161 – Famous All Over the Country

After a column of incense had burnt, the meat dish competition began. The contestants were still divided into groups by drawing lots first. This time, Qin Mian was the first group. The ingredients were already prepared, so it didn’t matter if he was in the first group.

The meat dish he wanted to make was steamed meat with rice flour and fermented tofu. After the competition ended, he would open a fermented tofu workshop. By chance, he used this opportunity to advertise the fermented tofu. In the first step, he added chili powder, minced ginger, fine white sugar, salt, pepper, and rice flour into fermented tofu juice and stirred well. After washing streaky meat, he cut it into thin slices and put them into the well-prepared powder. He held and pinched the meat slices with his hands to make them adhered to the powder and seasoned them evenly. Then, he evenly spread the meat slices and marinated them for about a period of a column of incense burnt so that the flavor was well absorbed. After that, he placed the meat slices onto a plate and put an appropriate amount of water into a pot over high heat. When the water was boiling, he put the plate into the pot and left it to steam for a period of a column of incense burnt before taking it out. He used chopsticks to clip out the meat slices, put them on a new plate in a beautiful arrangement, and then garnished with chopped scallions.

The procedures for making a meat dish were more than that of a vegetarian dish. Hence, in the beginning, the chefs chose relatively simple dishes. About four moments or so, all the four dishes were ready and brought to the lobby.

Stewed Chicken with Three Cups Sauce, Fragrant Spicy Duck in Pot, Peacock-styled Steamed Fish, Steamed Meat with Rice Flour and Fermented Tofu, and Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs all gave off a strong aroma, causing many people involuntarily swallowed their saliva.

Old Liu commented on the Steamed Meat with Rice Flour and Fermented Tofu, “Fat but not greasy, tender but not mushy, rich with five spices, suitable for young and old, simply a unique dish.” Steamed Meat with Rice Flour and Fermented Tofu easily passed.

Qin Mian had his eyebrows raised in delight and eyes laughing. When he decided to launch the Steamed Meat with Rice Flour and Fermented Tofu, he would use these five sentences as a slogan.

The five dishes were divided for the rest of the chefs to eat.

In the afternoon, Qin Mian entered the second round of the competition and made a plate of Squirrelfish. Squirrelfish was named after its similar shape. It was bright in color, tender, crisp, sweet, and sour. It was highly praised by Old Gu, Old Wen, and Old Liu.

At this time, the participants vaguely realized that this cooking competition was practically like a publicity campaign for Double Xiang House, while they acted as Qin Mian’s foils. Nonetheless, it was too late to regret. Under the circumstances, they could only continue to compete and try to get a better place in the competition.

In the third round, Qin Mian made Beggar’s Chicken…

Due to many meat ingredients needed to be marinated for the flavor to absorb before cooking, the preparation took a long time. The competition only reached the finale on the morning of the third day.

The final competition was between Qin Mian, Wu Dewang, Jin Chang’an, Zheng Xiangui, and Wang Fusheng.

Wu Dewang had thought to let someone mess with Qin Mian’s ingredients on the sly, but unfortunately, the Lei Family’s armed servants had been watching him so tenaciously that he didn’t even have the chance to instruct his subordinate in private for a few words. Helplessly, he watched Qin Mian go to the last step smoothly.

Qin Mian tried his best to surprise everyone. For the last dish, he decided to make “Buddha Jumping Over the Wall”.

The cooking process of this dish was very complicated and he would be using multiple pots at the same time, so he tried to discuss with the other four contestants and three judges to let the other four contestants cook first and he cooks last.

At this stage, there was no hope of getting the secret recipes. The chefs still wanted to see Qin Mian’s higher cooking skills, so they didn’t care about this little thing and agreed to his request.

Wu Dewang, Jin Chang’an, Zheng Xiangui, and Wang Fusheng took the lead in the final competition. Wu Dewang made Chrysanthemum Fish, Jin Chang’an made Crystal Hoof, Zheng Xiangui made Drunken Chicken, and Wang Fusheng made Three Sets of Ducks, all of which allowed everyone to feast their eyes and feel happy to chance upon fine food.

Next, it was Qin Mian’s turn.

Buddha Jumping Over the Wall required eighteen kinds of raw materials: sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, dried scallop, shark’s lip, fish maw, razor clam, ham, pork tripe, lamb shoulder, hoof tip, tendon, chicken breast, duck breast, chicken gizzard, duck gizzard, winter mushroom, winter bamboo shoot, and so on. Almost all of Qin Mian’s ingredients came from the magical space.

Its cooking procedure was extremely complicated. First, all the eighteen kinds of raw materials were processed into various dishes with their own characteristics by pan-frying, stir-frying, boiling, and deep-frying. Then, they were stacked in a large wine jar layer by layer. An appropriate amount of soup and 20-year-old wine were poured in so that the soup and wine were fully fused with the dishes. Lastly, sealed the mouth of the jar with lotus leaves and heated it over the fire.

The fire was also very particular when making the Buddha Jumping Over the Wall; it required solid sinking and smokeless white charcoal. First, it was boiled over a big fire, and then it was slowly simmered over a small fire.

Nearly six hours later, Qin Mian came out of the kitchen.

By this time, the sun was about to set. Old Liu, Old Wen, and Old Gu were already hungry. When they saw two waiters carrying a big jar out, they knew it was Qin Mian’s dish, but they couldn’t smell any aroma. They looked at each other in wonder and became more curious about it.

As soon as the lotus leaves at the mouth of the jar were uncovered, the rich aroma quickly filled the whole lobby and directly into the hearts of everyone. Everyone was shocked!

