Chapter 529: Is What Jiang Liu Made a Pile of Trash?

Chapter 529: Chapter 529: Is What Jiang Liu Made a Pile of Trash?

’And here I thought this was going to be an epic battle. Turns out he’s just a total lightweight???’

The atmosphere in the main hall grew tense.

Jun Xinghe and Morse sat together. Jun Xinghe nervously tapped his fingers on the table, his heart filled with anxiety and worry.

He wasn’t worried about losing out on profits. It was just a little money; he didn’t care about that.

He just didn’t want his treasured son-in-law to be crushed by this, especially since the competition itself was unfair from the start!

’If I had known, I never would have agreed to it. Sigh...’

In contrast, Morse looked completely relaxed and at ease.

Tongtong was nestled in Jun Qingmeng’s arms, playing on a phone.

She wasn’t worried at all.

’Daddy is the best chef in the world! He won’t lose!’

「Inside the kitchen.」

An imperceptible smile played on Fu Yuan’s otherwise indifferent face. He was putting on a show, and the way he handled the ingredients was clearly the work of a master.

This got the viewers in the livestream chat all excited:

"Damn, I’m learning something today. This is the first time I’ve seen Old Fu show off his skills live. He’s the real deal! (Thumbs up)"

"Brother Fu, are you selling that hot and sour soup? I’ll pay fifty thousand for it!!"

"The guy above is crazy! Old Fu, don’t listen to him, I’ll pay a hundred thousand!"

"Bunch of idiots. ’First Fu of Sichuan Cuisine’? I wouldn’t eat that crap he’s making even if you paid me. You guys clearly can’t tell who the real king is."

"???"

"How much is Jiang Liu paying you? I’ll double it!!"

"Boss Jiang’s food is actually amazing. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it."

"Hahaha, here comes another one. Just wait and see how your ’Boss Jiang’ loses."

The livestream chat erupted in arguments again.

Many of Jiang Liu’s fans who heard the news flooded into the livestream to cheer him on.

The viewership, which was only at fifty thousand, exploded to over two hundred fifty thousand in just over ten minutes!

In contrast, Jiang Liu’s movements were neither flashy nor fast; he simply processed the ingredients at a steady, unhurried pace.

He then placed pepper, Baoning vinegar, chopped scallions, and a small amount of lard rendered from fragrant miniature pork into a soup bowl. When the egg ribbons began to float to the surface in the pot, he cranked the heat to high. As soon as the shredded pork came to a rolling boil, he poured everything into the soup bowl, and it was done.

Ultimately, what determines whether a hot and sour soup is good or bad is the ratio of salt, pepper, and vinegar.

The proportion of salt in a hot and sour soup can adjust the perceived levels of sourness and spiciness.

Pepper is the most crucial ingredient. It’s vital not to let its pungency "evaporate," or the soup will just become sour soup. The correct time to add it is when the main ingredients are 95% cooked, then turn the heat to high for 10 seconds once everything is fully cooked. This way, you preserve the pepper’s heat without leaving behind its raw, unpleasant aroma.

「Ten minutes later.」

Jiang Liu’s hot and sour soup was finished. He added a starch slurry in just the right proportion, and the broth instantly thickened.

Golden threads of egg floated on the surface, among ingredients like wood ear mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and celery.

Its aroma was a tantalizing mix of sour, spicy, savory, and fragrant!

Fu Yuan had already finished cooking five minutes earlier and was now interacting with the viewers on his livestream.

He washed his hands, stepped in front of the camera, and said seriously:

"Hot and sour soup is a famous dish from Sichuan cuisine with a complex flavor profile. Next time, I’ll release a video tutorial on how to make it, so any interested viewers can learn."

As he spoke, Fu Yuan shot a pointed glance at Jiang Liu.

"When it comes to the taste of my hot and sour soup, no one in all of Hua Country can compare. And a friendly reminder to everyone: don’t just learn how to make this from random places. It’s one thing if it just tastes bad, but it’s not worth it if you end up with a stomachache."

Of course, the version he planned to teach was just a simplified one.

With just those two sentences from Fu Yuan, the hype from gifts in the livestream shot up significantly.

