Chapter 138

Without waiting for everyone to think too much, Li Jiandong said directly: "Dear neighbors, Zhuzi will be competing with his father in cooking skills later. I will trouble you to be the judges. When the dishes are ready, everyone can taste a few bites to see which one of them is better."

As soon as Li Jiandong said this, the residents became excited.

It is rare for a son to challenge his father, and it is a cooking challenge. No matter who wins or loses, they are all winners. It is rare to have the opportunity to eat He Daqing's cooking.

"Okay, Zhuzi has grown up and dared to challenge his father."

“从小柱子就怕大清，被大清给我揍怕了，这眼瞅着快结婚了，准备在娶媳妇之前，争取一下家庭地位？”

"It's a pity. There are so many things to compare with Zhuzi. Why are you asking for trouble by comparing your cooking skills with Daqing? How many chefs in Beicheng dare to say that their dishes are better than Daqing's?"

"Yeah, I think there's no need to compete, just surrender and lose half."

"Hahahaha, that won't do. Win or lose, your courage is commendable. Besides, if we don't compete, where will we be the judges and eat the food?"

"That's it."

The residents were all talking excitedly, since they had nothing to do they just wanted to watch the fun.

Jia Dongxu quickly brought back the gas stove. When he heard that Sha Zhu wanted to learn cooking skills from He Daqing, Jia Dongxu was also surprised.

After all, He Daqing's cooking skills are well known, but no one has tasted Sha Zhu's cooking skills yet.

Ten minutes later, Yan Jiecheng also came back with the purchased vegetables.

He bought four vegetables in total, namely peppers, cabbage, eggplant and tofu, as well as two pieces of meat, each weighing about half a pound.

It’s good enough to be able to buy meat at this time. If it were last year, if you went to buy meat so late, you might not even be able to buy half a pound.

"Okay, the food has been delivered. Now you two can start the competition. Anyway, there are only a few ingredients. You can make any dish according to your preferences. Of course, it can't take too long. Just finish it before noon."

Li Jiandong announced the rules.

It's still early for noon, but Sha Zhu and He Daqing have no intention of delaying until noon.

After listening to the rules, the two began to prepare to cook.

He Daqing took the dishes and started washing them, already thinking about what he was going to do.

Sha Zhu deliberately slowed down a step because he wanted to see what dish He Daqing would cook.

Then you can follow suit and make the dish yourself. Only when the dishes made by both of you are the same, it will be easier to judge which one tastes better.

He Daqing moved quickly. After washing the vegetables, he began to cut them, putting them in portions on a plate for later use.

Then heat the oil in a pan and start heating the pan.

With the gas stove, the speed of heating the pot was much faster than before. Soon the oil temperature was too high and began to smoke. He Daqing poured the hot oil back into the oil pan.

Then he scooped another spoonful of cold oil into the pot and started stir-frying the vegetables.

Li Jiandong didn't know how to cook before, and he always wondered what He Daqing meant by pouring out the hot oil and replacing it with cold oil. Now he understands that using a hot pan with cold oil to cook will prevent the food from sticking to the pan.

"The Qing Dynasty's technology is really advanced and it looks pleasing to the eye."

"It would take decades of practice to master these two skills alone."

"I'm afraid Zhuzi will fail this time."

Everyone looked at He Daqing and then at Sha Zhu.

Although Sha Zhu acquired unique skills, the Manchu Han Banquet only taught him how to cook these dishes, including the details of cooking and the specific operation process, which still requires his own ability.

So, when compared with He Daqing at this moment, it seems that Sha Zhu is slightly inferior to He Daqing whether it is cutting vegetables, heating the pan, or stir-frying.

However, a cooking competition is ultimately about how well the dishes are cooked, and whether the movements are good-looking or not is secondary.

As the first dish came out of the pot, the residents in the courtyard began to crowd forward.

Li Jiandong stood at the front of the crowd and shouted:

"Everyone, please don't crowd, stand back, line up one by one."

Liu Haizhong was also there to help maintain the situation: "Everyone listen to Deputy Director Li's words. Those who don't queue up won't be allowed to eat."

Yan Bugui didn't say anything at this time, but just quietly ran to the front and stood first in line.

When the others saw that Li Jiandong and Liu Haizhong had both called out, they all quietly ran to line up behind Yan Bugui.

At this time, the dishes had been served. He Daqing and Sha Zhu placed the dishes on the eight-immortals table in the middle, and then began to wash the pots and prepare the second dish.

Li Jiandong maintained order nearby and said:
"Everyone can come forward and try the food. Those with chopsticks can line up in front, and those without chopsticks can wait in the back."

People at that time were not so particular, and there was no such thing as serving chopsticks.

However, there are also many people who don’t like others using their chopsticks, so most people go home and get their own chopsticks when they know they have to taste the food.

