Evening.
While Li Wei was focused on cooking, the old man quietly came into the kitchen, like he was playing tunnel warfare.
If it weren't for Gengar's arrival, which slightly lowered the kitchen's temperature, Li Wei might not have noticed.
Li Wei quickly said, "Grandpa."
The old man glanced at him. "Continue."
Li Wei was practicing Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish.
To practice Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, the staff at the Breeding Center had eaten quite a lot of Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish recently.
Because he had practiced dozens of times,
Li Wei skillfully used his knife to slice diagonally and push flat, removing the central bone and the rib bones from the fish meat.
After cutting, the fish meat was in long strips, thick in the middle.
The old man didn't comment; he just watched quietly.
Li Wei treated this as an exam.
After rinsing the knife,
He first sliced the fish with an angled knife, stopping at the fish skin.
Then he changed direction and used a straight knife, also going as deep as the fish skin.
After finishing the decorative cuts,
Li Wei picked it up and showed it to the old man.
Seeing that the old man had no objections, Li Wei put the fish meat into salted scallion and ginger water.
During this process, Li Wei prepared a starch solution and put the squeezed fish meat into it.
Li Wei had seen versions with egg white and egg yolk, but they weren't in the system's video tutorial.
Li Wei had also tried to improve it; even if they were both B-grade, the texture was indeed not as good as the starch solution.
So he strictly followed the tutorial video.
Li Wei then transferred the fish meat, covered in starch solution, to a plate of dry starch, evenly coating each piece of fish meat with dry starch.
After shaking off the excess starch, he arranged the fish meat into shape; at this point, the fish was almost ready, just needing to be deep-fried.
Sauté tomato sauce with white vinegar, add water, add sugar...
Quick in, quick out; Li Wei's movements were very skilled.
He deep-fried the fish in plenty of oil, using a spatula to shape it precisely.
...
Even though Li Wei was completely focused on making the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish this time, he still failed.
Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish (B-grade)
A Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish with improper seasoning and insufficient heat.
The Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish's grade was A-grade.
Li Wei did not meet the minimum threshold.
Simply put,
This dish was edible, but it wasn't the best.
The old man tasted a bite with his chopsticks.
This dish is meant to be very sweet and sour; why add so much salt? Add more sugar.
You were still too slow when stir-frying the sauce, and you added too little water. Also, why didn't you filter the tomato juice?
Filtering out the fine residue from the tomato juice makes it look better and taste better.
The old man finally praised him, "The last part, when you stir-fried the sauce with a scoop of hot oil to activate it, was quite good."
Actually, in the old man's opinion, Li Wei had already done well with this dish; he didn't know what Li Wei was practicing.
Actually, I don't know what I'm practicing either.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Wei regretted it. If he said that, the old man would surely scold him mercilessly.
But the old man wasn't angry; he just snorted coldly, "Then it means your heat control isn't enough. Keep practicing."
Alright!
As the old man said, Intermediate Identification also told Li Wei that his heat control was lacking; in short, he still needed to practice.
That's enough for tonight; practice again tomorrow.
Gengar, who had been waiting for a long time, stared at Li Wei's dinner.
It's for you.
Li Wei usually doesn't eat late-night snacks; if it's not for Gengar, it's for his father or A-Jin.
Gengar rummaged in his arms...
Clang, clang, clang--
A pair of chopsticks exclusive to Gengar.
Remember to come back to sleep after you finish eating.
Gengar!
Remember to turn off the light later.
Gengar picked up another bite. "Gengar!"
Li Wei didn't need to wait here for Gengar to finish eating; he would wash his own dishes after he finished.
...
May 3rd.
It was time for the 16-to-8 competition day again.
This time, it was a live broadcast, with 16 people competing in the same venue to determine the top eight on the spot.
Last night, under the guidance of Comrade Wenhui, Li Wei used a lot of skincare products...
He didn't know if it worked.
He should look a bit more radiant, right?
Li Wei and A-Jin didn't set off until the afternoon because the competition started at 8 PM.
Since there were only 16 contestants left, Li Wei and A-Jin no longer needed their contestant cards; they could get in just by showing their faces.
But they hadn't even warmed their seats before a staff member called them, "Please confirm the materials you ordered earlier."
Three days ago, the staff had informed them what this competition would be about: making Pokemon food.
And at that time, Li Wei and A-Jin were asked to list the materials they needed.
Under the guidance of the staff,
Li Wei and A-Jin arrived at a locked room that required three keys to open.
A-Jin was stunned. "Are they playing this seriously?"
The staff member smiled, "Mr. Harrod values fairness the most and will never allow cheating or disruption of the competition."
In this room, there were 16 locked boxes, with the contestants' names affixed to them.
Li Wei and A-Jin each went to their respective boxes. Li Wei just glanced at his. "It's pretty good."
The chicken prepared by the organizers was very fresh, clearly just processed, and the quality of the other ingredients was also good.
Li Wei looked at A-Jin, who had already come to his side.
That fast?
Aren't you too?
?
Li Wei was so casual about checking the materials because he had Intermediate Identification and could tell with just a glance.
Why was A-Jin so casual?
Although A-Jin had talent, his talent was limited to breeding and hatching eggs; it didn't give him any bonus for making Pokemon food.
Never mind, he figured A-Jin didn't care about the results anyway.
The Breeding Center had recently built a new recreation room for staff to play in during breaks, and it had billiards.
During these three days off, A-Jin was either eating or playing billiards and games.
He didn't look like he was participating in a competition at all.
Although Li Wei wasn't in a position to criticize A-Jin.
He was basically busy with the Breeding Center's affairs,
And then practicing his cooking skills.
Hello, would it be convenient to add me on Line?
Hearing the voice, Li Wei, who was bored and scrolling on his phone with A-Jin, looked up.
What met his eyes was a man wearing red half-rimmed glasses, with a mop of seaweed-like hair, and a fanny pack with many scissors on his waist.
Li Wei recalled that in his previous round, he had groomed a Furfrou.
Mr. Ba Li?
Li Wei recalled the contestant information he had read; in his impression, Ba Li should be 29 years old, almost too old to participate in the competition.
Seeing Ba Li extend his hand,
Li Wei stood up and shook his hand.
Ba Li smiled, "You still remember me; I'm truly honored."
Li Wei nodded, "I remember the Furfrou you groomed; the design was very unique."
Your care for Milotic also left a very deep impression on me.
After some polite flattery, the two added each other on Line.
I'm still continuing my studies everywhere.
If you have time, come to my house; my uncle is a style designer.
As the three chatted, a staff member pushed the door open.
The competition is about to start. Get ready.