Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

March 18th, 1929.

Qianmenwai Street was bustling with activity that day.

Although it wasn't lunchtime yet, the entrance to Dongxinglou was already packed with people. Ordinary people who had nothing to do on weekdays and reporters from various newspapers who had rushed over after hearing the news were all craning their necks to look inside.

Today is a major event in Beijing's culinary scene! Li Chunsheng, the owner of Li's Restaurant, is going to challenge Yan Desheng, the master of Shandong cuisine, at Dongxinglou.

Dongxinglou went to great lengths for this competition. The mahogany tables and chairs that were originally placed in the center of the hall were removed and replaced with two temporary stoves, which were only a few feet apart, yet they seemed to be the Chu River and Han Border, clearly divided.

In front of the stove, all kinds of seasonings and tools are readily available.

"Dongxinglou is still the most impressive!" someone in the crowd exclaimed. "They've gone to such lengths just to have a food competition."

"That's right. After all, it's the top of the eight major buildings. If it loses face, what will it do? It'll lose all its dignity."

As they were discussing this, a commotion arose at the door.

"He's here! Mr. Mei is here!"

Two black sedans slowly pulled up at the entrance. Feng Liu jumped out first and opened the car door. Mei Lanfang, dressed in a dark blue long gown with a black mandarin jacket over it, stepped out with a calm expression. Following closely behind were Feng Gengguang, president of Xinhua Bank, and Stuart, president of Yenching University.

What was even more surprising was that an elderly man with white hair and beard stepped out of another car. He was leaning on a cane but was in good spirits. It was none other than Mr. Qi Baishi.

"Wow! These gentlemen are all here! Manager Li certainly has a lot of influence!"

Sun Dehai was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing them, he immediately put on a big smile and went to greet them: "Mr. Mei, Mr. Feng, Elder Qi, Principal Situ, your presence is truly an honor for Dongxing Restaurant! Please, take a seat!"

Although Sun Dehai hated Li Chunsheng to the core, he dared not be negligent in front of these top celebrities in Beiping, and he had to put on a good show.

Several distinguished guests were led to the head seat facing the stove, with Yu Deshun, president of the Beiping General Chamber of Commerce, sitting in the middle as a notary.

"Why isn't that kid from Li's shop here yet? Is he scared?" Yan Desheng, dressed in a chef's uniform, stood in front of the stove with his arms crossed, his face full of arrogance.

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd parted to make way.

Li Chunsheng led Lao Wu, Xiao Wu, and Yunniang in at a leisurely pace.

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting." Li Chunsheng walked to the center of the venue, bowed to the gentlemen in the main seats, and appeared calm and composed, showing no sign of nervousness.

Sun Dehai said with a forced smile, "Manager Li, you have quite the airs, making so many distinguished guests wait for you."

"Manager Sun, you flatter me. Preparing the ingredients took some effort," Li Chunsheng replied casually, turning to signal Da Hu to place the wooden box on his stove.

"Preparing ingredients?" Yan Desheng scoffed, pointing to the ingredients already prepared beside the stove. "What? Manager Li doesn't trust the ingredients from Dongxinglou? We have the freshest pork belly and chicken gizzards here, all killed this morning."

Li Chunsheng opened the wooden box, and a blast of cold air escaped.

"What are you saying, Manager Sun? Of course I trust you," Li Chunsheng said, taking out an item wrapped in oil paper from the box and slowly opening it. "However, when making this stir-fried double crisp, the ingredients account for seven-tenths of the success, so I still prefer to use my own."

As the layers of oil paper were peeled away, two enormous pig bellies were revealed.

This pig stomach is a bit different from the usual ones. Its color is not pure white, but has a light pink hue. The stomach wall is extremely thick, especially the head of the stomach, which is raised high and looks very firm.

This is the top-tier ingredient that Li Chunsheng painstakingly spent his reputation points to redeem from the system shop last night: free-range black pig stomach!

These black pigs live deep in the mountains and forests, running and foraging every day, resulting in extremely high levels of exercise. As a result, their abdominal muscles are extremely well-developed, with firm and elastic fibers. Compared to domestic pigs raised in pens, the belly of these black pigs is not only thicker, but also has a crisper texture and a natural meaty aroma, without any fishy or gamey smell.

Then, he took out a package of processed chicken gizzards.

These chicken gizzards are not large, but they are bright red and glistening. The keratin layer on the inner wall has been completely peeled off, revealing tender pink meat. These are free-range chicken gizzards that the system redeemed. These chickens eat grains and insects all year round, so they have strong muscles and stomachs, and their meat is firm, crisp, and springy.

Yan Desheng was an expert; he could tell the extraordinary nature of these ingredients at a glance.

