Zongman: My days as a chaebol in Japan

"Everyone, please look, Chef Soma Yukihira's creation is fried rice, which is a dish we often come into contact with in daily life. Let's interview Chef Soma Yukihira about his thoughts." When the host saw that Soma Yukihira's creation was fried rice, he was a little worried for a moment whether the chef had given up, but his professional ethics still cheered him up.

"Chef Soma Yukihira, may I ask if you have any tips for making the fried rice this time?" The host took a few glances but couldn't see anything different about Soma Yukihira's dish. Apart from the fact that the egg yolk was more evenly distributed, there was nothing else that stood out.

Soma Yukihira was not stage fright when facing the interview with the host, because after finishing his cooking, his inner nervousness had disappeared, and the extremely high degree of completion made his confidence begin to grow from the bottom of his heart.

"No problem. Although my egg fried rice uses regular ingredients, the chef's careful treatment has made it perfectly fit into the dish. When the ingredients are perfectly combined in the dish, it will make the diners feel happy. So I named this egg fried rice Happy Egg Fried Rice," Soma Yukihira said with confidence, and made a surprising move the next moment.

After the staff took away the plates of food that were passed to the judges' seats, Soma Yukihira took out a few more plates. His Happy Egg Fried Rice was not just the amount for the judges' seats, so he quickly packed out a portion and handed it to the host.

"My cuisine is the ultimate combination of common ingredients. Host, please also try it. And then please help the audience here to taste it as well." After handing the fried rice to the host, Soma Yukihira took out a few plates and divided up the remaining fried rice.

The host was a little surprised for a moment. Didn't the chef know what kind of occasion it was? The people on the judging panel were not the restaurant bloggers.

Sure enough, when the host turned the camera around, except for Nakiri Senzaemon and Kira, everyone else had a calm expression and they just glanced at the fried rice that was served and made their comments.

Among the four masters, even the straightforward A'lu scratched his head a little embarrassedly at this moment, "Well, as for fried rice, I will only taste it when it is served as a side dish with rice balls. The rice balls that Komatsu often makes after returning from Shokurinji are pretty good. As for Chef Soma Yukihira's happy fried rice, I can only say sorry."

But A Lu finally took a bite and then stopped.

Sunny and Coco were much more direct, saying that they accepted the invitation to come to Totsuki's competition to eat unique masterpieces, not to eat a piece of fried rice that could be made by any street chef. The artistry and carving of this fried rice were not to their liking.

Zebra even said directly that it was the first time he met a chef who treated him to fried rice with egg.

After all, Liu Quan was invited by his good friend, so he tasted a few bites and gave a good review. This time he even did not give any suggestions like before.

Nakiri Senzaemon and Kira gave two good evaluations respectively. This was done out of respect for their old friend. They did not expect that Yukihira Soma would do this, and now they are in a bad mood.

Finally, Li Xuan poured the fried rice directly into the trash can next to him.

Soma Yukihira's Happy Egg Fried Rice received very good reviews from the host and the audience, and even Erina, who has an unparalleled sense of taste, gave it a good review.

But after seeing the results from the judges' panel, Soma Yukihira was a little bit unable to accept it. He was even more unbelievable and angry when he saw that Li Xuan took a look at his food and threw it directly into the trash can, even though he had recognized that Li Xuan was the person who had given important guidance in his store in the morning.

"Why? Even if you think my cooking is not up to standard, just leave it alone. Why do you have to throw it into the trash can?" Soma Yukihira, who was encouraged by the audience, suddenly became gloomy after seeing the actions of the judges and Li Xuan at the end.

The host was not surprised by the actions of the judges, but thought it was normal. He looked at Chef Soma Yukihira with a bit of pity. His Happy Egg Fried Rice was indeed great, even a bit on par with Chef Ryodan Kobayashi's Beast Fighting Meatballs.

