Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Debut of Sweet and Sour Plum Ribs!

Even though the extra round was decided last minute, the ribs had already been prepared in advance.

Chen Ran had long decided that on the final day, she would make these sweet and sour plum ribs for the kids.

Otherwise, what would happen if she left and Qian Rui stopped eating again?

However, the judges below were a bit surprised.

Ms. Wang whispered regretfully, “Chen Ran’s lion’s head meatballs were indeed quite good, but for the other dishes, she might not be able to beat that old man Uncle Chen Zheng.”

She had tasted other dishes made by Chen Ran too. For someone her age, her culinary skills were already considered excellent.

But just Uncle Chen Zheng’s years of experience as a head chef alone already surpassed Chen Ran’s age.

Not to mention, this sweet and sour spare rib dish was one of his specialties.

“I believe in Sister Ran Ran!”

Zhu Chenchen was off to the side pouring tea and water, occasionally chiming in with a few words to the older girls she knew well.

Out of everyone present, she had the most confidence in Chen Ran.

She had seen with her own eyes how much care Chen Ran put into every dish she made. She had also witnessed her silently practicing knife skills every day after work.

After Sister Ran Ran leaves, she’ll be leaving the kindergarten too. Today, the little principal had already settled her wages, and she even bought a gift for Sister Ran Ran!

“Just wait and see—I believe in Sister Ran Ran!”

Zhu Chenchen raised her little fist silently behind the judges to cheer on Chen Ran. Through the crowd, her gaze happened to meet Chen Ran’s.

Chen Ran saw Zhu Chenchen’s raised little fist—clearly a bit chubbier than when she first came to kindergarten.

She smiled and nodded at Zhu Chenchen, then lowered her head and started cooking.

The pork ribs were already washed and cut into sections. This batch of chilled fresh ribs was specially purchased through Yuan Guozhong. The quality was excellent—no fishy smell, no need to soak or blanch.

She wielded her knife to prepare the ingredients—scallions, ginger, dried chili. She lightly crushed the necessary spices with the side of the knife and packed them into a small non-woven fabric bag.

First came the caramel base.

The wok was heated until dry and hot. A thin layer of oil was added, then rock sugar was tossed in and stirred with a spatula, breaking it up. The sugar quickly melted.

Chen Ran could feel the uniqueness of this S-rank recipe.

Something as simple as making a caramel base—she had done it countless times before, but never had it felt this smooth and effortless.

The sugar shattered and melted into a pale white syrup, which then slowly changed color—from light yellow to golden, and finally to a slight amber hue.

Chen Ran, quick-eyed and deft-handed, immediately poured in the prepared water!

If she had done it even one second earlier, the amber wouldn’t have been so perfect—like the deep brown eyes of the most devoted lover, with sweetness that tugged at the corners of your eyes and lips, radiating soft affection.

But if she had done it one second—no, even half a second—later, that same sweetness would have turned into a hint of bitterness and burnt flavor.

With the caramel water ready, it was time to stir-fry the ribs.

High heat for the oil, first frying scallions, ginger, and dried chili. Once the aroma was released, in went the ribs.A wave of fragrance spread through the air.

Wang Zhaoshan wrinkled his nose sensitively, trying hard to distinguish the aroma in the air.

Several amateur foodies nearby were already used to his commentary and all turned to look at him in unison.

“Didn’t expect this…”

Wang Zhaoshan sighed. “This young girl is even more impressive than I imagined. Her fundamentals are actually better than Chen Zheng’s.”

Chen Zheng, after all, had been a head chef for decades. Even if it was due to arrogance and sheer repetition—doing it day after day—he’d naturally honed his skills.

But just now, when both woks were fired up and scallions and ginger went in, the aroma from the girl’s side was the first to waft over!

What did that mean? Her control over heat was even more refined than that of a head chef who had been steeped in the kitchen for decades.

Qiu Xian nodded from the side. “Look, Chen Ran is still using that huge wok! A big wok like that is way harder to control than the small stir-fry pan Chen Zheng is using.”

Wang Zhaoshan nodded.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Chen Ran? Which characters? The ‘ran’ as in dyeing?”

With this level of culinary skill, she would never remain unknown in the future! She was a chef worth remembering.

