CHAPTER 677: CHAPTER 676: THE CHANGING THREADS (PART 2)

A round of applause.

Upon seeing who was clapping, Koga Shoji’s face flushed with color.

This applause was worth much more than just crushing Xingping Chuangzhen’s confidence.

"Ten chefs, ten dishes, yet almost all served at the same time—this precision... was forged by sweat and a passion for cooking!"

Xia Yu gave his applause and exclaimed, "Impressive!"

Seeing is believing.

Even though this scene was in the original work, witnessing it firsthand still left him astounded.

Tiqie Eriina, who had been inspecting the school festival venue with him and managing tasks for the last two days, flared her nostrils slightly, sniffing the aroma and eyeing the plates of Mapo Tofu on the table, couldn’t help but whisper, "Not only were they served almost simultaneously, but the taste is also spot on!"

Koga Shoji straightened his chest.

Ten young club members, standing with hands clasped behind them by the table’s edge, couldn’t control their emotions—they trembled with excitement, praised directly by their idol.

"How about that!"

Koga Shoji shouted at the stunned Xingping Chuangzhen, who had already taken a spoon, repeatedly tasting several dishes of Mapo Tofu, sweat trickling down his forehead. Koga Shoji sneered, "I infused these Koga Shoji style Mapo Tofu with my fresh understanding of Sichuan cuisine’s ’spiciness’ and ’numbness’!"

A fresh understanding!

Xingping Chuangzhen couldn’t help himself, scooping another mouthful, cheeks puffing out as he chewed.

Upon the first taste, his tongue was scorched by the spice, his entire mouth twitching, but before he could exclaim in surprise about the heat or the spice, a mysterious mechanism in his tongue seemed to unlock!

Boom!

Spice, numbness, soup—at this moment, they blended on his tongue into a marvelous passionate symphony, capturing Xingping Chuangzhen in layers of exquisite flavors.

After a while, Xingping Chuangzhen finally put down his spoon, incredulously exclaiming, "These ten tofu dishes, consistent in quality, and... they’re not even the same dish compared to the Xingping Style Mapo Tofu!"

Xingping Restaurant, as a public diner, also had Mapo Tofu on its menu.

"Humph, humph, humph!"

Koga Shoji was so elated he almost wagged his tail.

"In the past, my understanding of Shuchuan cuisine was dominating the customers’ tastes with tyrannical spiciness and numbness, but now, my fresh understanding is weaving heat, spice, and numbness into a romantic symphony. Don’t you feel like your tongue is uncontrollably sinking and being captivated?"

Xingping Chuangzhen hung his head low.

He couldn’t help but follow the "romantic" flavor in his mouth—ah, his whole body seemed to be sucked into a honey pot. But in this pot, it wasn’t any cloying sweetness but chili oil that scalded the skin yet brought joy.

"Xingping..."

The kind-hearted Tanaka Hikari looked at his comrade from the Polar Star Dormitory with a worried gaze.

Hozoi Midori mused softly, "A fresh understanding? Turning tyrannical domination into a captivating romantic symphony? From domination to captivity..."

Domination, tyranny.

Captivity, sweetness.

Xia Yu had not expected that upon returning from an internship at his small restaurant, Koga Shoji’s culinary style had transformed so drastically.

Moreover, he noticed that Koga Shoji had subtly grasped the key to ultimate flavors, a key with a chef’s dazzling trait, a treasure that was uniquely his. Collecting three such treasures would rank him among the top chefs under the Qilin level.

Impressive spice, Little Yellow!

Internally complimenting, Xia Yu stepped forward, also taking small sips with a spoon.

After a while, he shook his head and set down the porcelain spoon.

"Indeed, these young club members’ skills, though developed through enduring training and solidly foundational, lack the brilliant spark of genius... In other words, they are merely mass-produced dishes intended for a packed house of guests!"

He gave an appropriate verdict in his mind.

"Instructor, how was it?" Koga Shoji, leaving Xingping Chuangzhen behind, came up beaming and asked.

Xia Yu hummed, saying, "Such dishes, carried to the ’School Festival’ to handle the guests, are barely sufficient..."

"But!"

He paused, glanced at Xingping Chuangzhen still lost in the world of ’Red Oil Honey Pot’, "If it were up against Little Xingping, there might be a chance of losing."

