Chapter 31

     The director seemed to have discovered the fun of this contrast, and the camera in the live broadcast room kept switching between Shi Xi and Guan Xing.

     On Shi Xi’s side, Chef Liu’s steamed shrimps with garlic vermicelli were out of the pot, and the fragrance was diffused in the mist.

     Shi Xi applauded and praised beside him: “It’s so fragrant. The shells of these shrimps were cut open, and after fully absorbing the flavor of garlic and sauce, the flavor was firmly locked in the shrimp meat. If you bite it… I guess the shrimp meat will be chewy. Chef Liu’s craftsmanship is really first-class.”

     The live broadcast room gave a big close-up of the shrimps with cut edges. The shrimps are beautiful, and the shrimp meat looks very chewy, which makes people salivate.

     Chef Liu said cheerfully: “You are good at finding ingredients. Anyone can make such fresh and plump shrimps taste good. You must eat two more shrimps when the meal starts later to reward yourself.”

     The host noticed this and said with a smile: “Teacher Xiao Shi has great potential to be a host. Chef Liu’s shrimp dish is really too fragrant.”

     The camera turned to Guan Xing. Chef He was cooking pasta and Guan Xing was watching.

     Chef He picked up the pasta and stir-fried it with aloe vera and cream. Guan Xing put on a mask of pain.

     Chef He began to plate it, decorated the fried garlic segments next to the pasta, and finally squeezed a little lemon juice on it, and forced a smile to the camera: “Creative cuisine, pasta with aloe vera cream and fried garlic.”

     Guan Xing rubbed his eyebrows in despair.

     The host was silent for a moment: “I personally like to eat pasta, but this combination is the first time I have seen it… I am looking forward to it.”

 

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   【This innovative dish is really creative and high-end. The edible part is probably the fried garlic sprouts, right? 】

   【I really don’t want to imagine what this dish tastes like. I think it looks like facial cleanser. I might as well choose stir-fried aloe vera and borrow some onions, ginger, garlic and chili peppers from the group next door. With those four kitchen essentials, what could go wrong?”】

   【The host’s pause here is quite intriguing. 】

   【I am greedy for that shrimp. It’s look so delicious. I am hungry again. I want to have another midnight snack! 】

   【I suddenly remembered what Guan Xing’s fans said before: Shi Xi is doomed to lose.】 

   【Hahahaha, this sentence is too funny in the current situation. Shi Xi is clearly the winner. 】

   【Huh, how do you know that the pasta with aloe vera cream and fried garlic must be bad? This is the handiwork of the chef. Maybe everyone will be surprised after tasting it? 】

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    The unethical comparison in the live broadcast room has not ended yet, and Shi Xi’s team appeared in the live broadcast room again.

     Chef Liu picked up a whole steamed free-range chicken and put it into a glass container filled with ice cubes:”This technique is known as ‘guo leng he’ (‘passing through a cold river’). where the chicken is quickly chilled in ice water. This causes the meat to contract, resulting in a firmer texture and better flavor. Cantonese cooking is famous for its emphasis on the natural taste of the ingredients. While this method may seem straightforward, it actually requires a great deal of skill to execute properly.”

     Chef Liu put the steamed chicken that had been rinsed with ice water on the chopping board and began to chop the chicken. With one cut, the chicken skin burst open, and the chicken showed its tender and smooth true face.

     Shi Xi was greedy: “It’s the New Year, it’s the New Year.”

     The camera moved to the side, and Bai Man and Jiang Xingmian came over at some point, and also watched Chef Liu chop the chicken eagerly.

     Bai Man: “It’s Chinese New Year.”

     Jiang Xingmian blinked and said honestly: “It smells so good.”

     Chef Chen joked while serving the dish: “Chef Liu, your chicken has taken away the souls of the two children.”

     Chef Li from Bai Man’s group said with a smile: “This is Lao Liu’s big move!”

     Chef Liu looked at the two chefs: “Your cream stewed chicken and beef mashed potato cheese pie are also big moves!”

     It was Guan Xing’s turn. Chef He was frying the two small fish with a sad face, and it was difficult to put together the third dish.

     Chef He reminded Guan Xing: “You have to make another dish independently. Have you decided what to make?”

     Guan Xing took a look at the remaining ingredients and said coldly: “Stir-fried garlic sprouts.”

     This is indeed a dish.

     Good-tempered Chef He comforted him: “All groups will share the food. We have limited ingredients, but you can taste other groups’ food later.”

     Guan Xing said stubbornly: “The results are not out yet, don’t give others confidence. I think they are just so-so, especially the steamed fish and scallion chicken, which are just the level of ordinary tea restaurants. I have no interest at all!”