But you have to understand the occasion you are in. This is the opening competition of Totsuki Academy, and tens of thousands of people are watching. The competition is not a small street restaurant, and the chef can do whatever he wants.

The host felt a little sorry for Chef Yukihira Soma. He guessed that Chef Yukihira Soma must have been focusing on culinary research and had no social experience, so he decided to help him and let him know why the judges made such an evaluation.

He ran up to the judges' table and interviewed the judges.

"Chef Soma Yukihira's Happy Egg Fried Rice received a good response from the audience, but it suffered a setback among the judges. Let's interview the judges to hear their opinions," the host began interviewing the judges with the idea of ​​helping Soma Yukihira accumulate social experience.

The results were not surprising. Basically, the cooking of the general public has its limits, and the Ten Greatest Cooks of Totsuki have already reached this limit and are still pushing it beyond it, so the judges will give their evaluations of their cooking.

However, Soma Yukihira's Happy Egg Fried Rice is too ordinary and is not on their menu.

In other words, we come to Totsuki to eat delicious food, not to eat ordinary street food. If Soma Yukihira had not passed the fried rice to the people around him, the evaluation might have been different, but this willful behavior was added.

The quality of Happy Egg Fried Rice instantly dropped.

Chapter 118 The frog in the well croaks

The four masters replied that it was too ordinary, while Liu Quan said that the egg fried rice dish conflicted with the occasion of the competition.

Nakiri Senzaemon and Kira were a little speechless. They had originally been optimistic about their junior, but ended up causing such a scene. So they could only say that the chef's basic skills were solid, but the menu of dishes was a bit monotonous. They looked forward to his future progress.

It should have ended here, and Nakiri Senzaemon was ready to announce the results and complete the ceremony, but unexpectedly, Yukihira Soma made another surprising move. He ran to the judges' seat and rushed straight in front of Li Xuan.

"Why? I remember you said my egg fried rice was delicious in my restaurant this morning. Why don't you even want to try it now? You are trampling on the chef's cooking," Soma Yukihira pointed at Li Xuan excitedly.

When Nakiri Senzaemon saw this, he was shocked. How could this person be so brave as to say such words to Li Xuan? He was already ready to take action to subdue Yukihira Soma.

Unexpectedly, Li Xuan seemed to have noticed Nakiri Senzaemon's thoughts, shook his head slightly and stopped his actions.

Then he looked at Soma Yukihira and said calmly, "Do you think Totsuki Gakuen is some kind of street restaurant? Anyone who can cook can come in? Your fried rice, oil, salt, rice, ketchup, eggs, plus you are a young chef who doesn't understand his own way, why do you think you can get evaluation from me?"

"In the morning, I ate your fried rice as a casual person who was shopping with his girlfriend."

"My name is Li Xuan, I was born in the Xia family of Great Xia. What I eat seriously is the food prepared by Dragon Chef. Who do you think you are? Your arrogance is not backed by enough strength."

After saying that, Li Xuan waved his hand and asked the staff to wash a handful of rice and bring it up. He also picked up the plate that had just been used to pour the fried rice and put the washed rice on it. The Sun Sutra started to operate, and the rice instantly turned into popcorn. Moreover, the popcorn was directly ripened by the Sun Sutra, and unlike the normal snow-white popcorn, it all turned golden.

He put the plate down, pointed at Soma Yukihira, then pointed at the popcorn and said, "Eat it. I can't cook, but what I made is beyond your reach at the moment."

Soma Yukihira was stunned by the scene in front of him. A person without any tools, no, he did have some tools, a plate used for popcorn, and he directly turned rice into popcorn, and the color was golden.

At this time, the popcorn on the plate began to emit a rich rice aroma. When the host, who was closer, smelled the aroma, he instantly found himself in a lush rice field. Above his head was a golden, scorching sun, drying the rice.

The rice exploded directly from the rice stalks and turned into golden popcorn. The fragrance of rice filled the entire paddy field. The host subconsciously picked up a popcorn and ate it. When he came to his senses, he found that he had reached out to pick up the popcorn on the plate and was eating it.

