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This person was making a very simple fried plum blossom. When Lin Yuan had suggested using plum blossoms as a theme, she had wondered if anyone would disrupt the elegant mood by frying plum blossoms, and indeed, someone did.

However, although it was fried plum blossoms, the blossoms this person produced had their own unique flavor. Setting aside their taste, just the fact that the blossoms remained unshapen and did not wilt was enough to surprise her.

Amazed, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What method did you use to fry the plum blossoms while maintaining their original shape?"

This person was very honest and did not look up at Lin Yuan as he spoke.

With his hands respectfully at his sides, he replied modestly, "Boss, I first cleaned each petal of the plum blossom with cotton gauze, and then I put them into oil heated to about thirty percent hot, one by one.

I took them out as soon as the blossoms were set. "

Frying the plum blossoms in oil heated to thirty percent hot indeed preserved their shape. Besides, plum blossoms could be eaten raw, so even if they were not fully cooked, it wouldn’t matter.

Yet, Lin Yuan greatly appreciated this person’s meticulous care.

Not to mention placing each blossom into the pot one by one, just the act of wiping each blossom with fine gauze would have required significant effort.

Quite frankly, this task was akin to a woman’s embroidery—without delicate thoughts and skillful craftsmanship, it really would be difficult to accomplish.

Clearly, this person met both criteria, for the plum blossoms he produced were each delicate and complete, without any petals missing or centers damaged.

Shui Xian brought over some prepared water, and both Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng drank to cleanse the taste of fish soup that lingered in their mouths. Then each picked up a plum blossom to taste.

Indeed, the unique fragrance of the plum blossom was there, but the flavor of the oil was too overpowering, masking about sixty to seventy percent of the plum blossom’s taste.

It wasn’t that the Master Chef’s skill was lacking, but rather that the oil extraction techniques of the time were not strong, resulting in oil that was too thick and heavy. However, this was not something that could be changed in a short time, and Lin Yuan was not overly critical about it.

The skills of the first three Master Chefs were all remarkable in their own ways, and Lin Yuan was very satisfied. However, these individuals did not utilize their strengths in the right aspects; otherwise, they really could have shown great prowess in the Capital city.

The skills of the several Master Chefs that followed were also quite exquisite, some with great culinary skills, others with clever ideas. Overall, Lin Yuan was very satisfied.

After she had seen and tasted the dishes from the first few Master Chefs, Lin Yuan approached Master Liang, who was the last in line.

Master Liang, who had originally hoped to present his dish first but ended up last, was quite anxious.

Seeing Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng coming over, he couldn’t wait to start praising his own dish, "My lord, Boss, come quickly take a look at my dish. Don’t be fooled by the good looks of their dishes, but they, ah, they did not capture the essence of the plum blossom.

If you talk about showcasing the true flavor of the plum blossom, that would be me, Liang Shiyou! "

Liang Shiyou?

Xia Zheng burst into laughter, and Lin Yuan was also amused by this name—Liang Shiyou, meaning "grain is bountiful." Surely, Master Liang’s parents must have named him so with the hope that he would never suffer from hunger.

Putting the matter of the name aside, Lin Yuan was very curious whether this brash Master Liang really had genuine knowledge and abilities.

Not just Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng, but the other Master Chefs and even the helpers at the back craned their necks to peer at the dish in front of Liang Shiyou. However, unlike the looks they gave to other Master Chefs’ dishes, their faces now bore more of a sense of watching a spectacle unfold.

"Boss, just you wait, I guarantee I’ll blow your mind!" As he spoke, Liang Shiyou excitedly spun the dish in front of him. Although he took up a whole table by himself, his serving dish was not that large, just slightly bigger than the ordinary ones.

Lin Yuan looked at the plate in front of her, feeling a surge of anticipation.

However, when she lifted the lid from the plate, Lin Yuan was left speechless.

"Take a good look!"

Accompanied by applause, Lin Yuan saw a white lid flash before her eyes, and then, a small dish containing who knows what appeared before her.

Yes, a dish! A dish the size of a baby’s fist!

"This?" Xia Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth, suppressing a laugh as he watched the tiny dish sitting quietly in the center of the large plate.

The other chefs and helpers also burst into laughter, faces expressing a "just as expected" look.

Lin Yuan gritted her teeth, equally speechless. Liang Shiyou was really too lazy; to put only a tiny dish in the center of such a huge plate, not to mention the flavor of the soup, but the quantity was also so sparse. Did he take her for a beggar?

Liang Shiyou, perhaps noticing that Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng’s expressions were off, also blushed slightly.

In his embarrassment, he quickly explained, "Boss, don’t think there’s not much in this dish, but, but there’s an old saying, right?

’Concentration is the essence!’ Everything in this dish is the essence! "

"Alright, alright, ’concentration is the essence,’ now tell me what this ’essence’ in the dish is," Lin Yuan didn’t want to listen to Liang Shiyou’s endless ramblings anymore; she just wanted to know what the suspicious thing in the tiny dish at the center of the large plate was.

Upon being questioned by Lin Yuan, Liang Shiyou straightened his back with pride and pointing at the slightly reddish soup in the dish, he declared loudly, "Boss, it’s plum blossom. Specifically, it’s plum blossom that I’ve ground into a juice."

Lin Yuan didn’t want to hear anything more from Liang Shiyou after hearing about the plum blossom juice, as she had already more or less figured out his nature.

"Plum blossom juice? Is there anything else?" Xia Zheng couldn’t help asking.

Liang Shiyou shook his head, "Certainly not! This plum blossom must retain its pure flavor; anything else added would ruin the taste!"

Lin Yuan’s mouth twitched, and she involuntarily stepped back; she certainly didn’t want to try this plum blossom juice, which was bound to be bitter and astringent.

Yet, Liang Shiyou, full of enthusiasm, invited her to taste it. Watching his excited expression, Lin Yuan felt like she already had a mouthful of that exceedingly sour taste.

Before she and Xia Zheng could speak, a helper interjected, "Master Liang, since you claim this is the essence of plum blossom, then why don’t you give it a taste?"

Looking in the direction of the voice, Lin Yuan saw Sun Qian with a mocking smile on his face.

Provoked by Sun Qian’s challenge, Liang Shiyou’s indignation surged; regardless of Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng’s presence, he humphed twice and angrily retorted, "Sun Qian, you’ve got some nerve!

How dare you interrupt when I’m speaking with the boss?

Have you forgotten the rules of our kitchen?

I think you’re itching to chop wood again! "

Sun Qian frowned, ready to argue, but was restrained by someone beside him.