As for those who didn't take chopsticks, Xu Huizhen went home and got her own chopsticks to share with everyone.

"Uncle, you should try it too."

Xu Huizhen took out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Li Jiandong.

Li Jiandong shook his head and said, "I will not participate in the review, so that the Qing Dynasty won't say that I am siding with Zhu."

Xu Huizhen knew he was joking, so she smiled and continued to distribute chopsticks to other people.

Yan Bugui was ranked first and of course the first to taste it.

He first picked up the dish made by He Daqing, tasted it and nodded repeatedly.

"Not bad, not bad. Daqing's cooking skills are as good as ever. This dish of braised cabbage with vinegar is sweet, sour, fresh and fragrant. It is crispy but not mushy and has a very good texture. It is definitely at the master level."

Yan Bugui shook his head and said that He Daqing's dishes tasted really good.

After saying that, he wanted to take another bite with his chopsticks, but was stopped by Xu Huizhen next to him: "Uncle, you've already tasted this, it's time to taste the pillar."

"Ahem, really? I forgot about it in my excitement just now."

Yan Bugui lied calmly and moved the chopsticks to the other side.

This is the dish made by Sha Zhu, and it looks and tastes similar to the one made by He Daqing.

Yan Bugui picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
Yan Bugui picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth, then closed his eyes and chewed slowly.

Originally, he had no expectations for the dishes cooked by Sha Zhu.

After all, Sha Zhu had always been helping He Daqing since he was a child, and the number of times he actually cooked in the kitchen was pitifully small.

But as he continued chewing, Yan Bugui discovered that the dishes cooked by Sha Zhu were also very delicious.

It’s even better than He Daqing’s.

"Well"

Yan Bugui found it more delicious the more he ate. He frowned, opened his eyes, and said,
"I didn't take a good bite just now. How about I try another bite?"

Xu Huizhen looked at him speechlessly.

The residents behind him also started complaining.

"Uncle, there's no such thing as you. There are so many people queuing up behind you. If you've finished tasting, can you please let us go?"

"That's right. The weather is so cold. If we eat later, the food will get cold."

Liu Haizhong also said:
"Old Yan, you act a bit like a big shot. How could you not know whether this dish is delicious or not? I think you are the best eater in our hospital."

What Liu Haizhong said was true. There were only He Daqing and Li Jiandong in the hospital.

Maybe Yan Bugui is the best eater, even Ye Xiaoning can't compare to him.

Yan Bugui couldn't help but smile awkwardly after hearing what he said.

“Okay, even though I’m not sure about this one, I’ll do it for everyone to have a taste of Zhuzi’s cooking skills.

I will give up my seat first, but to be honest, I think Zhuzi’s cooking is on par with Lao He’s in terms of this dish of pickled cabbage.”

Yan Bugui originally felt that Sha Zhu's cooking was more delicious, but he couldn't believe it in his heart.

That's why he wanted to take another bite. He thought he didn't taste the right flavor. Otherwise, why would Sha Zhu's dishes be better than He Daqing's? This didn't make sense at all.

The second one is Hu Haodang.

This person is also an old fan of He Daqing. Since moving in, he has been pestering He Daqing to drink every day.

He provided the wine and He Daqing cooked. In just these few months, he got He Daqing drunk more than a dozen times, causing He Daqing to be scolded by Xu Huizhen several times.

At this moment, Yan Bugui stepped aside, walked to the table, and took a bite of He Daqing's pickled cabbage with chopsticks.

After eating, he nodded and said, "It's delicious. As expected of the Qing Dynasty, the cooking skills are superb."

He Daqing twitched his lips when he heard this. He has now mastered cooking.

There are basically no mistakes, and the dishes are guaranteed to be of top quality every time.

With such a delicious taste, who wouldn’t get confused after eating it?

However, after Hu Haodang tasted Sha Zhu's food, he frowned.

"Oh, you know what, the dishes cooked by Master He are not any worse than those cooked by Master He. In fact, they are even more delicious."

Hu Haodang is considered to be a good eater, but of course his sense of taste will definitely decrease once he drinks alcohol.

Everyone knew that he was the security captain of the steel mill, so even if they suspected that he had a bad sense of taste, no one said anything.

Only Ye Xiaoning behind him was distrustful and said, "Haodang, have your taste buds degenerated from drinking? Can you still taste the freshness of a cabbage?"

Hu Haodang said speechlessly:

"It's not the freshness of seafood. I don't know how to describe it. Anyway, it feels fresh to me."

"Okay, move aside and let me have a taste."

Ye Xiaoning pushed Hu Haodang away, and then took a bite with chopsticks.