The aroma of bursting rice flowed through the person's mind, and he was pulled back to the scorching rice field again. The golden sun was still in the sky. Being in Kyoto, the host felt very hot.

I don’t know how long it was before the host finally came to his senses. He looked shocked and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

The other people on the judges' panel had understandable expressions on their faces, and some even came over to grab a few popcorns and put them in their mouths, also feeling the scorching temperature of the golden sun and the deep aroma of the rice.

The fragrance soon spread throughout the entire competition venue. The audience who smelled the fragrance all fell into the same scene as the host. After waking up, they were all drenched in sweat.

Soma Yukihira in front of Li Xuan was so shocked that he stood there in a daze. His talent as a chef was extremely high, and his feelings were even more profound. He now felt that what he was facing was not popcorn, but the crushing of the sun in the sky and the fragrance of rice.

He was unable to break free from his own mind, and finally it was Nakiri Senzaemon who saw that his eyes were dazed and, in order to prevent anything bad from happening to the son of his old friend, he stepped in to wake him up.

"Wake up," Nakiri Senzaemon's voice exploded in Yukihira Soma's mind, and also woke up many of the audience. Asuna and Erina, who were at the front, did not sweat profusely because they had internal energy and Li Xuan woke them up at the first time.

When Soma Yukihira woke up, his face was dazed. He couldn't describe the taste of the popcorn he had just eaten in words. He couldn't understand why the popcorn he had eaten made the scene of the fragrance of rice fields under the scorching sun appear in his mind.

He originally thought that his Happy Egg Fried Rice was a masterpiece that would make ordinary people unconsciously show a happy expression after eating it, but now it seems that he is just a frog in the well.

He began to understand what Li Xuan and the judges said. His cooking skills had reached the peak in the conventional sense, but in their eyes, such cooking skills could only be regarded as beginners entering their sight. His confidence just now was ridiculous.

Seeing Soma Yukihira who was so depressed, Nakiri Senzaemon could only speak again and said seriously: "Yukihira, don't compare yourself with Young Master Li Xuan. There is too much difference between you and Young Master Li Xuan. You are not on the same dimension. Find your own path as a chef, otherwise your father and I will suggest that you give up your identity as a chef."

Nakiri Senzaemon was right. The popcorn that Li Xuan made using the Sun Scripture made the four masters sweat after eating it. Sunny, who has always been pursuing the art of food, and Coco, who is good at food carving, couldn't help but say that it was an excellent delicacy.

They can perfectly see the picture of delicious food and Li Xuan’s “intention” in the popcorn.

After eating, Zebra invited Li Xuan to go to the Lost Continent with him to hunt dangerous species. Finally, he would use the popcorn method to make delicious food that would surely shock the entire food industry.

A'lu didn't say anything. Almost all the popcorn was in his mouth. He was savoring the taste. He was known as a big eater, but his stomach was bloated and full.

After Nakiri Senzaemon asked Li Xuan, the other five people also came over. They simply ate one pill, and in a few seconds their minds were occupied by the scene of the rice fields under the scorching sun.

Nakiri Senzaemon was optimistic about them and prepared to wake them up, but to his surprise, the girl, Kobayashi Ryudan, actually broke free by herself. Although her face was flushed after breaking free and she sat down on the ground exhausted, her sweat wet a large area of ​​the blanket.

Looking at Kobayashi Ryudan with surprise, Nakiri Senzaemon was a little impressed by Li Xuan's sharp vision, and then he woke up the others using the method he used to wake up Yukihira Soma.

Soma Yukihira had also recovered by this time. Nakiri Senzaemon's words did not discourage him, but instead ignited a fire in his heart. He wanted to improve his cooking skills and make dishes that would be approved by Li Xuan in the future.

Nakiri Senzaemon saw that none of the six people were defeated. Instead, there was a gleam of light in their eyes, which was the light of struggle.

Chapter 119: Altria's Rival

"I will definitely, definitely make food that you will approve of," Soma Yukihira said as his declaration of struggle, and his declaration also infected several other people.

Li Xuan saw several people looking at him with burning eyes and chuckled.

"Well, then you guys do your best. I probably won't give you any evaluation until you reach Uncle Liu's level." After saying that, Li Xuan turned around and left to find Asuna and the others. The competition at the beginning of the school year had ended successfully. After exchanging contact information with Alu and the others, Li Xuan and Asuna also returned to Rizhaoju.

On the way back with Asuna and the others, Asuna and the others changed the name of the shop, which was proof that they were together with Li Xuan.

However, there was one more person in the team on the way, Kobayashi Ryudan who was just on the field. After the opening competition was over, Erina went over to say hello to her acquaintances in Totsuki. When they learned that Erina was not planning to study in Totsuki, many people were surprised, because Erina's unparalleled taste made her a natural chef. Kobayashi Ryudan, who was also her good friend, was a little curious about the reason.

Then they saw Li Xuan coming to pick up Erina and the others. Out of curiosity, Kobayashi Ryodan also went to Rizhaoju with Erina and the others. She accepted her good friend Erina's invitation to dinner tonight.

After learning that Erina was actually Li Xuan's girlfriend, and that the group of outstanding girls around her with outstanding looks and conversation were all Li Xuan's girlfriends, Kobayashi Ryudan was shocked again, and became even more curious about Li Xuan, the peerless nobleman. Peerless nobleman is how Kobayashi Ryudan described Li Xuan in his heart.

The official classes at Totsuki's school started the next day after the opening ceremony, so the afternoon was free for activities. Li Xuan, Asuna and the others, led by two acquaintances, Erina and Kobayashi Ryodou, visited places they had not visited the last time they came.

During this time, Artoria also met an opponent who was equally matched with her, that was Kobayashi Ryodan. Both of them had amazing appetites. Asuna and the others looked at them in surprise as they piled up plates every time they arrived at a restaurant, and their stomachs did not even rise or fall.

Altria felt that she had met her match. She didn't expect that Erina's good friend Kobayashi Ryodan was not only a great cook, but also had an appetite that was comparable to hers.

However, when she shifted her gaze and saw the figure that was comparable to Erina and the others, Altria immediately knew where the food that Kobayashi Ryodan had eaten had gone. Then she looked down at herself. This pair of custom-made Venus shoes looked very nice, which was unanimously acknowledged by her good sisters. However, at this moment, Altria felt that it did not suit her very well, as if it was a bit too long.

The warm breath coming from above her head was Li Xuan comforting herself. The indifferent look in his eyes and the action of wiping the oil stains from the corners of her mouth with a napkin made the little resentment that had just risen in Altria disappear without a trace. The person she liked was right. She just had to be responsible for enjoying the food. Don't worry about anything else. At most, she could try the method he said starting today. After Asuna used it, she seemed to have noticed real changes when taking a bath during this period.

Altria no longer paid attention to all this and gave Li Xuan a smile, rubbed Li Xuan's big hand on her head, indicating that she was fine.

Soon it was evening. There were three contestants cooking tonight: Asuna and Erina, who won the art club competition this morning, and Kobayashi Ryudo, who won the opening competition today.

Originally, the three gourmet girls who saw Kobayashi Ryudo say that he had eaten a lot of weird foods were ready to create another glory. However, in order not to waste too much time preparing for tonight's dinner, because they had to go to the hot spring in the mountain after dinner, Tokisaki Kurumi, Irene, and Erza encountered strong resistance from their good sisters, and could only reluctantly give up the creation of their latest creative one-day trip to heaven and hell.

After hearing the three people who sat next to him in a depressed mood, Li Xuan quickly talked about other things and successfully diverted the attention of the three people after listening to their ideas.

