Chapter 109

Chapter 109: World-Class Master!

Looking at Wang Zhaoshan, who was stunned from eating, Chen Ran glanced down at the system evaluation result for the Nine-Turn Large Intestine.

[Nine-Turn Large Intestine: A perfect combination of color, fragrance, and taste with personal flair.]

Seeing this result, Chen Ran was not surprised.

She casually opened the system panel and navigated to her personal info page.

As expected, the seasoning skill level had already reached SSS-level!

Moreover, she was now cooking in the back kitchen of a book bar, not at a job location. This meant that the seasoning skill she was using was no longer a system gift but her own skill!

The four major skills—heat control, knife work, stirring, and seasoning—had all reached 3S-level.

In addition to the previous skills, the system had even added a new one: [Imagination: S-level].

It felt as if something had filled her heart—full, but with a tinge of sourness.

Looking back at these past days, she could promise herself that not a single day had been wasted!

She had dedicated every bit of her energy to cooking, and in the end, she had gained recognition for her efforts.

Thinking about the panic she had felt when she lost her sense of taste earlier, Chen Ran picked up another piece of Nine-Turn Large Intestine and put it into her mouth.

She couldn't taste it, but she could "imagine" the taste through the differences in texture.

Even the system acknowledged that Chen Ran’s Dinghu Shangsu had surpassed the original recipe. After all, someone without a sense of taste could only imagine the most magnificent and exquisite flavors.

Chen Ran chewed slowly, savoring the wonderful sensation on her tongue. She casually pulled a bottle of cola from the fridge and took a sip.

She had rediscovered the joy of eating!

"After the chicken is done, let it cool, then put it in the fridge. Tomorrow morning, slice it, use the meat for the lunch cold dish, and make soup with the chicken carcass."

Tang Su nodded vigorously, even repeating Chen Ran’s instructions to emphasize that he would do it well.

"Alright, I’m going to rest now. Wake up at four tomorrow morning to make breakfast. Don’t be late."

—She hoped the elementary school also had staff dormitories because she had been assigned to share a room with Aunt Hao.

Watching Chen Ran leave, Wang Zhaoshan, feeling sentimental, nudged Tang Su with his shoulder.

"Hey, did you feel anything?"

There was still one last piece of Nine-Turn Large Intestine left on the plate. Tang Su was hesitating whether to take it or not.

After watching Chef Chen leave, Wang Zhaoshan’s interruption caught him off guard, and he wasn’t sure how to respond.

"What... what feeling?"

Wang Zhaoshan found it hard to describe. He even opened his hand and kept flipping it in front of him. "It’s just that, when Chef Chen spoke earlier, it felt like she suddenly became more confident."

Tang Su didn’t feel that way. He had met Chen Ran later than Wang Zhaoshan and the others, who had witnessed her culinary journey from the start.

"More confident? I didn’t think so..."

He recalled the breathtaking fried rice that Chef Chen made when they first met on the sightseeing train: "Chef Chen was always confident from the beginning. Her culinary skills are top-notch! It's really hard to imagine that she’s only in her twenties and has such deep mastery."Tang Su had also heard that the Nine-Turn Large Intestine was personally taught to Chen Ran by Master Wu Chaomei. He felt a bit envious, but there was no jealousy at all.

What a joke—everyone knew about Master Wu's short temper, right? She had even kicked her own son out for not being perceptive enough. If she was willing to teach Chen Ran this dish, it was because Chef Chen herself had excellent skills!

He asked Wang Zhaoshan, "Was Chef Chen ever lacking in confidence at the beginning?"

It was hard to imagine!

Wang Zhaoshan shook his head, chewing as he sighed, "You don’t know, when I first met Chen Ran, Chef Chen was being bullied by those Chen family members..."

At that time, Uncle Chen had been confident when competing with her.

Now, forget about Uncle Chen—if they even brought Uncle Chen Duan over from the capital, he wouldn’t be able to defeat Chen Ran with just one hand.

"I heard the Chen family even kicked Chef Chen out? Is that true...?"

