The Game of Life

The sliced vegetable tolls clearly displayed their layers inside, alternating between stuffing and dough, shimmering like scattered crystals, with the cut edges of the translucent wrappers sparkling enticingly.

An attendant brought over a steaming half-bowl of Eight-Treasure Porridge to Han Guishan, who took the first bite.

Upon tasting, it was exceptionally savory.

The stuffing, mixed with cooking and sesame oils, was probably seasoned with dried shrimp or some special blend of spices. Accompanied by the Eight- Treasure Porridge, Guishan gobbled up the nearly six-centimeter-long roll in just a few bites.

“Burp.”

Eighty percent full.

The other judges weren’t as forthright as Guishan, sampling just a couple of bites before setting it down to start scoring.

8.4 points.

In fact, that wasn’t too bad, at least better than Zhao Shan, who was severely criticized by Tong Deyan.

“Only 8.4. points?” Zhang Xi was somewhat disappointed, “I think the vegetable rolls made by Mr. Chu were really tasty.”

“Look at Gu Li’s vegetable rolls,” Jiang Feng said.

Gu Li’s vegetable rolls were served to the judges; while the fillings seemed similar, the difference in the dough was immediately apparent. It wasn’t noticeable before steaming, but once cooked, the dough was pure white and shiny. The sliced layers looked as thin as cicada’s wings from the side.

Such thin dough, layered with stuffing and cut neatly, appeared more like a delicate delicacy reserved for ancient princes and nobles rather than a common homemade snack.

“Wow, this one looks pretty good,” Han Guishan exclaimed. There was still some Eight-Treasure Porridge left in the bowl, perfect for continuing his meal.

Gu Li’s vegetable rolls contained eggs, giving the dough more resilience and a richer texture, though not as fresh-tasting as Chu Peng’s.

Han Guishan felt that both types of vegetable rolls were almost equal in quality and deliciousness, but if he had to choose, he’d go for Gu Li’s, which included egg and a slight meatiness that suited his palate better.

The score came out quickly: 8.6 points.

They were neck and neck.

The audience didn’t react much, offering a perfunctory round of applause as they awaited the judges’ comments. Most people were there to see Zhang Guanghang, a visual spectacle; Gu Li’s vegetable rolls looked great, so a 0.2- point lead made sense.

“Actually, both contestants made very good vegetable rolls, and the quality was neck and neck. Let me start with Chu Peng’s roll—it was incredibly savory and the choice of raw materials was excellent. Its shortcomings were also clear: the dough was slightly thick and lacked complexity. However, the flaws didn’t overshadow its merits. Gu Li’s roll, on the other hand, had very prominent strengths, possibly due to the White Chef’s advantage. The dough was thin without being too much so, it was resilient, translucent and the stuffing, although not as experienced as Chu Peng’s, was very well-executed overall,” Zhu Chang praised both participants’ rolls.

Following Zhu Chang, Pei Shenghua continued, “Zhu Chang has already mentioned everything in great detail, so I’ll just add my personal impressions. The stuffing in Chu Peng’s vegetable rolls was extremely fresh, an ultimate freshness. I’ve rarely encountered a chef who could make a purely vegetarian roll taste so delicious, it’s simply stunning.”

“Of course, the drawbacks are evident, as Zhu Chang already pointed out. In comparison, Gu Li’s rolls might not have any standout aspects, but every detail was well-executed, from the stuffing to the dough, cuts, and overall shape, which is why his score is slightly higher.”

“These are two dishes that I’m quite satisfied with. In these rolls, I saw the strengths and performances of both contestants, not some misguided self- challenge. Although the scores aren’t very high, they’re both quite good,” Tong Deyan took the opportunity to diss Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan’s face had frozen into a smile.

The director was considerate enough not to have the camera pan over to him.

“All very good,” Zang Mu commented curtly with barely a four-word review.

Now fully satiated, Han Guishan was very pleased with today’s competition, sitting upright as he delivered the day’s most normal evaluation, “Chu Peng’s dish was all-vegetarian, very fresh but somewhat bland, whereas Gu Li’s included egg, and I feel the overall taste was a bit better.”

Another polite round of applause followed.

The host proceeded with the customary closing remarks, and the audience prepared to leave in an orderly fashion, guided by the staff.

Zhang Xi stood up and waved to her parents in the audience, mouthing them to wait for her at the exit. Then, she turned to Jiang Feng and said, “I’m leaving now. I’ll come to your store again on Saturday, don’t forget to send me the location.”

“Don’tworry, I won’t forget,” Jiang Feng smiled.

As the advancing contestants still needed to go backstage, Wu Minqi took the staff side passage from the audience seats to the backstage first, and by the time Jiang Feng and the others arrived, she had already drunk half a glass of water.

“Contestants, first of all, I still want to congratulate you on entering the national top four. Our semifinal competition will be held on April 16, still in the format of one-on-one duels. The draw box is on the right. There are no specific themes for the semifinals, so all of you can play to your strengths. However, you cannot have any repeats or similar dishes from before. For example, since Jiang Feng already cooked eight-treasure porridge, you cannot make any porridge dishes in the semifinals. Now, please go and draw your lots,” the staff sister explained.

Jiang Feng:…

Looking at the other three, Jiang Feng felt he was pretty much doomed.

Not allowing porridge, what suspense could there be in this competition? Except for a desperate struggle against Gu Li, facing Zhang Guanghang and Wu Minqi would just be varying degrees of coldness.

The difference between being seven degrees cold and ten degrees cold.

Gu Li was the closest to the draw box, he stepped forward and drew.

Number one.

Jiang Feng walked over and drew.

Number two.

Chilled.

Totally chilled.

Jiang Feng could already picture it: getting eliminated on his birthday, failing the mission, the old man raging, a torrent of scolding, being kicked out of the house.

A bitter smile flickered at the corners of Jiang Feng’s mouth.

Thinking about it, it really was quite an extraordinary twenty-first birthday!

Zhang Guanghang stepped up to the draw box and drew.

Number one.

Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi looked at each other.

“What a coincidence…” Jiang Feng said with a wry smile.

Wu Minqi went through the motions and drew the number two ball from the box, her emotions unreadable as she said to Jiang Feng, “Quite a coincidence indeed.”

“It looks like the groups are set. Please inform our staff of the ingredients you need by 9 p.m. on April 15, and arrive at the provincial station before 4 p.m. on the 16th, otherwise, you will be considered to have forfeited,” the staff said.

“Do the four of you have any questions?”

No questions; everyone had been through so many rounds already, all the questions that could be asked had been asked.

“Then I wish all four of you good luck in the competition.”

The four people silently left the provincial station, all pondering what to cook for the semifinals. Without a prescribed theme and with each contestant free to play to their strengths, it was both an advantage and a disadvantage.

The strong get stronger, the weak show their flaws.

Reaching the exit, everyone was so silent that not a word was exchanged.

Gu Li and theother three weren’t familiar with each other; he nodded slightly and then silently left.

“Remember to send me the location, I’ll come to your restaurant for porridge on Saturday,” Zhang Guanghang said and then walked straight ahead. “Porridge? What porridge?” Wu Minqi asked.

“He and Zhang Xi are coming to my place for porridge on Saturday night. ZhangXi didn’t get to drink any today, so I’m making a special batch for her,” Jiang Feng said. Seeing WuMinqi’s mother standing under a tree ahead, he told her, “Isn’t that your mother standing under the tree?”

“Yes, I’ll be going now, “Wu Minqi said, offering a smile, “Good luck.”

“Good luck.”