Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 67 Good heavens! This cook doesn't even look at the recipe, yet he's become a literary giant.
"Judges' Room"

Xia Ming continued his story.

"The sea salt crystals added the final touch of saltiness, so is the idea for this dish complete here?"

"No, I think sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty just represent the flavors of life, but this side does not represent my life, or the lives of most people!"

At this point, his tone suddenly became impassioned.

"The earth nurtures life, and the five flavors constitute life, but what about ourselves? We ourselves are the masters of our own lives!"

"Ordinary office workers, an old lady selling vegetables, and a delivery guy riding an electric scooter."

"Children going to school, doctors working night shifts, and chefs diligently honing their skills."

"These people are the masters of their own lives!"

"They all hope that through their own efforts, after experiencing all the flavors of life, they will ultimately achieve a good result!"

Xia Ming breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Therefore, the simple five flavors cannot contain the beautiful aspirations of life. What you, I, and we hope for is to develop life in a better direction.

"Just like the soup I make by simmering carp as a base, and then filtering and adjusting it, the final product is a clear-looking soup that is full of profound meaning."

"The carp leaping over the dragon gate is a beautiful aspiration of people. I also hope that everyone, after experiencing the full spectrum of life's joys and sorrows, can transform into a dragon and ascend to even greater heights!"

Upon hearing this, Sui Wubai almost lost his composure.

It sounds better when you talk than when you sing.
The whole "transformation into a dragon and ascension to heaven" thing is just a way to cover up the clever idea of ​​using the muddy taste of the carp that wasn't completely cleaned, in case the judges discover the kaolin clay hidden in the noodles too early.

"If the smell of turtle can mask this side, is this kid going to say he hopes everyone has a smooth journey in pursuing their dreams, as if aided by the Black Tortoise?"

"If chickens can cover up their tracks, wouldn't that be like a phoenix rising from the ashes?"

"That kid's cunning, but what does it matter? I think it's fine."

"Being a chef certainly requires superb skills, but to reach the pinnacle of culinary achievement, good skills alone aren't enough. This kid is ruthless enough; he'll definitely shine in international competitions."

Thinking of this, Sui Wubai, wanting to help others, took a napkin from the side and wiped his eyes.

"In the control room"

The director was both happy and sad to see this scene.

The good news is that some keywords are trending tonight; the bad news is that the trending topic was pushed a bit off track.

From the show's perspective, the contrast between feeding the judges dirt and then receiving unanimous emotional feedback from them is particularly entertaining.

But realistically speaking, Xia Ming shouldn't be the main character in this round at all!

Now look at this! He's covered all the flavors of life – sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty – and it seems he's not done yet; there's more to come.

After this whole talk of "great love," what will happen to the people who follow?
Are we talking about outer space?
The director was actually a little resentful at that moment.

When we invited him to film this show, we were very frank with him. Apart from needing to balance the number of contestants and chefs, he was free to improvise in all other aspects.

Although unscripted variety shows are particularly difficult to film, they are more likely to become hits if filmed well, which is why the director took on the job.

Then, after the preliminary selection was over, a female manager suddenly appeared from the kangaroo side and overturned most of the previous ones.

"No matter the competition format, only she can win the game in the end."

The director was stunned when he saw this; this wasn't what was agreed upon!

But now that he was on the wrong ship, he couldn't jump ship even if he wanted to. So after thinking it over, he handed over all the on-site work to the assistant director.

Otherwise, how could there be a variety show where the assistant director is still managing the set even after the top eight have been filmed? In a typical film crew, you'd think that the assistant director had sidelined the head director.

The sponsor's intention was that this person truly had the ability and that winning the championship would not cause controversy. However, the problem lies in the fact that unexpected things can happen at any time in variety shows.
Just like now, the Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef has become the biggest surprise of this variety show.
Seeing the director's solemn expression, his wife, who was his assistant, spoke up.