 

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   【Other groups: It’s the New Year. Guan Xing’s group: It’s miserable.】 

   【But Guan Xing himself remained stubborn.】 

   【If you are not interested, why did you peek just now? If you don’t know, you might think you have a crush on the steamed fish with scallions. 】

   【Looking forward to Guan Xing’s kitchen debut! Stir-fried garlic sprouts are very delicious! 】

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     After finishing all the dishes, Chef Liu handed the spatula to Shi Xi: “Now it’s your turn.”

     “I’m ready.” Shi Xi came to the stove calmly, tied her apron properly, and started to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

     This time, Chef Liu encouraged: “The eggs are fried well.”

     After a while, he said again: “The fragrance is coming out. This must be a perfect tomato scrambled egg.”

     Bai Man, who was watching from the side, echoed Chef Liu: “Teacher Xiao Shi actually made tomato scrambled eggs. I love it so much! The color is so beautiful. Wow, Teacher Xiao Shi added tomato sauce. The details are there!”

     Chef Chen from the next group: “Not bad, it’s fried to the restaurant standard.”

     Shi Xi’s ears turned red because of their praise.

     On the other side, Guan Xing poured the fried garlic sprouts on the plate and looked at Chef He.

     Chef He, who didn’t have time to save the situation, took a deep breath: “Not bad, it’s fried… cooked.”

…

     At 8:30 in the evening, the canteen opened on time for dinner.

     All the guests were seated, and the male host said: “Dear audience, I feel very happy at this moment, because I am surrounded by delicious food, and I am immersed in the aroma of food. Now, let’s take a look at the results of the chefs and assistants who have been busy for a long time!”

     The camera gave the dishes of Baiman Group and Jiang Xingmian Group. The menu of Baiman Group was exactly the same as the proposed menu. Jiang Xingmian had to temporarily change the menu because he missed some ingredients, but a dish of cream stewed chicken held up the scene, and Chef Chen’s plating was very beautiful, not much inferior to Baiman Group.

     When it came to Shixi Group and Guanxing Group, one side had big fish and meat, and the other side was green. With Guanxing’s fried garlic sprouts as a foil, even Shixi’s tomato scrambled eggs became advanced.

     After being busy for so long and waiting for so long, everyone was really hungry. The host announced that the meal would start, and specifically stated that the amateur guests needed to taste every dish and vote for the best cooking partner tonight after dinner.

     For Shi Xi, the result was not important, but enjoying the meal was the most important thing.

     She had just picked up some shrimps with the serving chopsticks when a bowl of pumpkin soup handed over by Bai Man appeared in front of her.

     “Teacher Xiao Shi, try my cooking.”

     Jiang Xingmian handed them small bowls of stewed chicken: “I’m afraid you can’t reach it, so ask me to help you serve it after you finish eating.”

     “Thank you, I will taste it well.” Seeing the sincere smiles in the eyes of the two, Shi Xi felt that it was really worthwhile to come here and make two friends.

     “On such a cool summer night, it is really comfortable to enjoy delicious food with friends in the yard and listen to the frogs,” the female host raised the iced watermelon juice and smiled sweetly at Shi Xi: “Thank you teacher Xiao Shi for the watermelon juice, which injected the soul into this meal!”

     Everyone raised their glasses in tacit understanding and clinked glasses for Shi Xi from a distance.

     A sip of iced watermelon juice will relieve your greasiness, stimulate your appetite and make you feel refreshed.

     When it came to the table, it was clear which group’s dishes were the most popular.

     “This scallion chicken is the best I’ve ever had, not greasy at all, I can still finish three bowls of rice.”

     “The steamed fish is too good, it melts in your mouth.”

     “I pick the steamed shrimp with garlic sauce, you can remove the shell with chopsticks, it’s super delicious, I can finish a plate by myself, okay?”

     The scrambled eggs with tomatoes made by Shi Xi were the first to be cleared, the taste is sour and sweet, very good with rice.

     Among the four groups, only Shi Xi’s group made Chinese food, and only their group cooked rice, which turned out to be very popular.

     The male host loved the scallion chicken the most, and he frequently picked up his chopsticks, praising it while eating, and reminded the amateur guests after praising it: “All experience officers should be equally divided, and taste every dish.”

     The amateur guests had to face the creative cuisine of Guan Xing’s group. They picked up a small portion of the dish with a plate and mustered up the courage to start tasting.

     The amateur guests swallowed the food in their mouths with a very tactful attitude.

     “The taste of aloe vera is still relatively refreshing, but it is too stimulating when paired with fried garlic butter.”

     “But I still applaud their innovative spirit.”

     “Is it so unpalatable?” Guan Xing tasted a bite of aloe vera pasta himself, then put down his fork with a sullen face.

