Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"Master Zhou, you flatter me. I still have a lot to learn from you," Chen Yuxing said humbly, shaking Master Zhou's hand.

"Haha, you're still young, you have plenty of time to learn." Master Zhou looked at his apprentice with a hint of disappointment: "Sigh, if only my apprentice were half as good as you."

"Alright, I won't bother you any longer. Please come visit Guangzhou Restaurant sometime."

After finishing his sentence, Master Zhou waved to Chen Yuxing and left with his apprentice.

After the match ended, the crowd dispersed.

Chen Yuxing and Hojo Miyoko packed their things and prepared to go back.

Just as I walked out of Liwan Plaza.

"Ding"

The regional quest "The Pinnacle of Guangzhou Cuisine" has been completed.

[Reward issued: The special recipe for "Phoenix Crystal" has been added to the cookbook.]

[Reward issued: The premium kitchen utensil 'Eternal Spirit Knife (Replica)' has been added to your system inventory.]

[Note: The replica of the Yongling Knife retains about 40% of the original's characteristics, and can restore some of the freshness of processed ingredients. The effectiveness depends on the user's knife skills and the quality of the ingredients themselves.]

[Bonus achievement unlocked: Double Mahjong King.]

"What's wrong?" Hojo Miyoko asked, looking at Chen Yuxing who had suddenly frozen in place.

"It's nothing." Chen Yuxing stretched. "I was just thinking about what to do later. This competition is finally over. If it weren't for you, I definitely wouldn't have had a chance to win."

"Don't give me that, I was just helping you out." Hojo Miyoko rolled her eyes at him.

"Really? I wouldn't have been able to participate in the competition without you." Chen Yuxing smiled slightly. "So what are your plans next? Chef Hojo, you finally got to come out on a trip, why don't you stay and enjoy yourself for a few more days?"

Hearing this, Hojo Miyoko said with some regret, "Well, I would like to stay here for a few more days, but my family has been urging me to come back several times."

"I've already booked my flight for this afternoon. I'll have to pack up and head to the airport after lunch," she sighed.

"So rushed?"

"There's no way around it, Hojo-ro has been quite busy lately, and I'm also the head chef at Hojo-ro, so I should go back and share some of the workload."

"And you, what are your plans for the future?"

"Me? I'm also planning to pack my things and go to the Jiangzhe region to try the local cuisine and visit some tourist attractions. Then I'll head back to Totsuki. After all, I don't have many days of vacation left, and it would be a hassle if I were late."

Chen Yuxing handed the badge representing the 'Mahjong King' to Hojo Miyoko, saying, "You can take this back with you for now; I'm afraid I might accidentally lose it if I leave it here."

“Alright then, I can show it to my family when I get back. I’ll return it to you when you return to Totsuki.” Hojo Miyoko put the badge away. “Anyway, thank you so much for inviting me to participate in this competition. Although it was short, I feel that I learned a lot more during this time than I did in Totsuki or Hojo Lou.”

Chen Yuxing extended his hand and shook hers: "I also have to thank you for agreeing so readily back then. To be honest, I didn't expect you to have time to come. If you hadn't come, it would have been useless for me to participate in the competition alone."

The two randomly picked a street food stall and ordered some grilled ribs and sashimi as a celebration of their victory. After eating and drinking their fill, they went back to the hotel together to pack their luggage.

"See you at Totsuki then, Chen Yuxing." When they parted, Hojo Miyoko gave him a hearty smile and waved.

Goodbye, Totsuki. Have a safe journey.

Chen Yuxing watched as Hojo Miyoko left the hotel with her luggage and then went back to his room to rest.

After waking up, it was almost evening. Chen Yuxing got up and went out, walking slowly along the old street, recalling the scenes from the competition.

In today's competition, his problem was not simply a lack of time, as the judges said.

In this competition, he still relied on the old dough from Shu Han. In order to make the dough reach the best extensibility and activity in a short time, he added a small amount of old dough, so the three judges only thought that he was short of time.

"So, if I don't use the Shu Han Old Noodles from the Cookbook, can I recreate the authentic Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns in the real world using only ordinary ingredients and skills...?"

Before he knew it, Chen Yuxing had arrived at the entrance of Jumanlou.

Looking at the still-lit lobby of Jumanlou, thoughts suddenly sprouted in Chen Yuxing's mind like weeds.

He walked into Jumanlou and went to the front desk, where the same proprietress was standing.

"Is Master Su here today?"

The proprietress was flipping through the ledgers in the front row when she heard Chen Yuxing's voice. She was stunned for a moment, then looked up and recognized Chen Yuxing.

