Wensi Tofu

Huo Jiu frowned in thought. "Did I hold a gun to the head of your First-Rank Pavilion and force you to fool customers with fake shark fin?"

The lobby manager's squawking came to an abrupt halt. Putting on a fierce front to hide his weakness, he said, "You have no evidence. Don't make wild accusations."

Huo Jiu glanced at the Fish Maw and Shark Fin Soup on the table without saying anything. He did not need to say anything; the lobby manager's face had already turned the color of pig liver with anger.

The watching diners all curled their lips in unison. This lobby manager was not only cruel-hearted but also not very bright.

The head chef silently sighed, summoned a floor supervisor, and passed along a few instructions to the kitchen.

Shortly afterward, several apprentices in white coats pushed out two serving carts laden with the ingredients needed for Wensi Tofu. They then set up stoves for the contest on the stage in the first-floor lobby. It was already two in the afternoon, long past mealtime. Yet the lobby of First-Rank Pavilion was packed with guests, all waiting eagerly for the upcoming contest.

Only the elderly men and women from Lakeside Park watched Huo Jiu with worried expressions.

"Are you really confident?"

"It's fine even if you lose. You're still young. Sooner or later, you'll be better than him!"

"This meal has been downright miserable."

Huo Jiu smiled at their words. He walked onto the stage, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and began preparing the ingredients. Then someone upstairs said, "Since it's a competition, there should be a judge. I'll be the judge."

As soon as the words fell, a group of people descended the stairs. The man in front wore a sharp suit and had a cold, stern face. When his pitch-black eyes settled on the lobby manager and the head chef, they carried a faintly murderous air.

The lobby manager's expression changed. He bent slightly at the waist and approached respectfully, unconsciously lowering his voice. "Mr. Diwu..."

Before he could finish, he fell silent under the newcomer's indifferent gaze.

"I ordered Fish Maw and Shark Fin Soup today as well." Diwu Ling was expressionless. His dark eyes were clear and bright as stars, but the two icy gazes shooting from them seemed tangible as they fixed directly on the lobby manager, almost freezing him solid.

The lobby manager shuddered involuntarily and forced a smile. "Please rest assured, you are an honored guest of First-Rank Pavilion—"

Before he could finish, Diwu Ling interrupted him.

Diwu Ling stated simply and confidently, "I can't taste the difference."

He could not tell whether the shark fin was real or fake, but someone could. Not only could he tell, he apparently knew how to make it too.

As Diwu Ling spoke, his gaze turned to Huo Jiu. Everyone knew that when a foodie saw someone with exceptional culinary skills, they naturally viewed them through a soft-focus filter. Even someone as aloof and domineering as Diwu Ling was no exception. At that moment, he thought Huo Jiu was a very promising young man.

"Compete without worry. I'll be the judge." In front of First-Rank Pavilion's chefs and a hall full of diners, Diwu Ling said word by word, "I'll definitely declare you the winner."

Author's note:

Diwu Ling: I seem to have eaten a fake product, but I couldn't taste the difference. Angry [○??｀Д???? ○]

This story starts climbing the rankings today~ If you like it, please save it and leave a comment to support it (??ω??)

Wensi Tofu

Upon hearing Diwu Ling's words, both the lobby manager and the head chef's expressions changed.

Huo Jiu looked at the stranger who had suddenly appeared and was wildly adding drama to his story, feeling rather baffled.

"No need." Though Huo Jiu spoke words of refusal, his expression remained gentle. Diwu Ling's proposal was clearly advantageous to him. Even though Huo Jiu did not care much for it, he explained patiently, "A culinary contest tests cooking skills and knife work. Even if I'm inferior to him, I can't blame anyone else. If I win over the judge and get an unfair ruling, how would I be any different from them?"

Huo Jiu could not be considered a good person. At critical moments, he did not mind using underhanded methods to achieve his goals. But a harmless contest of pride like this was not worth such a sacrifice.

He could be despicable and shameless, but his reputation was still quite valuable. There was no need to waste it on something like this.

Of course, Diwu Ling had no idea what Huo Jiu was thinking. His gaze toward Huo Jiu grew even gentler, filled with appreciation and approval. He had not expected this young man to possess not only a sharp palate and excellent cooking skills, but also such noble character.

But on second thought, most children his age were like this. Sincere and passionate, high-spirited and full of ambition, always believing they could change the world. Naturally, they would not compromise with those criticized unspoken rules.

Even when those unspoken rules benefited them.

"Fine, then I'll listen to you." Diwu Ling nodded slightly. "I'll be the judge, and I will treat the result of this contest fairly and impartially."

Huo Jiu looked at the solemnly swearing Diwu Ling and did not have the heart to dampen his enthusiasm—someone who could not even tell real shark fin from fake shark fin wanted to be a food judge?

Huo Jiu hesitated for a moment, deciding that the sentiment was good enough. Besides, with Wensi Tofu, aside from the knife work, even the clear chicken broth used afterward had been prepared by First-Rank Pavilion, so the flavors should be more or less the same.

Even if Diwu Ling's palate was not very reliable, his eyes should be fine, right?

Thinking that, Huo Jiu glanced at Diwu Ling's eyes again. He did not have the heart to ask whether he was nearsighted.

The head chef and the lobby manager watched coldly from the side. When they saw Huo Jiu reject Diwu Ling's goodwill, they could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

First-Rank Pavilion's reputation was at stake. Even if it looked like they were using their seniority to bully a junior, they could not afford to worry about that now.

They only hoped the contest would be fair and allow them to recover some of their losses.

"Young sir, please." The head chef raised a hand slightly, signaling to Huo Jiu that the contest could begin.

Huo Jiu's expression turned serious. He picked up the kitchen knife and weighed it in his hand, getting accustomed to its feel and weight.

On the other side, the head chef also took out a block of silken tofu he had prepared earlier. He held the knife in his right hand, with the index finger of his left hand braced against the back of the blade. The knife rose and fell, and the next instant, the crowd heard a steady series of "duang duang" sounds. In the blink of an eye, the block of silken tofu had become a heap of tofu slices.

The diners seated beneath the stage could not help clicking their tongues in admiration. Even if First-Rank Pavilion truly had passed off inferior goods as genuine and used fake shark fin to deceive its customers, that could not erase the fact that its chefs were indeed highly skilled and their knife work had reached perfection.