Chapter 72

Chapter 72

You came looking for it too? No...

Although Ghostface Beef uses vegetables as the main seasoning and halves the amount of salt, this dish still counts as spiced beef. The best way to eat it is to let it cool first, then slice it.

After cooling, the beef shrinks a bit more than when hot, and the tender beef just cooked becomes even more chewy and springy.

For making this Ghostface Beef, Chen Ran also chose beef shank. After cutting vertically along the beautiful muscle fibers, the semi-transparent tendons spread patterns across the slices, truly resembling a ghost face.

This beef is suitable to be cut slightly thicker.

Ordinary spiced beef needs to be sliced thin because it’s not as tender and springy—cutting too thick would be tough on the teeth.

But this Ghostface Beef locks in more juice, so cutting it thicker achieves a perfect texture somewhere between spiced beef and stewed beef.

Chen Ran arranged the sliced beef on a plate and couldn’t resist eating a piece herself.

Since losing her sense of taste, she rarely “sneaked a taste” like this.

But looking at such beautifully textured beef, neatly sliced, who could resist trying a piece?

The thick rolled beef slice, the moment the chopsticks released it in her mouth, immediately sprung open and flattened out!

Even Chen Ran, without her sense of taste, couldn’t help but feel a bit satisfied with this texture—let alone the students who had trained under Tang Yang all morning.

They had smelled this beef aroma early in the morning!

Although the clear beef scent quickly disappeared, every student who smelled it was eagerly waiting for the moment this dish appeared on the table.

Lunch time at Tang’s Martial Arts School had never been so quiet. All the students sat silently at the tables, their eyes bright and focused, waiting for the food to be served.

Training at the martial arts school was intense; after a morning’s session, almost every student was exhausted.

Though Tang Yang was strict with the students, she wasn’t harsh about daily details. Small tasks like serving and clearing the tables were usually done with a few teachers helping out.

Today was no exception.

Countless eyes fixed on the teachers’ hands as they served the dishes.

Stir-fried asparagus, roasted peanuts, garlic broccoli, pan-fried yellow croaker.

Every time a dish was placed, Tu Xiaoning’s eyes lit up once, then dimmed with disappointment as the dish was set down.

None of them were beef!

The beef aroma they smelled in the morning—surely Teacher Tang hadn’t secretly eaten it all!

She couldn’t help but complain to her senior fellow disciple beside her, “Why isn’t that beef here yet?”

The senior looked at her disdainfully: “You really live too well. Aren’t these dishes on the table good enough? You still want Tang Teacher’s spicy boiled pork tenderloin?”

Tu Xiaoning shuddered.

Better to forget it! Even Chen the chef’s cold dishes tasted better than that boiled pork tenderloin!

Just as she resigned herself and picked up her chopsticks to grab a piece of yellow croaker, the last dish arrived.

Tu Xiaoning wrinkled her nose carefully, trying to identify the scent in the air.

Though Chef Chen had only cooked here for one day, every student had fallen in love with her cooking—it was truly a feast for color, aroma, and taste.Praising her so much wasn’t just because of Teacher Tang’s contrast— even in outside restaurants, Chef Chen’s skills were top-notch!

But this dish... she couldn’t smell much of anything.

A whole plate of beautifully sliced beef was solemnly placed right in the center of the table by Teacher Tang.

The shape was neat, the texture beautiful, but there was hardly any aroma!

Everyone looked up at Tang Yang with some confusion.

Could it be that the beef that smelled so fragrant this morning was really all eaten secretly by Teacher Tang?

Tang Yang was a bit bewildered.

Why hadn’t the kids started rushing for the dishes today? What was going on?

But since she had tasted this Ghostface Beef, she didn’t have time to spar with the kids: “Hurry up and eat! I’ll stay with you for the culture class this afternoon. Anyone who dozes off will have to hold a horse stance while listening!”

Thinking of the afternoon culture class, Tu Xiaoning pouted and was the first to pick up a slice of beef from the table.

Only when it was close to her nose could she faintly smell a trace of beef fragrance. She bit down on more than half a slice, then froze a little.

Completely unlike the faint, bland smell, this bite was rich and fragrant, worthy of praise!

