Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 178 Victory in the first battle
After a group of gossipers exaggerated the story of Ye Jiayao challenging a Sichuan chef with a dish of Mapo Tofu, Ye Jiayao once again became the focus of Jinling City, overshadowing all the popular contestants.

Some people were glad that the woman was married, otherwise there would be an extra strong opponent in the competition.

Some people lamented, why did she get married so early? Otherwise, the excitement of the competition would be raised to a higher level, and so-and-so would definitely not be her opponent.

There are also people who are very upset, such as Ye Ning's mother and daughter, and Princess Liuli who is about to become Ye Jiayao's sister-in-law.

This woman is still so restless after getting married. She has to make such a big noise to annoy others. Ye Jinrong has a strong reaction to her pregnancy and lies in bed half-dead every day.

Wei Liujiang asked his family for money to start a business. Hearing that many people in Jinling were into jade, he opened a jade shop. However, he was cheated the first time he made a purchase and lost tens of thousands of taels of silver. When he went to argue with someone, he was beaten up again. He had to lie in bed at home for several days with a bruised face.

Mu Qi couldn't stand it any longer, so she begged Minister Mu to find her a lucrative business. It happened that the Ministry of Works was repairing a water conservancy project from Nanjing to Yangzhou. If the project was done well, there would be a lot of profit to be made. Minister Mu went to great lengths to help her get the contracting rights.

Wei Liujiang initially felt that the title of contractor was not very nice and was not as elegant as playing with jade, but he could not resist the persuasion of his mother-in-law and wife and reluctantly accepted the job.

On October 20th, the long-awaited cooking competition officially kicked off.

It lasts for five days, and the first day is a basic skills competition.

Because Zhong Xiang participated in the pastry making event, Ye Jiayao's focus was also on pastry making.

There were a total of ninety-six participants in the pastry-making competition, and half of them were from Shanxi. Shanxi's pasta is world-famous, and each of these contestants was full of ambition, with confident eyes and expressions, as if the top three spots belonged to them.

The designated assessment content of the competition is making dumplings, which are a popular pasta in both the north and south. Don't underestimate dumplings, as they contain all the basic skills needed to make pasta: mixing dough, kneading dough, rolling dough into strips, dividing dough, making skins, stuffing, shaping, etc.

The fillings are unified, the amounts of flour and water are equal, the production tools are also the same, no seasonings are allowed, and dumplings are simply made.

Ye Jiayao took Jiang Yue and Wang Mingde to watch the game. Looking at the skillful techniques, Wang Mingde became a little impatient, as most of the players were eliminated in the preliminary round.

"Second Young Madam, do you think Brother Xiang can make it to the semi-finals?"

Ye Jiayao frowned slightly. It was hard to say. Although Zhong Xiang's basic skills were good, there were many experts here. It all depended on the last step... forming. She hoped to win by cleverness.

Before the game, they prepared many new types of noodles, including tri-color dragon beard noodles, gradient wide noodles, mandarin duck steamed dumplings, rose steamed dumplings, butterfly steamed dumplings, mandarin duck steamed dumplings, and various buns, cakes, etc.

I didn't expect the competition system to be like this. No one could come up with any ideas about the dough. As long as the dough was flexible, it was fine. The key lay in the last step. It seemed that all the previous preparations were not in vain.

Everyone's hands were very dexterous and the medicine was divided into 22 doses according to the regulations. A staff member brought a plate and took a dose from each person and placed it according to the number.

After the dough is rolled out, take away another piece of it.

That is to say, each step is a key point for judgment.

"Start adding the stuffing." Jiang Yue nervously twisted the handkerchief in her hands.

Ye Jiayao began to walk, along the cordon, from the first row to the last row. Her expression gradually relaxed and a smile appeared on her face.

Returning to his original position, Wang Mingde asked, "Did the Second Young Madam figure out something?"

Ye Jiayao curled her lips and said with certainty: "Zhongxiang can win."

Because most of the contestants were honestly making traditional dumplings, and only a few were ingenious. But no matter how imaginative and creative these people were, could they compare with a food expert from thousands of years later? Ye Jiayao's casual trick was enough to shock them.

Seeing that the Second Young Madam was so confident, Wang Mingde and Jiang Yue gradually relaxed.

Zhong Xiang was ranked relatively late in completing the task, after all, butterfly dumplings are much more complicated and delicate than traditional dumplings.

This time the dumplings were not collected. The five judges looked at them row by row. Only when they thought the dumplings were exquisitely shaped and nodded did the entourage come and take the dumplings away. Those left behind were declared eliminated.

Zhong Xiang's butterfly dumplings were undoubtedly very eye-catching. The judges stayed in front of Zhong Xiang's cutting board the longest and seemed to have asked some questions.

Because I was far away, I couldn’t see the judges’ expressions or hear what they said until Zhong Xiang’s butterfly dumplings were taken away.

Jiang Yue clapped her hands happily and whispered, "It's gone, it's gone. There is hope."

The last five judges gathered at the front desk, pointing and commenting on the selected dumplings. It took a full incense stick of time before someone came to announce the list of finalists for the semi-finals.

Ye Jiayao and others listened attentively. A total of thirty-six names were selected, and Zhong Xiang's name was ranked fifth.

Ye Jiayao nodded with satisfaction. This result was very good.