“Grass radical plus the ‘Ran’ from ‘rising slowly’,” Qiu Xian typed Chen Ran’s name on her phone and showed it to Wang Zhaoshan, then added, “I heard she was kicked out by the Chen family. Wasn’t the old master of the Chen family once a legendary chef in his youth? How could he not know good from bad!”

Wang Zhaoshan shook his head. That old man of the Chen family might carry the title of ‘Culinary God’, but he was power-hungry—in truth, it was more marketing than real skill.

Still, it wasn’t appropriate to openly criticize him in a setting like this, so he just pointed and said, “Alright, just watch—Chef Chen Ran’s knife skills… remarkable.”

He instinctively changed how he referred to Chen Ran, no longer calling her “that girl,” but formally as “Chef Chen Ran.”

Even with Chen Zheng, he called him directly by name!

In the culinary world, age didn’t matter—skill came first.

Chen Ran was currently handling preserved sour plums. She had no idea that just her knife skills had already impressed a food critic—she was simply carefully removing the pits from the plums.

She picked up a plum, positioned the knife near the handle where the tip curved, and with a swift knock—

The pit popped right out.

The judges resumed filming videos. Qiu Xian adjusted the filters and beauty settings, only to find that Chen Ran looked best without any beautification at all.

“To be honest, if Ran Ran-jie did a costume transformation video, she’d probably go viral. Just wearing a chef’s hat, she already looks so cool!”

Ms. Wang nodded beside her.

If the Chen family weren’t so powerful, she would’ve already signed Chen Ran as an internet celebrity!

And she’d get to eat more of the little beauty’s food, too.

She squinted with a smile and leaned toward the man next to her. “So? What do you think of the chef I found you?”

The man’s expression was a bit cold, but after hearing Ms. Wang’s words, he gave a slight smile.

“This girl is indeed good. But would she really be willing to work at our police station as a temp chef? Isn’t that overkill?”

Ms. Wang sighed and explained the background: “…That’s just how her family is. I investigated. Her biological father isn’t much of a person either. Letting her cook at your station—at least no one would dare bully her there, right?”Wang Qing'an was now a mother herself, and she felt especially sympathetic toward Chen Ran.

Just look at today’s competition—what had it turned into?

A successful uncle, just because others praised his niece, came to challenge her? And he even made a big show of it, inviting so many judges?

It was only because Chen Ran’s culinary skills were so outstanding that she won everyone over, making the whole competition seem like a farce.

But what if it had been Chen Boduan? Or one of the other big names in the Chen family?

“Alright then, let the girl come cook at our station. We’ll find her a dorm room, have her cook two meals a day, nothing too tiring. It’s a bit remote, but it’s very safe at the station.”

Ms. Wang nodded with a smile and continued watching Chen Ran cooking swiftly and cleanly.

Both sides’ pork ribs were almost ready. The air was thick with a rich, tangy aroma that made everyone’s mouths water.

Chen Zheng’s sweet and sour pork ribs came out of the wok first.

He smugly plated six portions, then glanced over at Chen Ran’s side and saw that she hadn’t even lifted her lid yet.

“Xiao Ran, I’ll go ahead and help myself,” he said, even starting to offer unsolicited advice. “If you ask me, just go back and apologize to the old man properly. There might still be a chance for you to chop vegetables or pass dishes in the kitchen. You still look quite pretty… maybe you can even find a distant relative to marry…”

Chen Ran acted as though she hadn’t heard him at all.

Every time she made an S-level recipe given by the system, she cherished the experience.

With S-level mastery of heat, she didn’t need to lift the lid to judge doneness. Just from the scent inside the pot, she knew exactly when to simmer on low, when to turn up the heat to reduce the sauce, and when the dish was ready to serve.

It was time to add the sour plums.

Chen Ran calmly added the pitted preserved plums into the wok, stir-fried a few times, then covered the lid again.

Meanwhile, several judges had already begun tasting Chen Zheng’s sweet and sour pork ribs.

To be fair, as the head chef of the Chen Family Restaurant, and a middle-aged chef from the main branch of the Chen family—though considered the least skilled among his generation—he could still easily outperform ordinary chefs.

Especially to non-professional judges like Qian Rui’s mother and Zhu Chenchen’s father, this dish of sweet and sour ribs was already close to perfection.

