Chapter 204

Old Zhan and Lu Qin both finished cooking their fried noodles. The phone cameras zoomed in, sliding back and forth to focus on both stalls as everyone began to carefully compare the two. These two stalls were virtually the pinnacle of the fried noodle world!

Everyone could see that when it came to frying noodles, both Old Zhan and Lu Qin’s owner displayed peak proficiency. Their fried noodles were on an entirely different level compared to regular street vendors. Top-tier means top-tier—their skills were undeniable!

In terms of quantity, Lu Qin’s owner cooked five portions in one go, while Old Zhan only made three. Those who paid close attention knew that most vendors typically fry just one portion of noodles at a time. If they try to cook more, the taste and texture suffer. But if a vendor can fry multiple portions at once, and each one tastes the same, it means they’re an expert. So, does Lu Qin’s owner fry more portions because he’s better than Old Zhan? Not necessarily, because the taste hasn’t been judged yet.

Now that the fried noodles were ready, it was time for the most exciting moment!

Which fried noodles taste better?

The answer was about to be revealed.

To compare, the customers who ordered both types of noodles shared them with each other to taste. A group of foodies each took their chopsticks, tried Old Zhan’s fried noodles, and then moved on to Lu Qin’s fried noodles.

To be honest, both were delicious.

They were miles ahead of ordinary street fried noodles!

That was the unanimous verdict.

But if they had to pay the same price for a portion of fried noodles, they would obviously choose the better one!

And so…

The customers who had tasted both began to pick sides.

Before long, the result was clear.

2 votes for Old Zhan’s noodles, and 8 votes for Lu Qin’s noodles.

“I pick Lu Qin’s fried noodles, the texture is smoother and more bouncy!”

“I also pick Lu Qin’s, it’s more fragrant and tasty!”

“I’m sorry, Old Zhan, I’ve been eating your fried noodles for over twenty years, but Lu Qin’s is even better. So impressive!”

“Lu Qin’s fried noodles are unbeatable! I thought Old Zhan’s could hold its ground, but it turns out age doesn’t always mean the best!”

“Only one thing to say: even top-tier fried noodles have differences. I pick Lu Qin!”

“I pick Old Zhan’s, I’ve been eating his for so many years, I’m used to the flavor!”

…

Old Zhan’s and Lu Qin’s fried noodles weren’t in an official competition, but the outcome was clear—the customers knew which fried noodles tasted better.

Most customers who wanted fried noodles lined up at Lu Qin’s stall. There were still a few at Old Zhan’s, but not many. The gap between them was quite noticeable. However, Lu Qin didn’t care about winning or losing. He had only two goals for his stall—to make money and earn system points. Everything else was secondary. So he continued taking orders and frying noodles.

On the other hand, Old Zhan couldn’t continue frying noodles. He had been called over by Qin Hui for a purpose—to prevent the Annan District’s fried noodle stall from being too arrogant. Regardless of how good other fried noodles were, Lianhua District still had Old Zhan’s fried noodles.

Old Zhan had been frying noodles for 28 years, and despite his skill, he never raised prices arbitrarily. Even so, just from frying noodles, he had bought two apartments for his children in the center of Jiangcheng. This proved that his fried noodles still had many loyal customers.

Old Zhan’s fried noodles were a gold-standard brand. His usual hunchback straightened only when talking about his fried noodles. That was the pride of his life!

Frying noodles was the thing he did the most, from his youth to old age, always pushing himself to improve. Through this constant self-improvement, he had reached the top. But today, he met a young man.

Customers preferred the young man’s fried noodles. It meant his fried noodles were better.

“Could I have a taste?”

Old Zhan asked a customer who had just bought two portions of Lu Qin’s fried noodles.

“Sure.”

The customer opened the box and handed it over. Lu Qin slowed down his cooking and glanced over. With everyone watching, Old Zhan took a pair of disposable chopsticks, broke them apart, and picked up a bite.

He ate it!

After swallowing, Old Zhan’s lips moved slightly.

He didn’t speak, but in his heart, he already knew the result.

Where had he lost?

The difference wasn’t just one factor—it was several. The first was the texture—Lu Qin’s fried noodles were more bouncy and chewy.

Why was there such a difference?

One factor was proficiency—Lu Qin could fry five portions at once, while Old Zhan could only manage three. That was raw skill. Another factor was the choice of ingredients.

Old Zhan could tell the noodles used were Anyang rice noodles. He had used them himself before but found that Heyuan rice noodles tasted better, so he switched.

Maybe it was just a matter of habit, using the one he was most comfortable with. But Lu Qin used Anyang noodles and still made them taste better. Second, Lu Qin’s fried noodles had a better balance of oil—rich but not greasy.

This required control over the heat, the speed, and the force of stir-frying. Simply put, Old Zhan’s basic skills weren’t as good as Lu Qin’s. Third, the seasoning.

Everyone’s tastes are different—some like it spicy, some prefer salty, others like it sweet.

But Old Zhan knew that, based on what most people liked, Lu Qin’s seasoning was better. He fully acknowledged this. Old Zhan glanced at Lu Qin. There was no sign of frustration or anger in his eyes—only a slight sense of satisfaction.

The next generation has its champions.

Good.

Old Zhan continued to fry his noodles. He still had improvements to make. Although Old Zhan didn’t say a word, the customers noticed. By not saying anything, he was implicitly admitting that Lu Qin’s fried noodles were superior! The chef himself had acknowledged it!

Wow!

Old customers of Old Zhan’s fried noodles were shocked!

Could Jiangcheng really be hiding some amazing talents?

Lu Qin’s fried noodles from Annan District were even better than Old Zhan’s!

The official live stream of the Lianhua District food festival was broadcasting this moment. Wu Yiyi’s mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide. This scene was truly spectacular!

The live stream suddenly gained traction!

The barrage of comments in the stream was rolling fast!

Most comments were praising “Lu Qin” and “Lu Boss is awesome.”

Originally, the Lianhua District audience had dominated, but now more and more viewers from Annan District were flooding in. Little gifts filled the screen!

Lu Boss was making Annan District proud!

Exciting!

Qin Hui watched the barrage of “Annan District is awesome” comments, his brow furrowed.

How could this happen?

Old Zhan’s fried noodles couldn’t even compare?

This was supposed to be the gold-standard fried noodles of Lianhua District. Qin Hui stamped his foot, frustrated. He had no choice but to watch Master Zeng Quanyu’s crystal shrimp dumplings.

The earlier fried noodle showdown had been highly entertaining for the vendors next door, Zeng Quanyu and Qian Shifu. They knew Old Zhan’s fried noodles—an old man who was single-minded in perfecting his craft, elevating a simple dish to the highest level.

But they hadn’t expected that today, a young man had outdone him.

Was this Lu Qin snack stall from Annan District really this good?

Zeng Quanyu suddenly felt inspired and started preparing the stuffing for his crystal shrimp dumplings. Once placed in the steamer, a line began to form in front of his stall.

Freshly made, crystal shrimp dumplings were about to come out of the steamer, and the crowd eagerly awaited. Lu Qin also had crystal shrimp dumplings, and everyone who’d tasted them was too stunned to speak. They could only mumble, “So delicious, so delicious!”

Lu Qin’s crystal shrimp dumplings could easily be called the pinnacle of the dish!

But the vendor next to him making crystal shrimp dumplings—what was his story?

He seemed quite professional, and his skills shouldn’t be underestimated.

Could this be another showdown?

Here they come!

Once again, the foodies around the stall excitedly cheered!