I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 258: Chapter 249: Another Wild Fruit Discovered

The customers were abuzz with discussion. Everyone was very interested in this dish.

The question now was how the two would actually compete.

Generally speaking, there were two formats for a cooking competition.

First, both contestants use the same cooking equipment and ingredients of equal quality.

Second, each contestant prepares their own cooking equipment, ingredients, and so on.

The first format was generally considered fairer. With identical equipment and ingredients, the competition would come down to pure, hard skill.

In the second format, the contestant with better resources might be able to find higher-quality ingredients.

And with higher-quality ingredients, the probability of winning naturally increased.

However, being able to find superior ingredients was a skill in itself, so it couldn’t be called entirely unfair.

In cooking competitions, both formats were used about equally.

Which format would the two of them adopt?

Just then, Yu Hong spoke up. ”Proprietor Li You, let’s use the same cooking equipment and ingredients of the same quality. What do you say?”

Yu Hong’s words once again earned nods of approval from the crowd.

As a senior chef specializing in Zhejiang cuisine, the quality of ingredients Yu Hong could source would most likely be superior to Li You’s.

After all, Longjing Shrimp was a Zhejiang dish.

By proposing to use ingredients of the same quality, Yu Hong was showing that he didn’t want to take advantage of Li You.

Of course, it could also be said that he was confident in his ability to defeat Li You. Using identical ingredients would leave Li You and all the spectators with no room for argument.

It was likely a combination of both reasons.

Li You nodded. ”I’ll leave the arrangements to Master Yu.”

Yu Hong expressed his thanks, then turned to Chen Wen. ”Could I trouble Master Chen to help us prepare the ingredients?”

Chen Wen replied, ”No problem. And since you’ll be using ingredients of the same quality, their specific grade isn’t as critical. That makes preparation much easier. In that case, let’s set the time for the competition at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. How does that sound to you both?”

Both Li You and Yu Hong agreed that was fine.

Chen Wen continued, ”As for the venue, the open area right outside the restaurant will be perfect. We’ll set up two cooking stations there. There’s plenty of space, so it’ll be easy for everyone to gather around and watch. How does that sound to you both?”

Once again, both Li You and Yu Hong agreed.

All the customers in the restaurant were thrilled.

’The open area outside is great! This way, we’ll get to see the entire cooking process.’

That would be absolutely amazing.

Everyone had originally assumed the competition would take place in the kitchen, meaning they would only get to see the final dishes.

The kitchen was only so big; it wasn’t like they could all crowd inside to watch.

It was an unavoidable disappointment.

They never expected Chen Wen to suggest holding the competition in the open area outside. It was a wonderful surprise.

’Master Chen really gets us.’

With this arrangement, the anticipation for tomorrow’s competition grew even stronger.

Would Master Yu win, or would the proprietor win? Or perhaps they were so evenly matched it would end in a draw?

The outcome was unknown.

And that uncertainty was precisely what made it so exciting.

Although the customers all hoped Li You would win, an objective analysis suggested that Yu Hong’s chances of winning were also quite high.

Any result tomorrow would be plausible.

With the matter settled, it was time to get back to eating.

At the table with Chen Wen, He Xianfei, Yu Hong, and Qu Feng, only the Mapo Tofu had been served so far; the rest of their dishes had yet to arrive.

The other customers hadn’t finished their meals either.

Newly arrived customers who hadn’t eaten yet quickly found tables, sat down, and ordered their food.

This included Chu Yiwei and Lin Xin.

Li You returned to the kitchen and got back to work.

Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru decided to head upstairs.

Before they went up, both of them stepped into the kitchen to ask Li You, ”Proprietor, who do you think will win the competition tomorrow?”

Li You smiled faintly. ”It’s hard to say. It’s possible I’ll win, and it’s possible Master Yu will win. However, I think the most likely outcome is that we’re evenly matched.”

Both Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru nodded.

Although they both wanted Li You to win, it would be perfectly normal if Yu Hong won, or if it ended in a tie.

They would just have to wait and see the result tomorrow.

With that, the two of them went upstairs.

At the table with Chen Wen, He Xianfei, Yu Hong, and Qu Feng, dishes such as Spicy Crayfish, Huoxiang Crucian Carp, Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, and Cabbage in Consommé were served one after another.

Every single dish left Yu Hong utterly stunned.

’Each dish is of an unbelievably high, top-tier quality. This Proprietor Li You’s skill is even greater than I imagined.’

All of a sudden, Yu Hong felt his confidence for tomorrow’s competition waver.

He then looked at Chen Wen and He Xianfei and said, ”Master Chen, Master He, for any one of these dishes, I imagine neither of you would be a match for Proprietor Li You, would you?”

Chen Wen and He Xianfei could only confess their own skills were no match.

After they had slowly finished their meal and paid the bill, Chen Wen said, ”Let’s go. We can take a walk outside. In addition to the vegetable garden and the Hundred Fruit Garden, the proprietor has also established a new wild fruit grove.”

A wild fruit grove?

He Xianfei and Qu Feng both looked intrigued. They knew about the vegetable garden and the Hundred Fruit Garden, but they hadn’t heard about a wild fruit grove.

The same was true for Yu Hong.

When he had arrived at the restaurant earlier, he had seen the vegetable garden on the side and the Hundred Fruit Garden out front. He hadn’t expected there to be a wild fruit grove as well.

A wild fruit grove sounded very interesting.

The four of them walked out of the restaurant. They first strolled past the vegetable garden and then through the Hundred Fruit Garden.

Finally, they arrived at the wild fruit grove.

Chen Wen chuckled. ”This was just recently established. I was here the day before yesterday and even helped clear the land.”

Yu Hong, He Xianfei, and Qu Feng were all a little surprised. So Chen Wen had also played a part in creating this wild fruit grove.