That tangy-sweet flavor, the tender fall-off-the-bone meat. The sauce clung to every piece of rib perfectly—every bite was a paradise of sweet and sour.

“So delicious!”

“For real, I’d heard that the lion’s head meatballs at the Chen Family Restaurant were famous, but I didn’t expect the sweet and sour ribs to be this good too. Chen Zheng didn’t waste all those years as a head chef—he’s got real skill.”

Qiu Xian was starting to get anxious. She took a bite of Chen Zheng’s ribs and realized… she couldn’t find a single flaw.

This was the chef she had her eye on for the featured chef list! If he won this match, there was no way she could ask the director to come review Chen Ran!

Flustered, she turned to Wang Zhaoshan. “Uncle Wang, Chen Ran isn’t going to lose this round, right? If she loses, can you still ask the director to come?”

Wang Zhaoshan remained calm and composed.

“Even if she loses, she’s still a top-tier chef in the making. How old is Chen Zheng? And how old is she? I’ve heard a bit about how the Chen family trains their chefs—it’s likely she hasn’t even officially started learning yet.”

Besides… how could a chef he had his eye on possibly lose?

Qiu Xian followed Wang Zhaoshan’s gaze and saw Chen Ran, arms crossed and seemingly resting with her eyes closed, just as she lowered her arms.

This was it!Chen Ran swiftly lifted the lid of the pot.

A deeply concentrated aroma of preserved plum spread through the entire venue.

This tangy fruitiness was distinctly different from vinegar. The fruity scent wasn’t strong on its own, yet it stood out so sharply within the rich sweet and sour notes.

It instantly seized everyone’s attention.

Just a moment ago, Zhu’s father had been completely satisfied with the pork ribs in his mouth, but suddenly something felt off.

These ribs… why did they suddenly feel greasy?

To be fair, if one were only eating the sweet and sour ribs alone, there would be absolutely no sense of greasiness.

The sweet and sour flavor was always appetizing, and Chen Zheng had even trimmed some of the fat off the ribs, controlling the oil content very well.

By any standard, the word “greasy” should not have appeared in any description of these sweet and sour ribs.

But… it was greasy.

Zhu’s father wasn’t the only one who felt it. Ms. Wang, who had just taken a light bite, felt the same way.

Qiu Xian had already begun describing it: “So strange. Just a moment ago, I thought the ribs in my mouth were flawless, but now, just smelling this preserved plum aroma makes them feel heavy…”

“Because in comparison, fruit acids are definitely better at cutting through greasiness than vinegar,” food critic Wang Zhaoshan explained. “And a complex flavor profile emphasizes layers. Adding another kind of sourness creates more dimension than just sweet and sour alone. It already smells incredible—I can’t wait to find out how it tastes.”

Chen Ran had begun plating. But first, she prepared two large trays for the kindergarten children, filling them generously before portioning the remaining ribs for the judges.

Compared to Chen Zheng’s careful and methodical plating, Chen Ran’s style was bold and generous. Each plate had exactly five ribs, with two sauce strokes drawn beside them, and a few casually sliced cucumber pieces for garnish.

By the time these plates were finally served, the judges could barely contain themselves.

Chen Zheng’s expression darkened slightly.

Sweet and sour ribs, as a dish, could indeed become cloying if eaten too much—after all, it was both sweet and oily.

So he had made sure to finish and serve first.

But he hadn’t expected…

Chen Zheng watched as the judges all put down their chopsticks one by one, clearly ready to start on Chen Ran’s dish!

Had his ribs really become cloying?

For a moment, Chen Zheng even doubted himself. He had saved two pieces and now cautiously tasted one.

No—it tasted just like it should.

None of the judges bothered to explain anything to Chen Zheng. With the fragrant preserved plum ribs now in front of them, no one had the mind to do anything else.

This aroma, rich enough to linger in the air for days, was already worth the price of admission just from the scent!

Wang Zhaoshan had just tried two pieces of Chen Zheng’s ribs and rated them above average.

As a professional food critic, conventional dishes no longer moved him.

He had tasted preserved plum ribs before, but they often felt awkward—fruit, vinegar, and meat aromas rarely blended seamlessly.

But this rib…The meat was so tender it fell off the bone—no need to even mention it. With just a gentle bite and a slight pull, the entire piece of springy, fragrant rib meat was left in the mouth.