If the aroma of the beef hinted at the gentle charm of a small town in Jiangnan, then this bite was as rich as the northwest frontier.

This was real beef!

The senior fellow disciple next to her grabbed two yellow croakers, swallowing even the bones, chewing heartily.

This little fish was fragrant! He had to eat more before it was all gone!

Since Chef Chen arrived, the dining atmosphere at the martial arts school had no more courtesy. Eat slowly and you might miss out!

If it weren’t for Tang Yang’s strict rule that you must finish one bite before grabbing another, this whole table of dishes might have been devoured the moment they arrived.

Even so, less than a minute had passed, and a plate of yellow croakers was almost gone.

The senior glanced sideways at Tu Xiaoning’s stunned look: “What’s wrong? Beef not good? Eat more fish, or it’ll be gone soon!”

Tu Xiaoning silently swallowed the exclamation about to escape her mouth.

Finishing a slice of beef, she shook her head and sighed, then picked up four slices with one chopstick!

“This beef slice is a bit subpar. Isn’t Chef Chen always known for dishes that are beautiful, fragrant, and tasty? Why is this suddenly so bland...”

The senior nodded in agreement; he hadn’t smelled any aroma from this whole big plate of beef either!

The yellow croaker was better—probably not much oil used, but it was fragrant and crispy; even the bones crumbled crisply.

But...

Wait...

A plate of yellow croakers was almost finished, and everyone at the table, seniors and juniors alike, started to realize something was wrong.

Why was this greedy Tu Xiaoning so obsessed with that beef?

Four slices at once with one chopstick? Was “iron finger inch power” meant for you to use like that?While shaking her head and sighing about Chef Chen’s decline, who was eating faster than anyone else?

Senior brother couldn’t stand it anymore. Seeing Tu Xiaoning about to grab another stack of beef with her chopsticks, he flipped his chopsticks and quickly tapped hers with the ends.

This time, he even used the full strength of the “pao chui” (cannon fist) technique!

Even though Tu Xiaoning had specifically trained her fingers, being tapped like that almost made her lose grip of the chopsticks.

Her hands quickly twisted and turned skillfully, first using the “crane-shaped tricky hand” move, then the “venomous snake’s tongue flick,” finally snatching back her chopsticks.

“Well, well, Tu Xiaoning, trying to play tricks on senior brother, huh?”

Tu Xiaoning practiced Xingyi, while Senior Brother Bo studied Taiji under Tang Yang.

Tang Yang’s Taiji was not the slow, leisurely health exercise you see in the market—his “pao chui” was extremely forceful and expansive, but in the delicate context of a dining table, it couldn’t beat Tu Xiaoning’s Xingyi.

“Senior brother, I told you, believe it or not, this isn’t my fault!”

However, there weren’t only these two at the table.

Those who were aggressively eating the yellow croaker just now had all realized—the plate of beef slices that didn’t smell very fragrant was actually the star of today’s meal.

In an instant, the dining table became a battlefield!

The atmosphere of courtesy cultivated by Teacher Tang’s boiled dishes over consecutive days had long disappeared; the table remained quiet, but the sound of chopsticks tapping echoed.

Although the martial arts school mainly taught Xingyi and Taiji, Tang Yang would sometimes teach sword techniques to the students when he was in the mood.

This time, with chopsticks as swords, the table had already erupted into a fight!

Like venomous snakes, the one who always struck from unpredictable angles yet reliably grabbed beef was Senior Sister Han, who usually never smiled or spoke, first learned Taiji but later switched to Xingyi.

Expansive and forceful, ignoring what others did, but whose chopsticks got broken first when others targeted him, was Senior Brother Bo, who had perfected the “pao chui” technique.

Tu Xiaoning, hit several times and never yielding, refusing to eat any plain dishes and aiming only for beef, had already dropped her chopsticks multiple times!

She cried loudly, “I want to eat beef! Why are you hitting my chopsticks?!”

There was also a Taoist from Longhu Mountain visiting the martial arts school, bringing along a young disciple who reportedly practiced Bagua sword.

The young Taoist brother quickly and accurately grabbed yellow croaker while coolly saying, “You’re the one eating the most! There are forty-six slices of beef on this plate, and you’ve eaten nine!”

