Chapter Forty-One: A Clash of Proud Hearts

"The Realm of Food... I never expected you to have such a dramatic side, Xiaoyuan." Staring in astonishment at Zhuan Xiaoyuan's 'new form' and her imposing demeanor, Wen Hui felt something was off with this scene. Awkwardly scratching her cheek, she ventured to speak with caution.

"Hmph, no matter what you say, if you sincerely beg me, I wouldn't mind letting you taste the world's finest delicacies." Zhuan Xiaoyuan folded her arms across her chest, striking a pose that looked very familiar to Wen Hui. Her face flushed slightly as she tilted her head and spoke.

"Ah, she's being tsundere," Wen Hui blurted out instantly.

"A tsundere has no right to call someone else tsundere!" At the word, Zhuan Xiaoyuan bristled with indignation.

"Who's tsundere? Isn't it you who's acting tsundere now? I'm not tsundere at all!" Wen Hui retorted, equally flustered.

For a moment, the kitchen was filled with the sound of their mutual accusations, each insisting the other was the true tsundere.

"Hmph, just wait obediently for your meal, you stubborn tsundere." Their battle of attitudes left them both a bit exhausted, and time slipped by unnoticed. Zhuan Xiaoyuan recovered slightly, took a sip of water, pointed to the dining area, and ignored Wen Hui, ready to begin her cooking.

"Tch, you just can't admit it, tsundere girl." Wen Hui pursed her lips lightly, but despite her sharp words, she obediently took her seat and waited, her gaze never leaving Zhuan Xiaoyuan. She was genuinely curious about how the food would be prepared.

With the pointless exchange behind them and Wen Hui off the cooking station, Zhuan Xiaoyuan entered her serious mode. The surroundings faded; the only thing in her vision was the dish she was about to create.

She took soybeans and black beans from the refrigerator, placing them into two semicircular pans, adding clean water, and putting them into a peculiar machine nearby. This was one of the unique devices of this world, and Zhuan Xiaoyuan had only learned its function after consulting the manual. It was a bean-soaking machine. Traditionally, soybeans and black beans needed to soak for eight or nine hours before they could be used to make tofu, but with this machine, the process was completed in just a few minutes.

After setting the beans to soak, Zhuan Xiaoyuan moved on to other preparations. Wen Hui watched for a while, but seeing only monotonous prep work and none of the dazzling culinary skills she had imagined, she soon grew bored and took out her phone to browse the internet. Meanwhile, Zhuan Xiaoyuan had finished preparing another dish, poured the blended mixture into a mold, and placed it in the oven, setting the timer to bake.

With all the advance preparations done, it was finally time to start the main cooking. Zhuan Xiaoyuan took the piece of fresh lean meat she had bought at the market, pressed it with her left hand to feel the grain, and then sliced with her right, the knife moving without hesitation.

With the first cut, her right hand seemed to transform into a thousand-armed goddess, moving so fast only afterimages could be seen, while uniform, perfectly sized strips of meat appeared one after another.

Suddenly, the sound of rhythmic chopping startled Wen Hui. She looked up to see Zhuan Xiaoyuan, having finished slicing the meat, now cutting bamboo shoots and green peppers. With each precise motion of the knife, the kitchen filled with a crisp, regular sound, and the strips of bamboo shoot and pepper flew from the cutting board into their respective bowls.

Watching Zhuan Xiaoyuan's skillful knife work and the dazzling dance of ingredients, Wen Hui was transfixed. She never imagined that watching a true chef prepare ingredients could be so spectacular, so impressive.

Once the ingredients were cut, Zhuan Xiaoyuan took the bowl of meat strips, added the egg whites reserved from a previous dish, then mixed in starch, cooking wine, and soy sauce, stirring until the meat was thoroughly coated, before setting it aside.

With the meat marinated, Zhuan Xiaoyuan approached the stove to begin cooking. She placed the iron wok over the flame. As the fire burned, the moisture in the wok evaporated rapidly. Wen Hui, observing from the side, widened her eyes again as Zhuan Xiaoyuan lit up two stoves at once—was she planning to cook with two woks simultaneously?

She poured cooking oil into each wok, then took the pre-marinated fish chunks and mixed them with starch.

When the oil in the first wok was hot enough, Zhuan Xiaoyuan tilted the bowl of meat strips and slid them into the pan. Sizzle—the sound of oil meeting meat filled the air, and the aroma of meat began to spread. Wen Hui's stomach, previously not very hungry, rumbled loudly.

After the meat strips entered the wok, Zhuan Xiaoyuan set down the empty bowl, grabbed the spatula, and quickly stir-fried the meat, then switched to a pair of chopsticks, picking up a fish chunk from the marinated bowl and placing it into the second wok. As the fish hit the oil, a new fragrance filled the air—a rich scent of fish.

She alternated between stir-frying the meat and adding fish chunks. As the prepared fish pieces sizzled in the pan, the earliest ones turned golden on both sides, and Zhuan Xiaoyuan promptly lifted them out onto a nearby plate.

Meanwhile, the meat strips in the other wok began to change color. Zhuan Xiaoyuan continued to expertly remove the golden fish pieces, while her left hand grabbed the bamboo shoots and tossed them into the meat wok. As the shoots and meat were stir-fried together, the aroma shifted; the rich scent of meat was now tinged with the freshness of vegetables. A few more stirs, and she added the green pepper strips, continuing the stir-fry.

By the time the green peppers were added, all the fish pieces had been removed from their wok, leaving only fragrant oil behind. Without wasting a drop, Zhuan Xiaoyuan added finely chopped scallions, garlic, and ginger to the fish oil. With their addition, a new, robust aroma mingled in the air, blending with the scents of fish and meat.

While the aromatics were being sautéed, the green pepper meat strips were nearly done. Zhuan Xiaoyuan took out a special sauce she had prepared days earlier, added a little to the meat, stir-fried until it was fully absorbed, then turned off the heat, plated the dish, and covered it.

Returning to the stove, the aromatics had released their full fragrance. Zhuan Xiaoyuan poured all the golden fish chunks back into the wok and stir-fried them with the seasonings.

Her hands never stopped moving; with one she grabbed an empty bowl, added water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, starch, vinegar, and more, quickly mixing them into a simple homemade sauce.