One bite—juices burst forth!

The meat juices, wrapped in the aromatic sweet and sour sauce, immediately blossomed on the palate. But unlike Chen Shuzheng’s sweet and sour ribs, the flavor of these plum ribs was infused deep into the meat.

First, a subtle sweetness touched the tip of the tongue, followed by a hint of vinegar. Just as the two blended, an intense sour plum flavor came crashing through!

The aroma might’ve been cool and subtle when smelled, but the taste fused perfectly with the pork once eaten.

Wang Zhaoshan suddenly felt that with this rib, he wanted a bowl of rice.

Not because the flavor was heavy—but because that plum flavor completely awakened his appetite.

After finishing one rib and swallowing it, the difference between the two dishes became even clearer.

Chen Shuzheng’s sweet and sour ribs left a faint sweetness as an aftertaste. But Chen Ran’s plum ribs left a richly layered finish!

First, a faint lingering sourness. Then came a fruity tang of plum. The sourness and fruitiness of the plum even brought out a returning sweetness…

The taste—was extraordinary!

This lingering sweetness, laced with a faint meaty aroma, blended perfectly with the farewell of the plum flavor. By the time only that faint plum taste remained in the mouth, what lingered in the eater’s mind wasn’t whether it was greasy—but whether they could have another piece!

In comparison, Chen Shuzheng’s sweet and sour ribs inevitably started to feel a bit “greasy.”

Wang Zhaoshan grew excited.

After seeing Chen Ran’s basic skills, he had already confirmed that her future achievements wouldn’t be low. But after tasting this rib, he realized that his previous assumptions had underestimated her!

It was entirely possible that one day, he might see a chef he discovered ranked in the top ten of the Famous Chefs Registry!

But… this chef’s quirks were as striking as her talent.

Wang Zhaoshan had only eaten one rib and was already thinking about how to take credit before the director. He turned to Qiu Xian and asked, “You said this chef only works odd jobs in various cafeterias?”

Qiu Xian nodded. She’d spoken too hastily before and was afraid Wang Zhaoshan would refuse if she mentioned the Chen family, so she hadn’t explained fully: “The Chen family is blacklisting her. They won’t allow her to work in restaurants…”

Wang Zhaoshan understood.

That Chen Yuncong from the Chen family certainly had the power to do that. Even if he didn’t say anything himself, others might make trouble for Chen Ran just to curry favor with him.

“But working in places like that, with low standards—it might not help her growth…”

Cooking in cafeterias could gradually wear down one’s passion. He had once seen a top-tier chef, hired for a high price as a private cook, whose skills declined within just three years—from top-level to merely above average.

Just then, Zhu Chenchen, who was eyeing the ribs hungrily, spoke up.

“Absolutely not! Sister Ran has never lowered her standards for herself!”

She might not know about other things, but when it came to self-discipline, Zhu Chenchen understood well.

“Judge, do you think a chef who works in a kindergarten cafeteria but stays late every day to hang sandbags and practice knife skills—would lower her standards just because her customers don’t expect much?”

“And,” she glanced at Chen Ran, who was focused on the lion’s head stew onstage, “Sister Ran sets new challenges for herself!”

Getting a group of kindergarteners to eat properly—now that’s no easy task! Who else but Sister Ran would go to the trouble of deboning every single chicken drumstick she made for the kids?

Still, because of Chen Ran’s competition, today’s lunch had to be prepared by Yuan Guozhong instead.These past few days, he had worked hard to learn a few cooking tips from Chen Ran here. And to be fair, his cooking skills had improved just a little.

But that little improvement still wasn’t enough.

Qian Rui returned to listlessly picking at his rice, and even Zhu Kuangkuang didn’t eat with her usual enthusiasm.

Teacher Xiao Wang looked a little worried and asked Teacher Li, “If the kids won’t even eat now, what are we going to do when Ranran really leaves?”

Teacher Li sighed, “You don’t know… over on the Chen family’s side… in short, it’s going to be very hard for Xiao Ran to stay.”

Yuan Guozhong stood at the back door of the classroom, feeling a dull ache in his chest.

They were both chefs, and he was so much older than Xiao Ran—so why couldn’t he get the kids to eat so joyfully like she did?