Successfully drawing all eyes to Tu Xiaoning, the young Taoist seized the last yellow croaker amid the quarrel, satisfied.

The teachers at the martial arts school sat at a separate table. Teacher Zheng, who taught standing postures, asked Tang Yang with some concern, “Why don’t we learn from other schools and give each student their own plate...?”

“Want to split evenly? Senior brother, your beef slice looks bigger than mine—how about giving me half a slice?”

Unlike the thunderous but ineffective students’ table, the teachers at this table all had real skills!

After that remark, Tang Yang tapped Teacher Zheng’s chopsticks with his own.

The two pairs of chopsticks clashed with a crisp metallic sound, but their hands did not shake.

However, the slice of beef clamped by Teacher Zheng’s chopsticks suddenly broke in half at the pinch point!

The force was so great and heavy that the chopsticks snapped the beef into two pieces.Tang Yang quickly caught the piece of beef broken by the chopsticks: “Then I thank Senior Brother Zheng!”

Before the beef reached her mouth, she suddenly felt a breeze under her seat—it was Senior Brother Zheng hooking her chair with his foot and pulling it backward.

Older Teacher Gao frowned: “Are you still elementary students? Fighting over a piece of beef and pulling people’s chairs? Let go immediately!”

Teacher Gao, being older and more experienced in skill, struck Teacher Zheng’s hand with one chopstick while using the other hand to steady Tang Yang as she was pulled backward, pulling her close.

The beef broken into two pieces finally all ended up in Teacher Gao’s mouth.

She smiled and wiped her mouth: “Not bad. I think no need to split the meal. Our martial arts school should have this awareness—if your kung fu isn’t good, it’s normal you can’t get the tasty food.”

The beef plate was already completely taken, so Teacher Gao nodded at the garlic broccoli on the table.

“This is also pretty good, eat more, fill up!”

Standing up, Teacher Gao patted Tang Yang’s shoulder: “Little Tang, do you still remember what I taught you? When hitting someone, it’s like a kiss—not just sticking on, but always paying attention to the opponent’s movements. You grabbed it and ignored everyone else?”

The two mantises, educated by the old oriole, looked a bit downcast, but since the cicada on the table was gone, they both started picking broccoli together.

“Don’t say, this broccoli is quite tasty. I used to eat it often, but it has to be cooked by Chef Chen to taste right.”

Teacher Zheng resignedly accepted this, while Tang Yang turned her head and saw students at nearby tables snickering, so she turned away and couldn’t help but slam the table.

“What are you laughing at? How many pieces of beef did you all grab? Tomorrow I’ll switch all the chopsticks to bamboo ones, everyone fights for it by skill. Those who don’t get meat have to train extra at night!”

A chorus of complaints arose; Tang Yang shot a glare at the chuckling Teacher Zheng and decided to train harder herself!

After the evening class, when Tang Yang was in the yard brushing strength on a wooden stake, she saw Tu Xiaoning practicing horse stance.

She silently nodded.

This girl is capable! Too bad Senior Sister Gao was better at judging people and had already taken this girl under her wing.

On a whim, Tang Yang broke off two bamboo sticks from a big broom nearby and tossed them to Tu Xiaoning.

“Come! Practice with the teacher!”

Tu Xiaoning was startled, then saw Teacher Tang snap a bamboo stick and rush at her first!

“Too slow!”

Her footing faltered slightly but barely blocked the move, then switched from defense to offense, thrusting toward Tang Yang’s face!

“Good intention, but your stance is unstable!”

Tang Yang was pleased to see Tu Xiaoning switch to offense but immediately spotted her weakness.

“Even if you’re sitting while fighting, your lower body is the most important! What were you just doing?”

Holding horse stance!

Tu Xiaoning struggled to cope with Tang Yang’s fierce and sudden attacks, but her thoughts remained clear like a full moon in the sky.

She recalled what Teacher Gao said when teaching her horse stance.

Horse stance isn’t about standing stiffly in place but planting like a horse! Keep your toes gripping the ground tightly without relaxing; muscles should ripple as if you’re riding a horse, not just standing on the ground!