Tang Su had been curious about this gossip for a while. But since he wasn’t in that circle, he couldn’t find out any decent gossip. He could only ask Wang Zhaoshan.

He stared at Wang Zhaoshan's mouth, waiting for him to finish chewing so he could get the answer.

Wait... finish chewing?

Tang Su's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the plate—the last piece of Nine-Turn Large Intestine was gone!

"How can you eat another one! There were nine pieces in the plate, Chef Chen ate three, so we should each have three! Now you’ve eaten four and I’ve only had two!"

Tang Su, full of anger, reached out and grabbed Wang Zhaoshan’s neck!

"Spit it out!"

As a chef, Tang Su’s strength wasn’t small. Wang Zhaoshan almost spat out his tongue. He hurriedly pulled Tang Su’s hand away. "What are you doing? If I spit it out, will you still eat it?"

Tang Su’s face turned pale. "If I can’t eat it, then you shouldn’t either!"

"Alright, alright, it’s just a piece of intestines. Let me tell you about the Chen family." Ever since Chen Ran started to gain recognition, Wang Zhaoshan and Chang Nian had been paying close attention to the Chen family's affairs.

Their concern for Chen Ran was no less than that of Mrs. Wang. However, everyone had their own areas of expertise.

"When Chen Yuncong drove Chen Ran out of the Chen family, at the end of the day, it was just four words—killing the chicken to scare the monkey."

"This guy had a good business mind from the start. When great chefs like Chang Nian and Wu Chaomei were all participating in culinary competitions, he was out there appearing on TV."

"So, you should know that his popularity was high. The three brands of the Chen family practically monopolized half of the seasoning market."

That was true. Tang Su remembered that when he went to culinary school, it was because his father had bought Chen Yuncong’s autobiography. Even the large bottles of seasoning at home usually had his kind, benevolent face on them.

"But the business grew too big—seasonings, instant foods, and pre-packaged meals. With such a large family, it’s inevitable that there’d be power struggles."

"This branch of the family controlled most of the profits, so it’s natural there’d be dissatisfaction."

It was at this point that Chen Ran collided with the conflict.

Anyone who defied him—even his most cherished genius granddaughter—would be unceremoniously kicked out. As for not letting her find a job, it was just for the benefit of the other members of the Chen family.

As for things like losing her sense of taste or her grandson seeking a divorce because of a mistress, those were insignificant matters.

"But he probably didn’t expect that Chef Chen would have this much popularity now..."

From this perspective, Chen Yuncong was one of the first chefs to profit from the rise of celebrity chefs.He must understand better than anyone what Chen Ran's current popularity means.

Wang Zhaoshan shrugged. "So, that's the most interesting part. If it weren't for him driving Chen Ran out of the Chen family, if she hadn't gone through the experience of working everywhere, she wouldn't have gotten the kind of massive attention she has now."

"Then did Chen Yuncong not do anything?"

Tang Su followed this logic. If he were Chen Yuncong, looking at his granddaughter reaping such great popularity, he’d either call her back immediately or hire a bunch of internet trolls to suppress her for now.

Wang Zhaoshan laughed.

"You think Bai Qing, Chang Nian, and I are just doing nothing?"

The Chen family had money, but money wasn’t everything!

He and Bai Qing didn’t just post food reviews for fun, right? All the reports from the "Famous Chefs Record" official account weren’t just to ride on the popularity!

Wang Zhaoshan lowered his head and checked his phone, casually opening an app and skipping ahead to a recent food variety show to show Tang Su.

"Ah, I know! This is the recent sensation, Xu Lao Guai!"

Xu Lao Guai became wildly popular recently with his iron mask and sharp-tongued critique style on various food variety shows. He even crossed over to a travel variety show.

The part Wang Zhaoshan fast-forwarded to was when Xu Lao Guai was teaching a certain celebrity how to cook.

He was teaching them to make the Huaiyang specialty, Clear Braised Lion's Head. The celebrity, eager to try, decided to only add two egg whites. Unfortunately, the final result turned out to be a meatball soup instead.

As everyone tasted the still-delicious meatball soup, Xu Lao Guai explained the difficulty of this dish.