Starting today, he would also stay at night to chop vegetables and practice his knife skills!

Just as he was making that vow to himself, he heard the principal calling for him.

“Guozhong, what are you doing? Come help out already!”

He hadn’t even turned his head when he smelled the strong aroma of sour plum!

As the big basin of ribs was carried closer, the rich plum fragrance was joined by a sweet scent and a savory meatiness that made mouths water.

The kids in the classroom smelled it too!

A few teachers worked together to carry the basin and placed two ribs on each child’s tray. Teacher Xiao Wang even added some extra sauce to Qian Rui’s tray and reminded Zhu Kuangkuang, “Eat slowly—there’s more after you finish.”

Zhu Kuangkuang perked up. That familiar taste!

She had just started kindergarten and didn’t know how to describe this uplifting flavor, but she knew—it was the taste of Teacher Chen!

It felt like… like every meal had been made just for her, and every bite suited her taste perfectly!

Before she knew it, she had eaten two ribs. The tangy flavor made her want to eat even more rice.

Zhu Kuangkuang remembered that Qian Rui didn’t have much appetite again today. She leaned over to check if he had any ribs left.

She could help finish them!

But to her disappointment, Qian Rui had already gone back to eating like he did a few days ago.

The little boy was gnawing on a rib! After finishing, he even sucked the bone reluctantly.

Teacher Wang felt half-relieved. Seeing the almost empty basin of ribs, she gritted her teeth and decided to give her own portion to Qian Rui, hoping he’d eat more.

Even though she found Qian Rui’s mother’s nagging annoying, when it came to loving the children—teachers and mothers were the same.

But just as she bravely picked up her own rib to give him, she saw that Qian Rui had already finished his and was now eating the other dishes!

“How’s your appetite?”

Qian Rui nodded as he chomped on Yuan Guozhong’s stir-fried garlic shoots with pork and scooped a big spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Teacher Wang was overwhelmed with emotion!

She didn’t even take her rib back—she still passed it over to Qian Rui.

“Good, good—then have another rib! Teacher will give you this one too!”Qian Rui carefully held his chopsticks, picked up the rib, and returned it to Teacher Wang.

He was smiling so happily.

It was the first time Teacher Wang had seen Qian Rui smile like this in kindergarten.

After a month of meals carefully prepared by Chen Ran, the little boy now had some meat on his cheeks when he smiled, and his eyes curved into sweet crescent moons.

“Teacher Wang! This rib really whets the appetite. I feel like everything tastes good now—you should eat too!”

Even though he had taken many speech and presentation classes, he was still just a kindergartener.

He tried hard to describe the strange feeling he had just experienced, but could only manage a few broken sentences.

“It’s like… my tummy was all puffed up, and I didn’t want to eat anything. But now that thing’s gone! I really want to eat now!”

Qian Rui scooped up another spoonful of rice soaked in sauce and took a big bite.

The special effect of this sour plum rib dish was that it gave everyone Chen Ran cared about a good appetite.

Qian Rui was someone she cared about, and so were the teachers.

Chen Ran stood beside the prep table, but her heart was already in the classroom. Not being able to see the kids eat the ribs with her own eyes still made her feel a bit uneasy.

But she would see the results by dinner.

She turned her gaze back to the judges’ table.

The competition wasn’t big, but the rules were standard—the judges would taste each dish, score them, remove the highest and lowest scores, then take the average.

Chen Ran had confidence in the system, but still felt a bit anxious.

She had no sense of taste.

No matter how delicious the food she made was, no matter how much the children and teachers loved it, she herself couldn’t taste a thing—not even the tiniest hint of flavor—no matter how hard she tried.

So her heart lacked true certainty.

Unlike Chen Shuzheng, who, upon seeing the judges questioning him, immediately went to retaste his own dish.

The judges had a brief discussion and scored Chen Shuzheng first. After removing the highest score of 85 and the lowest of 60, the average was 79.2.

Chen Shuzheng stood to the side, so shocked his chef’s hat got knocked off.

“You’ve gone too far! This is outright rigging!”

Even if his sweet and sour ribs weren’t as good as his father’s or older brother’s, there was no way they should be scored in the seventies!

And the highest score had come from Wang Zhaoshan—how could the other judges score lower than a professional food critic?

