Bab 19: Chapter 19
Ch19 – The Assessment has Commenced
When Ran Jing and He Wei Ye came back, they saw that the two brothers were having a tiff.
This scene was no longer anything strange to them. Ever since he was young, He Yun Chen had always been more serious and proper, and He Yun Yi often teased him. On several occasions, He Yun Yi had even teased him to tears. When the two brothers grew up, He Yun Chen began to fight back against He Yun Yi. However, He Yun Yi took advantage of their difference in bodily constitution and made a quasi-accident, so that He Yun Chen didn't dare to hit him.
Anyway, over the years, the two brothers grew up constantly bickering and raising a fuss but contrary to appearances, their feelings were deeper than those of other brothers.
Ruan Tang had sent a lot of dishes this time. Ran Jing cooked a pot of rice and the entire family ate their fill of the eggplant dishes.
When he finished the meal, He Yun Chen took a shower. With only a bath towel around his waist and water from his hair dripping down his contoured face, he sat down on the bed. He absentmindedly wiped away the water from his face and began to think about how he could reach Ruan Tang.
Evidently, it was not enough to just send gifts through the live broadcast room. If he wanted to occupy a place in his heart, He Yun Chen must establish a realistic connection with him.
There was a loud and noisy dialogue from a TV series coming from downstairs. Although the sound was not very loud, it was still quite clear to his ears.
He Yun Chen recalled, wasn't Ruan Tang a Film Emperor before?
An actor who had just won the highest award for a male actor, at his most promising time had suddenly met with a mishap. After sleeping for five years, his original popularity and connections have all basically disappeared. Could it be that there was still some bitterness in Ruan Tang's heart?
Remembering the too slender wrists he had noticed in the recordings, he couldn't help but feel a bit distressed. The anchor was still a child, it hadn't been too long since he became an adult. He had struggled alone for so long, and experienced such ups and downs. How much sadness did he harbor in his heart?
I can help him.
This thought took root in He Yun Chen's heart and quickly thrived. Even if Ruan Tang went back to acting and could no longer do the live broadcasts, but as long as he was happy, there was nothing more important.
Thinking this way, He Yun Chen opened his light brain and contacted several of his friends who were in entertainment companies. As the son of the entertainment queen, Ran Jing, his network of connections weren't limited to just the military.
With He Yun Chen's identity, all he had to do was speak and there was basically nothing that can't be done. In just a few short days, several electronic scripts were sent to He Yun Chen's hand.
He removed all the scripts that had dangerous combat scenes and removed some that included scenes displaying intimate affection. He then barely managed to pick out two scripts that were still suitable for his intentions.
Although the lineup for two scripts weren't luxurious, the scripts were very good. If Ruan Tang wanted to come back, it was impossible to get a commercial blockbuster with his current popularity. But as a former movie emperor, it was impossible for him to degrade his worth and play the third or fourth lead or some common support role. In this case, those movies with good characters and script that were leaning towards being an art movies were the better choice.
Ruan Tang would return to the screen after five years through a niche-market but spectacular art film. Coupled with his rising popularity as a cooking anchor and He Yun Chen's efforts to spread the word through his entertainment circle contacts, the topic of Ruan Tang's return would surely spark off a big wave of interest. By means of this shareholder's backing, Ruan Tang could easily bid farewell to his current lifestyle and have a magnificent return.
After He Yun Chen figured out how to create momentum for Ruan Tang and let his path go smoothly, he opened the live broadcast room as was his custom. However, after waiting a bit he noticed that the live room was still dark and no one was there.
However, there was a notice in the live broadcast room, which read that the anchor had gone to participate in the Chefs' Association's level assessment test, so the live broadcast was suspended for one day.
He Yun Chen was startled, after counting the days, it was indeed the day of the Chefs' Association's monthly assessment.
The anchor was preparing to test for the chef's certificate? He couldn't help but frown, remembering the group of sunspots before. Although they've been dealt with by Ran Jing, having the IPs of these people banned, but the main instigator behind these people was a senior executive of the Chefs' Association. He has to consider the safety of the anchor.
Before, the anchor and this instigator had no direct contact. This person wanted to rely on public opinion to ruin the reputation of the anchor. Now, Ruan Tang himself would be in the other's territory, would the other party let him go so easily?
Thinking about this, He Yun Chen immediately stood up and strode out the door. He didn't even change out of his military uniform. With one long stride, he sat inside the suspended car.
No matter who they were, if they dared to cause any grievance to the anchor, then they were setting themselves against their He Family!
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Ruan Tang rode the suspended car and arrived early at the location of the Chefs' Association's assessment. It looked like there were a lot of people who came to take the test. The sky was blotted black with the huge number of suspended cars. It was a spectacular sight.
