Only three days remained until the Transfer Assessment.
"With lamb as the theme, what would be best to make?"
Reaching out to stroke the sheep grazing in front of him, Dylan paced back and forth, pondering the dish he would create for the Summer Selection.
For the opening, he had to leave a deep impression on everyone.
"Teacher Dylan, are these the ingredients you found for us?"
A surprised voice came from behind him. He turned to find it was Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki. The two of them looked at the live sheep in the yard, then at the lamb meat they held in their hands, subtle expressions appearing on their faces.
"No, I'm going to use this sheep myself."
Shaking his head, Dylan withdrew his gaze and continued observing the sheep in front of him.
Making a lamb dish wasn't difficult; he had at least hundreds of ideas in his mind. But to create a masterpiece that would leave a lasting impression, he needed sufficient creativity while also ensuring the flavor.
He involuntarily paced back and forth, his brain working at full throttle.
Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki watched Dylan like this, feeling a bit unsettled, and after a long moment, Yūki spoke with some apprehension: "Teacher Dylan, are you planning to compete too?"
"No," Dylan replied, "I just want to serve an appetizer before the main event, to liven up the atmosphere."
Hearing Yūki Yoshino's words, and realizing she had misunderstood, Dylan waved his hand with a speechless expression, then drew the Po Jun Blade from behind him.
Just now, he had an idea.
"Spirit Lamb White Tiger Cut!"
With a low shout, Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki saw a flash of light in Dylan's eyes, and the next moment, the grazing sheep stopped moving.
Crisscrossing golden lines of light burst from its back, the sheepskin spread flat on the ground, and the neatly sectioned lamb meat was arranged by category on top of the skin.
A large amount of lamb blood flowed from the sheepskin into the ground, with some remaining on the Po Jun Blade. Under the sunlight, the Po Jun Blade seemed to grow even sharper and more ominous.
"So besides beef, lamb can also be butchered like this! What an amazing and practical skill!"
Watching everything unfold before her eyes, Yūki Yoshino's mouth hung open, while Ryōko Sakaki covered her mouth with her hand, both clearly stunned by the sight.
"The principle is the same," Dylan explained. "If you can butcher beef, there's no reason you can't butcher lamb. As long as it's a creature in this world, this technique can be applied to it."
"Of course," Dylan added, "the prerequisite is that you're familiar with its anatomy. Only by knowing the structure can you make precise cuts. Otherwise, having all the skill in the world is useless if you can't apply it."
After a moment of thought, feeling his explanation was a bit imprecise, Dylan added another remark.
"Master one, master all."
"Unfortunately, even that Bamboo Cow Azure Dragon Slice isn't something that can be learned in a short time."
Ryōko Sakaki couldn't help but sigh with emotion, then looked at the neatly sectioned lamb meat on the ground and asked curiously: "Teacher Dylan, what are you preparing to make?"
"Lamb Shaomai."
"Lamb Shaomai? That's… unexpectedly ordinary…"
Facing the question, Dylan decisively stated his answer, then brought over a large iron basin and loaded the portioned lamb meat into it, asking the two to help carry it into the kitchen.
"Let us help too," Yūki offered, "we're just sitting around with nothing to do anyway."
As the iron basin was placed on the countertop, Yūki Yoshino rolled up her sleeves, her face full of eagerness.
"No need," Dylan said, "you can just watch from the side."
"With the techniques you currently possess, you might not be able to help with this dish."
Raising a hand to stop the two who were about to help, Dylan shook his head.
Although they meant well, forcing themselves to do something they couldn't would easily lead to messing things up.
"Isn't it just lamb shaomai?" Yūki retorted, slightly pouting. "Putting aside other things, whether it's kneading dough or wrapping shaomai, or seasoning the lamb filling, we can do all of that!"
A slightly petulant voice came from Yūki Yoshino's mouth; the girl puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, feeling that Dylan was looking down on them.
"Wait until you've seen it, then decide," Dylan said. "If, after seeing it, you still think you can do it, then we'll work together."
Reaching out, he poked Yūki Yoshino's puffed-up cheeks until she let out the air, her irritation subsiding and her face returning to normal. Only then did Dylan walk to the countertop.
He scooped a well in the center of the flour, then separately added water and eggs. He picked up a long wooden stick leaning in the corner of the kitchen, one end pointing at the flour.
"White Python Chain Spin!" Yūki muttered. "Although we've seen Teacher Dylan perform it more than once, every time we see it, it's still shocking. How can a human do something like this!"