It was dinner time. The three people who had prepared dinner came out and talked, and then Li Xuan took Toosaka Rin and the others into the kitchen to start serving the dishes.

"I'm ready to eat x12," Asuna and the others expressed their gratitude to Sakura before eating and then started to enjoy their dinner. As for Yukinoshita Yukino, who was originally planning to come today, she didn't come because she had something urgent to do.

At the dinner table, Kobayashi Ryodan was surprised again because she ate Erina and Asuna's dishes, which had a clear "intention" in them. This showed that the eldest lady of Totsuki Academy not only did not stagnate in her cooking skills because she did not study at Totsuki, but had made tremendous progress. The food that Kobayashi Ryodan ate was broken down by Wushuang's stomach, and the strong "intention" instantly went to her brain. It took her a while to recover, and she glanced at Li Xuan who was eating, her eyes flickering.

Kobayashi Ryodan has a crush on one of the top ten. It can’t be said that he likes him, but it’s very close. That’s Tsukasa Eiji, who ranks first among the Totsuki Ten. Tsukasa Eiji’s cooking skills are very high, probably a little higher than Kobayashi Ryodan’s, but Tsukasa Eiji has a big problem, he is very "cowardly", which makes Kobayashi Ryodan a little dissatisfied with him.

After Li Xuan's popcorn hand in today's competition, and the "intentions" of Asuna and Erina, Kobayashi Ryōdan compared Li Xuan and Si Eishi, and Si Eishi was defeated instantly. The commander-in-chief was right, they were not in the same dimension as Li Xuan, and if they had to compare them, it would be no different from self-destruction.

"Kobayashi, try it, this is Erina's latest dish." Li Xuan saw that Kobayashi Ryodan had been looking at him for a while, so after he picked up some dishes for Asuna and the others, he also picked up some for Kobayashi Ryodan and called her back from her trance.

Xiao Lin Longdan was called back by Li Xuan's gentle voice. Seeing the dish that Li Xuan picked for him in his bowl, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Xuan."

During the afternoon's group activity, the two of them could already refer to each other as simply their names.

Kobayashi Ryōdan, who had come back to his senses, asked Erina about her cooking skills. Erina smiled slightly when she heard her friend's question, then looked at Li Xuan and said, "I think my cooking skills have improved faster after I met Xuan-jun."

Then he asked about his good friend Wushuangwei, and Kobayashi Ryodan said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. The talent God gave you always needs to be exchanged for something equivalent. Besides, I only feel it is a burden at certain times. But think about it from another perspective. At least she won't put me in your predicament."

Erina whispered something in Kobayashi Ryudo's ear, and then Kobayashi Ryudo showed a surprised expression again and turned to look at Li Xuan who was feeding Irene and the others.

Chapter 120: Erina Acting Like a Coquettish Person

After dinner, it was around seven or eight o'clock. The sky officially turned into night, and the stars that were not obvious during the day also appeared.

To be honest, the scenery of island countries does have some obvious advantages.

After dinner, the group, led by Erina and Kobayashi Ryodan, came to the back mountain of Totsuki Academy again and walked along the stone steps towards the hot spring on the mountain.

During dinner, Nakiri Senzaemon sent someone to invite Li Xuan to have dinner together, but Li Xuan looked at the beautiful girl next to him and immediately refused. "You're kidding! I'm not sick if I leave the beautiful girl and have dinner with an old man like you."

Of course, Li Xuan's refusal was also within Nakiri Senzaemon's expectations. Inviting Li Xuan was just out of courtesy. Being invited was a surprise. If he was rejected, he still had his two granddaughters. As for him, he brought today's contestants and the remaining ten heroes here, together with his good friend Liu Quan, to give these guys a little shock.

Later, Nakiri Senzaemon did not see his favorite Kobayashi Ryudou there, so he asked about it. When he learned that he was with Erina, he didn't care anymore.