"this..."

He looked at the pig's stomach on his cutting board. Although it was also top-quality stuff from Butcher Zheng, it was clearly inferior to the one in Li Chunsheng's hand.

"It seems Boss Li came prepared," Chairman Yu said. "The competition doesn't prohibit bringing your own ingredients, so this is compliant with regulations, since it's part of cooking."

Sun Dehai's face darkened, and he whispered to Yan Desheng, "Old Yan, don't be fooled by him. Good ingredients are nothing special; this stir-fried double crisp is all about the cooking time and temperature! I don't believe his skills can compare to yours!"

Yan Desheng took a deep breath: "Don't worry, shopkeeper, good ingredients need good skills too! Today I'll show him what true Shandong cuisine is!"

"The auspicious time has arrived! Let the food competition begin!"

With Chairman Yu's command, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense.

Almost simultaneously, the sound of chopping vegetables came from both cutting boards.

Yan Desheng, as expected of a descendant of the imperial chefs, had a seasoned and steady knife skill. Every cut was precise. He first removed the skin and fat from the pig's stomach, leaving only the most succulent belly head. Then he cut it into pieces and carved cross-shaped cuts on each piece, drawing cheers from the surrounding crowd.

If Yan Desheng's swordsmanship was as steady as a mountain, then Li Chunsheng's swordsmanship was as fluid as clouds and as fast as lightning!

The system reward of "Top-notch Knife Skills" was on full display at this moment.

Li Chunsheng cut the thick belly into lychee-sized cubes, then quickly made horizontal and vertical cuts on each piece, controlling the depth of each cut to about four-fifths of the belly's thickness, cutting through the fibers to make them curl when heated, but without cutting them completely.

The stomach of the free-range black pig is tough, and it's difficult for an ordinary knife worker to cut it so smoothly, but in Li Chunsheng's hands, it's as smooth as cutting tofu.

Next up are the chicken gizzards.

Chicken gizzards are harder and irregularly shaped, making them extremely difficult to cut. Yet, Li Chunsheng wielded his knife with incredible speed, slicing each gizzard into a chrysanthemum shape, translucent yet connected at the base.

"Excellent! Excellent swordsmanship!" A chorus of cheers erupted from the surrounding area!

Yan Desheng was startled by the commotion on the other side, but being experienced, he quickly adjusted his mindset and began preparing the thickening sauce.

Mince scallions, ginger, and garlic, then add them to clear broth, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch to make a sauce. Stir-fried double crispy dishes require high heat and quick cooking, so there's no time to add each ingredient to the pan individually; the sauce must be prepared in advance.

Li Chunsheng also prepared the sauce, but he added two more ingredients: a few drops of sesame oil and a pinch of white pepper powder, both of which were obtained through the system.

Although free-range pork belly doesn't have a strong fishy smell, it still needs to be seasoned with sesame oil and pepper to bring out its full meaty aroma.

"Fire!"

They shouted almost simultaneously from both sides.

Da Hu, the assistant, and the waiter from Dongxinglou immediately started the bellows, and flames instantly rose from under the two large iron pots, making a whooshing sound.

At that moment, the entire venue fell silent.

Everyone knew that the most crucial moment had arrived.

The success or failure of stir-fried double crispy filling hinges on those mere three to five seconds.

Yan Desheng poured most of the pot of oil into it, his eyes fixed on the noodles.

The oil temperature is rising.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yan Desheng's forehead. If the oil temperature is too low, the tripe will not be crisp and will taste like chewing rubber; if the oil temperature is too high, it will become tough and inedible.

You must put it in the pan when the oil temperature reaches 80% of its maximum heat.

"Down!"

Yan Desheng shouted loudly and poured the blanched and drained pork belly and chicken gizzards, which had been coated with wet starch, into a strainer and then immersed them in boiling oil!

"boom!"

A cloud of white smoke instantly rose from the oil pan. Yan Desheng silently counted in his mind: one, two, three!

Just after the third second, he flicked his wrist and quickly lifted the strainer to drain the oil.

Next, sauté the scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then pour in the cornstarch slurry.

"Sizzle!"

The thickening sauce boils and thickens instantly when it's added to the pot.

Yan Desheng poured the fried double crispy filling into the pot and tossed it vigorously!

One, two!

In those two blinks, the sauce evenly coated every piece of food.

Out of the pot!

A plate of brightly colored and fragrant stir-fried double crispy vegetables was placed steadily on the plate.

"Great!" the staff at Dongxinglou cheered in unison.

Yan Desheng wiped his sweat and a confident smile appeared on his face. This time, he had handled the situation perfectly.