"Huh?"

"Lose? How can he win alone?"

Koga Shoji loudly scoffed.

Xia Yu shook his head.

In the original work, Koga Shoji already had a downfall, but it wasn’t against Xingping Chuangzhen alone but against him and his group of friends.

In a sense, Koga Shoji and his Chinese Cooking Research Association, in front of another person, just couldn’t lose.

"Let’s do this—improve the dish; then, your restaurant will have a signature dish," Xia Yu said, causing Koga Shoji’s expression to fall apart. "Improve?"

His eyes widened, and his breathing grew intense.

"Teacher, can it really still be improved?" His eyes locked tightly on Xia Yu.

"Of course."

Xia Yu smiled.

Since Koga Shoji had already touched the pinnacle’s treasure vault, standing as a mentor, he wouldn’t mind giving a push from behind.

A brilliant student indirectly shows the excellence of the teacher.

"Koga, get the same ingredients and cook them yourself," Xia Yu, pointing his chin, instructed Koga Shoji, the eighth seat.

"Okay, okay!"

Extremely excited, Koga Shoji hurried off and quickly returned, placing a large tray on the counter.

On the plate, there were peeled cloves of garlic, sections of fresh scallions, and dried red chili peppers.

Of course, the Shuchuan cuisine seasonings—sweet bean sauce, doubanjiang, and the like—were all complete. Truly befitting the leader of the Chinese Cooking Research Association, utterly professional.

Chopping scallions, smashing minced garlic, chopping ginger finely, and even twisting open the lids of sauce bottles.

Koga Shoji, having prepared the ingredients, anxiously stood in front of the cooking station, waiting for Xia Yu’s instructions.

"Start the fire and heat the pan."

Xia Yu instructed. Seeing that Koga Shoji was slightly baffled, he added with a smile, "Just follow your usual rhythm, act as if I’m not here. I’ll give directions when it’s time—"

Koga Shoji suddenly felt as if he had returned to the emotion he had when he first learned cooking.

Those quiet eyes beside him gave him a trembling feeling.

But being one of the Elite Ten, he took a deep breath, and his hand gripping the wok spoon steadied from a slight tremble to complete firmness!

"Roar—"

That was the sound of the flames roaring.

Turning on the fire, heating the pan, using Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers to season the pan—all these procedures were as natural as breathing to Koga Shoji, who trained day and night. At that moment, the young teacher delivered the first directive:

"Filter out the peppercorns and chili peppers, and sauté shallots and ginger with red oil."

Hmm?

His expression slightly changed, Koga Shoji did as instructed.

"Add minced pork."

Whoosh.

As the pork went into the pan, Koga Shoji stir-fried, and the aroma of the meat filled the air.

"10 seconds later, add doubanjiang and stir-fry, 20 grams!" Xia Yu’s eyelids didn’t blink, and the flames of the stove, temperature of the pan, and the color of the minced pork in the pot—these details were captured by his "hyper senses," forming a detailed image of the cooking temperature.

Yet, Koga Shoji’s seemingly fluid cooking movements appeared very slow in Xia Yu’s eyes, like a slideshow at a turtle’s speed.

"Huangjiu, 15 grams!"

This seasoning clearly took Koga Shoji by surprise, causing him a moment of panic. Fortunately, there was a bottle of cooking wine on the counter, which he quickly grabbed to pour into the pan, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Enough!

He had to rely on his senses and experience to control the amount of seasoning.

"Add fermented black bean sauce, a little less, remove a couple of spoonfuls, about 5 grams less."

"Time to add the tofu!"

"That’s the stock? It’s too rich, dilute it with an equal amount of water, pour in 300 milliliters... Hmm, the heat is right, add some soy sauce, about 10 grams, and some salt, then cook for another 3 minutes!"

Koga Shoji was busy to the point of drenching his back in sweat.

Finally, with cornstarch to thicken the sauce, he sprinkled a layer of Sichuan pepper powder and minced scallions over the Ma Po tofu as it left the pan.

"Clang—"

The sound of the wok spoon falling.

He stared blankly at his own hands, then glanced at the uniquely flavorful, almost visually appealing Ma Po tofu on the table. Images of his earlier cooking flickered through Koga Shoji’s mind.

Suddenly, with a boom, Koga Shoji felt as though he had grasped something.

"What has changed..."