in front of him would know such things; what really mattered was what came next.

"Brother Bai has his reasons for choosing this dish for the cooking competition. Now take a look at this."

Zhongli pushed two small white porcelain dishes containing sauces in front of the girl; one dish contained black sauce, and the other was bright red.

Xiangling leaned forward and took a sniff.

"Is this a chili pepper?"

The familiar aroma wafted from that dish of chili oil; it was definitely a sauce made with chili peppers.

Zhong Li nodded, confirming her guess.

"Indeed, these two sauces are the condiments for this dish, one salty and one spicy, which perfectly make up for the fact that the dish itself has a very bland base flavor."

Upon hearing this, Xiangling's eyelids drooped, as if she was thinking about something.

"Heh, you seem to understand why Brother Bai did what he did."

After putting the sauces back in their place, Zhongli continued to explain to her.

"Bai Xiao, by doing this, you're giving the customers the choice of what to cook. You could say your dish is one that the chef chooses for the customer, while his dish is one that the customer chooses for themselves. Actually, if it were a normal business, there would be nothing wrong with what you're doing, because people make their first choice before they even place an order."

"But that's not how competitions work. The dishes that the contestants choose have to be served to all customers, so you've already lost at that point."

After talking for a long time, the guest from the Hall of Rebirth was a little thirsty. He picked up the tea beside him, took a sip, and moistened his throat.

"However, what will truly determine the outcome of the match is far more than that. Xiangling, do you know what time it is now?"

"Now?"

The girl stepped out of the room and looked up at the sun high in the sky, its rays somewhat dazzling.

"It's past noon now, just after lunch."

It was thanks to this that they were able to find so many judges for their cooking competition.

"Yes, it's afternoon. There's an old saying in Liyue, 'Eat well in the morning and eat your fill at noon.' Noon is the peak of people's energy needs, and as for lunch, Xiangling, your choices are a bit too limited."

Although spicy sea bass is delicious, it is only a standalone dish and cannot satisfy people's taste buds.

It was the same braised pork knuckle from before. Zhongli pushed the whole plate out and placed it in front of the girl.

Besides the main dish of braised pork knuckle, there were two small plates of condiments, as well as side dishes such as scallions, cucumbers, and flatbread.

Zhong Li skillfully peeled open the slightly cooled pork knuckle, dipped it in the sauce, rolled it up in a pancake, and put it in his mouth.

After swallowing the food, he looked at the girl again.

"Brother Bai's approach was much smarter. The wrap, which was originally meant to be paired with braised pork knuckle, could be used to relieve the greasiness of the pork knuckle at lunchtime and also serve as a staple food for people."

He closed his eyes and began to recite the many wonderful aspects of Bai Qiyun's method.

"Because it was noon, I chose a dish that comes with a staple food. Because it was a competition, I gave the judges the choice of the dish. Because there were many different kinds of people coming and going, I chose a mild flavor. Because there were both young and old customers, I chose a dish like braised pork knuckle that was easy to chew."

Bai Qiyun stood to the side, silent, as if tacitly agreeing with Mr. Zhongli's words.

"Yes, Xiangling, you didn't lose unjustly."

Each advantage may not seem particularly remarkable at first glance, but when all of them are put together, they completely determine the course of the game.

"But besides that, Brother Bai, it seems you've done something else."

During the competition, Zhong Li was observing the customers and noticed that their expressions were different when they tasted Bai Qiyun's dishes, which suggested that he had made some unknown adjustments.

Upon hearing this, Bai Qiyun sighed heavily, touched his hair, and walked out from behind the wall.

"You really can't hide anything from Mr. Zhongli. That's right, I did make adjustments based on each person's different tastes."

"Huh?!!!!"

Xiangling was taken aback, perhaps because she hadn't expected Bai Qiyun to be able to do such a thing.

Ignoring the distraught girl, he walked between the two and began to recount their story as if it were a treasure trove: "Uncle Wang is old and his teeth aren't good, so I steamed his portion a little longer. Sanming is still young and likes sweets, so I added some sugar for him to enhance the flavor. Dazhuang, who works at the docks, has a big appetite every day at noon, so I picked out a large pork knuckle for him."

In addition, he also has a general understanding of each customer's habits and personality.

"As for you, Mr. Zhongli, you prefer traditional flavors, so I used the oldest method to make this dish."

Bai Qiyun's words made Zhong Li squint his eyes, and he picked up the tea beside him and took another sip.

A moment later, the tea moistened his throat.

"I never expected Brother Bai to have prepared so much. This is truly astonishing."

Although he had some guesses, he did not expect that the young man in front of him would be so well prepared. This is not something that can be done by cramming at the last minute.

"No, it's just that I'm in charge of the canteen my family runs, so I have a general idea of ​​how much everyone eats, what they like to eat, and what they don't like to eat."

Mr. Zhongli's praise surprised the boy, and he smiled somewhat shyly.

Although Tingyu Pavilion has been renamed Bai's Restaurant for some years and has transformed from a public canteen into a high-end restaurant requiring reservations, the tradition of providing meals to the public has never stopped.

Bai Qiyun is now in charge of this service, providing a fixed amount of meals every day to hone his culinary skills.

Of course, it's free.

At Bai's Restaurant, only Old Master Bai, the chef, can make the dishes that can be charged for. In his words, the things he makes are "not presentable and would ruin the restaurant's reputation."

However, it was thanks to this that he was able to win the match against Xiangling with such a large advantage.

"Persistence is sometimes a talent, so there's no need to underestimate yourself."

Zhong Li gave Bai Qiyun a meaningful look, his words seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.

"Yes, you're right, sir. Cooking is indeed something that requires perseverance."

Hearing Bai Qiyun's evasive words, Zhong Li smiled knowingly.

He clapped his hands and stood up from his chair.

"It's getting late, I need to go back and see if anything's wrong with Hall Master Hu."

"Oh, then I'll see you off."

After leaving Xiangling alone inside, Bai Qiyun followed Zhongli and walked towards the door.

"Thank you so much for your help with this competition."

"It's alright, it's always good to get out and about more."

The two walked one after the other on the main street of Liyue Harbor, the spring breeze caressing their faces, making them feel refreshed and relaxed.

Bai Qiyun looked at Zhongli's profile and wanted to speak several times, but hesitated to say anything.

I watched quietly as his figure disappeared at the end of the long street.