"If you make something tastier than mine, I'll do whatever you say! But if you lose to me, you have to apologize!"
Liu Da Niu crossed his arms, looking at Wang Shu with extreme confidence.
He had been studying cooking for several years and had been in the profession for nearly a decade.
He couldn't believe that his cooking would be inferior to this youngster who was still wet behind the ears.
"No problem. Let's both remake these three dishes, then we'll invite passersby from the street to taste them and let them judge whose dish is better, what do you say?"
Seeing the chef's defiant look, Wang Shu directly proposed. Since the other party wanted to compete, he didn't mind showing off his skills.
"Today, I really want to see what you can come up with!"
Liu Da Niu readily agreed to Wang Shu's proposal and led him towards the kitchen.
"Wang Shu, you can cook too?"
On the way to the kitchen, Zhang Liangying, who hadn't had a chance to speak, tugged at Wang Shu's clothes with some worry and asked in a low voice.
"Don't worry, I'll cook something so delicious it'll make you swoon!"
Wang Shu turned around with a confident smile and replied.
Zhang Liangying couldn't help but pout. She felt that even if Wang Shu could cook, he might not be as good as a professional chef.
After all, expertise was specialized. She acknowledged Wang Shu's talent in songwriting and composition, but she wasn't sure about his cooking skills.
However, the chef's request wasn't too unreasonable. Even if Wang Shu lost, he only had to apologize, which wasn't a significant loss.
Once they entered the kitchen, Liu Da Niu brought out all the ingredients for the three dishes and placed them in front of Wang Shu.
Wang Shu found a suitable set of kitchenware and began to cook with great enthusiasm.
"I didn't expect this guy to cook so professionally!"
Zhang Liangying, watching Wang Shu skillfully chop vegetables and toss the wok, couldn't help but be surprised.
She had initially thought Wang Shu was just being proud and unwilling to admit defeat easily. Now it seemed he had some real skills.
Liu Da Niu, who had initially looked down on Wang Shu, was stunned by his wok-tossing technique.
Based on his estimation, this young man should be in his early twenties. Yet, his movements in stir-frying and tossing the wok were as smooth as flowing water, even more professional than his own, a seasoned chef with ten years of experience.
Most importantly, the control of heat while stir-frying appeared to be extremely skilled.
The mark of a professional chef was their mastery of heat control.
True masters knew the characteristics of all dishes by heart, making heat control as natural as breathing. They could precisely control the crispness and doneness of a dish.
Wang Shu's current calm demeanor indicated his proficient control of heat.
This made Liu Da Niu look at Wang Shu with newfound respect. After all, an excellent chef spent a lot of time mastering heat control.
This was not something that could be learned through mere theory. Different dishes required different temperatures. Thus, an outstanding chef's heat control was developed through countless experiments, leading to their unique methods.
Yet, Wang Shu was so young, and his hands were so smooth and tender, completely unlike a chef who had practiced for years.
This made Liu Da Niu even more astonished.
To avoid distraction, Liu Da Niu stopped looking at Wang Shu and focused on his own dishes.
After several tens of minutes, the three dishes were successively ready.
The shopkeeper brought the three dishes out of the kitchen and placed them on a table outside.
Then, ten customers were invited to be judges. They were asked to place their chopsticks next to the dish they found most delicious.
After the ten customers had tasted the dishes, Wang Shu and Liu Da Niu emerged from the kitchen.
"This, this is impossible?"
When Liu Da Niu placed all his chopsticks next to Wang Shu's three dishes, he widened his eyes in disbelief.
Although Wang Shu's performance in the kitchen had been unusual, he didn't think the difference would be so great.
But upon seeing the result, he realized that he might indeed be outmatched.
"Why don't you try it yourself?"
Wang Shu, very satisfied with the outcome, said to Liu Da Niu with a smile.
Liu Da Niu, with a sense of curiosity, picked up a pair of chopsticks and tasted Wang Shu's dishes.
He first took a bite of shredded potatoes and chewed them gently. The crispness of the shredded potatoes instantly filled his mouth.
Then, he tasted his own shredded potatoes, and the difference was immediately apparent.
His own shredded potatoes had been overcooked, losing their crispness.
He then tasted Wang Shu's other two dishes, and he was completely convinced of Wang Shu's culinary skills.
Indeed, there was always someone better.
Even after more than a decade in the profession, he had to admit today that he had lost to this young man.
Whether it was heat control, seasoning, or understanding of cooking, the young man was several levels above him. He felt like an inadequately trained elementary student in front of Wang Shu.