Then Chen Ran’s scores were revealed. Three perfect scores of 100 were removed, as well as the lowest score of 92. Her average was 98.

Seeing the indignant Chen Shuzheng, Wang Zhaoshan said a few words.

“I gave your sweet and sour ribs the highest score because, as a professional judge, I compared your dish to those of other ordinary chefs.”

“But the other judges didn’t do that. They compared yours to Chen Ran’s. And the gap between your dish and hers is a real, objective one.”

“It’s the same dish, but yours is the basic version, and hers is an upgraded version based on your sweet and sour ribs. The plum’s tartness elevated the dish’s refreshing qualities to the extreme—you should taste it and see the difference for yourself.”Chen Shuzheng didn’t go taste it—he still had one more dish, he still had his lion’s head meatballs!

He was confident. Even if Chen Ran had stolen the Chen family’s secret recipe, even if she used the family’s spices, there was no way she could make it better than him.

This was the only dish he had ever received personal guidance on from the old master. It was the dish he had made countless times over the years.

The lion’s head meatballs were ready!

Not only Chen Shuzheng—Chen Ran’s lion’s head meatballs were also finished. When the two were brought out at the same time, even by appearance alone, they were indistinguishable.

Zhu Chenchen had prepared ahead of time. She had written name tags in advance and stuck them on each side’s plate before bringing the lion’s heads to the judges’ table.

To be cautious, Wang Zhaoshan tasted Chen Shuzheng’s lion’s head first.

The taste was fine. Soft, flavorful—but compared to the ones made by Uncle Chen of Zhiweizhai, it still fell quite short.

Wang Zhaoshan recalled what the director had said when commenting on both versions back then. It had been quite accurate.

“Lacking a bit of spirit.”

That sense of spirit is hard to describe in words, and just as hard for a chef to grasp on their own.

Many chefs go their whole lives without understanding that essence. Whether a dish has that spirit or not can be a threshold they never cross.

After eating half of Chen Shuzheng’s lion’s head, he moved on to taste Chen Ran’s.

It was soft, tender, and silky in the mouth, yet had a springy bite when chewed. Bits of water chestnut hidden inside popped like pearls and gave surprising delight.

By all accounts, it was flawless.

He suddenly changed his view of what “spirit” meant.

If you perfect every fundamental and push it to the extreme, just like this lion’s head meatball, then even without so-called spirit, it is still unquestionably top-tier cuisine.

Unfortunately, Chen Shuzheng didn’t have that kind of patience. And neither did he.

Wang Zhaoshan thought of those few years in his youth when he was learning to cook—every day practicing the basics.

Dicing, slicing, shredding; cutting vegetables, meat, gutting fish—it was boring, but also the happiest time of his childhood.

What had his dream been back then…? To become the top chef?

Sadly, he didn’t stick with it. Later, life got busy, and food became something he only dabbled in part-time…

If you stop striving for too long, even your dreams can fade away.

He scooped up another bite of the lion’s head and slowly brought it to his mouth.

The tender, firm minced meat wrapped in fragrant, rich fat slowly melted in his mouth. That warm energy slid down his throat and gently warmed his stomach—

And warmed his heart.

He remembered now—even though he trained as a chef, his original intention wasn’t to become a great one. He just wanted to bring more good food to people.

Now that he’s a food critic, isn’t that just another clumsy way of getting close to that same dream?

This world needs chefs like Chen Ran, and it also needs food critics like him who work hard to discover and promote them.

“Well? Uncle Wang? Isn’t this lion’s head really something special?”Qiu Xian had a dreamy look on her face as she stuffed the lion’s head meatball into her mouth, murmuring, “Every time I eat this lion’s head, I think of my sister taking me all over to eat… I really haven’t seen my sister in a long time. I miss her so much.”

She made up her mind!

“After I finish eating today, I’ll go visit my sister this weekend! It’s just a pity I can’t bring this lion’s head for her to taste…”

Papa Zhu was also reminded of something—he kept eating the lion’s head while frantically tapping on his phone.

Sitting beside him, Qian Rui’s mother still wore her usual cold and aloof expression. While eating the lion’s head, she took out a compact mirror from her bag and kept checking her face in it.