"Will this trending topic still be posted today?"

The director covered his head, hesitated for a long time, and then gritted his teeth.

"hair!"

"Which side should I send it to?"

The director took a deep breath.

"If she posts on both sides and is really that good, using the Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef as a stepping stone, then all the buzz she's generating right now will be hers."

The assistant's eyes held a hint of concern for the director.

"But over there..."

The director turned around and comforted his wife. "They can handle their own affairs over there. We shouldn't interfere, and we have no right to interfere. Besides, that woman isn't in a position of absolute power. At least Brother Tan is still on our side."

The minor incident in the control room did not affect Xia Ming in the judges' room.

After describing the ingenuity of the dish, he then shifted the focus to the perspective of personal will.

"Why did I choose spiciness as the core flavor when all five flavors are balanced?"

"Because I was born in Sichuan and Chongqing, the fiery red chili peppers represent my roots and my passion for cooking."

"If this bowl of noodles is like the masses of humanity, then I hope I can be the protagonist of this world."

"I will use my passionate cooking to bring diners the ultimate experience."

At this point, Xia Ming raised his head, his eyes filled with determination.

"Even though I come from an ordinary background, I am still willing to use my passion and the kitchen as my witness to take step by step on my own path."

"This is my cooking."

"This is a bowl of 'plain noodles' that belongs to all people, yet is uniquely mine."

As Xia Ming's words echoed in the judges' room, the seven judges displayed varying expressions, but most showed a look of agreement.

Before Nicholas Tse could raise his sign, Sui Wubai picked up the microphone.

"Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef, I greatly admire your attitude towards cooking. Just as you said, observing a chef is like observing a person. I felt your passion in your dishes, so I'm giving you this."

As he spoke, Sui Wubai wrote down 91 points on the scoreboard in front of him.

"I give you 91 points. I hope you won't be arrogant with the remaining 9 points and will continue to move forward."

As Sui Wubai scored a high score of 91, Luo Yumin, who was standing next to him, also raised her sign.

"I give you 88 points. I appreciate your creativity, but the integration could be even better. However, it's already great, keep it up!"

Li Shanghu also gave it a good score of 89.

"That was well explained, and the idea was good too. Just next time, please be considerate of the elderly and control the pressure on the outer layer of the noodles."

Following closely behind, Tan Zhifeng, Xie Tingfeng, Zheng Yongqi, and Zhang Yong also raised their scoreboards, but Xia Ming couldn't help but feel that Zhang Yong's expression was a bit off.

With everyone revealing their scores, Xia Ming's final statistics were also released.

[Nicholas Tse: 96]

Zheng Yongqi: 88

Zhang Yong: 82

[Tan Zhifeng: 89]

[Luo Yumin: 88]

[Sui Wubai: 91]

[Li Shanghu: 89]

[The Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef's Culinary Showdown: Overall Score: 623 points]

The moment the total score was revealed, the live stream chat exploded. However, this time, netizens seemed much more forgiving towards Xia Ming.

[The Sichuan-Chongqing "Ice and Fire Chef" is truly remarkable; to come up with such ingenuity in such a short time is indeed commendable.]

Although I didn't get to eat noodles, I could understand his feelings. Aren't we all just ordinary people, struggling every day for a few coins?

That's so well said! I need to pull myself together. Even though my business failed, I still have a long road ahead of me. I haven't burned out yet!

[Good heavens! This chef doesn't even look at the recipe, yet he acts like a literary genius. But surprisingly, I think what he says makes sense; I've become a fan.]

After seeing the total score, Xia Ming bowed deeply to the judges and then left.

As he left, he regained his usual expression, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth.

"This concludes perfectly; let's await the next exciting episode!"

Just then, the bell rang again from the judges' panel.

"Contestant Lolo has finished cooking and now requests the judges to taste her dish."

"Cooking name."

"Sweet Dilemma"

(End of this chapter)