Capítulo 36: Tasting Liu Mao Xing's Tofu
As Jada delightedly turned to the second chapter of "Cooking Master Boy," she felt that Ren's culinary manga was different from others, becoming more interesting as she read on.
Eagerly, she continued to the next part.
This chapter described Liu Mao Xing returning to his home kitchen, attempting to recreate the magical Mapo Tofu with six distinct flavors that his mother used to make.
Unfortunately, he found the task challenging.
From the previous evening until the sunrise of the next day, Liu Mao Xing could not figure it out.
Exhausted, the siblings slumped over the stove, reminiscing about their childhood.
Suddenly, Liu Mao Xing remembered something and started searching through a yearbook documenting livestock in Sichuan Province, his face lighting up with excitement.
"Has he figured out the sixth flavor?" Jada watched as Liu Mao Xing hurriedly left, filled with anticipation.
The scene shifted to Liu Mao Xing and Shouan presenting their finished Mapo Tofu to General Lee.
General Lee didn't eat immediately but instead looked at them and said, "Sichuan's Mapo Tofu is known for its integration of spicy, numbing, colorful, aromatic, and hot flavors. Now, I ask you both, what is the crucial sixth flavor of magical Mapo Tofu?"
Unexpectedly, both Liu Mao Xing and Shouan simultaneously responded, "Crispiness!"
Their unanimous reply made them look at each other in surprise.
As General Lee lifted the lid of the dish, light burst forth.
When the brilliance subsided, the Mapo Tofu finally appeared before everyone.
The tofu cubes, resembling white jade, sat in the dish, tightly enveloped by bright red chili oil, interspersed with finely minced meat-like substances and topped with green onions, making the dishes look like works of art.
"I'm so hungry..." Jada found herself salivating at the sight of the two plates of Mapo Tofu on the screen.
Somehow, she felt as if she was in General Lee's place, able to smell the pungent aroma.
It was just a manga, yet it inspired thoughts and feelings she had never experienced before.
"So torturous!"
Jada wished she could pull General Lee out of the page and take his place herself.
When she saw General Lee stacking Shouan's tofu cubes without them collapsing and praising Shouan's tofu as a top-tier combination of tofu and meat,
Jada remembered her purpose – she was here to read the manga!
Taking a deep breath, she continued reading, feeling concerned for Liu Mao Xing, but then she remembered,
This is an action-packed mainstream manga.
While it's common for the protagonist to lose occasionally in such manga, there was no way Liu Mao Xing would lose here. If he lost this competition, he would be banned from cooking forever, and the story would essentially end.
However, Jada frowned.
From the current development, it seemed Shouan also discovered the sixth flavor, implying both dishes were essentially the same. The competition would now hinge on culinary skills.
Considering Liu Mao Xing's sister mentioned earlier that he hadn't really learned cooking, but Shouan was a top-level chef, it seemed improbable for Liu Mao Xing to win without some miraculous intervention.
However, recalling the plot of "Your Name," Jada believed Ren wouldn't make such a fundamental mistake.
She kept reading.
General Lee's expression was unreadable as he picked up a spoon and tasted Liu Mao Xing's tofu.
But his face remained unchanged, and he calmly set down the spoon.
This made Jada's heart skip a beat. Had Liu Mao Xing failed?
Impatient to know what happened, she eagerly turned the page.
The expression on General Lee's face after setting down the spoon was very odd, as if he had been constipated for thirty days, sweating profusely and his features contorted.
However, Jada's lips curled up slightly because this signaled a turning point in the story!
As expected,
General Lee suddenly picked up the spoon again and started devouring Liu Mao Xing's tofu, even lifting the plate!
He was reminded of eating Pai's tofu in the past.
It didn't take long for him to finish off a large plate of tofu!
This satisfaction and happiness made Jada grit her teeth.
She was so hungry now!
Ultimately, General Lee announced the winner of the competition. As expected, Liu Mao Xing won.
However, Liu Mao Xing's victory wasn't due to a superior culinary technique as Jada had thought.
Instead, it was because Shouan misunderstood the concept of "crispiness."
Though both knew the sixth flavor was "crispiness," Shao applied it to the tofu, making it overly springy.
Liu Mao Xing, on the other hand, applied it to the minced meat!
Was it the ingredients that made the difference?
But soon, General Lee pointed out the difference between their meats.
When pressed with a spoon, Shouan's meat simply flattened, whereas Liu Mao Xing's could be sliced in half and would bounce away!
"That's not scientific!" Jada exclaimed, looking at Ren.
Even in a culinary manga, some semblance of reality should be maintained. How could meat have such elasticity? It was like beans!
"Don't worry, there's an explanation," Ren chuckled.
He had always enjoyed the outlandish explanations in culinary manga. Even though they were nonsensical, they seemed somewhat plausible.
Reassured by Ren's words, Jada continued reading until Liu Mao Xing tossed an ingredient in the air, prompting her to raise an eyebrow.
Had she guessed right about the beans?
After seeing Liu Mao Xing's explanation for the bean treatment,
Jada's face bore an expression of disbelief.
"Can it really be done like this?"
"How could it?" Ren waved his hand dismissively. "It's all just fancy talk. Although the dish turns out tasty, no frying method can achieve that 'crispiness.'"
"I knew it!" Jada nodded knowingly.
Such a method was unheard of, yet the manga detailed every step of the cooking process so professionally that it almost seemed feasible!
She had a feeling that if this manga were released, it would spawn a host of bizarre culinary experiments.
Jada continued reading until the very end, just before Liu Mao Xing was declared the new head chef of the Kikkaro Restaurant, General Lee gave him a task to go to Guangzhou to learn and achieve the qualification of a "Special Grade Chef."
As she turned the page, hoping for more, Jada's face fell.
Ren had done it again, ending at a critical moment!
Seeing Ren's smiling face, she suppressed the urge to hit him and closed the manga with a deep breath. "Excellent work!"
If she had to rate it, Jada felt this work would definitely be a hit.
"But are you sure about releasing it at the same time as Warren?" she still couldn't help advising. "While I'm happy you're standing up for me, his marketing and fame are greater than yours, putting you at a disadvantage."
In her view, Ren's decision to release his manga simultaneously with Warren's stemmed from Warren leaving her company, unaware that Ren was motivated by Warren's attempts to poach from next door.
"It's fine!" Ren smiled. "It has to be at that time!"
"Really? Then, as you wish," Jada looked at Ren, defending her honor, her lips curving up slightly. Then, she playfully kicked him. "Hey, you're responsible for me."
"Huh?" Ren looked puzzled.
Responsible?
Could it mean...
He suddenly brightened. "Shall we go to my hometown tomorrow to get our household registration book and register?"
"Household registration book?" Jada realized Ren had misunderstood and blushed. "How could it be about marriage! Your manga has made me crave Mapo Tofu!"
"..."
Was she using him as a chef?
Seeing this, Ren secretly thought.
"Watch me make you eat so much your belly grows!"
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