The suspended cars had an intelligent system for unified control, so the process of landing and getting off the vehicle was carried out in an orderly manner. There was no messy traffic jam scenes like the ones in his past life.
Ten minutes later, he got out of the car and saw the huge building with the sign of the Chefs' Association Branch No. 133, and went inside. He had almost recovered his previous appearance, but to avoid any incidents, he donned on black-rimmed glasses that he had prepared in advance, and only wore a simple white shirt and trousers. The temperament and dress of the original body's owner must have been more eye-catching. With the way he was doing things now, his temperament was entirely different from that of the original owner's. Plus his current body shape was much thinner than before. In others' eyes, he would simply have a good resemblance to the original owner but no one would guess they were the same person.
There was a smart scanner at the entrance of the Chefs' Association's entrance. You only needed to tap the light brain to the sensor to complete the check-in and log in your information.
Ruan Tang joined the flow of people entering the massive hall, waiting for the assessment to start. The reception hall was round, and the candidates were waiting in the designated waiting area in the center. There were small rooms all around, where each of the candidates would complete their test.
After the signing-in was completed, the light brain received an electronic document titled "Assessment FAQs", which detailed some of the information related to the assessment.
The Chefs' Associations' assessment test required using the ingredients provided by the association to make a variety of dishes. These ingredients could be mixed and used together, or they could be used separately to make an independent dish, depending on how the candidate wanted to do it. However, each ingredient used as an examination topic must be used as the main ingredient of the dish. Although it can also be used as an auxiliary dish, candidates weren't allowed to mix in only a bit of the ingredient just so they could satisfy the requirement through a loophole.
As for how many dishes would be presented, this also depended on the candidate's plans. If the variety was good enough and the taste was good, the candidate could get a red "excellent" stamp on the back of the star-rank certificate. The presence of this stamp would mean the difference between heaven and earth amongst chefs of the same rank.
The one-star rank assessment requirements were relatively simple. Five ingredients were needed. Two stars needed fifteen, while three stars needed twenty-five. For each additional star, the number of ingredients that the candidate needed to be able to cook would increase by ten, and the value of the chef would double. But the test for four stars and five stars were not so simple. In addition to the amazing number of forty-five ingredients to be cooked, there were also requirements for the quality and taste of the dishes. And if you wanted to be a five-star chef, your ability to innovate new dishes was naturally very important. You had to have at least developed more than ten dishes, and you also needed to go through the approval of the Chefs' Association's senior body. If more than half approved, you can then become a five-star ranked chef.
The empire had been promoting natural ingredients for 30 years. In the past two decades, there have been only a dozen five-star chefs, one of which was the current president of the Chefs' Association, Gu Le Ji. Even the four-star chefs, there were only a hundred people. In contrast to the interstellar population of 100 billion people, this hundred people were more precious than the giant pandas in the zoos during his previous life.
The finished dishes produced during the test would first tested by the machine to confirm that it's safe to eat. After confirming that there was no problem, several examiners would taste it. If the food produced by the candidate can be approved by the examiner, the candidate will be able to pass the assessment. If the examiner's approval was not obtained, the assessment will be considered a failure.
In order to ensure the fairness of the assessment, all assessment content would be recorded in the form of holographic data, and then uploaded to the official website of the Chefs' Association, open to all the Empire's people. This was to prevent cheating and other corrupt practices.
In general, it was very difficult to mix all kinds of ingredients together and come out with something definitely delicious. Therefore, most candidates would choose to make each ingredient into a single dish.
But for Ruan Tang, it was not too difficult.
He was calmly waiting for the assessment to begin, and the conversations of the other candidates continued to flow into his ears, and then he heard the continuous exclamations from the side.
"Ah! It's over! It's over! The Academy has just launched new ingredients! Two of them!"
"Heavens! They wouldn't put it in the assessment would they?"
Someone quickly answered him in a despairing tone, "It's possible. The subject of the assessment will be drawn from the shopping site at the time of the assessment, regardless of whether it is new or not." As he said this he could not help but mourn, "Academy of Sciences, why today? Why would you release new ingredients just before the start of the assessment?!"
When he heard about the release of new ingredients, Ruan Tang instantly made a guess. He opened the shopping site and as expected, front and center, were a pair of green and red peppers. His eyes involuntarily shone. Whether it was ground into chili powder as a seasoning, or used as a complement or directly stir fried as a main dish, chili peppers were delicious. The stinging and stimulating taste would make people addicted to it.
In fact, because he had the status of a consultant for the Academy of Sciences, he had already received the sample peppers from He Yun Yi last night. He tasted a bit and the taste was quite pure. It had ample water content, and had a touch of sweetness. The taste must be stunning. He had intended to make a spicy dish in the live broadcast tomorrow, but it seems that this plan may be executed ahead of schedule.