Jiang Yue was not convinced: "I think Brother Xiang's work is the best, why is he only ranked fifth?"

Ye Jiayao sneered and said, "This is a comprehensive assessment, not just based on appearance. Zhong Xiang's fifth place already takes advantage of his good looks. Be content. The key is to have a chance to enter the next round." Zhong Xiang won the first battle, and he was very happy. He came down and bowed to Ye Jiayao, "Second Young Madam, I have fulfilled my mission."

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, "Congratulations on passing the first round, but the next rounds will be more intense, you and Wang Mingde should go back and prepare."

The pastry competition ended early, while the cooking competition was just coming to an end. Ye Jiayao went over to wait for news.

As expected, Lu Xiaotian, Duan Qilin, Niu Baoshun, Zheng Sanduo and others were shortlisted. There were a total of 48 seats, and eight of them were from chefs from Jinling City, which was a good result.

When I returned to the Marquis' Mansion, I met the steward Lin Kun. Lin Kun said that the small kitchen was completed today and Steward Zhong was leading people to inspect it.

Ye Jiayao was delighted and hurried back to her yard.

There were a few laborers knocking down the wall and carrying the bricks out.

"Second Young Madam, please wait a moment. It's a mess here. Be careful not to sprain your ankle." Butler Zhong said hurriedly.

"It's okay." Ye Jiayao carefully walked over the mess on the floor and into the kitchen.

This kitchen is her stronghold. Whether her family and career can be successful depends largely on this small kitchen, so she has to inspect it personally.

This stove is different from ordinary stoves. It has separate ovens and stoves. There is a large stove for steaming and two small stoves for cooking. The streamlined design looks chic and fashionable while saving space.

Ye Jiayao nodded with satisfaction. The mason implemented her plan very well.

"How much silver is it in total?" Ye Jiayao asked.

Butler Zhong said, "Madam has already told us that the necessary expenses will be paid from the public purse."

"I'd better pay for it myself!" Ye Jiayao didn't say much. If she paid for it from the public, her eldest sister-in-law's family would have objections.

Xia Youshi approved her to build a small kitchen, and the eldest sister-in-law was already very dissatisfied and complained a lot. Now Aunt Jiang and Jiang Yue were popular in the mansion, so some of the words were passed to her ears intact. They said that Xia Youshi was partial, that Ye Jinxuan was flattering and flattering, and even said that she built a small kitchen to challenge Liuli...

I really admire Mrs. Qiao. She is a lady from a wealthy family after all, but how can she be more fussy and gossipy than a village woman?

Seeing that she insisted on paying herself, Butler Zhong had no choice but to say, "The material processing fee is a total of four hundred and sixty-seven taels of silver."

Ye Jiayao ordered Jiang Yue: "Go and fetch five hundred taels of silver. The extra money will be used as a reward for the master and the workers."

The mason thanked the Second Young Lady profusely. She was so generous that she gave him such a large reward. It was a blessing to work for such a master.

After receiving the reward, everyone worked harder. After a short while, the wall was demolished and the yard was tidy and clean without a speck of dust.

Ye Jiayao originally wanted to go to Tietie Lane to order cooking utensils right away, but Caifeng, who was beside Xia Youshi, came to tell her to go over there.

Mrs. Qiao was also there. Mrs. Xia You said, "Chunfeng's wedding date is approaching. The yard has been renovated, but it still lacks some potted plants. Let Mingxiu do this. Tomorrow you can take out 1,000 taels of silver from the public treasury and go to the Peony Garden outside the city to buy some good-looking peonies and other flowers. Liuli likes bright and colorful ones."

Mrs. Qiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother. My daughter-in-law has some appreciation for peonies."

Xia Youshi sneered, she had nothing to worry about. At most, she would just be able to take away a few taels of silver.

"Jinxuan, I know you have been busy with the cooking competition these days, but you still have to prepare everything you need, so as not to delay the wedding banquet." Xia Youshi reminded Ye Jiayao again.

Ye Jiayao said, "Mother, the necessary utensils have been ordered and will be delivered in the next two days. The ingredients to be purchased have also been agreed upon. The cooking competition will end on the 25th and the wedding banquet will be on the 28th. We have three days to prepare, so there will be no problem."

Xia Youshi nodded slightly: "You have to put 120% of your heart into this matter."

Mrs. Qiao said, "If you are too busy, just tell me what you want to buy and I will buy it for you."

Ye Jiayao thought to herself: I don’t feel safe with anything that has passed through your hands.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. My people are used to hosting private banquets and are very experienced. They can handle it." Ye Jiayao smiled gently and declined.

Mrs. Qiao smiled awkwardly: "That's great, I forgot that my sister-in-law is the head of Tianshangju!"

Mrs. Qiao turned to try to please Mrs. Xia You: "This year, my wife's family has produced a beautiful soft curtain made of gauze and scattered flowers. They only made three of them in total, and they are very expensive. My wife asked for a bright red one, which is perfect for decorating my third brother's new house."

Xia Youshi said: "You are thoughtful. I believe Liuli will like this gift."

Qiao choked. Didn't the first wife send the gift? A pair of pink and white vases with lotus flowers, eight quilt covers, eight rolls of fine fabric... Isn't that enough? This smoke gauze curtain costs four hundred taels of silver. It's more than that if you sell it outside. My mother-in-law actually said it was a gift. Isn't she losing a lot?
(End of this chapter)