Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Without much hesitation, Megumi Tadokoro revealed her age, which was no secret.

　"Holy crap, a 15-year-old master chef?! You couldn't find many like him in the entire Fujian province, he's a true genius!!"

　Although she was prepared, Zhu Yan was still taken aback when she heard Tadokoro Megumi reveal her actual age; the other person was just too young.

　"I don't have the strength of a top-tier chef. Teacher Bai Yuan said that I am currently only at the level of a first-class chef. Actually, I performed a bit better than usual today."

　Looking at Zhu Yan's surprised face, Tadokoro Megumi touched her head somewhat embarrassedly, her expression awkward. She wasn't as amazing as the other person had guessed.

　The reason this dish reached the top grade is entirely because I put myself in Bai Yuan's shoes and thought about how to solve the problem.

　If she were to do it herself, she could only reach the level of a first-class chef at most.

　"Don't be modest. You're still young. Even if you're only at the level of a first-class chef, it's already very impressive. Given time, you'll definitely soar to great heights."

　Tadokoro's words did not lessen Zhu Yan's shock; she still looked at him with admiration.

　After all, the fact that Megumi Tadokoro could make a top-class dish under various restrictions already proves that she has the potential to be a top-class chef.

　Even if she isn't now, she will definitely become a master chef in a few years.

　"Thank you for your kind words. I lost this time, but I won't do it again next time!"

　"I await your challenge."

　Holding back her tears, Tadokoro Megumi stubbornly raised her head.

　When she won first place in the Summer Selection, she was actually a little proud, after all, she had made a comeback from the bottom of the class.

　With Bai Yuan providing guidance, she initially thought she could still achieve good results in the Youth Chef Competition, but as it turned out, she was somewhat...

　That's too idealistic.

　He left the competition venue dejectedly, walking alone through the contestant passage. He then encountered Bai Yuan waiting at the entrance and was momentarily unable to move.

　"I'm sorry, Professor Bai Yuan, I've disappointed you."

　Tadokoro Megumi lowered her head, her voice filled with intense disappointment. Despite her best efforts, she suffered a crushing defeat. Shirabuchi-sensei must think she's a disgrace.

　"I'm not disappointed at all. It was a really great competition. I didn't expect you to be able to make a top-grade dish under such limited conditions. You've improved a lot."

　At this moment, Tadokoro Megumi was already heartbroken enough from her defeat, so Bai Yuan naturally wouldn't criticize or lecture her. Besides, she had performed very well; it was just that her opponent was too strong.

　The Fujian Youth Chef Competition brings together the province's most talented young people, and it's already quite an achievement for Tadokoro Megumi to qualify and make an appearance in the main competition.

　Bai Yuan didn't have high expectations for her. He only hoped that she could gain some experience to clarify her future path and avoid arrogance and impetuosity. Now it seems that the effect is quite good.

　"Really..."

　Tadokoro Megumi was somewhat suspicious, thinking that Shirai was just trying to comfort her, and that he didn't actually mean it that way.

　"Of course, when I first met you, you were a little girl who struggled to even make third-class dishes. Now you can make top-class dishes. Don't you think you're amazing?"

　Seeing the girl's frustration and self-doubt, Bai Yuan gave a direct example.

　When I first met Tadokoro Megumi, she was probably at the level of a second-class chef, but because of nervousness, she couldn't even perform at the level of a third-class chef and ended up at the bottom of the class.

　With his encouragement, Megumi Tadokoro's cooking improved more and more. Under his guidance, she can now occasionally make top-grade dishes, which is progress, but of course, it is mostly due to her talent.

　Megumi Tadokoro is actually a genius.

　Chapter 241 The Secret to Becoming Stronger: Tailored Teaching

　"It seems so... At the very beginning, I was even on the verge of dropping out of school. It was Teacher Bai Yuan who pulled me out of that situation and allowed me to stand on this stage. To be honest, that's already a huge improvement."

　"It was me; I was a bit too ambitious."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's story, Tadokoro Megumi was lost in memories, and soon recalled her past, which calmed her restless heart.

　At the very beginning, it was uncertain whether she could even stay at Totsuki Academy, let alone stand here. She was a clown whose youth was about to end tragically.

　It was Bai Yuan, Bai Yuan's teacher's recognition and guidance that transformed her from an unknown nobody into who she is today.

　They even stood on such a stage.

　"What you're doing isn't really being overly ambitious, since you do have the ability to match it. I'd rather call it having a clear goal."

　I know that a temporary setback won't break you. You should pick yourself up quickly, improve your cooking, become stronger, and avoid losing again in the next competition.

　But before that, take a good rest. You've already done enough.

　He took two steps forward and pulled Tadokoro Megumi into his arms, gently patting her back with a hint of heartache in his voice.

