Chapter 130

Chapter 130: The Flavors Begin

That day, over a hundred servings of Lion’s Head were sold at Shi Wei Tian.

Xu Zhuoxing’s concerns were not unfounded—a full basin of five jin of meat mixture, whether made with one egg white or three, was indeed hard for most customers to distinguish by taste alone.

Even the Lion’s Head made with three egg whites didn’t technically count as “cutting corners.” It was still within the limits of what an average palate could appreciate as delicious.

But Chen Ran thoughtfully paired each premium Lion’s Head with a comparison portion made using three egg whites.

Just like that, what was originally a simple tasting activity suddenly took on the playful aspect of a “spot-the-difference” challenge! Everyone’s focus shifted from whether the high price of the Lion’s Head was worth it to discovering what exactly justified its value.

Food bloggers from all over mobilized, analyzing the Lion’s Head from every angle—flavor, texture, and more—giving it a full 360-degree breakdown.

Of course, what people cared about most was still Chen Ran, who had spent an entire day in Shi Wei Tian’s main hall methodically pounding Lion’s Heads.

By now, Chen Ran was no longer the “young” chef who once went viral through memes and short videos online.

She had long since entered the top ranks of the Famous Chefs List, and had even been invited by Chang Nian to help prepare a state banquet. It was no exaggeration to say that Chen Ran was now the most skilled chef accessible to the general public.

Those who ranked above her were virtually culinary legends—the founders of entire cuisines.

And yet here she was, Chen Ran, diligently and meticulously spending a whole day in the hall of Shi Wei Tian making Lion’s Heads by hand.

“With such skills, she wouldn’t need to be so dedicated.”

“No wonder she was the one who pushed for transparency in pre-made dishes. Chef Chen is one of the rare true artisans of our time.”

“I think Chef Chen is already worthy of being called the new Culinary Deity.”

Under food-related topics on various video platforms, you could easily find footage of Chen Ran from all angles—meticulous, focused.

Her back straight like a pine tree, her hands steady as conviction while pounding the meat. Just watching the videos gave people a sense of Zen.

Of course, not everyone watching was so calm.

A group of fans in the capital, whose palates had been spoiled by Shi Wei Tian, were already preparing to head to Yangzhou!

Although every Shi Wei Tian location claimed that its dishes were personally approved by Chen Ran, down to even the wok-tossing motions being trained, and that each branch had a renowned chef or one of Chen Ran’s disciples overseeing things—these seasoned foodies could still tell. Food made by Chen Ran herself always had something subtly extra.

The food critics who followed Chen Ran from place to place called it “thoughtful imagination.”

“No matter what expectations you have before tasting a dish, Chef Chen always delivers a surprise beyond those expectations.”

“Her treatment of flavor is always surprising, and you can always trust that the surprise won’t turn into a shock.”

“She not only understands every ingredient but understands every diner. She knows what each person seeks when they come for a meal, and she adds just the right amount of unexpected delight in a way that never crosses the line.”

“And this kind of thoughtful imagination perhaps comes from her many experiences working odd jobs. This chef has always tried to stay connected with the public—and she’s never really left their sight.”

After finishing this review, Wang Zhaoshan chewed his gum with grit.

Indeed, she had never left the public eye. Even though Chen Ran had opened over a dozen branches of Shi Wei Tian, she still would suddenly go off to some rural roadside eatery to work for a few days.

Maybe she no longer purposely went to haunted houses or martial arts gyms to test her fans’ tracking skills, but she still frequented street stalls. After years of doing this, the only skill that advanced faster than Chen Ran’s culinary craft was her anti-tracking technique.

She had just spent an entire day in Yangzhou making Lion’s Head, and now she had vanished again!

Spitting out his gum furiously, Wang Zhaoshan resumed writing the profile piece scheduled to be published on the 2nd of next month, torn between admiration and frustration.It must be published on the 2nd; as for everything else, let the other fans worry about it.

He took a big gulp of Red Bull and continued typing on the keyboard.

"...Whether it's the series of divine chef recipes she’s popularized, the famous dishes learned from seniors, or the series of creative dishes she’s personally developed, she doesn’t overly emphasize any of it."

"Whether she’s at a small stall..."

Wang Zhaoshan originally wanted to write about undercover visits but thought it didn’t fit Chen Ran’s image. He chuckled softly and changed the wording: "...getting close to the customers. Whether she’s making egg pancakes or Chinese hamburgers, she never looks down on any dish."

"She never treats any customer differently, nor does she treat any dish differently."

"She’s always been so serious, and predictably, she will always be this serious."

After writing a few sentences, Wang Zhaoshan was a little dissatisfied, but as he looked at the brightening sky, he checked his phone and saw that the group chat was still very active in the middle of the night.

"I’m asking you all, do you have any confidence this time? Don’t forget about the failure of the bookstore; remember that, and this time we cannot fail!"

"Impossible!"

The once naive Zhi Chenchen, who used to be the spam bot for reviews, had now turned into a professional woman.

She swore, "This time, we’ve arranged a female chef competition, and we’ve invited Sister Ranran to be a judge under this pretense. How could she not come?"

"Chef Chen?"

Zhi Chenchen sent three “Best Actor” emojis in the group: "No, that's the alias she thinks we don’t know about."

The group laughed hysterically.

"Everyone, remember to keep the IP in Yangzhou. Don’t let Chef Chen find out if anyone discovers that she’s at the chef competition. If you’re not changing your IP, go find little Chen, or just go to Yangzhou and squat there!"

"This time, there must be no mistakes! If anyone makes a mistake, you won’t be allowed to eat at Shi Wei Tian for a year!"

Wang Zhaoshan leisurely watched the chat history when he suddenly realized that he had also been mentioned by Wang Qing’an.