"Oh my, isn't this Master Chen!"

The proprietress quickly closed the ledger and came out. "Old Su isn't in the shop today. He went back to his hometown this afternoon and probably won't be back until tomorrow. But Master Chen, if you need anything, just tell me, and I can make the decision."

Chen Yuxing thought for a moment and then directly stated his purpose: "Madam, I would like to borrow the kitchen of Jumanlou. I would like to try out the dishes here."

"A food tasting?" The proprietress was clearly surprised. "But wasn't the competition already over?"

"The competition is indeed over." Chen Yuxing didn't hide anything. "But I was able to win today by a bit of luck. I want to try again and see if I can do better."

The proprietress stared at him for a few seconds. She had witnessed the scene where this young man had won over Su Youfu in the kitchen of Jumanlou. The change in Chen Yuxing before and after putting on the apron had left a deep impression on her—a seemingly lazy young man transformed the moment he picked up a cleaver.

"no problem."

The proprietress turned around and took a bunch of keys from the wall. "These are the keys to the kitchen. We weren't planning to open tonight after Old Su left. Feel free to use the stove and ingredients. Just bring the keys to the front when you're done."

"Thank you." Chen Yuxing took the keys, pushed open the kitchen door, and went inside.

The kitchen at Jumanlou was no different from the last time.

Chen Yuxing walked to the stove and stood there. He didn't rush to start cooking but thought about it for a moment.

Adding sourdough to regular dough increases its extensibility and elasticity several times over, thus reducing kneading time by more than half.

But that's where the problem lies.

He became overly reliant on Shu Han noodles.

The "Soul-Soothing Noodles" he made during the accommodation training and the "Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns" he made in today's competition—both of these victories were only achieved thanks to the "Shu Han Old Noodles."

If one day the sourdough runs out or there's a situation where sourdough can't be used, will he still be able to make pastries of the same quality?

It's definitely not feasible to rely solely on the old Shu Han system.

That's why he thought of borrowing the kitchen of Jumanlou.

Chen Yuxing took a deep breath and then picked up the ingredients to start preparing them.

He was already very familiar with the order of processing the eight kinds of seafood. He would soak the dried scallops and sea cucumbers for a while, then kill and shuck them fresh. He would also process the abalone and squid step by step according to the procedure.

After processing the seafood, he took some high-gluten flour and piled it on the cutting board.

Chen Yuxing put his hands in the sink to wash them and then dried them.

He piled the flour into the shape of a volcano, made a small hole in the middle, poured in warm water, dry yeast, and sugar, and started kneading the dough after the yeast dissolved in the warm water.

Chen Yuxing suddenly plunged his hands into the flour.

"White Serpent Reincarnation!"

He focused all his attention on the contact between his hands and the dough.

Chen Yuxing tossed the dough into the air and let it spin. This time, Chen Yuxing's movements had a more Tai Chi-like feel to them.

After kneading for about seven or eight minutes, the dough began to become smooth, and you could feel a slight elasticity when you pressed it with your finger.

But Chen Yuxing knew that this was far from enough; the dough for the Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns needed to be fluffy enough and have elasticity and chewiness when bitten into.

He massaged for about ten more minutes before stopping.

At this point, the surface of the dough no longer shows any graininess and gleams with a faint white light under the lamp.

"That's it."

He felt the silky smoothness of the gluten naturally arranging as it rotated, and this time, the dough's required elasticity was achieved without relying on the old Shu Han dough.

Chen Yuxing put the dough into a bowl, covered it with a damp cloth, and began the first proofing.

While the dough was resting, he also began to prepare the ingredients needed for the four-color dough.

After blanching the spinach, cool it with ice water, then crush and filter the juice. Toast the black sesame seeds over low heat until fragrant, then grind them into powder. Juice the carrots directly and filter the juice. For the fourth portion, keep the original color and only add a little milk to whiten it.

After all these preparations are completed, the dough will have almost finished proofing.

Chen Yuxing divided the dough into four equal parts and added spinach juice, black sesame powder, carrot juice and milk to each part for kneading.

Emerald green, jet black, vermilion, and snow white—four different colored doughs are placed side by side on the cutting board.

Next came kneading the dough. The rolling pin spun in Chen Yuxing's hands, drawing one arc after another.

As the dough is pounded by the rolling pin, it stretches and the air bubbles are broken one by one by the force of the rotation.

Twenty minutes later, all four dough balls were kneaded until smooth and full. Chen Yuxing covered them again with a damp cloth and let them rest.

