Chapter 180 Memories
Lai He walked to the judges' seat and looked down at the paella made by Xu Qing.

No matter whether it is the small fish and shrimps or the seaweed and shells, they are completely incomparable with his Eight Delicacies from the Sea. It seems that they are far inferior to the Eight Delicacies from the Sea!

Lai He sneered and said, "Is this kind of thing worth tasting? Look at this little fish fry, it's not even as long as a finger, what taste can it have?"

Xu Qing stepped forward and said, "The answer to your doubts lies in this dish. You are a chef, so you should know it very well. A chef only relies on the dishes in his hands to speak."

Lai He picked and chose with disdain, picking out the seafood he liked from the paella and putting it into his mouth.

The sweet and clear aroma in his mouth instantly lifted his spirits.

The seafood has a delicate and tender texture, and its meat quality and taste are not inferior to the eight delicacies from the sea.

How can this be?

Lai He dropped his chopsticks in surprise and looked at the ingredients in the bowl carefully with wide eyes.

There is no doubt that these are junk seafood. Xu Qing did not replace them with other ingredients.

Moreover, even if other ingredients are used, it is difficult to compete with the Eight Delicacies of the Sea.

However, how could this garbage-like seafood have such exquisite taste?

This taste is not only due to Xu Qing's superb skills, but also relies on the quality of the food itself.

Who could have imagined that these despised junk seafood would actually have a taste that rivals the eight delicacies of the sea!

Xu Qing saw the surprised look on Lai He's face and explained, "Not only big and rare things are delicious. These small foods also hide delicious foods that are absolutely as good as rare treasures. They are indeed not bright enough to be presented in a formal hall, and there are too many of them. They grow vigorously on their own, just like wild flowers and weeds in the fields, which are always picked out and thrown aside, and few people appreciate them."

"They are like a thousand-mile horse that has never met a good horse trainer. They are unknown from birth to death. Even though their small bodies contain endless deliciousness, few people know about it. However, there are people who have been looking for cheap and good food, and for unknown delicacies hidden in ordinary corners. This good horse trainer picked them up from the dark corners and put them in the sun, and then they sparkled with brilliance."

Lai He glanced at him and asked, "Are you the horse expert who can identify famous horses?"

Xu Qing shook his head: "It's not me."

Lai He frowned and asked, "Is it another special chef? Or Chef Long?"

Lai He remembered that this kid had some relationship with Chef Long. If he was Chef Long, it would not be surprising that he had such knowledge and vision to turn these garbage seafood into treasures.

Xu Qing shook his head again: "Neither. That man is not a top chef, but just an ordinary chef, an old man who has worked hard all his life to provide customers with better quality and cheaper food."

Lai He sneered: "Ordinary chef? You mean an ordinary chef discovered a delicacy comparable to the Eight Delicacies of the Sea? This joke is not funny."

Xu Qing asked, "Why not? Chefs spend their entire lives searching for all kinds of delicacies. Some devote themselves to finding the legendary spirit bird, while others spend their entire lives searching for ordinary delicacies. In this land, there are always chefs who devote their entire lives to finding the delicacies in their hearts. Most of them are not top chefs, and some even have only the most basic qualifications as chefs. However, as a chef, their sincere hearts make no difference whether they are junior chefs or top chefs."

"In the eyes of you, the people in the dark cuisine world, only top-notch chefs are worthy of your attention. Just like the dishes you make, you only use the finest treasures in the world. However, in the inconspicuous corners, these ordinary treasures also emit their own brilliance. If there was only the moon in the night sky, it would be too monotonous and boring. It is the countless stars in the sky that twinkle with the moon that present this charming night scene."

Master Jidi nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Li Yan also looked thoughtful.

Lai He snorted coldly, "I am not from your bright cooking world. Save your long-winded speech for those old men who like to listen to these stories. I only care about winning or losing!"

"Ok."

Xu Qing sighed softly. No matter how much he said, it would be useless for those who couldn't understand this dish.

In fact, he doubted whether the meaning behind this dish could resonate with Lai He.

A person who completely disdains ordinary things probably won't be able to enjoy the food.

"Then you can try it."

Xu Qing pushed the bowl in front of Lai He.

Lai He looked at the bowl of seafood rice in front of him and felt a little nervous for some reason.

He is about to face the most difficult skills in the world of bright cuisine.

Victory or defeat?

He won't lose!

Lai He kept repeating it in his mind, as if hypnotizing himself, building a high wall in his mind to block anything that tried to break through his heart. Only after he was fully prepared mentally did he pick up the chopsticks and put the seafood rice into his mouth.

The crystal clear and plump rice grains are soaked in the deliciousness of seafood. It seems that each grain of rice contains a miniature ocean, in which countless seafood swim freely.

Then, the delicious taste of the seafood leaped out, as if jumping out of the ocean, showing itself in the air, reflecting the deliciousness of the seafood clearly in the mind, and leaving its clear mark in the deepest part of the taste buds.

With every bite, the fresh taste of seafood emerges and swims freely in your mouth.

Even though Lai He had made sufficient mental preparations, he was still immersed in the delicious taste of the seafood.

The taste is comparable to that of the Eight Delicacies of the Sea, and the craftsmanship is also enough to compete with it.

Then the only thing that determines victory or defeat is the so-called intention.

Lai He was ready for battle.

At this moment, the feelings along with the delicious taste in his mouth seeped in slowly, ignoring Lai He's carefully constructed heart.

Lai He's eyes blurred for a moment before he was immersed in the illusion created by his mind.

No, this is not an illusion.

This is his memory.

It was a memory he didn't want to recall.

"Ahem... I'm fine now. Don't go to those dangerous places again."

Lying on the sickbed, the frail middle-aged woman looked at the young child in front of her with concern. His body was covered with bruises, all of which were caused by bumps and bruises while climbing.

The child turned a deaf ear to her and said confidently: "Don't worry, mother, I will definitely find a fifty-year-old Ganoderma lucidum! Ordinary herbs can't cure your illness, but a fifty-year-old Ganoderma lucidum will definitely be able to cure it. Just wait for me, I will definitely find it!"

The middle-aged woman said weakly: "Please stay with me at home for a while longer."

"Mom, we'll have plenty of time after we find the fifty-year-old Ganoderma lucidum to cure your illness!"

After saying that, he rushed out of the door again, worked from day to night, endured the long night, and set out again in the morning before dawn.

He kept looking, but still couldn't find the fifty-year-old Ganoderma lucidum.

Until he returned home that day, he saw a lot of people gathered at the door of his house.

At home, his mother, who would greet him with a smile every day, has closed her eyes forever.

If he had found the fifty-year-old Ganoderma lucidum earlier, everything would have been different!
He once thought so.

But at this moment, he suddenly hated the boy who ran out every day, the boy who abandoned his sick mother at home and was even unwilling to spend more time with her.

Ordinary yet precious things are always treasures that are discarded aside.

Xu Qing's boring words were now constantly echoing and resonating in his heart.

Is this what you mean?

Use the taste of food to resonate with people's hearts.

Lai He lowered his head and sighed softly.

He lost.

However, he did not lose to Xu Qing.

He was defeated by his own memory.

He was defeated by the ordinary yet precious treasure that he had once forgotten but now returned to him.

Lai He broke free from his memories. He silently put down the bowl in his hand and said, "One win, one loss, and one draw. I accept this draw. Let's start the next match."

(End of this chapter)