Chapter 265 - 252: Searching for Bamboo Mushrooms Again

Chapter 265: Chapter 252: Searching for Bamboo Mushrooms Again

Chen Wen, He Xianfei, Qu Feng, and all the other guests present weren’t too surprised by Chu Yiwei’s abstention.

After all, based on appearance, the two finished dishes were neck and neck. It was very likely, then, that their flavors would be just as evenly matched.

Now, it was a matter of how the remaining nine people would choose.

The nine people, including Deng Luping, came forward one by one.

Every single person was pleasantly surprised after tasting both versions of Longjing Shrimp. They were simply too delicious—much more so than they had imagined.

At the same time, they were incredibly conflicted. They also felt that the two dishes were indistinguishable in flavor, and they truly didn’t know who to vote for.

In the end, without a single exception, all of them chose to abstain.

All ten people had chosen to abstain. This was very surprising to the crowd, yet not entirely unexpected.

And this proved that the two chefs’ Longjing Shrimp were truly on par with each other in terms of flavor.

So, was the final result a tie between the two of them?

Everyone looked toward Chen Wen.

Chen Wen said, "Since all ten judges have chosen to abstain, the answer is already obvious. I declare that in this culinary competition over Longjing Shrimp, Master Li You and Master Yu Hong are evenly matched. It is a draw."

"Bravo!"

"Excellent!"

The venue erupted in thunderous applause. The crowd cheered for both Li You and Yu Hong.

A draw was perhaps the best possible outcome.

Initially, Chen Wen, He Xianfei, and Qu Feng had very much hoped for Li You to win.

However, after interacting with Yu Hong over the past two days, they felt a draw wasn’t bad either.

Besides, Li You had already won the Mapo Tofu round. A draw for this Zhejiang dish, Longjing Shrimp, was perfectly acceptable.

"Let’s taste the two masters’ skills as well," Chen Wen said.

He Xianfei and Qu Feng both nodded.

The three of them picked up their bowls and chopsticks and tasted Li You’s and Yu Hong’s Longjing Shrimp respectively.

After tasting them, Chen Wen said with a helpless sigh, "If we were the ones competing against Master Yu with this dish... we would have lost again."

He Xianfei nodded, then added, "But this isn’t what we’re best at, so it’s normal that we’d lose. Boss Li You is the amazing one, being able to tie with Master Yu on this dish."

Chen Wen said, "It’s only a temporary draw. If they were to compete again in the future, Boss Li You would most likely win. As of now, this probably isn’t one of Boss Li You’s signature dishes, which means he hasn’t reached his peak with it yet. There’s still room for improvement. For Master Yu, however, this dish is one of his specialties. This implies he’s already performing at nearly his highest level. Even if he continues to improve, his rate of progress definitely won’t match Boss Li You’s. What’s more, Boss Li You is much younger. Youth itself is the greatest asset."

He Xianfei slowly nodded. "That’s true. Although they tied this time, Boss Li You clearly has far more potential for future growth. Perhaps not long from now, Boss Li You will surpass Master Yu. Master Yu himself should be well aware of this."

Yu Hong himself was indeed well aware. Although it was a draw this time, his opponent’s potential and capacity for growth were clearly much greater than his own.

’If we compete again, I’ll most likely lose.’

’What a terrifyingly talented young man.’

Yu Hong was filled with emotion.

’But at least I didn’t lose this time. I’ve managed to save face.’

After a moment’s hesitation, Yu Hong said to Li You, "Boss Li You, to have such skill at your young age is truly impressive and admirable. If we were to compete again, I would most likely be no match for you."

Hearing this, Li You quickly replied, "Master Yu, you’re too kind. I still have much to learn from you."

The conversation between the two reached the ears of all the guests present.

At first, the guests thought Yu Hong was just being modest. But on second thought, they realized that while his words certainly contained some humility, they were probably more of a statement of fact.

Indeed, although they had tied this time, their future prospects regarding this dish were completely different.

The boss’s potential and capacity for growth were clearly much greater.

If the two of them were to compete again, the result would very likely be a win for the boss.

Therefore, in the long run, the boss was definitely the stronger one.

This made the guests very excited. And the fact that Yu Hong could say it so openly was also admirable.

It was a spectacular culinary duel with a good outcome.

This culinary duel was destined to be a topic of conversation that the guests would relish for a long time to come.

The atmosphere at the venue remained lively.

The two portions of Longjing Shrimp were not yet finished. Chen Wen randomly selected a few more people to taste them.

The chosen ones were surprised and thrilled, not having expected a second chance.

Those who were still not chosen were once again filled with regret.

They could only hope that the boss would release the Longjing Shrimp on the menu soon.

After both portions of Longjing Shrimp were finished, the cleanup began, and many guests spontaneously pitched in to help.

Both sets of cooking stoves were rented. They tidied them up first, and the rental owner would arrange for someone to come pick them up later.

Once everything was packed up, it was 11:30 AM, time for lunch.

Everyone was going to eat here.

Li You announced a 40% discount for everyone for lunch today, which made all the guests extremely happy.

For a moment, shouts of "The boss is so generous!" and "What a great boss!" could be heard everywhere.

Li You walked into the kitchen and got busy.

There were too many customers. Fortunately, the menu wasn’t extensive, and many people ordered the same dishes, so Li You could use a large wok to cook many servings at once.

And aside from manning the stove, all other tasks were handled by Da Bai and Xiaohai.

They were just barely managing to keep up.

...

By the time he was done with the lunch rush, it was already 2:30 in the afternoon.

There was one more thing to do at this time.

And that was to take Chen Wen, He Xianfei, Yu Hong, and Qu Feng to look for Bamboo Mushrooms.

This was what they had agreed on yesterday afternoon.

It was currently June, and wild Bamboo Mushrooms were still relatively plentiful.

If they waited any longer, wild Bamboo Mushrooms would become very scarce. They wouldn’t be abundant again until autumn.

Therefore, this was the last season to find wild Bamboo Mushrooms before the sweltering heat of summer arrived.

Ye Shengge, Ling Xiaoru, Chu Yiwei, and Lin Xin wanted to tag along for fun as well.

So they all decided to go together. The more, the merrier.

The group set out.

Ye Shengge had been there before and knew the way, so she walked ahead with the other girls.

Li You, Chen Wen, and the others followed behind.

About half an hour later, a seemingly endless bamboo forest appeared before their eyes.

Chen Wen, He Xianfei, Yu Hong, and Qu Feng were all a bit dumbfounded.

’This bamboo forest is huge, isn’t it? You could even call it a "sea of bamboo," right?’

If this was a place where Bamboo Mushrooms grew, then in a forest like this, there could indeed be a great many of them.

’The boss’s place really is an auspicious land.’

Li You said, "This is the place. There should still be quite a few Bamboo Mushrooms inside at this time of year. As for how many you can find, that will depend on the masters’ luck."

...