Chef Wang looked at Ling Zhenfei with a smile and said, "Alright, what should we compete in?"

Zhu Guanglong said, "You see how Little Brother Ling cooks; if he stir-fries shredded potatoes, you also stir-fry shredded potatoes; if he makes sweet and sour cabbage, you also make sweet and sour cabbage. The only requirement is that it has to be delicious, at least better than what this kid makes."

Chef Wang looked at Ling Zhenfei, nodded, and said, "Don't worry, Manager Zhu. I have won awards; I've never been afraid of anyone when it comes to cooking."

Zhu Guanglong had a confident smile as if he held a winning ticket, "Chef Wang, don't take this lightly. God of Cookery Song will come later, and he will be reviewing the dishes along with customer taste tests."

"Don't worry, just waiting to start."

Ling Zhenfei had been listening to the two men talk, but his face showed no expression; he didn't mind at all.

Ling Zhenfei took out the vegetables he had brought from the bag and placed them on the cutting board, muttering to himself yet seemingly addressing Chef Wang, "Stir-fried shredded potatoes, crispy fried lotus slices, sautéed cabbage, cold dressed tomatoes."

These four dishes were the most common and seemed to require the least technique, yet they most demonstrated one's foundational skills. Moreover, they involved Ling Zhenfei's thoughts and considerations.

In these dishes, Ling Zhenfei's stir-frying skills were very important, but the most crucial was the dishes themselves.

The vegetables from Xishan Manor were the biggest highlight. Ling Zhenfei used his unique methods, choosing crisp vegetables, to preserve the natural taste of the vegetables to the greatest extent.

No sooner said than done, Ling Zhenfei picked up the knife and began to prepare. He remembered the time, as Cui Zhenshan had said half an hour, so the timing of serving the dishes was also very important.

The first was cold dressed tomatoes, which didn't require any skills. The tomatoes that Ling Zhenfei used were not ordinary ones but the very special Ziling Fruit from Xishan Manor.

Ziling Fruit is an advanced variety of tomatoes, developed from seeds soaked in Spirit Spring Water for several days, and can be described both as a vegetable and as a fruit.

Ling Zhenfei just needed to place his Ziling Fruit on a plate, then slice a cut on the top of the Ziling Fruit to make a lid that revealed the juice inside. He added his own special blend of spices to the juice.

This dish was very simple, and since it involved no cooking, it was already complete. Ling Zhenfei then put the dish into the refrigerator to chill.

"What is that thing, they said cold dressed tomatoes, what was that just now?"

"Shh, don't speak. This kid obviously can't cook. If the tomatoes aren't cut open, how can you eat them? I think Chef Wang has already won."

"I don't think it's that simple; the more I look at those tomatoes, the weirder they seem."

Around them, quite a few people had gathered to watch the two cooking, including some chefs and some waitstaff from the restaurant who had nothing else to do, all of them chattering away.

Chef Wang also had the tomatoes ready. There wasn't much room for creativity in this dish, it could hardly even be called a dish, but Chef Wang was very precise in his control of the sugar content.

The next three dishes required cooking, and after Chef Wang had everything prepared, he began stir-frying in the pan. But because timing was crucial, after Ling Zhenfei finished chopping the vegetables, he stood still and waited.

People around saw Ling Zhenfei standing there motionless and were very curious.

"See what I said? This kid can't cook. That cold dressed tomato was simple, but now that it requires actual cooking, he can't do it."

"You're right, this kid definitely hasn't done this kind of work before, and to challenge Chef Wang, he's really overestimating himself."

Seeing that Ling Zhenfei did not start cooking, Sun Wen also became somewhat nervous. The outcome of Ling Zhenfei's contest was crucial to whether Green Apple Restaurant would undergo reforms, so she really hoped that Ling Zhenfei could win.

Although Ling Zhenfei had boasted a bit too much, faced with a glimmer of hope, Sun Wen still decided to give it a try.

"Ling Zhenfei, what's the matter with you? Chef Wang has almost finished cooking his first dish, why haven't you started yet? You can't really be unable to cook, can you?"

Ling Zhenfei looked at Sun Wen and said, "Cooking is very simple, but if I cook the dishes too early and the taste is off by the time it reaches God of Cookery Song, that would be bad. I plan to wait until God of Cookery Song arrives before I start cooking."

"What are you boasting about? When God of Cookery Song arrives, will you be able to finish cooking?" Sun Wen was very skeptical about Ling Zhenfei's words, her face filled with urgency.

"Don't worry, just go outside and keep watch for now. Let me know immediately when God of Cookery Song arrives."

Sun Wen nodded, turned around, and walked out of the kitchen. Although she agreed to do as Ling Zhenfei asked, she still doubted him.

After nearly half an hour, Sun Wen hurriedly came in and said to Ling Zhenfei, "God of Cookery Song is here, he's already at the entrance."

The previously meditative Ling Zhenfei then opened his eyes: "Thank you."

After saying that, Ling Zhenfei finally began to get busy, preparing to start cooking.

The slices of lotus root and potatoes had been soaking in water all this time. At that moment, Ling Zhenfei fished out the potato strips from the water, drained them, and began stir-frying them on high heat.

The entire dish, from the moment the potato strips hit the pan, took only about thirty seconds to cook before it was taken off the heat.

Faced with Ling Zhenfei's sudden action, the onlookers were all stunned as they had initially thought Ling Zhenfei couldn't cook. It was only when he started cooking that they realized Ling Zhenfei was indeed a master chef.

Sun Wen felt a hint of joy in her heart. Being closest, she could smell the fragrance of the potato strips, which immediately made her forget her previous displeasure. The only thought in her mind was to taste what these potato strips were really like.

Having grown up, Sun Wen had been accustomed to delicacies from mountains and seas. This was the first time she had taken such a keen interest in a simple dish of potato strips. Yet, in front of so many people, she couldn't just start eating and had to continue enduring.

Next up was the crispy stir-fried lotus root slices. Ling Zhenfei cut the lotus roots into thin slices, each looking almost transparent under the sunlight, resembling white jade due to their special variety.

This dish was very demanding of heat control, and likewise, the stir-frying technique was crucially important.

After retrieving the lotus root slices, Ling Zhenfei also stir-fried them on high heat for about twenty seconds before turning off the heat, drizzled some vinegar on top, and took them out of the pan.

Despite being cooked for only twenty seconds, the fragrance stimulated by the vinegar was so enticing that it made the surrounding chefs start sniffing and talking among themselves.

"What's going on? Why does it smell so delicious? What kind of fragrance is that?"

"Are you silly? Can't you see that these are stir-fried lotus root slices? But these slices are so special, and they're cooked so quickly, too."

"Impossible, I have never smelled lotus root slices like these. No, I don't believe it, they must be something else, something I've never seen before."

And Sun Wen was even more astounded by Ling Zhenfei's cooking skills, struggling to believe that such visually and olfactorily pleasing dishes, akin to works of art, were made by this young man in his twenties.

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