     After that, no one cared about Guan Xing’s creative dishes.

 

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   【Hahahaha, I can’t even eat it. 】

   【Teacher Shi: It’s all thanks to my peers.】 

   【After being publicly executed again and again, I think Guan Xing will never want to record food and farming variety shows again.】 

     Even Guan Xing’s fans——

   【Is Guan Guan really not suitable for this kind of variety show? 】

   【After watching the live broadcast until now, I actually got the cuteness of Shi Xi, I’m done. 】

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     Guan Xing watched others eat and his stomach became hungrier and hungrier, but he himself said that he was not interested in other people’s dishes, so he didn’t move his chopsticks.

     It was not until Chef He handed him a bowl of scallion chicken and steamed shrimp and urged him to eat some that he “reluctantly” ate it.

     Two minutes later, Guan Xing stared at Chef He with the empty bowl in his hand.

     Chef He saw the empty bowl and realized, “More?”

     Guan Xing handed him the bowl.

     It smelled really good.

     They ate and talked, Shi Xi sat in the corner and concentrated on eating, but she was the center of the topic.

     “Do you know where the big fish and shrimp on the table came from?” Bai Man said vividly, “When Teacher Xiao approached the shore, the fish rushed to her frantically and let her choose. I was in the water at the time, and it was really shocking to witness it on the spot.”

     Everyone was very interested in this novel thing, and all pricked up their ears.

     An amateur guest asked: “Is it really that magical?”

     “Really, you will know after watching the replay. This fish was given to me by Teacher Xiao.”

     “I believe it is true,” Jiang Xingmian said seriously: “When Teacher Xiao caught chickens in the chicken farm, all the chickens went back to the cage obediently.”

     “I also believe it is true…” The female host pointed behind Shi Xi, and three rural cats that looked like gas tanks were lying on the open space behind Shi Xi.

     Shi Xi looked back, and a green-eyed orange cat immediately walked towards her with a hum, jumped onto her legs, and rubbed her arm with its head like a spoiled child.

     The female host said: “These are the cats raised by Brother Shu. They are usually very aloof and won’t let anyone touch them even if you feed them cat food. It seems that Teacher Xiao Shi is particularly popular with small animals. No wonder Teacher Xiao Shi can dominate the farm.”

     “Let me try.” The amateur male guest walked up to a calico cat and stretched out his hand to it: “Mimi, come here…”

     The calico cat turned around and walked away, squatting next to Shi Xi’s chair.

     The male guest touched the back of his head awkwardly: “You really only like Teacher Xiao Shi.”

     Even Shu Ge heard about it and came to record this scene with a Polaroid camera. He took two photos in total and gave one to Shi Xi.

     Shu Ge was very envious of Shi Xi: “They get impatient after I hold them for five minutes. I may be a fake owner.”

     After dinner, Bai Man and Shi Xi brought out the fruit plate.

     Bai Man: “These are the fruits picked by Teacher Xiao Shi.”

     “Thank you, Teacher Xiao Shi,” the female host said happily, “The food tonight is really great.”

     “It’s been a really pleasant time,” the male host said, “It’s almost time for us to go off the air. Now please ask our five experience officers to choose the best partner for tonight!”

     Amateur guest A: “Jiang Jiang’s cream stewed chicken is really unique, especially to my taste. I choose scallion chicken.”

     Amateur guest B: “Man Man’s beef mashed potato cheese pie is full of ingredients, and it’s very satisfying to take a bite. I choose scallion chicken.”

     Amateur guest C: “I also choose scallion chicken.”

     Amateur guest D: “Do I still need to choose?”

     “…” Host: “You still have to choose.”

     Shi Xi won with three votes, Bai Man and Jiang Xingmian each got one vote, and Guan Xing got zero votes.

     The female host announced: “Tonight’s best partners are our Chef Liu and Teacher Xiaoshi!”

     The male host presented them with the “Best Partner” badge and handed Shi Xi an extra envelope: “This is the farm tour card that Brother Shu gave to Teacher Xiaoshi as a gift. Teacher Xiaoshi can not only come to the farm to play at any time, but also own a small vegetable plot.”

     Everyone was applauding and celebrating for Shi Xi. Guan Xing lowered his head and poked the shriveled and dark fried garlic sprouts in front of him.