　Bai Yuan knew that Tadokoro Megumi had already tried her best, and had given her all in the competition, but this was her limit. It was enough, and she had done a great job!

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, I need to undergo special training when I get back! The experience of failure was bitter, and I don't want to go through it again. I'm really unwilling to accept it!"

　Tadokoro Megumi's voice was slightly low, carrying an inexplicable emotion. Although she could accept her defeat calmly, her resentment was also genuine.

　"Okay, after the Youth Chef Competition ends, we'll have professional intensive training in the second half of the year to ensure your skills improve by leaps and bounds!"

　That's right, that's it.

　Turn all your frustration into motivation, and force yourself to improve your cooking skills!

　Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's expression, Bai Yuan was secretly overjoyed. It was good that she felt unwilling to accept defeat; this was the best motivation for improving his cooking skills!

　"Isn't your theme today dessert? Actually, there's a dish in Fuzhou that's perfect for this theme, but it's not included in this competition because it's relatively complicated to make and uses a lot of ingredients. I'll take you to try it."

　Thinking of the theme that Tadokoro Megumi encountered, Shirabuchi released his grip on her hand, took her hand instead, and strode towards the subway station.

　"Local desserts from Fuzhou?"

　Tadokoro tilted her head in slight confusion.

　"To be precise, it's from Chang Le. Have you ever seen chilled rice?"

　Seeing the puzzled look on Tadokoro Megumi's face, Bai Yuan smiled and patted her, then leaned down and spoke to her mysteriously.

　"Iced rice? Is this even a dish? It sounds like something out of a horror movie. Can it really taste good...?"

　Tadokoro Megumi couldn't help but complain, as this did indeed touch on some of her blind spots in knowledge. The so-called chilled rice was something she had never even heard of.

　"It uses glutinous rice, which is steamed until it is plump, chewy and springy. Then it is filled with red beans, taro balls, grass jelly and honey water. Some vendors also add fruit and longan. Each vendor has a different recipe, and the taste experience is also different."

　However, you definitely won't understand my explanation; you'll find out the specifics once you taste it.

　Once on the subway, Bai Yuan grabbed Tadokoro.

　Hui's hands began to describe her in detail.

　This is actually quite similar to ice jelly, except that the ice jelly is replaced with glutinous rice, and there are a few more toppings.

　To be honest, he had never eaten it before, only seen it in some food magazines. It originated in Changle, Fuzhou, and he was genuinely curious about the taste.

　"Changle's iced rice is famous throughout Fujian. You should try it if you have the chance. However, the Fuzhou subway is not very reliable; you can't get to Changle by subway."

　The older man next to him had been listening to the conversation for a while, and when Bai Yuan brought up the topic of Chang Le Bing Fan, he took the initiative to speak up and kindly offered a reminder.

　"I know, but I get a little carsick, so I'm going to take the subway for a while and then take a taxi."

　Bai Yuan explained the reason simply.

　"Motion sickness is probably caused by learning to walk too early when you were a child. If you have time, you can crawl more to improve your balance and then you won't get motion sickness."

　The older brother made a suggestion, and Bai Yuan chatted with him casually until the other person got off the subway. Bai Yuan then pulled Tadokoro Megumi down with him.

　This conversation wasn't entirely fruitless; at least Bai Yuan learned from his elder brother what he considered to be the best ice cream restaurant in Chang Le.

　Since he didn't have any specific goal in mind, Bai Yuan decided to try the iced rice recommended by his older brother, so he took a taxi to [Guo Bing Zhai].

　No doubt, that's the name of that ice cream shop. Although it's located in a small alley, it has an unexpectedly large number of customers.

　The alley wasn't wide, with a dozen or so simple wooden tables and plastic stools on both sides, taking up the entire small area, and the stools were almost all occupied by people.

　Men, women, young and old, gathered in small groups, some chatting and laughing quietly, others shouting loudly. A short queue stretched out in front of the shop, with people patiently waiting and occasionally peeking into the shop.

　At this moment, all the dozen or so tables in the shop were already full, and the tables were covered with all kinds of shaved ice. Everyone's face was full of enjoyment.

　Looking around, the crystal-clear shaved ice sparkles in the bowl.

　It's topped with a colorful array of ingredients, including red beans, mung beans, taro balls, peanuts, and coconut jelly.

　At this moment, the aroma of the shaved ice, mixed with the freshness of fruit and the sweetness of glutinous rice, wafts through the air on a gentle breeze. Occasionally, a faint scent of coconut milk can be detected – that's the shop's special coconut milk shaved ice.

　"It seems we've come to the right place. Putting everything else aside, the fact that there are so many customers in this alley is enough to prove how delicious the iced rice is."