Some people spontaneously exclaimed, “Smells so good!”

This kind of aroma was strong but not cloying. Merely by smelling it made people have a big appetite. It seemed that one didn’t need to taste it to judge that “Buddha Jumping Over the Wall” was the first place in this cooking competition.

After the three judges tasted it, as everyone expected, they agreed undesignedly to decide that Qin Mian seize the win.

Old Liu laughed as he clapped his hands and even praised “Good” three times. “Sure enough, the younger generation will surpass the older! Brother Wen and Brother Gu, how about having dinner with this Buddha Jumping Over the Wall?” There was another sentence he didn’t say. It was obvious that this “Buddha Jumping Over the Wall” was the original creation of Double Xiang House that had never been tasted even today.

Other chefs also wanted to experience the charm of this dish, but before they could speak, Old Gu and Old Wen echoed Old Liu’s words. The three old men picked up the chopsticks to eat. While eating, they urged the waiters to bring them a few bowls of rice, making others helpless and amused.

The famous chefs from all over the country, including Jin Chang’an from the Capital, were sincerely convinced of Qin Mian’s cooking skills.

“Here, divide it among you.” Old Gu handed the money box to Qin Mian.

Qin Mian and the other four chefs took out the money and divided did according to the ratio of 5:4:3:2:1. Aside from Qin Mian’s two recipes, the other 78 wine houses all paid 600 taels of silver each. Therefore, as the first place, Qin Mian received 15,600 tales of silver, practically a gloveless white wolf¹! Everyone admired and envied him.

To avoid being assassinated by their eyes, Qin Mian quickly said that everyone’s dinner was 70% off.

Nie Heng looked at Old Liu and his two companions and enviously licked his lips. He walked to Qin Mian.

“Qin Mian, when will you launch the “Buddha Jumping Over the Wall” in Double Xiang House? Be sure to send someone to let me know.”

Qin Mian folded the banknotes and put them into his pocket. He shook his head, “Frankly speaking, I haven’t considered whether to launch this dish.”

Nie Heng, for fear that he would not be able to taste it, quickly said, “Why not? Since the process of this dish is quite complicated, just set the price higher.”

Qin Mian still shook his head, “More than the complexity? I have to teach the chefs first before I launch this dish. So, you probably won’t be able to eat it within a short period. But you can rest assured that I will send someone to inform you.”

Nie Heng got a satisfactory answer and let him go.

Qin Mian quickly ran to Lei Tie before more people come around. Yuanyuan and Manman had fallen asleep in Lei Tie’s arms. He picked up Yuanyuan and went to the lounge with Lei Tie. For the time being, they let the two little boys sleep on the settee and covered them with blankets. Today, not only Qin Mian worked hard, but Yuanyuan, Manman, and Lei Tie all worked hard to accompany him.

Qin Mian first kissed the big poker-face on his hips and then on Yuanyuan and Manman’s foreheads.

“Haven’t had dinner yet?”

“Waiting for you,” said Lei Tie.

“I knew it. Let’s go. I’ll make you something delicious.” Qin Mian took him to the kitchen…

The cooking competition came to a successful end. The next day, the chefs from all over the country took their leave one after another. Qin Mian was very generous. He gave each of them a bottle of “Gimmer of Paradise” fermented tofu and a delicately packaged pastry.

Old Liu, Old Wen, and Old Gu stayed in Double Xiang House for six days before they left. Before they left, they even invited Qin Mian to go to the Capital when he had a chance, so that they could compare notes in cooking skills.

Qin Mian seized the time to hand over the methods of all the dishes he had cooked in the competition to the four chefs. The prices of each dish were extremely high, especially Absolute Soup and Buddha Jumping Over the Wall. Absolute Soup was 5 taels of silver per serving and Buddha Jumping Over the Wall was 20 taels of silver per serving.

Even so, those who were “rich and willful” came to Double Xiang House in an endless stream to taste Absolute Soup and Buddha Jumping Over the Wall. It could be said that for those non-local who came to Double Xiang House for the first time, Absolute Soup and Buddha Jumping Over the Wall were the necessary dishes, even if they had to wait six hours for them.

Since then, Double Xiang House had become famous with profits pouring in from all sides.

Qin Mian confidently handed Double Xiang House over to Manager Sun to handle. When he returned to Green Mountain Village, he was ready to plan for the fermented tofu workshop.

Lei Tie, Yuanyuan, and Manman pulled him to the table and arranged for him to sit.

“What for?” Qin Mian didn’t understand and said with a smile, “Are you going to give me a surprise? Nu-uh, my birthday is long past.”

Yuanyuan brought a binding book over and put it in front of Qin Mian.

Manman said in all seriousness, “Dad, from today on, you will learn calligraphy with us.”

“What?” Qin Mian gaped, “Me? I’ll learn calligraphy with you?” He looked at Lei Tie inexplicably and blinked: What’s happen?

Lei Tie said honestly, “The children said your writing is… ugly.”

Qin Mian’s face turned glum at once. His pencil writing, ball-point writing, and gel-pen writing were all beautiful standard style of handwriting. Who dared to say that his writing was ugly?

Lei Tie soothed, “Wife, don’t you always think that Yuanyuan and Manman idolize me more?”

Yuanyuan and Manman nodded heavily to express that they really idolized their Old Dad.

Qin Mian struck the table as he said, “I don’t want you to see my greatness. You don’t know that Old King Ma has three eyes²!” He picked up the brush, wrote down a few lines in the book, and handed the book to Lei Tie, “Read it to the two little boys.”

Thanks, Britener!

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Footnotes