The assessment started very quickly. The serial number of each room and the number of the candidate are displayed on the big screen of the waiting area. Candidates only needed to check the number of their own assessment room.
After waiting for two rounds or so, it was finally Ruan Tang's turn.
According to the prompt of the big screen, Ruan Tang came to the door of the room corresponding to his own number, and after verification by the light brain induction method, the door of the room was instantly opened.
When he walked in, he found that the room was much larger than he thought. It was a large kitchen, and all the kitchen utensils were available and placed neatly.
At this time, a reminder popped up on Ruan Tang's light brain, telling him the five randomly selected ingredients – red pepper, green pepper, egg, fish head and pig liver.
Then a small door opened from the left wall and an intelligent robot handed over a box to Ruan Tang. Apparently this contained the five ingredients that he needs to use for this assessment.
Ruan Tang opened the box, and saw the big red chili pepper and the green bell pepper, five eggs, two big fish heads and a big piece of pig liver. All he has to do now was to make delicious food with these five ingredients.
Grandmother's chili eggs (La Jiao Wai Po Dan), Chopped Pepper Fish Head (Duo Jiao Yu Tou) and Green Pepper with Pig's Liver — almost instantaneously, Ruan Tang was able to come out with the appropriate recipes.
However, what Ruan Tang didn't know was that in the monitoring room at the other end, someone was directing a malicious smile at him.
"Oh, Ruan Tang, Ruan Tang, even if you are very capable, let's see what you can make with these things."
Ever since Qi Zhuo saw the name Ruan Tang on the list of candidates who signed up, he had paid particular attention to him. He had personally requested to be assigned as the test evaluator for Ruan Tang's assessment venue. He was going to resolutely spew out vitriol. All these "excellent" ingredients were "carefully selected" by himself, to ensure that Ruan Tang could never pass the assessment!
"President, this pepper is the ingredient that the Academy of Sciences had just announced today. Are we immediately going to use it in the assessment?" One of his subordinates showed a worried expression.
"Is there anything wrong? Entering the new ingredients in the database is completely compliant with standard operations. He was unlucky enough to draw the peppers, who can he blame?" Qi Zhuo said with a cold smile. "This time I must let that old man Gu know just what kind of garbage he took a fancy to — he couldn't even pass the initial level assessment! He wants to train that Ruan Tang to take the position that should belong to me, well, he's going to have to be able to get into the association first!"
"But isn't it too much to give him scrap ingredients like fish head and pig liver? In case people find out that we tricked the system, it would cause a lot of trouble…" After all, all the assessment process was to be recorded and uploaded to the official website. The ingredients that were allotted to Ruan Tang were very difficult to cook with, and it was so excessively coincidental that it would be easy for people to see that something was wrong. Once something does go wrong, Qi Zhuo naturally didn't have to worry, it would be small fries like him that would suffer the brunt of the damage!
"What are you afraid of? Didn't you give him eggs? Even if he just fries that then at least one dish would pass, wouldn't it? We're practically giving him free points!" Qi Zhuo squinted his eyes, annoyed. "Maybe you're worried about him?"
"No, no, no, I'm just worried it will affect your prestige."
"Hmph." Qi Zhuo snorted and turned his eyes back to the surveillance video.
After being scolded by Qi Zhuo, the man had no choice but to close his mouth, and he looked at Ruan Tang in the surveillance video with a complicated look. Considering his position, he had to stand by Qi Zhuo, but in terms of what would benefit him, it was not necessarily so. If Ruan Tang enters the association, there would be no disadvantage to him. Even if Ruan Tang really became the successor to the president, then he could even create a favorable impression as one of the examiners, but Ruan Tang's failure meant that he might be questioned later and even be used as a scapegoat.
He stole a glance at Qi Zhuo's expression and saw that the other still looked as though he was watching entertainment drama unfold. Therefore, he too turned his eyes back to the assessment room, praying that Ruan Tang would give a good showing, not enough to pass the assessment but not badly enough to be ugly.
But looking at those five ingredients, he couldn't help but have a bitter taste in his mouth. Not to mention the fact that those chilies were only just released by the Academy today, but when they got their hands on them in advance, the taste was so frightening. Just a small mouthful would cause the entire mouth to feel numb with pins and needles. And maybe it was because his finger touched something on the pepper, but after, when he touched his face and eyes, it felt like those places were burning! It hurt like hell!
Exactly what part of this could people eat? This was clearly a biochemical weapon!
There were also the three other ingredients. Besides the egg which was a normal ingredient, which part of the fish head and pork liver could you eat? When cooking fish and pork in the restaurants, both of these were simply thrown out! However, strictly speaking, these scrap parts that can't be eaten, are actually considered as food ingredients. As a result, they were included amongst this month's assessment. Together with those terrifying chilies, let alone making a delicious dish, just making a dish that was non-poisonous and edible could already be considered as a blessing from Heaven.
