In the 1970s, it started with contracting out communal dining.

Thick white steam enveloped the steamer in front of Chenwei, completely obscuring the delicious dish and making it difficult for those around him to see clearly.

Contestants who were nearby peeked over, curiously observing the scene.

Finally, the thick white fog gradually dissipated, revealing the scene inside the steamer.

On the steamer was a large, rough porcelain bowl, and inside was a faint outline of steamed pork belly.

"This...is this the flavor from the Cantonese region?"

Among the contestants, there were probably some knowledgeable people who recognized the deliciousness of Chen Wei's dish and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"It looks like steamed meat, it smells so good!"

With this person's guidance, everyone craned their necks, eagerly looking towards Chen Wei's steamer.

Just then, Chen Wei unleashed his ruthless iron hand, bringing out the rough porcelain bowl and, with a flick of his wrist, inverting the bowl of steamed pork with preserved mustard greens directly onto the porcelain plate.

Suddenly, the aroma that was already spreading in the air became even stronger, making several contestants' mouths water.

In the center of the porcelain-white plate, there was a small mountain of pork belly. The pork belly had been steamed for a long time and had become soft, tender, and translucent.

The fatty meat with skin on has a crystal-clear amber color, like fine beeswax, and gleams under the light.

Each piece of meat is perfectly square and of uniform thickness—viewed from the side, it has distinct layers and a clear texture, as beautiful as marble.

On top of the neatly stacked chunks of meat, there was a light brown mountain, with dried plum vegetables on top that had become glossy and tempting after being soaked in the meat juices. Now, it had been suddenly turned over and was dripping meat juices down.

"Plop—"

"Plop—"

Several sounds of swallowing saliva could be heard in succession, clearly indicating that several people nearby couldn't help but swallow.

Ma Dayong frowned, his face turning deathly pale instantly.

This fragrance...it smells amazing!

It was as if an invisible hand was gently scratching at his heart, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable, yet also carrying an indescribable longing.

The aroma was incredibly complex, containing the salty and savory fragrance of dried plum vegetables after long steaming, rich and mellow, like a lingering old wine.

It also carries the aroma of pork belly fat, smooth and jade-like, with a hint of sweetness, making the previous savory flavor even more enticing.

Upon closer inspection, one can discern that soy sauce and oyster sauce were used in the seasonings. After being heated to high temperatures, the aroma carries a subtle, smoky fragrance, giving it a unique flavor.

"Plop—"

Ma Dayong swallowed hard, completely losing his composure, then realized what he had done and cursed himself for being useless.

Having worked in Cantonese cuisine for two years, there's absolutely no way he wouldn't recognize a basic dish like steamed pork with preserved mustard greens.

What puzzled him was precisely this: how could such basic, ordinary home-cooked dishes be made to such a high standard!

At first glance, the color, the aroma, the presentation...

Every detail is just right; any more or less would be excessive, and any less would be lacking. It is perfectly natural, as if this dish was meant to be this way.

But what he should never have done was to create this dish, which was like a masterpiece of nature.

Looking down at the two dishes on his table that he was once so proud of, Ma Dayong felt a surge of jealousy growing wildly in his heart.

"This damn stale smell!!!!"

Ma Dayong's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his anger, which he tried to suppress several times, only burned even more fiercely.

Absolutely not!

We absolutely cannot let that kid win the championship!

Otherwise... otherwise... otherwise how could he possibly have the face to go back to Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant! How could he possibly have the face to go back and see Ma Qianjin, and Sun Ergou, who was so utterly confused by his boastful words that he couldn't tell which way was which?

Suddenly noticing the salt shaker on his desk, a wicked thought sprouted in Ma Dayong's mind.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and almost immediately he grabbed the jar of salt from the table and rushed toward Chen Wei's stall.

"Time's up! Everyone stop what you're doing, place your finished dishes on the small cutting boards in front of your stalls, return to your stalls, and wait for your scores!"

Just then!

Suddenly, a clear female voice from the podium interrupted Ma Dayong's actions.

Lin Xiaoyan stared intently at them, her guarded gaze sweeping over Ma Dayong.

He ruthlessly declared the end of the match.

Ma Dayong frowned and stopped abruptly.

He glanced back at Lin Xiaoyan standing on the high platform, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

But since the match time had already been announced as over, he had no choice but to give up, snorted sullenly, and returned to his stall.

Chen Wei, completely unaware of the announcement, couldn't help but look up at the clock hanging in the distance when he heard it.

"Huh? There are still two minutes left..."

He scratched his head, thinking to himself, "Oh well, the food is already cooked, so what's two more minutes?"

Perhaps Lin Xiaoyan made a mistake.

Thinking this, Chen Wei quickly placed the two dishes he had prepared on the small cutting board in front of the stall, and then returned to the stall and stood up straight.

The other contestants at the nearby stalls naturally dispersed in disappointment, refocusing their attention on their own entries.

Yang Limin sat upright in the center of the judges' panel.

The two judges sitting around him immediately looked at Yang Limin, who was sitting in the center, with smiles on their faces as Lin Xiaoyan announced the end of the competition.

The intellectual wearing glasses seemed to have a higher social standing and spoke first.

"Teacher Yang, which column would you like to start tasting the dishes from?"

In the cooking competition, three judges score each participant individually. They walk past each stall in turn, taste the dishes prepared by the contestants, score them, and then take the average score to determine the final score for that stall's contestant.

The final ranking of the competition will naturally be determined by the score of the participant.

Yang Limin coldly surveyed the contestants lined up below, remaining silent for a moment.

The other man, who was probably in his thirties and also a cook, quickly offered him a cigarette.

"Uncle-Master, why don't Teacher Wei and I go down and try a round first, while you rest for a while?"

Yang Limin looked down at the Liqun cigarette that was being offered to him, waved his hand, and pushed it away.

"On the field, serious matters come first! Don't let these capitalist practices get the better of you!"

The man in his thirties, caught off guard, gave an embarrassed smile and quickly nodded and bowed.

"Yes, yes, Uncle-Master is right!"

Then Yang Limin stood up with an extremely demanding look in his eyes and waved to the two judges beside him.

"Let's go see what they're doing!"