 

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   【Teacher Xiaoshi, take me to play after the filming is completed! I didn’t pick a big watermelon last time! 】

   【Grab Nián Nián! Can you guys do a live stream when you come to play? I love watching beautiful girls posting.】 

   【It turns out that Teacher Xiao Tang is also watching Teacher Xiao Shi’s live broadcast. Our colleagues in the props group are watching it. 】

   【Teacher Xiaoshi doesn’t care about winning or losing. She lets Chef Liu cook the dishes he is good at and loves to eat. Instead, he conquers the experience officers and guests with the taste. Guan Xing wanted to win, but he didn’t have the strength, and finally came up empty-handed. 】

   【Manman and Xiaojiang are also great. I can feel their sincerity. 】

   【I had a lot of fun watching this episode. I was attracted by Xiaoshi, the farm overlord. I will take a day off and go to the farm to relax. 】

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     Before the end of the live broadcast, the two hosts promoted the recent works of the guests. They were particularly heartfelt when they mentioned Shixi.

     “We really have a good relationship with the crew of “Phantom”. I wish Xiaoshi and Niannian a smooth filming. I hope they can come to the farm again when they have time. I also wish “Phantom” a big box office success!”

     “The live broadcast of “Evening Canteen” ends here. See you in the main film. Good night.”

     After the live broadcast room was closed, the two hosts rubbed their necks and became more relaxed. The other guests did the same.

     At this time, Bai Man took out the box she had prepared in advance and gave each person a small jar of exquisite butter sauce sauce: “This is the secret butter sauce that my family makes by hand. I give it to you as a gift. This sauce goes really well with rice. “

     The small jar was heavy, and everyone felt very warm when holding it in their hands.

     The director was also given a can of butter sauce. He held the sauce and said to everyone:

     “Thank you for your hard work today. Brother Shu has prepared a room for everyone. My assistant will give you the door card. After you clean up the table, you can go back to the room to rest at any time. Just a reminder, we will film this cleaning section and cut it into the main film.”

     Bai Man stretched and said to Shi Xi: “Teacher Xiao Shi, I brought a SLR. I will help you take a big movie after cleaning up!”

     Shixi put the cat on the ground: “Then I look forward to it.”

     Each group cleaned up the snow in front of their own door. Several young people persuaded the chef to rest and took the initiative to wash the dishes.

     Shi Xi concentrated on washing the dishes. When she was about to rinse the water, she glanced at the glass bowl on the cooking table and found that the number of tomatoes in it was a little wrong.

     When she started washing the dishes, there were clearly four tomatoes in it, but now there are only three left.

     Shi Xi looked around. Others were washing dishes. Guan Xing’s back looked full of resentment. Xiao Jiang and Man Man were talking about work. The photographer who was taking pictures of them yawned sleepily… There was no abnormality.

     Shi Xi looked down and found the lost tomato lying on the ground not far away.

     How did it get to the ground silently?

     Shi Xi picked up the tomato and checked it. There were two dents on the plump tomato. It looked like someone pinched it with fingers. Shi Xi smelled it and there was no smell of Yin Qi.

     But the contact surface was very small, so it was possible that the Yin Qi had dissipated.

     The resentful spirits had been resting in the game and certainly had not seen anything unusual. Shi Xi summoned Zhang Qingyu out and asked him: “Feel it, is there anything wrong with the kitchen?”

     Zhang Qingyu shook his head: “No, what’s wrong?”

     At this time, Bai Man shouted: “Teacher Xiao Shi, what are you doing squatting on the ground?”

     “Picking tomatoes.” Shi Xi put the tomatoes back in the bowl.

     Bai Man nodded: “I’ve finished washing, come and help you.”

     “Sit down and rest for a while, I’ll be there soon.”

     The remaining vegetables were stored in the refrigerator. After cleaning up their respective areas, they left the kitchen.

     The lights in the semi-open kitchen were turned off, and the program crew filmed the backs of the guests leaving, ending all the filming for today.

     The photographer was about to finish work when he found that there were a few cats following Shi Xi. The picture was warm and funny. He pressed the shutter and took a still.

     On the way from the kitchen to the B&B, Guan Xing recalled his day’s experience with mixed emotions. When he was about to reach the door, his assistant ran over with a bad expression: “Brother Xing, Brother Chen watched today’s live broadcast and was very dissatisfied. He scolded me and said he would talk to you face to face tomorrow.” 

     Guan Xing cursed and suddenly felt very irritated: “Do you have cigarettes?”

     “Brother Chen asked you to quit smoking…”

     “Stop talking nonsense.” Guan Xing searched his pockets and found cigarettes and lighters.

     The assistant nervously told him: “It’s quite dark nearby, don’t go far, be careful of being photographed. If you get into trouble again, Brother Chen will definitely be even angrier.”

     Guan Xing ignored him and walked towards the gate holding the cigarette.

     Guan Xing found a quiet and deserted place and lit a cigarette against the wall. The dim light above his head suddenly flickered, and the flame of the lighter was blown out by the wind. Guan Xing felt a chill, and it seemed as if a hand was placed on his shoulder. He heard a hoarse voice: “Young man, can I borrow a cigarette?”