Ms. Wang still had slightly red eyes, whispering something to the gentleman next to her.

Wang Zhaoshan looked around and suddenly began to question the director’s comment about “spirit.”

Food like this—food that can make people recall their childhoods, remember joy, remember their dreams—does that really come from some so-called chef’s spirit?

It must be love, right?

He paused, then gave the lion’s head a full score of 100!

As a professional judge, he knew full well that the highest score would be excluded from the final average. But in his heart, he believed this lion’s head deserved that score.

All six judges held up their scores at the same time—each and every one was a full 100!

At that point, Chen Shuzheng’s score no longer mattered.

His face twisted in disbelief.

“You’re all doing this on purpose, aren’t you? All of you gave 100? Even my big brother’s lion’s head never got full marks at the Two Capitals Competition!”

Several other members of the Chen family, seated nearby, also stood up. Everyone present was a chef—they all knew that getting straight perfect scores for a dish was unheard of, except for the legendary Chef God Chen Congyun and the Ghost Chef Liang Yi.

“How old is she? She’s been in the Chen family all these years and never even touched a stove, and now she’s better than Zheng-ge?”

“Zheng-ge’s lion’s head was taught directly by the old master!”

“Exactly! I’ve eaten Zheng-ge’s lion’s head too. It’s a bit below Young Master Boduan’s, but not by much.”

Wang Zhaoshan remained calm and unhurried.

His conscience was clear.

He pointed to the last lion’s head on Chen Ran’s cooking station. “Try it for yourselves.”

In the end, between chefs, only taste determines victory.

“Try it. If you still care about the pursuit of culinary excellence, I believe that after tasting this lion’s head, you’ll have no objections.”

He personally picked up a spoon and cut the lion’s head into six pieces—just enough for each of the Chen family members present to have one.

Chen Shuzheng walked over with a blank face. He picked up a spoon to eat it but felt it beneath him to be the first.

Coincidentally, the unfortunate Chen Yijin was right beside him.

He glared at his clueless, foolish son. “You try it first.”

Chen Yijin glanced at the circle of uncles and his father around him, instinctively shrinking back, then slowly reached out with a spoon to scoop up a piece of the lion’s head.

He put the piece into his mouth.“Whoa! This is so…”

His comment about how delicious it was was immediately shut down by a slap from his own father. He could only awkwardly scratch his head and take a step back.

But the taste of the lion’s head still distracted him.

Back then, he had also eaten the lion’s head made personally by Grandpa Chen Yuncong. As a child, he had a very sensitive tongue and was highly favored by Grandpa, even more so than Chen Ran at that time.

But did he really… like cooking? It seemed he only did it to receive praise.

But Grandpa didn’t like to praise, and his father never considered his feelings, so slowly he became the mediocre Chen Yijin he was today.

Chen Yijin, looked down upon by everyone.

Chen Yijin glanced back at Chen Ran. Now, looking back, the happiest moment of his childhood was winning a seasoning contest against Chen Ran, who was five years younger.

He just wanted to win… just wanted someone to praise him.

Chen Ran saw Chen Yijin’s look but didn’t bother to think about what this somewhat strange cousin was really thinking.

System task progress updated!

【Chen family members convinced progress: 1/6】

Chen Ran burst out laughing.

This Chen Yijin didn’t say much, but inside he was quite honest.

She had worried this task would be hard to complete—no one knew better how stubborn the Chen family was.

Who knew the system could detect it directly!

Chen Ran leaned back on the cooking counter, supporting herself with both hands behind, relaxed as she looked in that direction.

After Chen Yijin, it was a distant cousin uncle whose name she couldn’t remember. He took a bite of the lion’s head, then fell silent, frowning, as if he couldn’t taste anything at all.

But...

【Chen family members convinced progress: 2/6】

Another one down!

Although his face showed no reaction, the system’s progress update said it all.

Another Chen family member tried the lion’s head, and after eating, he couldn’t help but cover his mouth in surprise and glanced her way.

However, he hadn’t forgotten why he came. Reluctantly swallowing the lion’s head, he finally spoke:

“This lion’s head is… quite something, but it definitely can’t compare to my Zheng-ge’s…”

【Chen family members convinced progress: 3/6】

This one’s down too!

Chen Ran lightly whistled, watching the stubborn uncles glance her way, their faces flushed with embarrassment.

