It's just cooking a dish, how did it become the main character in a game?

Chapter 102 Uninvited Guest

Upon hearing this, Liao Hong's gaze toward Nan Xu became even more appreciative.

"Very well! Since that's the case, there's no point in getting bogged down in these formalities now. Bring wine and food!"

He waved his hand, and a group of maids dressed in lotus-colored gauze shirts filed in, each carrying a vermilion and gold-painted wooden box filled with fine wine and delicacies.

While eating, Liao Hong chatted and laughed with Nan Xu, while Liao Changfeng and Liao Yudie occasionally chimed in. Meanwhile, Madam Liao stood by, smiling as she poured wine and served food to everyone.

For a time, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Liao Hong, enjoying the meal, asked Nan Xu, slightly tipsy, "Brother Nan, are you satisfied with this meal?"

"Of course." Nan Xu nodded. "The prefect's banquet is not only exquisitely presented, but also features a variety of rare ingredients such as bird's nest, abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, deer tendon, and monkey head mushrooms, prepared in various ways, including steaming, stewing, braising, and simmering, each with its own unique charm."

Liao Hong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Brother Nan, there's no need to hold back. Just give your critique as a chef."

"My family's old chef fell ill a few days ago, so the chef who prepared this meal today is a seventh-rank chef I recently hired."

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"This chef hasn't been in our household for very long, and we don't know him well enough yet. If Brother Nan could offer some professional advice, it would save us a lot of trouble in getting to know him."

Liao Yudie also showed interest: "Since Father has said so, why don't you tell me in detail? I'm quite curious too."

Upon hearing Liao Hong's words, Nan Xu understood.

As the prefect of Yangzhou, Liao Hong must have served as a judge for the cooking competitions at the Food Evaluation Bureau. How could he not know the skill level of his family's chefs?

He said that because he wanted to test me and see if I could figure out the secrets behind these dishes.

So he stopped refusing and simply nodded, saying, "Then I'll take the liberty of sharing my personal opinion."

"Every dish on this table is delicious, and in terms of quality, it is superior to the usual seven-course dishes. The details are also handled very well, which shows that Magistrate Liao's chef is meticulous and serious when cooking, and there is no carelessness or negligence."

Then, Nan Xu picked up his chopsticks and pointed at the table: "However, among these, there are three dishes that are the most outstanding, and they can even vaguely touch the edge of the sixth grade."

"One of them is this roasted pork, which uses two-month-old suckling pigs that have not yet been weaned. The meat is tender and melts in your mouth."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of golden-red, glossy, and crispy suckling pig.

"The grilled pork is cooked to an extremely even degree, with the same level of doneness from start to finish, and the crispiness of the skin is just right, which shows that the chef is highly skilled in this dish."

Nan Xu put the suckling pig into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and showed a satisfied expression.

"Moreover, the spices used to marinate this roast suckling pig have a wonderfully complex flavor, incredibly fragrant and rich in taste, which must be the chef's secret recipe."

"In addition to the usual spices, I also detected a refreshing fruity aroma, which must have come from the addition of fruitwood and lemon leaves during the roasting process."

Next, he pointed to the second plate, which contained brightly colored oranges with the tops of the oranges cut open and filled with crab roe and crab meat.

"Secondly, there's this crab-stuffed orange. The fruity aroma and the freshness of the crab blend perfectly. The crab meat has no fishy smell at all, and the fruity aroma and acidity do not overpower the sweetness of the crab roe."

"In particular, the chef added Hangzhou white chrysanthemum to enhance the aroma, further increasing its richness and fullness, making this crab-stuffed orange stand out among other dishes."

Upon hearing this, Liao Hong couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, "Haha—Brother Nan's culinary skills are indeed remarkable. He can point out the brilliance of these dishes with just a slight taste."

"So, which is the third outstanding dish you mentioned?"

Nan Xu smiled slightly: "In my opinion, this third dish is even better than the other two."

As he spoke, he reached out with his chopsticks and picked up a piece of ordinary white tofu from the plate.

"This tofu may look like ordinary soft tofu, but it is actually made by crushing tofu, filtering out the residue, adding fresh fish paste, shrimp paste and egg white, repeatedly stirring, and then steaming it."

"After that, add chicken broth and simmer over low heat to allow the tofu to absorb the flavor."

"After going through such a complicated process, this tofu is naturally incredibly delicious, yet it is also delicate, without any residue, and melts in your mouth."

Upon hearing Nan Xu say this, a fleeting look of surprise flashed across Liao Hong's eyes.

Despite Nan Xu's simple explanation, the chef's exquisite skills meant that ordinary diners couldn't detect even a trace of fish or shrimp paste.

Some gourmets who serve as judges at the Food Review Board can at most taste some fish and shrimp flavor, and believe that this tofu is simply made by simmering it in a broth with fish and shrimp.

It's unbelievable that a young, eighth-rank chef could actually taste how this dish was made.

But soon, a smile appeared on his face, and he praised, "Truly worthy of being a young talent recognized by Lord Ding, your ability to taste is so outstanding! You are truly a force to be reckoned with!"

"It's just a matter of practice makes perfect, Lord Liao, you flatter me." Nan Xu shook his head, his expression calm.

For someone who had tasted millions of flavors in his previous life, identifying the cooking steps of a seven-grade dish was nothing to brag about.

Just then, his ears twitched slightly as he heard a soft "whoosh" sound coming from afar.

Nan Xu frowned slightly. The voice didn't sound like a stray cat or dog, but rather like—some uninvited guest had sneaked into the mansion.

Liao Hong keenly noticed the change in Nan Xu's expression: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the food?"

However, he possessed considerable internal strength, and upon noticing Nan Xu's unusual expression, he immediately sensed something amiss: "Something's wrong, there's a thief!"

Liao Hong's expression darkened, and Liao Changfeng and Liao Yudie also showed surprise.

The mansion is heavily guarded; what kind of thief would dare to cause trouble here?

"What audacity!"

"—!" Liao Hong roared, beckoning to the guards beside him, "Men, find that audacious little thief for me!"

However, before the guard could even go out to search, a clear, girlish voice came from outside the door: "Oh dear, what a pity, we've been discovered."

With a "bang," a thin mist with a strong minty aroma suddenly exploded at the entrance!

"Cough cough cough!"

Instantly, the guards at the entrance were rendered incapacitated by the extremely strong smell.

At the same time, two figures leaped nimbly into the banquet hall, one after the other!

The person on the left is a bright-eyed girl. She is dressed in a well-tailored dark purple outfit that accentuates her slender figure, and several large and small sachets are tied around her waist.

She tossed a sachet between her hands, a mischievous grin playing on her lips, revealing her gleaming canine teeth.

The person on the right was an indifferent-looking young man. He was dressed in black with black hair and a thin build. He carried a long, narrow, heavy black iron sword on his back, and his arms were wrapped in grayish-white bandages. Underneath the bandages, one could vaguely see hideous knife scars.

He placed his hand on the hilt of the knife, standing silently like a boulder, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion.

The girl raised her chin and gave a bright smile:

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In that case, it's time for us to take the initiative and make our appearance!

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