"You’re too kind,"

"Old Fu, that spicy diced chicken recipe you shared last time was fucking incredible. The one I made was even better than what you get in restaurants. If you wanted to learn that properly, who’d teach you for less than a few thousand? Enough said. Sending a gift!"

"Release the video soon! Don’t worry, Old Fu, I’d never cheat on you for another chef."

"Is this ’Master Jiang’ still not done? Can he even cook or not!"

"Damn it, I hope he doesn’t fucking make a pile of garbage and insult my Brother Fu."

"??? The guy above, you better believe I’ll dox you!"...

’This batch is more successful than the last one. The sourness from the tomato integrated well...’ Jiang Liu thought to himself after tasting a spoonful.

"Alright, I’m done. We can proceed to the next stage," Jiang Liu said to Fu Yuan.

The next stage was the judging.

"What’s wrong? Getting a little nervous?" Fu Yuan said, a rare note of mockery in his voice.

He was in a great mood. His plan was going smoothly. This Jiang Liu was clearly inexperienced; based on his observations, the man had probably made hot and sour soup less than ten times in his life.

Jiang Liu couldn’t be bothered to respond, simply ladling his hot and sour soup into a large porcelain bowl.

He then stuck a label on the bottom.

Fu Yuan scoffed but did the same.

Soon, two identical-looking bowls of hot and sour soup were brought out.

The crowd waiting in the main hall was staring with breathless anticipation.

When they saw the two bowls of hot and sour soup, everyone’s gaze locked onto them.

There was excitement, worry, and mockery in their eyes.

Jun Xinghe’s heart was pounding with nervousness.

He had never been this anxious, not even when negotiating deals worth hundreds of millions.

Lin Qiu gripped Jiang Dahai’s hand and whispered worriedly, "Our son will win, right...?"

"You have to believe in our son! He’ll definitely be fine," Jiang Dahai said, trying to reassure her with conviction. Though he appeared calm on the surface, it was a lie to say he wasn’t worried. After all, the opponent was an expert in Sichuan cuisine. If Jiang Liu lost, it would definitely have a huge impact on his reputation.

Jun Qingmeng chimed in to comfort them, "Auntie, if Jiang Liu wasn’t confident, he wouldn’t have agreed to the competition. Please, don’t you two worry. He’ll be fine."

In her eyes, her husband had a steady personality; he wouldn’t fight a battle he wasn’t sure he could win.

And even if he did lose by some chance, she would find a way to help Jiang Liu save face. ’It’s my husband, so it’s my job to spoil him!’

Jiang Liu and Fu Yuan walked out and stood off to the side.

The five judges were already getting impatient.

"Are we ready?"

"Shall we begin?"

"Yes, I’m ready."

Morse stood up with a chuckle. "Judges, please taste these two hot and sour soups. The scoring is out of ten points, and the highest total score wins."

As he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room grew tense.

Neither Jiang Liu nor Fu Yuan went over to taste the soups. According to the competition rules, they could only taste their opponent’s dish at the very end.

"Anxious?" Fu Yuan asked, his face expressionless.

"Not really. I’m just in a hurry to get home and watch TV with my wife and kid."

Fu Yuan: ??? "You’re a real comedian..."

"Heh!" Morse also shook his head and chuckled. "It seems Mr. Jiang has already given up."

"Daddy, I want a hug!" Not having seen Jiang Liu for a little while, Jiang Tongtong threw her arms around his leg in a cute plea.

Jiang Liu picked up his daughter and laughed. "You’re just like your mother. You’re both so clingy!"

Jun Qingmeng shot Jiang Liu a look. ’It might be true, but you don’t have to say it out loud!!’

"Hehe."

With Jiang Tongtong’s appearance, the bullet comments on the livestream instantly flooded the screen.

"Holy shit! That little girl is so cute. I love her."

"She’s like a little porcelain doll, and so clingy too. I want one,"

"She looks a lot like her dad."

"Pay attention, the judges have started eating. The outcome is already set. Can’t wait to see the dejected look on Boss Jiang’s face in a minute, haha."

...