The next uncle to try the lion’s head was the eldest by generation present. Chen Ran vaguely remembered this uncle didn’t have a good relationship with Great Grandpa Chen Yuncong.

The old man was gaunt and thin. When he scooped up a spoonful of lion’s head and ate it, it was as if all his wrinkles instantly smoothed out.He sighed but didn’t dare publicly question the family head’s decision.

【Chen family members convinced progress: 4/6】

【Chen family members convinced progress: 5/6】

In the end, among the Chen family members present, only Chen Shuzheng hadn’t tried the lion’s head.

He looked at his silent family members, hardly believing it.

Although no one except his foolish son had directly praised it, this attitude alone already said everything.

He didn’t believe it!

Chen Shuzheng took a deep breath, lifted the spoon that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, stabbed a piece of the lion’s head hard, then hesitated before scooping a small piece.

He put the lion’s head into his mouth.

Wang Zhaoshan watched this scene with interest and even took a photo with his phone.

In his shot, under the bright sunlight of the competition venue, Chen Ran stood with arms crossed, head slightly tilted, looking over with a proud and confident expression.

The sunlight shining on her evoked every word related to happiness, glowing like the real characters still lingering in the taste in one’s mouth.

Chen Shuzheng stood there with his back to the light, frowning deeply. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened as he put the spoonful of lion’s head into his mouth.

He didn’t believe it!

Why… why?

Why was his lion’s head not as good as Chen Ran’s?

【Chen family members convinced progress: 6/6】

Chen Shuzheng… also knelt!

At that moment, Chen Ran suddenly relaxed.

Chen Shuzheng’s skill was actually quite strong. Having been a head chef for decades, carefully studying a single dish, she had always thought that by the system’s judgment, Chen Shuzheng’s lion’s head should also be rated S-level. For her lion’s head to convince Chen Shuzheng was truly a joy.

Wang Zhaoshan spoke calmly.

“Chef Chen, maybe you don’t remember, but I have tasted your lion’s head before. You were even better then than you are now. I even thought you could catch up to your elder brother Chen Boduan.”

“Unfortunately, you have now turned yourself into a businessman, not a chef.”

There was one more thing he didn’t say: nowadays, the Chen family truly regarded themselves as a business family, not a culinary one.

After Grandpa Chen Yuncong said, “What do ordinary people know about deliciousness,” it was destined that the Chen family would no longer deeply pursue culinary arts.

They had forgotten what the founding culinary god of the Chen family once said.

The system’s notification sounded again, and while Chen Ran was still thinking about how to hold the system’s kitchen knife, Chen Shuzheng spoke.

“Judge Wang.”

He looked up at Wang Zhaoshan, at his crisp tailored suit, and the Patek Philippe on his wrist.

“Your Wang family is big and wealthy. You don’t understand, how much money can you make just by being a chef? The Chen family culinary god wandered his whole life, worked everywhere, and in the end saved only enough for a small half-shop…”But now? The Chen family is huge and powerful!

No matter how well Chen Ran makes her lion’s head, one word from Grandpa can suppress her for a lifetime!

If Grandpa doesn’t want her to be head chef, she wouldn’t even be hired at a tiny, run-down restaurant!

The Chen family now holds not just chefs.

They control the supply chain, the manufacturers, even the industry evaluation standards, and soon will have Michelin cooperation signed.

Chen Shuzheng turned to look at Chen Ran, his voice steady. He even sounded a bit like Chen Boduan.

All these Chen family members felt the same inside.

“Chen Ran, you won today, I admit defeat, but Grandpa’s words will not be taken back.”

“This is not the old days anymore. There will never again be a Chen family culinary god wielding a spatula across all the restaurants.”

“No matter how good you are, try going out; no restaurant will hire you…”

Before he finished, the silent man beside Ms. Wang suddenly stood up.

“I can’t take it anymore! This loser keeps whining here…”

The man stepped forward two steps; his tall figure like an iron tower.

“You think it’s reasonable to bully the weak because you’re strong? Today I’m taking this girl home to cook, and I’ll see who dares to stop me!”

He flashed his police badge: “Qiaotou Road Police Station, today I’m hiring this young lady. If you have the guts, come to the station—I want to see who dares!”