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

"It's actually a cucumber with a '蓑衣' (蓑衣黄瓜)?"

Xiao Zou's expression froze, and his face turned somewhat grim.

After all, he had honed his knife skills at the water station for quite some time, so slicing a cucumber into thin strips wouldn't be too difficult for him if no other conditions were imposed.

But even a fool would know that Chef Luo's test questions couldn't possibly be that easy.

The methods to make the cucumber dish more difficult are basically to set time and length limits.

The time factor is easy to understand: the shorter the time taken, the more skillful the cut and the more refined the knife work.

As for the length... once the cucumber is finished, simply pull apart both ends, and the cucumber will stretch out like an accordion, extending to several times its original length.

Generally speaking, a sliced ​​cucumber can be stretched to 1.5 to 2 times its original length. If a chef's knife skills are at the ninth level, the sliced ​​cucumber can be stretched to more than 2.5 times its original length.

Just as Xiao Zou had predicted, Luo Qinzhu picked up a cucumber and announced with a smile:

"The requirement is to cut a uniform cucumber strip within 15 minutes, and to stretch it to at least two and a half times its original length without breaking."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Zou let out a wail.

"No--!!!"

With his knife skills, he could barely reach the threshold of a ninth-grade chef when he performed well. With Luo Qinzhu's high requirements this time, he probably has no chance.

Nan Xu's expression remained calm.

Cutting out a cucumber 2.5 times its original length in half an hour sounds quite exaggerated.

However, large restaurants like Baiweilou also have very high requirements for the knife skills of the chopping board operators. Without this level of skill, it is indeed difficult to fulfill the role of a chopping board operator.

Luo Qinzhu's test question did not contain any element of deliberately making things difficult.

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Xiao Zou clearly understood this as well. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind, gritted his teeth, and stepped forward.

Before starting, he didn't forget to pat Nan Xu on the shoulder and encourage him:

"I'll go first, just to set an example for you!"

...He's a pretty nice guy.

Nan Xu smiled and nodded to the other person, offering her sincere blessings: "Good luck, I wish you success!"

"Thanks for your kind words, brother! So what if it's a cucumber in a straw raincoat? Watch me chop it up in no time!"

Xiao Zou clenched his fists and encouraged himself.

Then, he closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and picked up the kitchen knife.

"Wipe, wipe, wipe..."

The sharp cleaver sliced ​​diagonally across the cucumber at a slow but steady pace, leaving behind a series of knife marks.

One cut, two cuts, three cuts...

Two minutes later, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on Xiao Zou's forehead.

To cut cucumbers into even and long enough slices, you need to be precise and steady with your knife.

If you're not careful and cut too deep or too shallow, the whole cucumber will be ruined.

If you make a mistake, you have to start all over again.

This is also the difficulty of the "Cucumber in a Raincoat" challenge. If it were a challenge like carving a few radish flowers within a few minutes, there would be a chance to fix one if it went wrong.

However, with the "蓑衣黄瓜" (a type of cucumber), one mistake is almost equivalent to complete failure, unless you are fast enough to cut the second cucumber in about half the time.

Therefore, Xiao Zou used almost all his strength to stabilize his hands, trying his best to ensure that each of his cuts was made in the same direction, at the same speed and with the same force.

However, this high-intensity work, which aimed for complete consistency each time, gradually caused Xiao Zou's muscles to become fatigued.

This in itself might not seem like a big deal, but the muscle fatigue coupled with the passing of time gradually made Xiao Zou anxious.

Sweat poured down Xiao Zou's forehead, and as he made the next cut, Nan Xu shook his head inwardly.

That strike was too forceful.

"Thump!"

The sound of a cleaver hitting the cutting board rang out, and then the crisp cucumber was snapped in half!

Xiao Zou was stunned. After a moment, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"I..." He swallowed hard, looking at the cucumber in front of him with some confusion, then at Luo Qinzhu.

"Don't rush, there's still plenty of time," Luo Qinzhu said gently. "You still have a chance. Would you like to try again?"

Xiao Zou hesitated for a moment, then his expression gradually became firm.

"Thank you for the reminder, Chef Luo... Of course I'll continue!"

He swept the failed cucumber dish aside, took out another cucumber, and began to carefully slice it.

The expression on his face was even more focused than the first time.

And so, time slowly passed.

One minute, two minutes...

This time, he didn't make a mistake.

After making the last cut, Xiao Zou wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Chef Luo... I'm done!"

Luo Qinzhu stretched out the cucumber, smiled and clapped: "You did a great job, the cuts are even, and the length is more than two and a half times its normal length."

Then she pointed to the hourglass next to her: "Unfortunately... the time has run out."

"Just as I expected..."

Xiao Zou was slightly disappointed, but he had expected this result, so he wasn't disappointed for long.

"Actually, if we start counting from the last one, the time you spent is within the requirements. If you can stabilize your level, passing the next assessment shouldn't be a problem," Luo Qinzhu encouraged.

"Thank you, Chef Luo, I will do my best!" Xiao Zou clenched his fist.

Then, he walked towards Nan Xu and patted Nan Xu on the shoulder again.

"Your turn, bro. Good luck passing on your first try!"

That's what she said, but a hint of sympathy was revealed in Xiao Zou's gaze as she looked at Nan Xu.

While Nan Xu is indeed very diligent... he only studied cooking for seven days.

Moreover, Xiao Zou knew that Nan Xu had not learned how to cut cucumbers in the past few days.

That's why he volunteered to be the first to go, so that Nanxu could observe and learn.

"I wonder how much of my technique he learned."

"Sigh, I hope the difficulty of making cucumber salad won't dampen his enthusiasm for learning to cook..."

Filled with deep worry, Xiao Zou watched Nan Xu walk towards the chopping board.

Noticing Xiao Zou's gaze, Nan Xu turned around and smiled slightly.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he pulled a kitchen knife from the knife rack and twirled it in his hand.

"Please start the timer, Chef Luo," Nan Xu said calmly.

Luo Qinzhu nodded and turned the hourglass over again.

The fine sand began to flow.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nan Xu raised his hand and began to cut the bright green, thorny cucumber on the cutting board.

His wrist was as steady as a taut bowstring, without the slightest tremor. The tip of the knife lightly touched the end of the cucumber, and in the next instant, a fine shower of silver light fell like a sudden rain!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Zou's expression changed drastically, and his mouth opened wide in surprise, almost enough to fit an egg!

Isn't he... a newbie who's only been learning to cook for a few days?

How can his movements be so skillful!