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Having said that, she added a fierce threat to Xia Zheng, "If you deceive me and don’t give me sweets to eat, I’ll toss you into the pigpen to eat manure!"

Xia Zheng raised an eyebrow and pointed at Bai Er while squeezing his eyes toward Lao Fan, "Don’t forget, I still have a saying. If this kid’s cooking doesn’t taste good, we’ll toss him into the pigpen!"

Lao Fan pursed his lips and sullenly sipped his tea, thinking if it isn’t tasty, he might as well toss both of these little rascals into the pigpen.

The cooking competition began, and Lin Yuan and Bai Er each worked at separate tables to ensure fairness; a large, light-blocking screen was placed between the two tables.

There are plenty of pig intestines available from a single pig, enough for both of them to share. Lin Yuan made some measurements with scissors, cut a length she needed, and then went back to her station.

Meanwhile, Bai Er wore a troubled look and kept alternating between a pair of scissors and a kitchen knife, unsure of how to begin.

Lin Yuan couldn’t help but smile; properly prepared, pig intestines are actually very tasty.

It’s just that most people don’t know how to deal with them correctly, so they’re mostly thrown away as waste.

Additionally, the intestines on the plate seemed quite clean, likely having been simply processed before being served.

Lin Yuan had actually considered using pig intestines for a dish before, but with an abundance of other ingredients available later on, she hadn’t given it further thought. After all, these intestines are indeed a hassle to prepare.

Eventually, Bai Er decided to follow Lin Yuan’s example and cut a piece of intestine with scissors, then took it back to his station with long chopsticks, his other hand pinching his nose as if he had just eaten a fly.

Lao Fan tried to sneak away several times, but each time, Xia Zheng held him back. Watching the intestines in their hands, Lao Fan felt so disgusted he couldn’t bear to look, covering his face with his hands the whole time.

To properly cook pig intestines, the key step is cleaning.

Although Shopkeeper Liu had already had them washed, the job wasn’t done well, so they weren’t clean.

Lin Yuan first used scissors to trim off the outer layer of fat, then turned the intestines inside out, placed them in a basin, and added flour and salt, along with a little water to start scrubbing them thoroughly.

Cleaning had to be done confidently and meticulously, without any laziness, or the dish would end up with an off-taste.

Lin Yuan bowed her head, ignoring everything around her, and focused intently.

However, only Xia Zheng, who kept observing her, noticed her elegant brows knit slightly, indicating some discomfort.

Xia Zheng’s eyes narrowed, and he swiftly jumped up from his seat. However, before he could get close, he was met with a glare from Lin Yuan that sent him back.

Alright then. Xia Zheng pursed his lips reluctantly and respected Lin Yuan’s decision. But when he sat back down, he lost his earlier ease, his nerves taut, ready to rush forward at a moment’s notice.

Shopkeeper Liu and the young assistants all stood at a distance, but they were still curious to see how Lin Yuan and Bai Er would turn such stinky stuff into a dish. When they saw Lin Yuan use flour and salt for cleaning, they all widened their eyes in surprise - so that’s another way to wash them!

As for Bai Er, everyone couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

When it came to cleaning intestines, Bai Er’s approach was a bit more fastidious.

Despite being able to stick ugly false beards onto his face, he was actually quite clean.

After receiving the intestines, he walked around the thing for what seemed like seven or eight laps, unable to find where to start.

"I’m going all in!" Hearing Lin Yuan’s motivated voice beside him, Bai Er steeled himself, took out a clean handkerchief from his bosom to cover his hand, and with his other hand, he grabbed a long-handled brush and started scrubbing the intestines.

The moment that made everyone laugh even more was when Bai Er couldn’t help but retch as he brushed.

This completely dumbfounded Lao Fan; he definitely would not eat whatever that kid made. He’d rather die than eat it!

Bearing her discomfort, Lin Yuan cleaned the intestines thoroughly and then washed them with a mixture of white vinegar and water to finish the job.

Next, it was time to cook. Lin Yuan planned to make a spicy, stir-fried pig intestine dish, knowing Lao Fan’s preference for spicy flavors, she had specially prepared some dried chili peppers.

Before stir-frying the intestines, they needed to be boiled until cooked but not mushy; otherwise, the stir-fried intestines would lack the crisp and smooth texture, making them tough to chew.

Hence, she started boiling them in cold water, adding some wine and soy sauce to the pot to remove any unwanted smells, and cooked them for about a quarter of an hour, until they could be easily pierced with chopsticks.