Then start wrapping the dough and seasoning it.

Roll out the dough into a shape that is thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges. Divide the seafood filling into four portions and season them into different flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. Then start wrapping the fillings one by one.

The casserole dish had been preheated long ago. Chen Yuxing laid a layer of bamboo leaves on the bottom of the pot and arranged the four-colored buns in order to start steaming.

During this time, Chen Yuxing stood next to the clay pot, paying attention to the heat. Every now and then, he would adjust the heat to ensure that the temperature inside the clay pot remained within the most suitable range.

About twenty-five minutes later.

Suddenly, a sound came from the casserole, as if something inside was trembling.

Chen Yuxing lifted the lid.

The rich aroma of wheat and the sweetness of seafood blend together in a delightful way.

After the steam dissipates, look into the casserole.

The four-colored buns lay quietly on the bamboo leaves, each one plump and fluffy, the surface of the dough glistening with a warm sheen as it was moistened by the steam.

Just as he looked at the steamed bun, a soft golden light suddenly emanated from its surface, but it dissipated after a short while.

The Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns are glowing.

Chapter 52 Enlightenment, Return Journey

As the Four Gods Buns glowed, Chen Yuxing stood in front of the platform in silence for a while.

Compared to the competition, this time they didn't use the Shu Han old dough, but instead made the glowing Four Gods Buns.

He picked up a pair of chopsticks from the side and used them to pick up a black bun.

The bun skin is very soft; you can feel its elasticity when you pick it up with chopsticks.

Chen Yuxing flipped the bun over and looked at the bottom. There was a light browning on the part where the bamboo leaves were placed, but it was much more even than during the competition.

He blew on the bun for a while, then took a bite.

First, there's the wheat aroma of the bun skin. When you eat it, the surface of the bun is very soft yet elastic. Next is the soup. The soup is very hot, but the seafood flavors are even richer than during the day. The salty and savory flavors of squid and abalone, combined with the aroma of sesame dough, are very delicious. Finally, there's the seasoning sauce. The slightly bitter taste from the dried tangerine peel and bitter melon doesn't mask the aroma of the filling and dough; instead, it enhances their fragrance and umami.

Although the traditional Shu Han noodles were not used this time, the dough might not have been as fragrant as in the competition. However, the dough made with ordinary flour was more harmonious with the seafood filling and seasonings. No single flavor stood out, but rather they kept alternating.

Chen Yuxing then sampled the buns of several other colors.

The red Vermilion Bird Buns, with their spiciness from chili peppers and red bean paste, envelop the sweet and savory flavors of shrimp and crab in the filling, make it irresistible to eat one after another; the white White Tiger Buns blend the flavors of rock sugar and savory dried scallops, the two flavors complementing each other perfectly, resulting in a mild and sweet taste; the green Azure Dragon Buns perfectly combine the sourness of aged vinegar and lemon juice with the umami of halibut and shark fin, leaving a subtle sweet taste in the mouth after eating.

After tasting all the buns, Chen Yuxing put down his chopsticks.

He realized that whether it was the Shu Han Old Noodles, the Yongling Knife, or the special ingredients, tools, and recipes in the Book of Gourmet Food, these were ultimately just temporary aids. What truly determined what kind of dishes he could make still depended on his own continuous practice and understanding.

Whether it's judging the heat and seasoning, or the basics like knife and spoon skills, you can only rely on yourself.

Whether it was during this competition or the match against Shinomiya Kojiro, using Shu Han Old Noodles could certainly make up for his unfamiliarity with the recipe, but if he continued to rely on these to cover up his shortcomings, he would eventually lose his way and be unable to make a breakthrough, just like Shinomiya.

"Ding."

The familiar notification sound rang in his mind.

[Congratulations, host, for independently completing the dish "Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns" without the aid of special ingredients and making it shine.]

[Hidden achievement achieved: No external aids required.]

[Unlock passive skill - Enhanced handling.]

When using flour for kneading and mixing dough, your ability to perceive the dough's condition will increase by about 30%.

Chen Yuxing paused for a moment after hearing the prompt, then smiled.

It's best to use super-powerful ingredients like Shu Han Old Noodles sparingly, but passive skills like White Snake Refining are still viable, since once you fully master them, they become yours.

Chen Yuxing picked up the remaining buns and put them into a takeout box. Then he tidied up the stove and the cutting board before leaving.

When I came out of the kitchen, the lights in the lobby were still on, and the proprietress at the front desk was still sitting there looking through the ledgers.

"Have you tried it yet?" The proprietress closed the ledger and glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost eleven o'clock.