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However,

Xia Zheng raised his eyebrows. An Imperial Chef was specifically to serve the royal family in the palace and couldn’t go out and cook privately.

This person who claimed to be Bai Er not only left the capital but also had the gall to compete with Lin Yuan.

He didn’t seem like someone from the Imperial kitchen either.

Who was he really? And what was his purpose for coming here?

Lin Yuan had heard Bai Er’s words, of course, but she naturally wasn’t as clear about the palace rules as Xia Zheng was, so she didn’t take them to heart.

Bai Er picked up a potato and grinned cheekily, "It’s so smooth! The texture is not bad, heh heh."

That playful arch of the eyebrows and the vibrant, spring-like smile on his face made Xia Zheng feel nervous on the inside. It was just a potato, and yet this guy’s thoughts had already gone astray.

Shopkeeper Liu coughed and explained the rules; they were straightforward—each person had three potatoes, and the first to finish cutting them into evenly sized strips would win. After both selected their potatoes, Shopkeeper Liu gave the signal to start, and the two began with orderly precision.

In the entire hall, only the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board could be heard, the blades in their hands reflecting a bright light. One could only see their right hands moving up and down, as the neatly cut potato strips flew about.

The attendants in the hall all held their breath as they watched their hands and the potatoes, uttering words of admiration.

Lin Yuan had dealt with potatoes for many years; she could cut them even with her eyes closed. She glanced at Bai Er from across her and saw that he was completely focused, his eyes fixed on the potato in his hand, his lips pursed together tightly.

And his potato cutting was very skilled. Cutting potatoes was not simple, especially peeling them and soaking them in water—round and slippery, they were hard to hold, let alone cut into evenly sized strips or threads.

Watching the potato strips cut by Bai Er, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but smile; no wonder this guy was confident enough to compete with her—he did have some skills.

Thinking of something, Lin Yuan deliberately slowed down the pace of her cutting, waiting until she saw that Bai Er had only a little bit left of his potato before accelerating her motion.

"Phew!"

After cutting the last potato, Bai Er, as if throwing away a burning hot charcoal, tossed his kitchen knife clanging to the floor, startling the attendants who quickly jumped aside.

"I’m done! You..." Bai Er called out, eagerly turning to look at Lin Yuan, but before he could finish his "are you done," he saw that Lin Yuan had gracefully put down her knife and was wiping her hands with the towel Xia Zheng considerately handed her.

Bai Er pouted jealously, glanced at the crowd of attendants beside him, snatched a cotton towel from the shoulder of one, and started wiping his hands with great flair, while tilting his chin up defiantly at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan shook her head, amused, and looked at the potato strips he had cut, "Not bad at all, I didn’t expect you to be quite skillful."

Bai Er threw the towel aside and arrogantly raised his eyebrows, "That’s what I should say to you. Eh, wait, what do you mean ’not bad’? Are the potato strips I cut only considered ’not bad’? They are obviously very good, extremely good, outstandingly good!"

Lin Yuan simply smiled, and Xia Zheng turned his face away, secretly resolving to thoroughly investigate who this slightly foolish and showy boy really was.

Shopkeeper Liu glanced at the potato strips by both competitors and found it difficult to make a judgment.

He had thought that even if their skills were the same, Lin Yuan’s ability would surely make her finish a bit quicker than the lad, but to his surprise, they stopped at the same time, putting him in a tough spot.

Seeing Shopkeeper Liu’s distressed and bitter expression, Bai Er was surprisingly understanding for once, "Are you having trouble? I really don’t know how you manage to be a shopkeeper. Hey I say, why don’t you just fire yourself as the shopkeeper and I’ll do it for free!"

Xia Zheng nodded in agreement before Lin Yuan could speak, "I think that’s a great idea. It would be foolish not to take advantage of something free."

But Lin Yuan disagreed, "That won’t do! With his nitpicking ways, I fear that when a customer barely sits down, he’ll be measuring them with a ruler. Oh, esteemed guest, did you not shave cleanly today, huh? Look, the left side of your beard is clearly a tiny bit longer than the right side!"

As she spoke, Lin Yuan imitated Bai Er’s recent movements and tone when measuring the potato strips, amusing everyone to the point of nearly choking with laughter.