　Looking at the scene before him, Bai Yuan nodded, immediately realizing that he had come to the right place.

　The fact that so many people can come to such a remote place means either the marketing is excellent or they are all regular customers who will never forget the place after just one visit.

　Thinking back to the description given by the man on the subway, this one in front of me is clearly the second type.

　With such a large number of repeat customers, and being located in Changle, the hometown of ice rice, the ice rice they make must be extraordinary!

　Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to seize such a market.

　"There are so many people! It feels like we'll have to wait quite a while, but that makes it even more exciting! I wonder what it will taste like."

　Her eyes sparkled with a unique light, and Tadokoro Megumi was filled with anticipation. The aroma wafting in the air made her swallow hard.

　Having competed for so long, she was already quite hungry.

　They stood there waiting for about half an hour. After the customer in front of them chose to pack their food, it was finally Shirabuchi and Tadokoro's turn to join the queue.

　"Please take a seat in front. The menu is on the table. Order whatever you want. You can order anything on the menu."

　The shop owner was a quick and efficient person. While greeting customers, she skillfully scooped up ice and toppings to make shaved ice.

　"Take a look, what would you like to eat?"

　Handing the menu to Tadokoro Megumi, Shirobuchi asked for her opinion in a gentle voice.

　"I want to eat this fruit-flavored shaved ice. The picture looks luxurious, and it seems to be the store's signature dish."

　"Iced rice served purely with fruit? That's quite interesting. It reminds me of fruit salad, but with coconut milk instead of yogurt, and an extra portion of glutinous rice..."

　Hearing Tadokoro Megumi's words and seeing where she was pointing on the menu, Shirabuchi couldn't help but sigh.

　He said that it's not hard to see from the pictures on the menu what the difference is between this ice rice, ice jelly, and fruit salad; they have everything in common.

　"Looking at it this way, it's clear that there's a lot in common among all kinds of food."

　Thinking of this, Tadokoro Megumi couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart.

　"That's true. Once you master one thing, you can master the others. That's what cooking is all about."

　I took off my coat and put it aside. Summer is really hot and humid, and even at night it makes me feel incredibly restless. I hope the iced rice can help.

　"Two servings of fruit-flavored shaved ice? Sure, please wait about three minutes, it will be served to you shortly."

　Seeing that both Shirayuki and Tadokoro had ordered their favorite shaved ice, the proprietress immediately stepped forward, glanced at the menu briefly, and spoke to the two of them.

　Then he went off to get busy without looking back.

　Before long, the shaved ice was ready, and two large bowls, brimming with flavor, were placed in front of Shirabuchi and Tadokoro. A faint, sweet aroma wafted over them, lingering around their noses.

　Bai Yuan looked down and saw that the iced rice in the bowl was crystal clear, and the ice was polished as fine as snow, piled up into a small iceberg.

　The iceberg was covered with colorful toppings; the red beans were as red as agate, and the green...

　The beans are as clear as jade, the golden mango chunks are vibrant and juicy, the purplish-red dragon fruit is cut into small cubes, and there are also white coconut jelly and chewy taro balls, all garnished together, like a colorful summer painting.

　"so beautiful."

　Megumi Tadokoro stared in amazement, and exclaimed from the bottom of her heart that the beauty of the chef in front of her perfectly embodied the "color" in the dish.

　"Indeed, it looks so beautiful that you wouldn't want to eat it."

　Bai Yuan nodded in agreement. Putting everything else aside, just for its appearance alone, it's worth the trip for so many guests. Whether you're taking photos to post on social media or simply admiring it, it's a pleasure.

　"Come on, try it and see how it tastes."

　Bai Yuan picked up the spoon as he spoke.

　"I'm gonna start now."

　Tadokoro Megumi also held a spoon, clasped her hands together, whispered a phrase, and then tasted it.

　The moment it touches your tongue, the refreshing coolness of the ice and the soft, chewy texture of the glutinous rice intertwine.

　"The creamy texture of red beans, the sweetness of mango, the chewy texture of coconut jelly, and the satisfying chewiness of taro balls create layers of flavor that burst in your mouth."

　She closed her eyes, and the aroma of coconut milk, like a delicate veil of silk, gently enveloped her taste buds; the freshness of the fruit transformed into lively little sprites, surrounding her and gently massaging her senses, bringing endless pleasure.

　"The glutinous rice has a soft and chewy texture, which complements the sweetness of the fruit perfectly. The syrup is made by simmering honey and then chilling it. The sweetness is just right, neither overpowering nor understating the flavor of the fruit, but perfectly highlighting the original taste of the ingredients."

　Having watched the game all night, Bai Yuan was starving. He devoured the entire plate of shaved ice in front of him, then patted his stomach contentedly, his face beaming with enjoyment.