CHAPTER 170: CHAPTER 165: THE FEMALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE SPIRITUAL SPRING SPACE

The third dish Ye Qiu presented was crispy roasted duck. Each spring roll skin was topped with a slice of duck meat, both fatty and lean, alongside layers of shredded cucumber, carrot, and scallion as garnishes, then smeared with a bit of sweet bean sauce, creating a juicy and richly textured roasted duck.

The French chef presented pan-seared foie gras with black truffle, whereas the Japanese chef prepared lobster sashimi. Although the preparation was simple, their ingredients were of the highest quality, giving them a considerable advantage.

This round, Ye Qiu overlooked one detail—not everyone loves green onions. The French chef won this round, placing Ye Qiu second, and the Japanese chef gradually widened the gap with the others.

The fourth dish was the one Ye Qiu was most confident about, with simple rice as the main ingredient, and accompaniments like ham, egg, carrot, and corn. Ye Qiu switched to a large pot, heated the oil, and stir-fried the garnishes until aromatic. Due to the vigorous stirring in the large pot, flames licked from the bottom to the inside of the pot, causing a stir among the audience.

This fried rice mixed dish was both Ye Qiu’s most confident and quickest to prepare; in just a few minutes, the dish was presented before the judges.

The rice grains were distinct, topped evenly with yellow scrambled eggs, red ham, carrot, and green scallions, and golden corn kernels, making it incredibly pleasing to the eye.

"Mm!" A mouthful of the mixed fried rice brought the judges’ eyes to a satisfied squint—delicious!

The other two chefs prepared French red wine braised beef brisket and tuna sushi, both exhibiting top-notch craftsmanship and ingredients. However, compared to Ye Qiu’s fried rice, the judges felt something was missing.

After the scores for the fourth dish were announced, Ye Qiu took a significant lead again. The French and Japanese chefs initially didn’t believe they would fall behind by so much, until they tasted it themselves and promptly gave Ye Qiu thumbs up. This moment was captured by cameras, and when netizens saw it, they felt a sense of pride.

Over the years, Hua Country’s cuisine had conquered many foreigners, but it had always been criticized by foreign media as unhealthy, tasteless, and classless. This time, even the international top chefs praised it, leaving critics with nothing more to say.

Ye Qiu really did well, earning glory for the country. Not only is she beautiful, but her cooking skills are also phenomenal. Heard she’s a top student from J University too—totally a fan now, she’s our idol from today on.

After presenting four dishes, with Ye Qiu scoring first in three, especially in the fourth dish where she significantly outperformed the other chefs, one can say that as long as Ye Qiu’s last dish scores any points at all, she will be the champion of this international gourmet competition.

The last dish presented was dessert. After so many dishes, the judges badly needed a chilled, refreshing dessert to cleanse their palate. The simplest fruit salad by the Japanese chef won by a slight margin, followed closely by the French chef’s vanilla ice cream. Although Ye Qiu was third, the margin was small, and she ultimately won the championship of the competition.

"Qiu, congratulations, you are amazing," the French chef complimented her in his awkward Hua Country language.

"I hope we have the chance to compete again," the Japanese chef also showed a master’s demeanor. "The Hua Country cuisine you made was very delicious."

"Thank you!" Ye Qiu and her father bowed to the two foreign chefs and all the judges. As Ye Qiu’s Light of the God of Cooking rose to Level 4 in her mind, her smile deepened, and the camera captured this moment.

Online, Ye Qiu was showered with praise, with countless wealthy individuals offering large sums just to taste her cooking, and numerous star-level hotels extended offers to her.

But Ye Qiu’s ambition did not lie there; her life’s wish was to protect her family, open a cozy little restaurant in her hometown, and in her spare time, travel around the world to enhance her culinary skills.

"Sis, I got into J University." During a summer vacation, while fishing in an island country, Ye Qiu received a call from her adoring little brother, causing her lips to curl up joyfully.

"Congratulations, Zhouzhou."

"Sis, when will you come back?"

"Soon."

After hanging up the phone, a tall and robust man next to her was eating grilled fish and gave Ye Qiu a thumbs up, "Qiu, your cooking skills are getting more and more impressive. When it comes to grilling fish, I can no longer match you."

Hearing this, Ye Qiu also revealed a brilliant smile. It was time to go back.

On the way back, Ye Qiu took a detour to Lian Lan’s hometown. Since no substantial harm was inflicted, Lian Lan hasn’t been sentenced for long, and a few months ago her parents had brought her back home; but now her mental state was abnormal, she occasionally muttered words about rebirth, stardom, Ye Qiu, and Lin Jiayan.

Seeing her in this condition, Father Lian and Lian’s mother felt that there was no hope for her future, so they decided to have a second child. Later, fearing that she might harm their son in her insanity, they sent her to a mental hospital. Lian’s mother was unwilling to spend money on this disgraceful daughter, so the mental hospital they chose was substandard in both hygiene and living conditions.

In the beginning, Father Lian would still visit her often, but after the birth of his son, due to huge financial pressure, he gradually stopped visiting.

When Ye Qiu saw Lian Lan, she no longer recognized herself; her long hair was cut short, rough as if gnawed by a dog, wearing ill-fitting hospital clothes stained noticeably, sitting barefoot on the hospital bed, her eyes vacant and murmuring senseless words.

Ye Qiu felt no sympathy in her heart; Lian Lan’s current state was the result of her own actions. In her previous life, she had stolen Ye Qiu’s Spiritual Spring Space and Lin Jiayan, and was indifferent towards Zhouzhou’s illness; this was her retribution.

"Ye Qiu, is that you?" Just as Ye Qiu was about to leave, Lian Lan suddenly spoke.

"Are you reborn too?"

Ye Qiu looked at her and smiled faintly, "Once people die, they are gone; how can they be reborn?"

"You’re lying, you are all lying to me!" Lian Lan suddenly became frenzied again, throwing pillows and blankets around, "I am reborn, I know things about the future."

Her commotion attracted the patrolling nurses, and two physically strong nurses restrained her until she was given a sedative injection.

"Miss, are you alright?" The guard looked at Ye Qiu apologetically and smiled, "Don’t think we are being rough, psychiatric patients are like this. Even talking about rebirth, not even TV dramas show this nowadays."

Ye Qiu smiled indifferently, "It’s okay, I understand you."

After that, Ye Qiu never visited Lian Lan again. After graduating from college, she took over a shop next to her family’s inn, designed the decoration herself, and this shop became a holy place sought after by countless gourmets.