It seemed that he was going to have to carry this pot… Thinking like this, the man's face can't help but make a bitter face. He made up his mind, no matter what, he's going to push everything on Ruan Tang's own bad luck! After all, no one could predict this thing called luck.
At this time, Ruan Tang began to act. In the assessment, all the spices and condiments sold in the market were available, and accessory ingredients such as onion, ginger and garlic were also placed on the table.
Ruan Tang washed the pig liver first and then cut it into thin slices. He took out a pot and put in clean water for soaking. This still had to be soaked for at least 30 minutes, so he began to process the fish head.
He evenly spread salt, ground pepper and scallion-ginger juice unto the fish head, and let it marinate it for a few minutes to let the fish head absorb the flavor.
Next, Ruan Tang half-filled a stockpot with water, added a little cooking oil, and put in ginger slices and chopped scallion. The two aromatics sunk soundlessly to the bottom of the pot. The examiner helplessly shook his head. Sure enough, it was too much to deal with this kind of scrap ingredient, so Ruan Tang even gave up and just prepared to boil it into soup?
Qi Zhuo jeered even more, "What kind of thing is this? Young people these days! Since the pot is cracked, might as well break it? Hilarious!
The subordinate couldn't help but shake his head. He could already foresee the failure of this young man.
They watched as Ruan Tang gently put in the fish and used high heat to boil it. He used a ladle to scoop out the floating scum and then covered the pot, letting it stew under low heat. They helplessly shook their heads.
It was the simplest way to make soup. No matter what ingredients were used, you could eat it after boiling. But doing it like this basically ensured that the dish wouldn't be a delicious delicacy. What's more, what Ruan Tang got was just a fish head. He couldn't cut it, he couldn't fry it. Besides throwing it in whole, what other way could this poor guy think of?
The man looked at Qi Zhuo and thought darkly in his heart.
Ruan Tang, if you want to blame someone then blame yourself for offending someone you shouldn't have offended.
Ruan Tang had no idea about the situation in the monitoring room. The fish head soup had already been cooking for half an hour, so he started on making the Grandmother's chili eggs.
He first cut the red pepper into small pieces, then sliced the garlic and cut the green portion of the spring onions. He cracked open three eggs into the bowl, and quickly beat them with chopsticks until a layer of bubbles appeared on top.
When the oil in pan was hot, the eggs are poured into it. When frying the eggs, he deliberately put in more oil, so that the eggs would come out fluffier and tenderer, and it wouldn't stick to the pan.
He fried the eggs until it both sides were golden yellow, and then scooped it out and cut it into even pieces.
Then he put the thin garlic slices into the pan and fried it under low heat until it was fragrant. He then took it out of the pan and set it aside for later use.
There was still a thin layer of oil left at the bottom of the pan. Instead of washing the pan clean, Ruan Tang directly put in the red pepper slices and let them react fully with the oil infused with egg and garlic flavors. After the pepper was cooked, he added back in the garlic and egg pieces to stir fry together. After seasoning with a small amount of soy sauce, sugar, salt and aromatic vinegar, he put in chopped green onions and stir fried a few more times under high heat. Soon after, a plate of delicious Grandmother's Chili Egg was finished.
At this time, the simmering fish head soup was almost finished. The fish soup had completely turned a milky white, exuding a seductive aroma.
He fished out the ginger and shallots from the pot and seasoned it with salt and pepper, and finally added ginger shreds and chopped green onion. The rich and fragrant fish head soup was ready.
At this time the pig liver was also fully soaked already. The blood had completely diluted with the water, so Ruan Tang simply poured out the bloody water, and then the pig liver was repeatedly washed until no blood seeped out.
After the pig liver was allowed to drip dry, he put it in a bowl and add seasonings such as salt, starch, light soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and sugar. He stirred them together well and then put it to one side to rest.
While heating a pan of oil, Ruan Tang quickly chopped up the chives and green bell peppers.
When the oil was completely hot, he put in the pig's liver and stir fried it until it gradually turned white. He then took it out of the pan.
The oil remaining in the pan was then used to stir fry the chopped chives and green peppers. When it started to exude a delicious fragrance, he put back in the pig's liver. After quickly sautéing them together, the dish was done.
One soup and two dishes. One was the bright and colorful, red and yellow chili eggs. While the other was the green peppers with pork liver. After having undergone Ruan Tang's treatment, even the originally disgusting pork liver looked a lot more palatable. With a bowl of milky white fish soup to the side, it seemed like no one could find fault in these three dishes.
After putting the two dishes and soup side-by-side on the countertop, Ruan Tang looked towards the camera and said,
"It's done."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone