Chapter 373 - 195: Snowflake Chicken Porridge

Chapter 373: Chapter 195: Snowflake Chicken Porridge

Flawless!

The shredded pork was glistening and smooth, with a slightly springy chew. It was made with *erdaorou*—pork with a thirty-seventy fat-to-lean ratio.

The shredded winter bamboo shoots were fresh, sweet, and crisp. They were from the first batch of the season; most people probably didn’t even know they were available yet, but Zhou Yan had already put them on the table.

Paired with wood ear mushrooms, which had a similar crispness, the texture and flavor were both superb.

After finishing his portion, Xiao Lei stared at the plate of Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, silent for a long time.

’If this is Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, then what the hell have I been making?’

’Oh, crap!’

’Am I going to have to ask Master Zhou for help with even Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork?’

’But this fish-flavor sauce is so damn authentic!’

’It tastes even better than what my own Master used to make back in the day.’

’Incredible, simply incredible! The Kong Sect has truly produced a genius!’

Xiao Lei’s expression was calm, but his mind was in turmoil—a mix of joy and the faint sorrow of a master being surpassed by his disciple.

He also had a deep-seated suspicion: ’Was that little bastard just messing with me all this time?’

Still, using winter bamboo shoots instead of green bamboo shoots really did taste better. The texture was superior, and it didn’t disrupt the fish-flavor profile in the slightest.

They were indeed the last customers. By the time they finished eating, the restaurant was empty.

Zhou Yan went upstairs to change out of his chef’s uniform. When he came back down, his master and the others had just finished their meal.

"Master, Mr. Qian, if you’re all done, we can get going," Zhou Yan said, heading for his bicycle.

Qian Siyuan smiled and said, "Master Zhou, why don’t you ride with us? If you need to come back early later, I’ll have the driver bring you."

"Alright." Zhou Yan immediately propped his bicycle against the wall and followed them out.

"How come I don’t see little Zhou Momo today?" Qian Siyuan asked from the front seat after they got in the car, turning his head back.

"She went back to our hometown this morning to visit her grandma. There are more kids to play with in the countryside who haven’t started school yet, plus there are cats and big geese," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

This morning, Fei was delivering beef for a family’s banquet and stopped by the restaurant for a drink of water. Zhou Momo insisted on going with him back to the countryside to see her grandma and play with the neighbor’s little girl. Fei will bring her back this evening when he comes to pick up his wife.

"I see," Qian Siyuan nodded, looking slightly disappointed.

The little one was so adorable, she reminded him of his own granddaughter, whom he hadn’t seen in several months.

Xiao Lei, Wang, and Zhou Yan sat in the back seat.

"Master Zhou, your Mapo Tofu is seriously good. It’s no worse than Chen Mapo Tofu, and the texture might even be better. Which cookbook did you learn this one from?" Xiao Lei asked with a grin.

"I was in Jiazhou last time, just wandering around, and picked it up from a bookstall. I think it was a training manual from some restaurant—the cover was even torn off. I tried making it a few times and asked some people who’d eaten Chen Mapo Tofu for feedback before I slowly figured it out," Zhou Yan said with a grin. "You want to learn it, Master?"

Qian Siyuan and Wang glanced sideways. ’Good heavens,’ they thought. ’Talk about a Reversed Celestial Spirit!’

"Of course, I’ll learn! You live and learn!" Xiao Lei nodded without hesitation, then continued, "And that Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork you made... did you adjust the proportions for the fish-flavor sauce? It tastes different from what I taught you."

"Which one do you think tastes better?" Zhou Yan asked.

Xiao Lei said seriously, "Yours is better. The flavor is more balanced, yet the fish-flavor is richer. Using *erdaorou* means you don’t have to separately render fat to cook with the loin, so the texture is more luscious and tender. Adding winter bamboo shoots is a great move, too—they’re fresh, sweet, and cut through the richness."

Zhou Yan’s smile faded. ’Master really gets it. He’s hit on every single point.’

It was just what you’d expect from an old chef who’s been cooking Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork for over twenty years. One taste, and he knew exactly what his own shortcomings were and where others excelled.

’And I’m just a lucky guy who had perfect recipes and experience stuffed into his brain.’

’Aside from how awesome it feels, there’s... nothing but how awesome it feels.’

’I’ve never had the chance to experience the pain of gradual accumulation and constant trial and error.’

’Deep Blue, let me see...’

’Sorry, a slip of the mind.’

But awesome as it was, he really had completely mastered the full set of experience and techniques.

If his master wanted to learn something, he would naturally teach him everything he knew.

Besides, he wanted to learn a few things from his master, too.

For example, Linjiang Shanshi, Braised Yellow Perch, Fish-Flavored Eggplant, Fish-Flavored Tofu...

He might not get them from the system’s gacha, but his master wasn’t going anywhere.

Master Xiao wasn’t the most talented chef in the Kong Sect, but he was the disciple who had spent the most time by Master Kong Huafeng’s side and had learned the most comprehensively.

His arsenal was fully stocked.

"How about this: once you’ve figured out Stir-Fried Pork Liver, we can tackle the Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork? I’m afraid the Mapo Tofu might be a bit much for you to grasp right now," Zhou Yan suggested.

The mission for a perfect Stir-Fried Pork Liver had been stuck at 99% for almost two weeks.

Zhou Yan was still waiting for the old man to drop a gacha reward for him.

You can’t eat hot tofu if you’re impatient—the same principle applied to cooking.

He was worried his master would get overwhelmed, wanting to learn one thing after another. Biting off more than you can chew means you master nothing.

He, the apprentice, was worrying like a master.

Zhou Yan sometimes couldn’t help but wonder if his master, as the last official disciple, was only a Level 2 Chef because he’d tried to learn every single Kong Sect dish, becoming a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

"Deal. It’s settled," Xiao Lei nodded. Then he added, "Later, I’ll teach you how to make Braised Yellow Perch."

"Deal! Once I learn it, I’ll have another showstopper dish for the New Year’s feast," Zhou Yan said with a laugh.

In the rearview mirror, the corners of Qian Siyuan’s mouth turned up slightly.

At that moment, the Chinese tradition of master and apprentice was made manifest.

’If even chefs are this humble and eager to learn, then the market in China definitely has immense potential. It’s worth keeping an eye on.’

The car first went to Kong Qingfeng’s house, but they missed him. His family said he had gone to the training center to teach a class, so the car turned around and stopped at the entrance to the training center.

Qian Siyuan got out of the car. He first used the window’s reflection to fix his hair, buttoned his suit jacket, and straightened his back. His entire aura changed in an instant.