In Tang Yang’s eyes, Tu Xiaoning, who had just been a bit unstable on her feet, had now changed her momentum.Her footing was no longer unsteady; her toes gripped the ground firmly with each step forward and back. With the muscles in her legs flexing, she could respond in time to every move.

Very good!

“Yes! Beautiful!”

The night was cool as water, the moonlight pure as if washed clean, yet both wore white training clothes. Between attack and defense, they moved like two white cranes dancing.

When Chen Ran came out of the kitchen, she couldn’t help but rub her eyes.

She had thought the two were just training late at night, but unexpectedly, they were holding bamboo stick-like chopsticks, fighting with full energy!

She was a little surprised and somewhat speechless.

If there’s not enough food, you could just say so! Don’t duel in secret because you can’t grab the food!

“Um... how about making more beef tomorrow?”

The bamboo sticks were fragile; after countless heavy clashes between the two, they finally broke under the strain.

Tu Xiaoning was already breathless, but Tang Yang’s breathing was still steady. She shouted to Tu Xiaoning: “Regulate your breath!”

Watching Tu Xiaoning stand in place again and properly adjust her breathing, Tang Yang smiled and turned to face Chen Ran: “Chef Chen, no need! I see she’s diligent, I’ll train with her.”

Chen Ran nodded somewhat understandingly and pointed to the kitchen: “You said you’ll keep making ‘ghost face beef’ for several days, so I made extra since it’s eaten cold and won’t spoil.”

“No need to make extra!”

Tang Yang was already calculating in her mind: “Making less is fine too!”

This Tang family martial arts school was her ancestral school, passed down for more than ten generations to her.

They say ‘poor in literature but rich in martial arts,’ and for Tang Yang, this was true. The family had many assets, and she was a wealthy idler who didn’t rely on the school to make money, nor did the school make money.

She didn’t charge students, provided food and lodging, and even helped those with family difficulties.

After more than ten years, the atmosphere in Tang’s martial arts school was very harmonious. But perhaps the problem was exactly in this harmony.

Martial artists can’t be overly aggressive, but they must have some fighting spirit!

Though starting from fighting over food was a bit strange...

“Tomorrow, only serve half the amount of beef as today!”

There were 24 students in the whole school, with each table fixed to eight people eating together, to help them get along better.

“Also, it must be an odd number!”

Chen Ran was a little confused but still nodded.

She was just the cook; what and how to cook was decided by the owner of this school, Tang Yang.

So, before serving dishes the next day, Chen Ran specifically counted to make sure each plate had a number not divisible by eight.

After serving the teachers, she stood at the door curiously watching.

Unlike yesterday, today Tang Yang seemed to carry a bit of killing intent!

“Today’s food is all there is, no more refills. If you don’t get any dishes, not only do you eat plain rice, but you have to train extra at night! I won’t supervise, but I want those who don’t get dishes to be self-disciplined!”“And, each person gets one pair of chopsticks, and each time you may only pick up one piece! If your chopsticks break or snap, use your hands! Remember what I taught—don’t use brute force!”

“Also, sit properly on your chairs! No standing up to grab food!”

After saying this, Tang Yang sat down at the table, picked up her bamboo chopsticks, and fixed her eyes on Senior Sister Gao, who had snatched the beef from her mouth yesterday.

“Start—”

“Eating!”

In that instant, Chen Ran standing at the door felt the fragments of her bangs flutter slightly...

A murderous aura swept toward her!

However, compared to the earlier mutual courtesy in the dining hall, this atmosphere was more like what she imagined a martial arts school to be.

Although everyone was using bamboo chopsticks, somehow the food snatching felt like a clash of swords and blades.

She saw the young girl who had sparred with Tang Yang last night.

A strand of hair fell down, and Tu Xiaoning didn’t bother to tuck it back but casually flicked it, biting the strand in her mouth, and reached for the beef!

Everyone today was prepared. A plate of beef had been served less than half a minute ago but was already snatched three times.

Now, only the last three slices remained!

The chopsticks stretching from the rice bowl to the center of the table—just a few dozen centimeters—had already clashed three times!