As Dylan's arm began to spin, the wooden stick spun along with it. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind materialized in the room, and the flour and water mixed together.
A giant white python soared through the air, circling around Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki, while continuously performing movements only a snake would make.
Though they were reluctant to admit it, the dough produced by this kneading technique was something they couldn't surpass using ordinary methods.
"As expected of Teacher Dylan,"
Ryōko Sakaki praised, a unique sparkle in her eyes.
After the white python soared in the air for a moment, it gently descended onto the table. With a poke, a pull, and a pinch from Dylan's hand, dough portions of uniform size appeared on the clean cutting board.
"Ting Ru!"
With a low shout, his muscles bulged, the wooden stick in his hand spun in the air, creating a powerful whirlwind around him.
"Ah! My skirt…!"
Feeling the sudden swirling wind, Ryōko Sakaki's face visibly reddened.
Because of the whirlwind, her long skirt directly flew upwards, and the hem of her skirt even reached her face, blocking her vision.
Helpless, she could only press it down with both hands, but the strong wind continuously fought against her, preventing her from pulling her skirt down, which gave her quite a headache.
Fortunately, only she, Yūki Yoshino, and Dylan were in the room, and Dylan's attention was fully focused on the dough portions on the cutting board.
She wasn't sure whether to feel fortunate, or lament her lack of charm, or perhaps that Teacher Dylan was simply oblivious.
After finally managing to pull her skirt down, looking at Dylan, who hadn't spared her a single glance, Ryōko Sakaki bit her lower lip slightly, her feelings strangely complex.
"He's in the air?! He can actually spin the wooden stick in his hand while upside down…!"
Beside her, Yūki Yoshino's eyes widened. Every time she thought nothing Dylan did could shock her anymore, he would exceed her expectations.
Dylan leaped up, and with the wooden stick in hand, spun rapidly on the table.
Under the effect of the high-speed spinning, the dough portions transformed into shaomai wrappers as thin as cicada wings and of uniform size.
After finishing the shaomai wrappers, Dylan landed back on the floor from the table, and at the same time, looked at the dozen-plus iron basins filled with lamb meat divided by cuts.
"The front leg, hind leg, outer muscle, inner tenderloin, and the back half of the neck of lamb are suitable for filling."
"Meat from these cuts, when stewed or steamed, becomes tender and succulent. Moreover, their fat-to-lean ratio is good, so they don't taste too greasy. Among them, the meat from these areas has a fibrous texture, offering a good chew, and a great mouthfeel."
Watching Dylan, who had finished making the shaomai wrappers and was preparing the filling, Yūki Yoshino spoke, because she saw him placing meat from the entire sheep onto the countertop.
Logically, he shouldn't need that much meat.
"Indeed," Dylan replied, "for regular lamb shaomai, the cuts you mentioned are very suitable for the filling. But what I'm making today isn't ordinary lamb shaomai."
"Not ordinary lamb shaomai?"
Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes. Could lamb shaomai be anything but ordinary?
Could it be some secret ingredient?
But all the ingredients on the table are common ones!
"This is a dish I adapted from a young chef's creation," Dylan explained. "It allows you to taste the flavor of an entire lamb in one bite, but it requires extremely high skill."
A rare look of seriousness appeared on Dylan's face, which made Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki's hearts skip a beat.
A dish that even Teacher Dylan has to take seriously, it truly seemed beyond their capabilities to touch.
But what kind of dish could it be that even Teacher Dylan found difficult to make…?
"Seven Star Swift Cut!"
Ignoring the two beside him, Dylan looked at the lamb meat from various cuts in front of him, took a deep breath, and his eyes instantly became razor-sharp.
The Wuqu Blade unsheathed, and with astonishing speed, he sliced the lamb meat from various cuts into pieces, then lightly seasoned them and set them aside.
Mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and shrimp were diced into extremely small pieces.
He added these ingredients to the lamb filling in a golden ratio, mixing them thoroughly. All dozen-plus basins of lamb filling were treated this way.
"These mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and shrimp," Yūki murmured, "each tiny piece must be no more than three millimeters in diameter, right? Especially the mushrooms and bamboo shoots, the diced pieces are so perfectly uniform and distinct at the corners!"