"...As you can see, it’s incredibly difficult to form the lion's head without starch, relying purely on technique. And the hardest part is that whether you add a little or a lot, the diners won’t notice much of a difference."

"So, some people talk a lot, saying that ordinary diners have no taste. But some people, silently, choose to add only one egg white. Some people seem to come from the same background, but in reality, they’re worlds apart."

The other actors started chatting too, mentioning how practicing acting also requires years of effort behind the scenes, only to end up with just a few seconds on screen...

Tang Su looked up at Wang Zhaoshan. "Is this Xu Lao Guai talking about Chen Yuncong and Chen Ran?"

"Yes."

Wang Zhaoshan put his phone away, chuckling. "So, don’t worry too much. The support behind Chef Chen might even be stronger than Chen Yuncong’s."

He didn’t know about the system, but sometimes he couldn’t help but marvel.

The five great chefs of the present day: Chang Nian, Xu Lao Guai, Wu Chaomei, Chen Yuncong, and Pan Sen.

Chang Nian and Wu Chaomei were fine, but even when Chen Ran went to a haunted house to work, she could bump into Xu Lao Guai. And then there was Pan Sen’s youngest son, Pan Shiyou, who had stopped running his own restaurant and now just waited every day for Chen Ran's chicken porridge.

"The two capitals culinary competition has been suspended for so long, it’s time for Chen Yuncong to step down as the champion."

Tang Su felt a surge of excitement.

The news of the two capitals culinary competition reopening had already spread within the circle!

Tang Su's skills were still a little far from participating in such a competition, but he could still go cheer for Chef Chen! Maybe he could even become a public judge and taste some of Chen Ran’s dishes...

Imagining Chen Ran overcoming all the challenges and standing in front of Chen Yuncong, he felt a surge of excitement!

Meanwhile, Chen Ran had no idea Wang Zhaoshan had been praising her all night. The next morning, when she woke up at 4 AM to prepare breakfast, she noticed that Tang Su's gaze seemed a little off.

"What's wrong?"Tang Su dared not say that he had spent the whole night dreaming of Chen Ran slaying dragons. He chuckled awkwardly and said, "No, Chef Chen, I just picked up Master Du Zhaohu. He'll be here soon."

No sooner had he spoken than Du Zhaohu entered.

Perhaps because of the great revenge, Chen Ran felt that Du Zhaohu looked a little fatter than when she last saw him at the haunted house.

"Good morning, Shigu!" Du Zhaohu said foolishly, bowing to her. "What are we making this morning? Please sit down, I'll make you some tea to freshen up, and whatever you want to make, I'll start preparing."

On the other side, Chef Zhou, who had been notified, also arrived. She handed a plastic bag to Chen Ran. "Chef Chen, the tea eggs I made last night, you can have them first. Whatever you need, I'll wash the vegetables!"

Tang Su, who had been thoroughly outpaced by the new generation, opened his mouth but quickly chastised himself in his mind: How could you be so shameless to dream of being apprenticed to Chef Chen like this?

He immediately opened the fridge. "Chef Chen, the roast chicken you wanted to prepare, I... last night..."

Huh?

Where’s the roast chicken?

Not only had the chicken meat he’d prepared the night before disappeared, but even the chicken bones were gone.

Chen Ran didn’t take it seriously and waved her hand.

She had known that the roast chicken wouldn’t last!

Luckily, Du Zhaohu had arrived.

She waved her hand. "Master Du, come here, let's make San Ding Bao for breakfast today."

Huaiyang cuisine is not just about the red kitchen, the white kitchen is equally exceptional. And this San Ding Bao is one of the most basic dim sum.

The pork cubes are rich, the chicken cubes fresh and tender, and the bamboo shoot cubes crispy and delicate. The pork cubes are larger than the chicken cubes, and the chicken cubes are larger than the bamboo shoot cubes. Taking a bite, the flavor is fresh and fragrant, with a lingering aftertaste.

The buns are even more remarkable—fluffy dough with a generous filling, and pleats like a pleated skirt.

Yangzhou buns dominate the world, and it’s all about this one bun!