She was not as good at eating as Yan Bugui and Hu Haodang, and could not tell the difference between the two dishes, but she could tell that both were delicious. After just one bite, she no longer dared to look down on Sha Zhu.

Pickled cabbage with vinegar is a common dish. The residents in the courtyard would occasionally cook it, so they all had their own understanding of this dish. As the people behind tried the dishes one by one, they found that the dishes made by Sha Zhu were indeed similar in taste to those made by He Daqing.

This surprised them very much. After all, being able to try two delicious dishes is definitely more enjoyable than trying one good dish and one bad one.

"I never thought that Zhuzi's cooking skills are so high. They are almost as good as those of Daqing."

"Yes, like father, like son. After all, I grew up watching Daqing cook and eating Daqing's food."

The style of painting among residents began to change.

At first, no one believed Sha Zhu.

However, they had just tasted the dishes made by the two people with their own mouths, and the answer given by their mouths would not lie, Sha Zhu was indeed a good cook.

"Humph, this brat, it seems like you did a good job. However, pickled cabbage is just a home-cooked dish. The simple method doesn't show my level at all. Let's see if you can make boiled cabbage."

He Daqing said with a sneer.

Even though Sha Zhu is his son, once he gets involved, he becomes a different person and looks at everyone as a traitor.

Boiled cabbage is a famous dish in state banquets. He Daqing has only made it a few times in his life. It may look like a simple dish, but in fact it takes several days to prepare in advance. It is not just ordinary cabbage boiled in boiling water.

Unfortunately, time is short today and he doesn’t have time to prepare those things, otherwise, this dish would be able to beat Sha Zhu’s.

What He Daqing didn't know was that Sha Zhu could also cook boiled cabbage now, and because of the unique skill given by the system, his understanding of boiled cabbage definitely exceeded that of He Daqing.

In other words, the pickled cabbage with vinegar is simple, so the two of them couldn't tell the difference just now.

If we really use cabbage in a meeting, it is possible that the winner can be decided in one round.

Soon the second dish was ready.

This time it started with Yan Bugui, who quickly tasted two dishes and gave his comments seriously.

"This Mapo Tofu is Daqing's specialty. I have to say that Daqing's is better. The taste of the two is similar.

However, the tofu from Daqing was obviously fried more evenly, and the tofu from Zhuzi was broken into pieces, so the taste was definitely not as even as that from Daqing."

Yan Bugui gained this experience by eating for free, and his evaluation is very accurate.

Sha Zhu also nodded secretly, admitting that what he said made a lot of sense.

He rarely cooks, so he can make low-tech dishes like pickled cabbage with vinegar by just fooling around.

But Mapo Tofu is too soft and it will easily break into pieces if you don’t have good frying skills.

He knew how to stir-fry it to keep the tofu intact, but his hands really couldn't do it.

However, the next two dishes do not require such professional stir-frying skills.

The third dish was fried pork with peppers, and the fourth dish was minced meat and eggplant.

Two vegetarian dishes and two meat dishes, these four dishes by He Daqing are very well matched and all performed very well.

Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly while eating: "This fried pork with pepper tastes great, the meat is fried just right, not overcooked at all, and all the fat is stir-fried out. The whole dish is very spicy and delicious. I can say without exaggeration that I can eat eight steamed breads with this dish alone."

"But Zhuzi's dish seems to taste better, especially since the seeds of the peppers have been removed, which is a big plus."

Hu Haodang also gave his comments on another dish.

"Although Zhuzi's minced meat eggplant is not as good-looking as Daqing's, the sauce tastes better than Daqing's. I have to vote for Zhuzi for this dish."

Yan Bugui and Hu Haodang’s comments are almost the same as those of other residents.

Although everyone's taste is not as professional as Yan Bugui and Hu Haodang, they can still tell whether the food is delicious or not.

The taste of the first three dishes made by Sha Zhu and He Daqing were similar, but the fourth dish, minced meat and eggplant, was a little different.

This dish is not what He Daqing is good at. On the contrary, it is often cooked in the canteen of the steel rolling mill. Although He Daqing has been cooking big pot dishes for a long time, he has always looked down on this kind of dish, so naturally he didn't put too much effort into it.

But Shazhu is different.

His experience is given by the system, and he has a perfect understanding of every dish. Unless his skills are not up to par, it is impossible for him to make a bad dish.

"Now that we have tasted the dishes, please give us your ratings, Daqing and Zhuzi."

"Please raise your hands if you think these four dishes from Daqing have higher scores."

Li Jiandong did not taste any of the four dishes, but came out as a judge to ask everyone to give their scores.

There were 18 residents at the scene, and only four of them raised their hands.

He Daqing said angrily, "You all did this on purpose, right? I don't believe that the food this rebellious son cooks can be better than mine."

Among 18 people, 4 of them thought He Daqing did a good job, but the remaining 14 did not all think Sha Zhu did a better job. They just thought that both of them did a good job and could not be compared.

In fact, He Daqing was not much behind Sha Zhu, but he thought he would win by a large margin, so when he saw that only four people supported that his dish was more delicious, he didn't even want to look at the remaining votes and directly picked up the chopsticks to take a bite of the dish made by Sha Zhu.

The first bite was the pickled cabbage. It was already cold at this point, but the flavor still remained.

He Daqing chewed unconvincedly, but soon his brows relaxed. Although the taste was not as good as what he cooked, it was still very good. And that was because the dish was already cold. It would taste better if it was heated up a little.

"Daqing, how is it?"

Xu Huizhen asked from the side. She also didn't believe that Zhuzi's dishes were better than Daqing's.

"We'll talk about it later."

He Daqing shook his head and did not answer. He was a little confused now and continued to reach for the next dish with his chopsticks.

This dish is chili pork slices. It was the second to last dish made and is still a little warm.

He Daqing tasted one bite of this and added another bite of minced meat and eggplant.

After he tasted all three dishes, he made his judgment.

"Okay, okay, that's great, hahahahaha"

He Daqing suddenly burst into laughter.

Even though he never seemed to care about the matter of heirs, he actually still hoped that Sha Zhu could learn his craft. It's just that Sha Zhu was too busy at work and had no time, so he gave up this plan. Many times when he prepared banquets, he just let Sha Zhu help and never let him be the chef.

But I didn’t expect that even though I didn’t have the chance to cook, my son still learned it and the dishes he cooked were even better than mine.

"Daqing, what do you mean, are you admitting defeat?"

Ye Xiaoning was one of the four people who raised their hands just now. She had a preconceived idea that what He Daqing did was better than what Zhuzi did.

He Daqing waved his hand:

"It's not like I'm admitting defeat. Zhuzi is my son. Although I'm better than him in cooking, I still have a lot to learn from him in terms of educating his son."

"Is that so, son?"

He Daqing put his arm around Sha Zhu's shoulders. He had called him Sha Zhu since he was a child. Later, Li Jiandong corrected him and he always called him Zhuzi and almost never called him son.

But today, He Daqing was very pleased with Sha Zhu's craftsmanship.

The word "son" also reflects his current mood.

"dad."

When Sha Zhu heard the word "son", he felt mixed emotions.

No one knew how much he longed to be recognized by He Daqing.

Even though he became the chief of the police station, He Daqing never affectionately called him son.

But today, he conquered He Daqing with four dishes.

This word, son, was exactly what Sha Zhu had always dreamed of.

At this moment, Sha Zhu's nose felt sore and tears were about to fall.

Li Jiandong suddenly said: "Okay, since the Qing Dynasty has admitted defeat, then I will announce the second thing next."

"The thing is, on Zhuzi's wedding day, the wedding style may change a bit. To put it simply, it means removing the previous cumbersome hosting process. Zhuzi plans to personally prepare a sumptuous wedding banquet for everyone at his own wedding."

Everyone was immersed in the emotions between Sha Zhu and He Daqing, father and son, and were suddenly stunned when they heard Li Jiandong's words.

"Old Li, what do you mean by this? Sha Zhu will prepare the wedding banquet for us on his wedding day? Who will replace the groom then?"

As the host, Yan Bugui must ask clearly about such changes.

Li Jiandong said:

"Old Yan, didn't you hear clearly? What it means is that the wedding should be kept simple. When Zhuzi's meal is almost ready, we can just go over and pay our respects to the heaven and earth."

Now everyone understood.

It turns out that in order to cook for the people in the courtyard on the wedding day, Sha Zhu wanted to keep everything simple at the wedding.

As for today's competition with He Daqing, it was probably because the father and son had a dispute over who would cook that day, so they were competing by seeing who was better.

Like father, like son. Do you think preparing the wedding banquet yourself is more important than the wedding?
"Okay, it's settled. Old Yan, you should go back and think about how to simplify the wedding to the simplest level and try to leave more time for Zhuzi to cook."

"Dongxu, take the gas stove back, and everyone else should go away."

Although Li Jiandong has moved out of the compound, he will always be the boss of the compound.

The others also obediently dispersed, still talking about Sha Zhu hosting the wedding banquet for their wedding.

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

This day was Sha Zhu's wedding day, and people in the yard were busy early in the morning, some hanging lanterns, some pasting wedding characters.

Colleagues from the police station also came to congratulate their director.

"Jiandong, congratulations, another disciple is getting married. Have all your disciples found their other half now?"

Director Zheng was also invited.

He is the director of the neighborhood committee, and most of Sha Zhu's promotions were thanks to him. On such a happy wedding day, it is only right that he be invited for a meal and a drink.

(End of this chapter)