"And every single one is the exact same size, scattered around as if they were copy-pasted…"
Out of curiosity, Yūki Yoshino and Ryōko Sakaki took a few steps forward, approaching the cutting board. Looking at the leftover ingredients on it, they were amazed to find that the mushrooms and bamboo shoots had indeed been diced exceptionally small.
Putting aside everything else, just this knife work—even if they could achieve it, it would take them a significant amount of time, far from the effortless ease of Dylan.
But why? Why cut the ingredients so tiny? Would there even be any texture left when tasting them? Or was it just to borrow their flavor?
And also, was it necessary to prepare so much filling for shaomai? Could it be to experiment with the different textures and flavors of meat from various parts of the animal?
Many questions arose in their minds, but neither Yūki Yoshino nor Ryōko Sakaki spoke, both remained silent, just quietly watching Dylan work.
And Dylan didn't keep them waiting long.
He swept his palm across the countertop, and immediately, a shaomai wrapper so thin it was translucent appeared in his palm.
With his other hand, he picked up a small wooden spoon used for scooping filling, taking a spoonful from one bowl, then moving to the next.
His speed was so great that afterimages could be seen, and the shaomai in his hand was rapidly filled in the process, becoming incredibly beautiful.
"Ten seconds, huh? That's a bit slow…"
Looking at the finished shaomai in his hand, Dylan frowned slightly, seeming somewhat dissatisfied, then let out a soft sigh, and quietly sped up his hands.
More and more shaomai appeared on the cutting board, neatly lined up in rows. Soon, he had made enough for three servings, and placed them onto the steamer.
"So that's how it is!"
"Processing every single part of the lamb into filling, then using a special technique to layer them into the shaomai, that way, with one bite, you can taste the entire lamb!!"
Watching Dylan's movements, Ryōko Sakaki showed a kind of sudden realization. No wonder he said this dish was difficult; they couldn't even get their hands on it to help.
From making the shaomai wrappers to preparing the filling, and then wrapping the filling into the shaomai, every step required extremely precise execution. With their current skill level, it was indeed difficult for them to keep up with Dylan's pace.
"To wrap an entire lamb into a single shaomai," Yūki exclaimed, "what magnificent audacity is that!?"
Yūki Yoshino also realized it, muttering to herself, a momentary daze in her eyes, while simultaneously anticipating the taste of the shaomai in the steamer.
Putting aside everything else, just the fact that he used an entire lamb was enough to make one endlessly look forward to it.
"What are you doing in the kitchen?" a slightly jealous voice came from behind them. "And Teacher Dylan too, such a rich lamb aroma! Didn't you say you wouldn't give cooking lessons? Why are you secretly giving private lessons…?"
A slightly jealous voice came from behind them; the few of them looked towards the doorway and discovered it was Hisako Arato and Erina Nakiri.
The voice belonged to Hisako Arato. The girl was puffed up with indignation, clearly displeased that they were getting private lessons.
Though Erina Nakiri didn't speak, she also wore a subtle expression, which made Dylan feel completely awkward, as if he had been caught cheating by his wife.
"I'm making my own dish," Dylan explained. "And I'm not giving them private lessons. Furthermore, this isn't a dish you can replicate."
"A dish we can't replicate?"
"That's right."
Hearing Dylan's words, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.
Of course, she wouldn't doubt Dylan's words, but she truly couldn't imagine what kind of dish she couldn't replicate. So, she looked towards the steamer in front of them.
"Could it be a pastry that's simply very complex to make? But even so, if I spent enough time, making one or two shouldn't be a problem."
If it were just that, Teacher Dylan wouldn't have said we couldn't replicate it with our skill level. That means it's an even more difficult dish!
With these thoughts in her mind, Erina Nakiri stared intently, eager to see the true appearance of that dish.
Dylan didn't hide it either; calculating the time, he opened the steamer lid.
As the lid was lifted, a wave of hot steam rushed out, and a translucent, whole-lamb shaomai appeared in everyone's sight.
The shaomai didn't emit golden light upon appearing, but rather had a layer of shimmering aura wrapped around its surface, with golden light subtly hidden within. It looked incredibly mysterious.
"Light soy sauce for freshness, dark soy sauce for color, vinegar to cut through richness, and sugar to balance the flavors."
Placing the whole-lamb shaomai onto the countertop, Dylan didn't rush to taste it, but instead began to prepare the dipping sauce for the shaomai.
He explained to everyone present as he mixed the sauce. Next, he found a clean piece of gauze, wrapped some peppercorns inside, and placed it into the sauce, crushing it with chopsticks to ensure its flavor was fully released.