"Young man, I admit defeat. Your cooking skills are indeed far superior to mine!"
Liu Da Niu shed his arrogance and looked at Wang Shu with sincere admiration.
"I'm just good at these few dishes. How can I compare to you?"
Seeing the other party's sincere attitude, Wang Shu felt a little embarrassed to make him feel worse, as he wasn't in this profession himself and didn't want to jeopardize his livelihood.
"A bet is a bet. Whatever you ask me to do now, I'm willing!"
Liu Da Niu knew that Wang Shu was deliberately downplaying himself to elevate him, saying he was only good at those few dishes. This made him respect Wang Shu even more.
"Alright, then you can pay for these dishes, how about it?"
Seeing the other party's sincere attitude, Wang Shu directly pointed at the three dishes on the table and said with a smile.
"Just these? No other requests?"
Liu Da Niu looked at Wang Shu in surprise. The meal today had cost several thousand yuan, while these three dishes amounted to only a few dozen yuan.
He would have accepted paying for the entire table today, but he didn't expect Wang Shu to only ask him to pay for these three dishes.
"No. Shopkeeper, is that acceptable?"
Wang Shu replied with a smile and then turned to the shopkeeper.
"As long as the customers agree, I have no problem!"
The shopkeeper nodded in agreement.
"Then it's settled. Pay the bill, Big Fox!"
Wang Shu then turned to Zhang Liangying and said.
As he turned, he saw Zhang Liangying happily eating the dishes Wang Shu had cooked.
"Huh? What's up?"
Caught red-handed, Zhang Liangying looked at them somewhat sheepishly and asked.
"Nothing. How about you pack these dishes to go?"
Wang Shu said meaningfully to Zhang Liangying.
"Really? Waiter, please pack these three dishes for me!"
Zhang Liangying, very excited, directly asked the waiter to pack the three dishes Wang Shu had cooked.
She had only tasted Wang Shu's cooking out of curiosity, but after just one bite, she had fallen in love with the flavor.
That's why she couldn't control herself and started secretly eating with her chopsticks.
After packing the dishes, Zhang Liangying happily paid the bill and left the restaurant with Wang Shu.
"I didn't expect your cooking to be so delicious!"
On the way, Zhang Liangying excitedly tugged at Wang Shu's arm and said.
"My culinary skills are at least superior to ninety-nine percent of the chefs in the world!"
Wang Shu declared directly. After all, he had master-level cooking skills granted by the system, possessed by no one else in the world. It was a piece of cake to handle a few amateur cooks.
He just disdained to show off, as cooking was also quite tiring.
"Yes, yes, yes. Will I have a chance to eat your cooking again in the future?"
Zhang Liangying frowned and asked.
After all, Wang Shu's cooking was perfectly to her taste. If possible, she really wanted to eat Wang Shu's cooking every day.
"That's unlikely. I don't usually make an effort."
Wang Shu directly refused, not wanting to tire himself out daily.
"That's such a shame. I'm almost reluctant to eat these dishes you made!"
Hearing Wang Shu's answer, Zhang Liangying looked regretfully at the packed dishes in her hand.
"Then take them home and treat them like treasures. On holidays, take a bite to refresh your taste. After all, these are 'Brother Wang's' limited edition dishes!"
Seeing Zhang Liangying's regretful expression, Wang Shu was amused by her adorable demeanor and joked.
"Then the dishes will spoil. How will I eat them?"
Zhang Liangying pouted and complained, finding Wang Shu's words sometimes unreliable.
After strolling for a while, Wang Shu made an excuse and left.
Because Gong Tao had just messaged him saying that the old station manager had returned.
He needed to go find that old man and claim his reward!
After parting ways with Zhang Liangying, Wang Shu took a taxi to Jiangnan TV Station.
By the time he arrived at Jiangnan TV Station, it was already getting dark.
Wang Shu walked directly into the TV station building and found the old station manager's office, knocking on the door.
After a long while, the old station manager opened the office door.
However, at this moment, the old station manager's face was flushed, and he reeked of alcohol. Wang Shu guessed that the old man had drunk quite a bit.
"Station Manager, are you alright? If you're not feeling well, we can talk tomorrow!"
Wang Shu asked with some concern, as he feared that talking to the inebriated old station manager would be unproductive.
"It's fine, Xiao Wang. I'm not drunk yet. You performed very well today!"
The old station manager looked at Wang Shu and said excitedly.
Wang Shu winning first place in the poetry competition today had brought him immense pride. He had truly shown off in front of those old colleagues today.