Senior Sister Zhao even used some moves from the Eight Trigrams Sword technique. Senior Sister Han, who yesterday had a calm and smiling face, had lost her composure.

Tu Xiaoning’s chopsticks were struck again by Junior Brother Bo. She used his force against him, deflecting the heavy strike aside, then pushed away Senior Sister Han’s sword strike, and finally touched the beef!

But grabbing the beef wasn’t victory yet. When the piece was finally brought to her mouth, Senior Sister Zhao snatched off half of it, leaving only half a slice...

Still, half a slice was better than nothing!

Tu Xiaoning happily felt the remarkable elasticity and rich aroma of the beef in her mouth. In her peripheral vision, she saw Chen Ran, who gave her a thumbs-up.

Chef Chen’s dishes were really delicious!

She had practiced martial arts since childhood and hadn’t learned much academically, so she didn’t know how to express her feelings.

But she simply felt that the dishes Chen Ran made were different from others’! Really delicious!

The martial arts school hadn’t never hired other chefs, but under Tang Yang’s requirements, every chef soon gave up on taste, focusing only on nutrition as Tang Yang demanded.

Only this Chef Chen sacrificed her own rest time to make these low-oil, low-salt dishes so tasty!

For the first time, she felt what it meant to taste the chef’s “dedication” from a dish.

Not only her; almost every diner of Chen Ran thought so.

This was why Chang Nian praised her dishes as “free of selfish motives,” why the toddlers at the kindergarten made such heartfelt cards when saying goodbye to her, and why Old Xu decided to support Chen Ran after tasting her cooking for the first time.

...Of course, it was also this reason that spurred several diners from the south to brave the biting north wind of Pingshan’s streets, searching everywhere for Chen Ran’s whereabouts.

Everyone hoped to be the first to find Chen Ran!

Especially Wang Zhaoshan, who was eager to wash away his “bottom-ranked” title.Pingshan City is located in the northern part of the Flower Kingdom but not yet beyond the frontier. It was once the birthplace of the flourishing Lu cuisine.

If Huaiyang cuisine is considered the cuisine of scholars, then Lu cuisine was once the authentic cuisine of officials.

Unfortunately, with the changes in civilization, Lu cuisine, which was once famous among the high-ranking nobles, gradually lost its former status.

The once prosperous Lu cuisine supplied a large number of culinary talents across the country, but even Wang Zhaoshan, a food critic, has rarely reviewed pure Lu cuisine banquets in recent years.

He was a bit curious about which dish Chen Ran would learn after coming to this land.

During the past month in the haunted house, every Huaiyang dish Chen Ran mastered was considered a masterpiece of the time, even elevating her already solid skills to a new level.

What about here? What stunning impressions would she give him? A newly lost rare treasure?

Although he had only been in Pingshan City for one day, Wang Zhaoshan had already visited several suspected places where Chen Ran might appear!

But to his disappointment, he had never actually found Chen Ran once.

The place in front of him now was his last destination for today, and also the place that sounded most likely to have Chen Ran.

—It was a barbershop that was highly rated online for its delicious food.

Coincidentally, he needed a haircut too.

Wang Zhaoshan took a deep breath of the slightly cool air. Just as he was walking toward the barbershop door, he suddenly noticed a very familiar figure.

By coincidence, the other party also saw him!

“Oh hey, Lao Wang?”

“Hahaha, isn’t this Zhu Nan? Where’s your inseparable photographer?”

After exchanging questions, the two fell silent for half a minute, then spoke in unison:

“Didn't you say there’s nothing good to eat in Pingshan City?”

“Didn't you say you were too busy with a shooting task to come?”

Meanwhile, the photographer came running excitedly: “Zhu Nan! Hurry inside! I saw on public reviews that this barbershop even has fried chicken legs. Could it be that Chinese-style fried chicken leg?”

Wang Zhaoshan and Zhu Nan glanced at each other, then without agreement both squeezed into the barbershop!

Just as they entered, they saw another somewhat familiar figure. Back during the haunted house competition, they had exchanged business cards.

He Xin, lying on the chair getting her hair washed, felt a bit awkward. Covered in foam, she stiffly raised her hand and waved: “You guys are here too...”