After extracting the peppercorn flavor, he set the gauze aside. Then he poured a spoonful of sesame oil into the sauce, a small amount of sesame paste, and finally added some chopped scallions and cilantro.
"Come on, have a taste."
He placed the prepared dipping sauce in front of them, Dylan wiped his hands with a wet towel, and made a gesture for them to begin, while also observing their reactions.
"Gulp."
Unable to clearly hear what Dylan was saying, Erina Nakiri swallowed, her entire focus now on the shaomai in the steamer.
It looked like nothing more than an ordinary lamb shaomai, though its wrapper was exceptionally translucent. Why was it radiating such immense allure to her?!
Her God's Tongue was cheering, something that only happened when encountering top-tier cuisine.
It longed to devour the whole-lamb shaomai in front of her, craving to taste the dish's complete deliciousness. Her hand involuntarily reached out.
Because her desire was so overwhelming, Erina Nakiri didn't even have time to dip it in the sauce; ignoring the heat, she picked up the whole-lamb shaomai and brought it directly to her mouth.
With one bite,
the shaomai wrapper, thin as cicada wings, burst, and the juices immediately spilled out as she bit down, accompanied by a rich lamb aroma. This was followed by the fresh and aromatic notes of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and shrimp.
Up to this point, it was just an ordinary lamb shaomai. What truly made Erina Nakiri tremble was the lamb meat with its astonishingly varied textures.
"How can one shaomai have so many textures!?" Erina gasped, ignoring the heat. "It feels like I've crammed a dozen shaomai into my mouth at once, and each of them has a different filling! What an incredible feeling!"
Erina Nakiri cried out in surprise, ignoring the scalding heat. Looking at the half of the whole-lamb shaomai still in her hand, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The tender juiciness of the front leg meat, the firm chewiness of the hind leg meat, the fine, smooth texture of the outer muscle, the soft, deliciousness of the tenderloin, the melt-in-your-mouth richness of the back half of the neck…—
These lamb meats with their distinct textures interwove and clashed in her mouth, creating an indescribably wonderful experience, making her unable to suppress her inner…—
"Ah!"
Finally, Erina Nakiri could no longer restrain her emotions, and she cried out, her body slightly trembling, her toes curling.
Waves of ripples spread out from her as the center, causing her clothes to burst open, turning into useless shreds of fabric, and simultaneously affecting her surroundings.
For a moment, an unforgettable sight appeared before Dylan, truly a feast for his eyes. And this was also why he didn't stop it immediately.
Everyone here was his own people, so there was no need to stop it.
"So this is shaomai made with every part of the lamb?" Yūki exclaimed. "What an amazing feeling! It's impossible to describe in words!"
Yūki Yoshino leaned on the table, her pearly teeth lightly biting her lower lip. She had only taken one bite and couldn't take it anymore, her eyes even becoming hazy.
So much so that the remaining lamb juice flowed down her arm. Enticed by the aroma, she unconsciously raised her arm, tilted her head back, to taste the deliciousness of the broth.
Ryōko Sakaki and Hisako Arato were relatively normal, but they too wore expressions of rapture; clearly, the dish had dealt them quite a shock.
"Teacher Dylan!" Erina gasped, her face flushing.
Approximately five minutes later, Erina Nakiri recovered, and immediately squatted down with her hands protecting her front, shouting at Dylan with a flushed face.
Because she knew Dylan had the ability to stop it, and had stopped it many times before, but he hadn't done so this time. What he was thinking was already obvious.
Although, because the person involved was Dylan, she felt no other emotion than embarrassment, and even a "subtle sense of relief."
But! This kind of thing was wrong.
She wanted to reprimand him but had no reason to. Was she going to accuse Dylan of not helping her when she was in 'trouble'? That would only make her rude.
But alas, she was completely at Dylan's mercy!
-
Unfortunately, two of our stories were removed... so I created a new account to post them: MikuDayo.
-
I'm counting on your support <3 the director was very sad and scared by what happened...
🔥 40% OFF to celebrate 2 new stories! 🔥
We've just launched 2 new stories, and we want you to join us! Take advantage of the 40% discount to become a member.
When you join, you get instant access to:
✅ Over 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Exclusive content and updates!
Plus, your support unlocks bonuses for the entire community. Our goals are still active:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
Secure your spot with the discount and get access to everything right now:
👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan