Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　"Hey, Kobayashi-senpai."

　"Oh! It's Isshiki. I need to ask you for a favor. I need this..."

　Upon hearing Isshiki Satoshi's voice, Kobayashi Rindou's face lit up with a smile, and then he spoke...

　They got the ingredients they needed.

　"Understood, Senior Kobayashi. I'll go with Senior Si later."

　After listening to Kobayashi Rindou's story, Isshiki Satoshi nodded, then looked at Tsukasa Eishi beside him:

　"Senior Si, let's go to the hotel to buy some ingredients that Senior Kobayashi needs."

　"it is good."

　·

　·

　"You've already finished all the preliminary work? I was just wondering how I could help. That's incredibly fast..."

　Looking at Bai Yuan, who had already completed the preliminary preparations, Kobayashi Rindou, who had just hung up the phone and was about to come over to lend a hand, said with a surprised expression.

　How long did it take?

　Her call lasted only about two minutes at most...

　"These are all basic things, nothing to be surprised about."

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he placed a bowl of wheat starch and a small bowl of cornstarch on the table, then added water to the pot and brought it to a boil over high heat.

　What are you going to do now?

　Looking at the boiling water in the pot and the wheat starch on the counter, Kobayashi Rindou asked curiously.

　“Shrimp dumplings.”

　Bai Yuan answered softly, then poured the boiling water into the wheat starch, and stirred it slightly with chopsticks until it became large and small dough flakes.

　Reach out and pinch, then place it on the cutting board. Press and push forward with the inside of your palm, using both hands simultaneously, pressing the left and right sides respectively. Finally, pull towards the center and repeat the previous action ten or more times.

　This technique gives the dough some buffer time, allowing its elasticity and resilience to develop.

　When the dough is almost ready, add a spoonful of lard inside. This will effectively adjust the softness and hardness of the dough, and also make the skin more moist.

　Although it's just a small detail, it can often make the food taste better and more delicious.

　After kneading until moist, add a little cornstarch to further adjust the softness and firmness of the dough.

　Neat, elastic, and with a good balance of softness and firmness.

　This is the perfect state for making shrimp dumplings!

　"It looks really good!"

　Looking at the round dough on the cutting board, Kobayashi Rindou praised it from the side, his voice pleasant and his emotional appeal at its peak.

　However, Bai Yuan ignored her and quickly rolled out the prepared dough. With a flick of his fingers, the long dough became equal-sized dough pieces, which were then evenly placed on the cutting board.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, here you go."

　Seeing this, Kobayashi Rindou thoughtfully handed over a rolling pin, but Bai Yuan shook his head and said, "This is enough for me."

　As he spoke, he raised the cleaver in his hand, poured oil onto the towel, and rubbed it a couple of times with the back of the knife to make the surface oily.

　"A kitchen knife? How do you roll out dough with a kitchen knife...?"

　Seeing Bai Yuan raise the kitchen knife, Kobayashi Rindou looked puzzled. She wasn't very good at making dishes, so she didn't understand what he meant.

　"That's basically it..."

　This kind of thing is not easy to explain; it's better to provide the answer through practical experience.

　Bai Yuan picked up a dough ball and placed it in front of him, pressing it gently with his palm. Then, he took a knife in one hand and aimed the oiled back of the knife at the dough ball.

　With his other hand pressing down on the back of the knife, he skillfully made two simple outward swirls, and a round, translucent dough sheet appeared in front of the two of them.

　"This...this is even rounder than something rolled out with a rolling pin? How did they manage to do that?"

　Looking at the round dough in front of her, Kobayashi Rindou parted her cherry lips slightly and reached out to touch it, but then worried that she would ruin it, so she reluctantly withdrew her hand.

　"By using the force of rotation, the dough is spread evenly in all directions, and finally it can become a near-perfect circle."

　It's easy to remove with a knife; just use the sharp end to gently slice it off.

　As he spoke, Bai Yuan demonstrated for himself, raising the kitchen knife and gently slicing the dough with the tip of the blade.

　The next moment, the wheat flour skin flew up and landed on the cutting board. The whole process looked very light and easy, giving a sense of effortless skill.

　In this way, each dough ball was transformed into a uniform, round sheet of dough, which was then neatly stacked and set aside for later use.

　At the same time, a noise came from the kitchen doorway. Kobayashi Rindou turned around and saw Tsukasa Eishi and Isshiki Satoshi carrying large and small bags.

　"Wow, you've finally arrived! All the preliminary work has been done, all that's left is for the ingredients I asked you to bring!"

　Running forward cheerfully, Kobayashi Rindou took the ingredients from the two of them, found the bag containing fresh shrimp, and then looked at Tsukasa Eishi and Isshiki Satoshi.

　"I see. When we came, we were wondering, Kobayashi, why did you suddenly want these ingredients? It turns out that it was Teacher Baiyuan who was here."

　After handing the items to Kobayashi Rindou, Tsukasa Eishi looked at Shirobuchi standing in front of the kitchen counter and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

　"I had long heard that a great Chinese cuisine teacher had come to the Early Years Department, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

　Looking at the ingredients prepared in advance on the counter, each one was processed meticulously and neatly arranged in a row.

　Isshiki Satoshi couldn't help but praise him. Although it was just a small detail, it was enough to show how exquisite Hakugen's cooking skills were, which he had cultivated over many years of cooking.

　"You must be the third and tenth seats of the Elite Ten, right? Rindou mentioned you earlier. Are you Tsukasa Eishi and Isshiki Satoshi?"

　Although they already knew the names of the two people in front of them, this was, after all, their first time in person.

　Upon meeting, Bai Yuan stepped forward with a gentle expression and smiled at them.

　"I am Isshiki Satoshi. Nice to meet you."

　Seeing Bai Yuan take the initiative to greet her, Isshiki Satoshi stepped forward, bowed slightly respectfully, and introduced herself.

　"I've heard Tadokoro Megumi and Yoshino Yuuki talk about you; you're an exceptionally talented child."

　Seeing this, Bai Yuan nodded slightly to him and exchanged pleasantries with a smile.

　"Honored."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Isshiki said.

　"I am Tsukasa Eishi, and this should be our second meeting."

　"I spoke with you during the Sino-Japanese Culinary Exchange Competition. There are some things I don't understand about cooking; may I ask you some questions?"

　Looking at the man in front of him, Tsukasa Eishi briefly introduced himself, then spoke to him solemnly with a very serious expression.

　"What do you want to ask?"

　Taking the live shrimp from Kobayashi Rindou's hands, Bai Yuan dumped them all into the basket, then turned to look at Tsukasa Eishi, his expression unchanged.

　"A problem I've recently encountered in cooking."

　When cooking, I can have a conversation with the ingredients. They tell me about their growing environment, the emotions they felt when they were captured, and how they most want to be cooked.

　Different ingredients express different emotions and desire to be cooked in different ways, but it's difficult to gather ingredients that share the same wish.

　Therefore, I cannot cook according to the ingredients' own desires; I can only cook based on experience. But such cooking always feels like something is missing.

　Thinking about the problem that had been troubling him for some time, Tsukasa Eishi slowly spoke, a pained expression on his face.

　The more complex the dish, the more ingredients it uses, and the more nuances it needs to listen to, making it difficult for all the ingredients to radiate warmth in the desired dish.

　"Si, your question is a bit too unconventional. How could anyone possibly answer it? Besides, isn't this one of your special abilities?!"

　Upon hearing Tsukasa Eishi's question, Kobayashi Rindou couldn't help but chime in with his own sarcastic remarks.

　The ability to communicate with ingredients.

　This is a talent that Tsukasa Eishi was born with, and it would be impolite to ask others about one's own unique talent.

　Moreover, people who haven't experienced it themselves simply can't understand his troubles!

