My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Chapter 123 No. 1 and No. 5

The man was covered in dust and glared at the second sister fiercely.

The second sister saluted the judges and said, "My dear uncles, this person is clearly dissatisfied with the competition. He thinks that the uncles are taking advantage of us and are therefore favoring our Si Family Restaurant. Could you please share some of the remaining dishes with the people in the crowd so that everyone can judge them?"

Because the competition requires tasting a large number of dishes, each judge can only try two bites of each dish at most. This allows everyone to maintain absolute sensitivity of taste buds and make the most fair decisions.

So there was still a lot of the secret mutton soup and the squirrel fish left.

So someone divided the two dishes into small portions and randomly selected a few people from the crowd to try them.

After eating it, everyone praised the squirrel fish highly.

"It's sweet and sour, and it's appetizing. This is a dish that's suitable for all ages."

The overwhelming approval made the man flee in panic.

The first round is a cross-race between 20 people, and the top 12 are selected, while the second round is the top 6.

What surprised Wen Xixi was that Shuiqin's mother and Aunt Jin both made it into the top six.

Everyone in the Si family restaurant was very happy and surrounded the two of them, praising them, especially Shuiqinniang.

"I told you that you can do it. You cook so deliciously, you must be able to do it."

Shuiqinniang said excitedly: "I thought it was good enough to make it to the finals, but I didn't expect that I would succeed."

She was crying a little as she spoke.

Si Muyan patted her shoulder soothingly: "Aunt Song, you and Aunt Jin are both very good. There is still one last game, no matter what, you are both very good, and we are all proud of you."

At this time, Shuiqinniang was not afraid anymore. Instead, she felt happy. She thought that the chefs in those restaurants were just average and could not even compare to her, a country peasant woman.

However, when people are cautious, they will do very well. Once they become proud, they will easily lose their original intention.

In the last competition, Shuiqinniang felt that she was very confident. After all, the two dishes and one staple food were dishes that she had practiced over and over again and were very good at.

But after the finished product came out, the jury shook their heads.

"The dishes look good, and the taste is okay, but only okay. This main dish is the now-popular spicy hot pot, right? It's just that you stir-fried so many ingredients together, and I saw you put them in order when you cooked them. Why do some of them taste overcooked, while others are not cooked enough?"

Shuiqinniang was stunned. She had been making this for so long that she thought adding it a moment earlier or later wouldn't make much of a difference, and others wouldn't be able to tell the difference. She hadn't expected the judges' palates to be so discerning.

"Also, this is Mapo Tofu, right? The tofu for this dish needs to be just the right firmness, but the piece you chose is a bit tough. Hard tofu is definitely easier to shape, but the flavor isn't as tender and smooth. But your sauce is absolutely exquisite, very good."

Shuiqinniang blushed. The sauce was good, having made it according to Si Muyan's instructions, not wanting to make even the slightest mistake. She felt that the flavor masked much of the tofu's original flavor, and worried that her knife skills weren't as good as other chefs', so she chose tofu that was slightly overcooked.

“This main course tastes fantastic.”

The rest of the speech was mostly praise, but Shuiqin's mother felt heavy-hearted. She felt that today, she had not met her own expectations at all, let alone everyone's expectations of her.

She blamed herself very, very much.

When the final rankings came out, as expected, the Sijia Food Shop represented by Shuiqinniang only got fifth place.

But what was unexpected was that Aunt Jin actually came out on top, which was the first time in history.

You know, being able to be in the top six in the dim sum competition is already amazing, not to mention that she got first place.

For a time, she became famous and several dim sum shop owners were inquiring about her.

"That person, I noticed her during the semi-finals. The dim sum she makes is different from everyone else's. The method is unique and the taste is also very special."

"I originally thought it was novelty that allowed them to advance, but now it seems there must be something else, otherwise how could they come out on top?"

Aunt Jin, who received the bonus, happily handed the money to Si Muyan: "Miss, that's great, I can also earn money for the family."

Shuiqinniang handed ten taels of silver to Si Muyan with a dusty face: "Yan girl, this is mine..."

Si Muyan said with a smile: "You earned your reputation, and you can't give me all the money. How about half for each of you?"

She took fifty taels from Aunt Jin and five taels from Shuiqinniang.

Shuiqin's mother's face immediately turned red, and she waved her hands repeatedly: "Yan girl, this is inappropriate. I represent the food store. If I don't bring honor to the food store, how can I ask for money... Besides, those dishes were all taught to me by you, otherwise how would I know how to make them?"

Si Muyan smiled and said, "I chose you because you are so amazing. Aunt Song, I know you didn't perform well today, so you blame yourself, but I hope you can face this feeling of frustration and self-blame calmly and strive to do better when cooking in the future. If there is such an opportunity in the future, I believe you can do better."

"Hmm..." Shuiqin's mother still hung her head in frustration.

Si Muyan smiled again and said, "But, you came in fifth place, fifth out of so many people in the entire county. This means you are very, very good, so why can't you take the prize money?"

"But……"

"You represent the food store, but more importantly, you represent yourself."

Hearing Si Muyan say this, the others also began to comfort her.

"Yes, Mother Shuiqin, think about why we chose you. It's because you are great and excellent. If I were chosen, I wouldn't be able to do so well." Xiang Cuicui said.

The second sister also encouraged her: "Yes, Auntie is really great. There is no need to blame yourself, because everyone makes mistakes. There is no need to worry about such a small mistake."

Si Muyan looked at her second sister. In fact, although Aunt Jin and Shuiqin's mother both gave her surprises today, the one who surprised her the most was her second sister.

The second sister's weakness is her stubbornness, but her strength is also her stubbornness. If she believes something is right, she won't change it even if everyone denies it. She may not be tactful, but it is precisely this untactfulness that makes her words more resolute.

She is nice because everyone is nice.

Moreover, everyone is changing, but this change is subtle. They are working towards one direction, and everyone is working hard to go from good to better.

Shuiqinniang was moved by everyone, and the feeling of self-blame in her heart was not as strong anymore. She was very moved.

A man who looked like a shopkeeper came over and said to Si Muyan, "Miss Si, our boss would like to invite you to have a chat."