Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

"Come on, let's have a competition! Who's afraid of who!"

Zhou Feihu looked arrogant, his eyes darting around.

"Jianming is right. As long as you talk about cooking skills, this kid will definitely fall for it."

He thought this in his heart, but didn't show it on his face; instead, he wore a dissatisfied expression.

"But everyone knows you're strong. I don't want to compete with you. If you want to compete, compete with your men. I don't believe my brothers and I are any worse than them."

"These people at the bottom of society spend their days either huddled in tiny shacks cooking fried rice or waiting tables in small restaurants. Why should they come here to enjoy such high wages?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang burst into laughter. It turned out that this person couldn't stand others earning such high salaries.

"Zhou Feihu, a pot should be matched with a lid. You can compete if you want, but there should be some kind of prize involved."

"Not many, just take your set of kitchen knives."

Zhou Feihu's expression changed.

That set of kitchen knives was his most treasured item; it was the work of a top master.

Normally, he wouldn't even show it to others, but today, Gao Yang brazenly used this set of kitchen knives as a bet. Isn't that a slap in the face?

"Kid, I suggest you find another one."

Zhou Feihu gritted his teeth, and his address to Gao Yang had changed from "boy" to "kid".

Gao Yang certainly understood that this was wrong, using someone else's most precious possession as a gamble.

However, if we don't make an example of someone, all sorts of scoundrels will follow, and we'll be driven crazy with annoyance.

He smiled faintly.

"What, you don't dare? You need to understand that you and your brothers, dozens of people, all squeezed in here, so you have to pay a price, right?"

Gao Yang spoke calmly, but his eyes held an undeniable pressure as he stared directly at Zhou Feihu.

"Either gamble, or take your people and leave now. Don't get in the way of the kitchen."

Zhou Feihu's brothers also squeezed into the kitchen, looking at each other in bewilderment.

His face turned pale and then red, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He stared at Gao Yang for a long time, remembering Su Jianming's promise that as long as Gao Yang was ousted, he would give him and his brothers a raise.

However, this set of kitchen knives is also very precious. Back then, it would have been impossible to obtain it without paying a high price.

He glanced at his brothers beside him, pondered for a moment, and then gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Fine, let's bet! But what if you lose?"

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow, glanced at the group of people behind him, and spoke crisply.

"I lost. I'm taking all my men with me, and I'm handing the entire kitchen over to you."

Upon hearing this, a smug glint flashed in Zhou Feihu's eyes, who simply assumed that Gao Yang was young and impetuous.

"Okay! It's a deal!"

Fearing that Gao Yang might change his mind, he immediately made the decision and turned around to shout to those behind him.

"Erzhuzi, go!"

A burly chef stepped forward, rubbing his hands together, his face full of arrogance. He was Zhou Feihu's most reliable chef.

Gao Yang didn't turn around, but only called out in a deep voice, "Old Zhou."

A group of people behind him were whispering among themselves.

"Can we really win? The other team has a chef from a fancy restaurant."

"Yeah, yeah, if we can't win, we'll have to go back to that kind of place."

Seeing this, Zhou Feihu's side couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, seriously? Are your chefs this bad? They don't even dare to compete."

"Yeah, they still occupy such a big space, don't they feel ashamed?"

"If you ask me, everyone should quit being a chef and just go back to farming."

"Hahaha."

The bursts of laughter were like slaps to their faces.

These people had suffered constant suppression in their daily lives, and they showed no confidence whatsoever when facing a group of well-dressed regular soldiers.

"Are you just going to slink away like this?"

Gao Yang's words came at just the right time, like a reassuring injection for these people.

Their voices gradually faded away.

Old Zhou made up his mind and pushed through the crowd to come out.

"Compare what?"

When Lao Zhou spoke, his voice was hoarse but powerful.

Zhou Feihu snorted coldly and pointed to the fresh, live shrimp that had just been unloaded next to him.

"Let's make boiled shrimp!"

This dish may seem simple, but it all depends on controlling the heat. A difference of just one second can make a world of difference in taste.

Old Zhou nodded.

He himself came from a street food stall background and had been dealing with fish and shrimp since he was a teenager.

As the son of a fisherman, he knew all too well how to cook prawns deliciously.

He straightened his back unconsciously, and looked at the burly chef opposite him, his eyes showing even more confidence.

Both sides immediately took their positions, and the kitchen instantly fell silent, with only the sound of kitchen utensils clattering.

Erzhuzi moved swiftly, striking the pose of a master chef as he boiled water and prepared the sauce, his steps elaborate and flashy.

He looked at Lao Zhou with disdain.

Ignoring the other person's disdain, Lao Zhou bent down, picked up a bamboo strainer, and deftly picked out the fresh shrimp from the basin with his fingertips.

He selects only green-backed shrimp that are uniform in size, translucent, and still lively. He doesn't remove the shrimp vein or trim the shrimp whiskers, preserving their original freshness. He shakes off the water with a simple yet efficient motion.

He turned on the gas stove, added water to the pot, threw in two sections of scallion, three slices of ginger, and a pinch of salt. Other than that, there were no other seasonings.

This dish was the first dish he learned from his master at a street food stall. He remembers being scolded by his master for two days because he didn't control the heat well.

Looking back now, these very things became the foundation of his livelihood.

However, his master later passed away unexpectedly from illness, and the owner of the food stall began to bully him, making him work as a cook for more than ten years.

He shook his head with a wry smile, banishing all thoughts from his mind, and kept his eyes fixed on the water temperature.

He held his palm above the pot to feel the temperature, waiting for the water to reach the point where it was about to boil but not quite.

"Okay, this is it!"

His eyes lit up, and he immediately put the prepared prawns in.

With a steady wrist, I held the strainer and gently pushed the shrimp to ensure each shrimp was heated evenly. I did not cover the pot at all and controlled the heat by timing the seconds.

The prawns gradually turned red, and the flavor of scallions and ginger effectively masked any fishy smell. As the prawn meat heated up, it curled up in the water, forming a perfect arc.

He immediately turned off the heat, quickly scooped out the shrimp, and immersed them directly into the ice water that had been prepared nearby. His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"Wow, so fast, and the heat is just right."

Gao Yang nodded repeatedly, satisfied with Lao Zhou's actions.

On that small piece of paper, the first name he wrote was Lao Zhou.

For no other reason than that Lao Zhou is an expert in handling fish and shrimp, and he firmly believes that his team can be built because of these hidden experts.

Soon, both servings of shrimp were ready at the same time.

The two exchanged a glance. Old Zhou's eyes were calm, showing no concern for the competition, just as he would when serving food to guests.

In contrast, Erzhuzi had a disdainful look in his eyes, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, and a nonchalant attitude.

"Try it, realize the difference between us, and then get out of this kitchen."

Gao Yang remained unmoved, sitting in his chair and looking up at Zhou Feihu beside him.

"Try it, Master Zhou. After you've tasted it, you can give up."

"I'm going to tell you today that none of the men under my command are slackers."