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Hua Xiaomai, ever since she entered the pavilion holding the platter, had maintained a slight smile, deliberately imitating Song Jingxi’s deanor, and tuned her smile to be very asured. However, upon seeing the gourmand burst into laughter after tasting the venison tenderloin she had prepared, her lips imdiately stiffened, and she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
"Old sir, is there a problem with this minced at I made?" She looked straight at the old man’s face, her voice wasn’t loud, but it sounded extrely clear, and more or less, it contained a hint of dissatisfaction.
Such a tone and expression might have been a bit disrespectful, but as a chef brimming with confidence in her culinary skills, she wished for her dishes to be taken seriously. The old gourmand’s smile only made her feel belittled.
"Ah, miss, don’t misunderstand," perhaps sensing her discomfort from her tone, the elderly man imdiately looked up at her and waved his hand, saying, "It’s not that there’s anything wrong with your dish. On the contrary, whether it’s the roasted minced at or the succulent, crispy grilled at strips, I like them very much. It’s no small feat for such an ancient dish to be reproduced by a young woman like you. You... are you the head chef at Taoyuan House? Where did old boss Song find such a gem like you?"
The man in white standing behind Hua Xiaomai, being close by, heard the old man’s words loud and clear. He couldn’t help but crane his neck to glance at the dish on the table.
"Allow to have a few more words with this young lady, you may go ahead to the front and co back to later, lest I hold you up," noticing his movent, the old man looked up and smiled warmly while waving his hand. The man bowed slightly in response, placed the white porcelain plate in front of the second gourmand, and couldn’t resist throwing a backward glance at Hua Xiaomai, his eyes betraying a hint of surprise.
Hearing the old gourmand’s complint, the stuffiness in Hua Xiaomai’s heart dissipated slightly, and she pursed her lips, saying, "If that’s the case, why did you laugh? I thought I had made a blunder and felt a chill through my heart..."
"Hahaha..." The old man stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Did I scare you? I’m not ashad to say that at the age of sixty-two, my greatest love has been eating. Finding the perfect pairing for a delicious dish is one of life’s great joys for . The flavor of the minced at you made is quite rich, the seasoning fine, and, most notably, even though several types of at were used, their fragrances only overlapped without confusion, creating exceptionally clear layers. After tasting just one small bite, an idea popped into my head—If I had a large pot of yellow millet rice right now, I could easily eat three big bowls with this minced at! The reason I laughed was precisely this."
The last bit of displeasure in Hua Xiaomai’s heart floated away upon hearing his words, and with a smile in her eyes, she also laughed and replied, "You surely know how to eat, indeed this minced at is perfectly suited with millet rice."
The old man did not conceal his smugness, chuckled with a heh, his beard trembling, then he spoke seriously, "However, this venison tenderloin, although scarcely eaten nowadays, if my mory serves right, one or two thousand years ago, it was a rare delicacy exclusive to the Royal Family. You used it to answer the the of ’ordinary’. What’s your reasoning? What’s the rationale behind that?"
More chefs from various restaurants were bringing in their first at dishes, attracting more people to the pavilion. Hua Xiaomai’s lively conversation with the old man drew many eyes, even the other four gourmand judges turned their heads, and low murmurs of discussion occasionally carried over from nearby.
Hua Xiaomai curved the corners of her mouth slightly, and spoke in a asured pace to the old man, "As you said, venison tenderloin was a Royal Family food one or two thousand years ago. At that ti food was scarce, unlike today’s widely popular sea eight treasures which were nowhere to be seen. Using various ats in the dish was naturally precious back then, but in today’s terms, it’s not considered as much. Minced at is good with rice, and the grilled at strips mixed from various ats are perfect to accompany a drink. If one finds venison tenderloin or suckling pig too pricey, replacing it with other ats is also acceptable. Whether on a banquet table or in the streets, as long as one desires, it can be prepared to any liking, so how could it not fit the ’ordinary’ the?"
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