My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

"make a deal!"

Hanikezi clenched her fist and followed Chen Yi into the open-air kitchen that had been converted from the back of the recording area.

The stove is made of blue bricks, the bottom of the firewood pot is made of wood, and four large iron pots are lined up in a row, with the ingredients purchased by each group piled up next to them.

The cameraman set up his camera opposite the stove, and the red recording light came on.

Chen Yi placed the basket on the cutting board and began to sort and arrange the ingredients: lamb chops, flour, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, cumin powder, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Hanikezi rolled up her sleeves and stood next to him, her face full of fighting spirit.

"Where's the kitchen knife? I'll chop the onions first."

Chen Yi handed her a kitchen knife and then took three onions from the basket and placed them on the cutting board.

"First cut off both ends, then cut it in half vertically, and then slice it into strips along the grain. The knife should be inserted at an angle, not vertically downwards."

Hanikezi nodded, gripped the handle of the cleaver, and raised her hand.

"Wait a moment."

Chen Yi reached out and pressed down on her wrist, correcting her grip on the knife.

"Place your index finger on the back of the knife; this way, the force is even when cutting, and it won't slip."

Hanikezi's fingers stiffened for a moment as she looked down at the onion on the cutting board, her ear tips turning pink.

"Okay, I understand."

Chen Yi loosened his grip, took a half step back, and turned to knead the dough.

Hanikezi took a deep breath, made a single cut, and sliced ​​the onion in half, leaving a clean cut.

"How was it!" She turned to look at Chen Yi, holding up the kitchen knife, her expression like that of a primary school student who had gotten a perfect score and was waiting for praise.

"Not bad, keep going." Chen Yi didn't even look up.

"When you praise someone, can't you say a few more words?"

"Two words? Very good."

"Chen Yi!"

At that moment, a mechanical electronic voice suddenly sounded in my mind.

"Ding! Variety show perception alert: The current scene is suitable for creating sweet and interactive highlights. It is recommended to extend the duration of the teaching interaction."

Chen Yi ignored the system notification and focused on kneading the dough.

Add water to the flour, knead and slap it repeatedly until the dough is smooth and round after ten minutes. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise.

He glanced back at Hanikezi's progress; the onions were already chopped, varying in thickness, but at least she hadn't cut her hand.

The green peppers and tomatoes were still sitting untouched.

"How do you cut a tomato?" Hanikezi asked him, holding up a tomato.

"Make a cross-shaped cut at the bottom to let the juice out."

Chen Yi walked over to her and found that she was holding the knife at the wrong angle; the tip of the knife was pointing upwards and the cutting board was facing upwards.

"Your cutting method requires surgery."

He stood behind her, placed his right hand over hers and pressed down on the back of her hand, then guided her wrist to bring the knife down onto the tomato.

"Relax your wrists and apply even pressure when pressing down."

Hanikezi froze, her back almost pressed against Chen Yi's chest, and she could smell the faint, almost nonexistent scent of laundry detergent on him.

"Are you listening?" Chen Yi's voice came from above.

"Listen, I'm listening," Hanikezi's voice trailed off.

With a swift stroke, the tomato was cut into neat chunks.

"Did you learn it?"

"I've learned it."

Chen Yi let go of her hand, turned around and went back to the stove to start preparing the lamb chops.

Hanikezi stood in front of the cutting board, her hand holding the cleaver still slightly warm.

She bent down and chopped the tomatoes vigorously, splashing juice everywhere.

Just then, an extremely exaggerated gasp came from the kitchen doorway.

"My God!"

Chen Chi leaned half his body into the door frame, his eyes wide open.

"Is this a variety show recording or an idol drama filming?!"

"What did you say?!" Hanikezi nearly dropped the kitchen knife from her hand.

Chen Chichi pointed to the less than half-meter distance between the two of them, his expression exaggerated.

"Dude, which idol drama did you learn this teaching method from? Teaching me how to chop vegetables step by step? Why don't you just hold me and teach me?"

"Cousin, get out of the way, don't disturb my teaching." Chen Yi didn't even turn his head.

"Teaching? You need to stand that close to teach how to chop vegetables? Can you even fit a piece of paper between you?"

"As long as it can fit your face, that's fine."

Chen Chichi clutched his chest and took two steps back.

"Oh no, my cousin has been kidnapped."

He made a heartbroken gesture, leaning exaggeratedly against the door frame.

"Stop acting, what are you doing here?" Chen Yi threw the cut lamb chops into the hot oil, making a sizzling sound.

"I came to see what you guys are cooking. Deng Chao and I only bought instant noodles and sausages."

"Serves you right, who told you to spend all your points on snacks?"

"That was bought by Deng Chao! What does it have to do with me!"

Chen Chichi smelled the aroma of meat wafting from the pot and walked in without thinking.

"Hey bro, can I have a piece of lamb chop?"

"Not distinguishable."

Not even one piece?

"These were earned with our group's task points; it's stealing if you try to freeload."

"I'm your cousin!"

"Even a cousin has to go through the proper channels." Chen Yi used a spatula to slap away Chen Chichi's outstretched hand.

Hanikezi, standing to the side, laughed and squatted down while holding the knife.

"Brother Chichi, you should just go back and eat instant noodles."

"You two teamed up to bully me!"

Chen Chichi covered his reddened fingers and left angrily, but turned back after taking three steps.

"Hey Chen Yi, if you win the scoring round later, you have to treat me to a late-night snack!"

"We'll talk about it after the results are out."

Chen Chichi stormed off, and outside the door came the sound of him complaining to Deng Chao.

"Whatever! They're showing off their love in there! I'm not watching!"

Chen Yi ladled out the stir-fried lamb chops and started making the noodles for the hand-pulled noodles. He rolled the rested dough into long strips, brushed them with oil, let them rest for a while, and then stretched them with both hands.

The noodles were stretched into even, thin strips in his hands with fluid and natural movements.

Hanikezi put down the cleaver and rested her hands on the cutting board as she watched him make noodles.

"How come you can do everything?"

"The system taught me."

"What?"

"I said I taught myself."

"You're lying. You said last time that you never cook at home."

"Last time is last time; people grow and mature."

"Your growth rate is not normal."

"Good talent." Chen Yi put the noodles into the pot without changing his expression.

Forty minutes later, a plate of golden-red Xinjiang-style mixed noodles and a plate of cumin lamb chops were served on the scoring table.

Deng Chao was the first to rush over and grab a mouthful of noodles.

After chewing three times, he put down his chopsticks and gave a thumbs up.

"Chen Yi, are you sure you've never studied cooking before? The chewiness of these noodles is professional-grade."

Lu Han took a bite of the lamb chop and her eyes widened in surprise.

"This cumin flavor is amazing, even better than what you get in restaurants. Yi-ge, would you consider taking on an apprentice?"

"Tuition is very expensive."

"How expensive?"

"You can't afford it."

Lu Han made a hurt expression and continued eating with her head down.

During the scoring process, Lao Wang tasted all the dishes from each group and finally raised the number for Chen Yi and Hanikezi's group.

"The highest score in this round goes to Chen Yihanikezi's group; they pass with a perfect score!"

The audience burst into applause, and Hanikezi clapped and jumped twice in excitement.

Old Wang put down the number plate and suddenly added a sentence.

"To be honest, the combination of you two isn't just about good chemistry, it's about a strong bond."

The entire venue erupted in a deafening roar.

Deng Chao led the commotion by banging on the table.

Chen Chichi covered his ears and howled.

Lu Han whistled beside her.

Hanikezi lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt, her ears turning bright red.

Chen Yi took a sip of tea, his face expressionless, but he changed the position of the hand holding the cup, which just happened to cover the uncontrollable smile at the corner of his mouth.

Old Wang clapped his hands in satisfaction and shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"Prepare the venue for the evening's program; tonight's highlight cannot go wrong."

Chen Yi put down his teacup and looked at Old Wang.

"What are your plans for tonight?"

Old Wang's smile was meaningful.

"You'll find out tonight."