　"Is it because the ingredients have different desires, and I can't satisfy all of them, that the dishes I make fall short?"

　Upon hearing Si Yingshi's words, Bai Yuan gave a brief summary.

　"Yes, although everyone's reviews are good, I can clearly feel that there are shortcomings in the dishes, and these shortcomings are maddening."

　Knowing that Bai Yuan was an incredibly capable person, Si Yingshi didn't hesitate to tell him his troubles. As he spoke, he grabbed his hair and looked at him with a strong thirst for knowledge in his eyes.

　“I see. Although I don’t have your abilities, it’s not hard to tell from your description that you were swayed by the soldiers’ opinions.”

　"Swayed by the soldiers' opinions?"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Si Yingshi looked confused, as did the others, who were somewhat puzzled by what he was saying.

　What does food have to do with soldiers?

　Aren't these two things completely unrelated?

　"You should be a general who commands ingredients, not a fence-sitter who is swayed by their words. The desires of ingredients are their own business. You can satisfy them without going against your own needs, but you can't let them lead you by the nose."

　You actually succeeded in that aspect, but your inner resolve wasn't firm enough. That momentary hesitation was an unavoidable flaw in your cooking!

　Bai Yuan's voice rang out, directly pointing out Si Yingshi's biggest problem.

　He's too gentle; he wants to fulfill every ingredient's wish, but that's impossible for him.

　Just like soldiers going to the battlefield, a general might care about their lives, but he would never listen to their wishes.

　There are just too many to listen to.

　What a general does is lead his troops and win battles!

　A chef's mission is to use ingredients to create the best dishes they can make!

　There's no need to hesitate about this, nor should you hesitate. If you hesitate, the dish will have flaws, affecting its flavor.

　"Words are useless, just try it! Follow my steps one by one, listen to the ingredients, and then truly master them!"

　Seeing the group deep in thought, Bai Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He then looked at the cooking station not far away, where many prepared ingredients were laid out.

　"To rule them..."

　Si Yingshi muttered to himself, pondering Bai Yuan's words.

　"That's right, don't pursue perfection too much. There is nothing absolutely perfect in the world. Sometimes, flaws are also part of perfection."

　They complement each other and are inseparable.

　For example, "burnt taste". Generally speaking, if a dish is cooked until burnt, it becomes inedible and the taste is hard to accept.

　However, dishes like tiger-skin green peppers and dry-fried green beans are best enjoyed with a slightly burnt flavor.

　The key is in how you use that flavor, turning the flaws of the ingredients into strengths—that's what a chef should be doing!

　Stepping to the kitchen counter, Shirabuchi suddenly said this before starting to cook, knowing that Tsukasa Eishi was a perfectionist.

　too

　Being overly obsessed with perfection will ultimately backfire on you because of that very word.

　"Been taught a lesson."

　After hesitating for a few seconds, Si Yingshi spoke in response to Bai Yuan's words, but his eyes told Bai Yuan that he did not truly understand what he meant.

　However, Bai Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He figured he could solve the problem with cooking, and the food would give Tsukasa Eishi the right answer.

　"First, let's process these shrimp."

　Shrimp is the key ingredient in making shrimp dumplings. Looking at the lively shrimp in the basket, Bai Yuan divided them into two portions, handing one portion to Si Yingshi.

　"Ah."

　Looking at the shrimp Bai Yuan handed him, knowing that the other party was testing him, Si Yingshi nodded solemnly and then picked up the scissors beside him.

　Just as he picked up the shrimp and was about to start processing them, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Bai Yuan tossing all the shrimp into the air, which slowed him down.

　Bai Yuan reached behind his back, making a grasping motion, and the next moment the Wenqu Blade was drawn out by his internal force and landed steadily in his hand.

　Immediately afterwards, the shrimp, which were swaying in various poses in the air, landed steadily on the table after a flash of silvery-white light, their shells and heads forming a small mountain.

　"What just happened?"