"Wang Zhaoshan! Your profile on the person must be written soon! It will need to be reviewed after you finish!"

He quickly pretended as if he had never picked up his phone, shoved a piece of gum into his mouth, and went back to pondering deeply in front of his computer.

A web of connections was quietly being cast, but Chen Ran, sitting at the center of this web, had no idea.

Seeing Pei Yi open the car door for her, she couldn’t help but ask, "This chef competition is definitely pre-recorded, right?"

If it were live, who knows, halfway through the event, someone might chase her down!

After all these years, the game of chase and escape with her fans had been played countless times. Chen Ran no longer minded being cornered; at most, she would just cook a couple of dishes.

But in this chef competition, if things went wrong, it could become the biggest opportunity for some rookie female chef just starting out, and she didn’t want to steal the spotlight.

"It’s definitely pre-recorded," Pei Yi said, blocking the top of the car door with his hand and gently closing it behind her. "Although I no longer have system privileges, handling something like this is still within my capabilities."

In the soft morning light, Chen Ran glanced at Pei Yi.

When she worked odd jobs everywhere, the system was her task giver, her guide, even her mentor in some ways.

Now, he was her sous chef, her assistant, the financial backing for her career expansion.

She had never asked why, and he had never said why. All she knew was—Chen Ran looked at Pei Yi, who suddenly raised his head, and his tone, which seemed to carry an exclamation mark like when he issued tasks in the past, said, "Are we going to try a new dish this time?"

Whether it was the system panel or the current assistant image by her side, some things had never changed.

She felt incredibly at ease.

"Yeah, we’re trying a new dish this time. It’s just right to let the participating chefs taste it."

Mentioning cooking, the slightly unfamiliar emotion she felt earlier was quickly dismissed: "To avoid any misunderstandings, I actually rarely ask chefs to try dishes. This is a good opportunity."

Just in time, she had a big dish to try!

None of the participating chefs were unfamiliar with Chen Ran, and when they gathered to watch her cook, everyone couldn’t help but glance at her legendary "golden hands."

Yes, golden hands.

No matter how ordinary the recipe was, once it passed through her hands, it would elevate to an entirely new level, as if transforming stone into gold.

And now, with everyone so close, witnessing her demonstrate the new dish in person, almost everyone was fixated on every move she made, not wanting to miss a single detail.

If they could learn just a bit...

The dark-skinned girl stared hard, her eyes almost aching from the intensity, but deep inside, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair.

How on earth could she ever possess this kind of skill?!

"This dish is based on Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, right?"

"Probably... it feels like a stir-fried version of Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, but the soup should be pre-prepared."

"Buddha Jumping Over the Wall has eighteen ingredients, and yet they’re all delicately arranged like this... just this knife work alone must take years of practice."

"Are you still doubting Chef Chen’s knife skills? She can even carefully remove the bones from an ant!"

The buzzing sounds from the crowd grew louder, but it didn’t affect Chen Ran’s operations in the slightest.

She carefully combined over ten ingredients, then gently embedded them into the pre-prepared clear dough skin before quickly frying it in the pan.

The dough skin wasn’t complete; it had been pre-sliced, and as soon as it hit the pan, it bloomed into thousands of delicate strands, resembling fireworks.

And along with the fireworks in the pan, a crowd suddenly surged in, accompanied by a huge wave of sound.

"Chef Chen, happy birthday!"

Chen Ran froze for a moment, carefully placing the golden fireworks ball she had just fried onto the plate before looking up.

Wang Qing’an, Chang Nian, Zhi Chenchen, Tang Yang... Wang Zhaoshan, Green Pepper Brother... Qiu Xian, Ji You...

All the people who had accompanied her across the country during her days of losing her sense of taste, not a single one was missing.

Everyone held gifts in their hands, and the seemingly ordinary venue just moments ago suddenly turned into a massive screen on the ceiling.

The short film on the screen showed scenes of Chen Ran.

From when she secretly filmed roast chicken in the big kitchen, to when she applauded from the audience during the martial arts competition, and at the two capitals culinary competition, where she proudly stood in front of Chen Yuncong wearing the system’s chef robe.

Of course, the most footage was of her cooking.

And now, she was still cooking.When she was kicked out of her home in her twenties, she was cooking. Now, at thirty, she was cooking on her birthday, and in countless days to come, it was almost foreseeable that she would continue to cook seriously and happily.

The fans had already gathered around. Although the main event was the gifts each person had prepared, no one could tear their eyes away from the new dish Chen Ran was making.

Wang Zhaoshan couldn’t help but take out the character interview he had written to seek praise, while his gaze uncontrollably wandered to the plate of beautiful golden dishes.

The golden strands layered on top of each other—just by looking at it, one could tell it must have an exceptionally excellent taste.

"Chef Chen, what’s the name of this new dish? Let me try it?"

Chen Ran looked down for a moment.

Perhaps because of the days when she had lost her sense of taste, she paid extra attention to the feelings of the customers and the process of trying new dishes. Almost every time she made a new dish, she would invite a few regulars to try it.

But this time, she decided to try the dish herself first.

"This dish… is called ‘The Mouths Open.’"

She gently picked up a golden, crispy ball and placed it into her mouth.

The ultra-crispy exterior, as if falling snow, brought almost perfect texture with just a light bite.

But… it only had texture, no taste at all.

It was just like those days when she had lost her sense of taste.

And as the layers of texture faded, when she finally bit into the core, which contained the essence of over a dozen ingredients, a rich and fragrant aroma exploded in her mouth in an instant.

The flavor was more magnificent than she could ever have imagined.

All the persistence, all the seriousness, battling through a world without taste.

She could finally say, she had accomplished that sentence.

Starting from flavorless beginnings, and ending with a hundred flavors.

The mouths are hard to please, but let’s make them open!