My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 295: The Cooking Competition Begins

Meanwhile, Lou Xiao'e, looking at Zhang Lei who was just grinning foolishly, said irritably, "Honey, let's go, let's go. There's nothing fun here."

Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, let's eat out first, and then go to the steel mill."

Lou Xiao'e nodded and said, "Okay."

Soon, the two arrived at Fengzelou. Looking at the style of Fengzelou, Zhang Lei sighed inwardly. This was a place he dared to look at but not enter in his previous life. Now he had more money and a thicker waist.

He led Lou Xiao'e inside quickly. A waiter handed them a menu, and Zhang Lei gave it to Lou Xiao'e, saying, "You order."

Lou Xiao'e looked at them and said, "Give me a plate of braised pork, and a lion's head meatball."

Zhang Lei only ordered two plates of vegetarian dishes, one with mushrooms and greens, and the other with stir-fried cabbage in vinegar, and also two bowls of rice.

Seeing the delicious-smelling food, Lou Xiao'e and Zhang Lei ate with great relish.

Zhang Lei thought to himself, no wonder rich people like to eat at places like this. The cooking skills are truly superb. Even a simple stir-fried cabbage with vinegar is cooked to be sour, crisp, and delicious.

Soon, Zhang Lei and Lou Xiao'e finished their meal and leisurely headed towards the steel rolling mill.

When they arrived at the steel rolling mill, the canteen was almost ready, and the canteen manager was arranging for his staff to maintain order. Zhang Lei chose a good spot to sit down, and soon Lou Xiao'e saw Ye Shuqi arriving and happily called out to her.

Upon seeing Zhang Lei, Ye Shuqi hurriedly ran over: "Honey, Xiao'e, you're here."

Zhang Lei nodded: "Come on, I've saved you a seat here."

Ye Shuqi was a little embarrassed: "Honey, everyone else is standing, but we're sitting."

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "It's okay, we're sitting in the front. Standing up would just block other people's view."

Those who don't know the situation might think the three of them are judges.

It was soon 2:30 pm, and with a shout from the cafeteria manager, everyone gradually quieted down.

In the kitchen, Sha Zhu and Nan Yi were tidying up their cooking utensils, and the makeshift stoves were neatly arranged in the open space of the canteen.

The cafeteria manager shouted to the kitchen staff, "Nanyi and Shazhu, come to the front and show yourselves!"

The two had no choice but to walk ahead.

The cafeteria manager smiled and introduced to everyone: "Hello everyone, this is our cafeteria's chef from Nanjing University of the Arts. Let's have him say a few words to you."

Nanjing University of the Arts' eyes widened in surprise, and she cursed the cafeteria director in her mind—he hadn't mentioned that she would be giving a speech beforehand, and she should have prepared a draft.

With no other option, Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) had to bite the bullet and go on stage, stammering, "H-H-H-Hello everyone, I'm...NUA, and I'm participating in...the cooking competition today...okay...thank you everyone."

After saying that, he quickly retreated.

Everyone burst into laughter, while Nanjing University of the Arts was so embarrassed he wished he could disappear into the ground.

Just as things were getting lively, a shadowy figure sneaked into the kitchen, looked at the kitchenware from Nanjing University of the Arts, and quietly swapped the broken kitchenware he had brought with the equipment from Nanjing University of the Arts.

After doing all this, the shadowy figure cautiously walked out, but Liu Lan, who had rushed over from outside the door, saw everything.

Liu Lan heard that Nanjing University of the Arts was going to have a cooking competition with Sha Zhu, so she rushed over, only to find Cui Dake changing kitchen utensils.

She couldn't tell whose things Cui Dake had swapped, so she kept quiet and just followed Cui Dake silently.

Soon, she saw Cui Dake find a place to bury the kitchen utensils he had replaced, tidy his clothes, and then quietly slip back to the cafeteria.

Liu Lan had some doubts, but she didn't say anything and followed them back to the front.

Not long after, Sha Zhu stood in front of the cafeteria director and said in a generous manner, "Hello everyone, I am from Nanjing University of the Arts, I... oops, I am Sha Zhu."

When everyone heard him call the wrong name, they burst into laughter.

Zhang Lei covered his mouth and exclaimed, "Why are there two Nanjing University of the Arts students? Where did Sha Zhu go?"

The audience laughed even harder.

Sha Zhu glared angrily at Zhang Lei: "Zhang Lei, stop causing trouble!"

Then he raised his voice to the crowd, "I'm Sha Zhu, everyone knows my cooking skills, so please enjoy!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's provocative look, Nan Yi also lost her temper, glaring at Sha Zhu, clearly showing that neither of them would give in.

Not long after, the leaders entered the room one after another, forming a total of five judges.

The canteen manager hurried forward and announced loudly, "Now, please welcome our esteemed Factory Director Yang to give a speech!"

Hearing the canteen manager only mention Director Yang and not him, Deputy Director Li Huaide, Li Huaide felt resentful, but there was nothing he could do, since he was the deputy.

Factory Director Yang took out his prepared speech and began to speak:

"Good afternoon, fellow workers at the steel rolling mill. Today is a solemn, warm, friendly, and inspiring day..."

After a long and rambling speech, Zhang Lei, who was in front of him, was starting to feel drowsy.

Lou Xiao'e said boredly, "Honey, this is so boring, when are we going to start?"

Zhang Lei whispered, "Let's wait. The leader's speech won't be over in less than half an hour of rambling."

Ye Shuqi quickly tugged at him: "Honey, keep your voice down, it's not good if others hear."

Zhang Lei replied nonchalantly, "I know, I know."

Sure enough, half an hour passed in a flash, the leaders' speeches finally ended, and the competition was about to begin.

Seeing that everyone was getting impatient, the cafeteria manager quickly said, "Alright everyone, now please welcome our chefs, He Yuzhu and Nanjing University of the Arts!"

Soon, Sha Zhu and Nan Yi, each carrying their kitchenware bags, walked into the competition venue.

Seeing that the two chefs were ready, the cafeteria manager announced loudly, "The exact same ingredients have been prepared for both of you. Now, I announce the first dish—Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. Someone immediately asked, "Why are we comparing this? Shouldn't we be comparing something more substantial?"

The canteen manager explained with a smile, "Today's competition is to select a more reliable chef for our canteen. They are all making the most ordinary dishes that are most suitable for our workers' daily meals. This was a decision made unanimously by the leaders."

Upon hearing that it was decided by the leader, everyone immediately applauded, praising the leader for being considerate and thinking of the workers.

Several leaders standing on the stage also showed satisfied smiles. That was exactly what they planned—a real feast would be used against them if someone reported them to higher authorities.

Neither Sha Zhu nor Nan Yi cared about this; for them, the more home-style the dish, the more their culinary skills could be showcased.

The two immediately opened the kitchenware package and prepared to start cooking.

Sha Zhu was smug and deliberately showed off in front of everyone. He picked up a potato, peeled it quickly, and even did a fancy trick, which drew cheers from the onlookers.

On the other side, Nan Yi glanced at Sha Zhu's fancy moves and gently shook her head.

But when he opened his kitchenware bag, he was completely dumbfounded.

What is this? This isn't my kitchen utensil at all!

Seeing that Nanjing University of the Arts was standing there motionless, the cafeteria manager hurriedly went over and urged, "Nanjing University of the Arts, what's wrong with you? The competition has already started, what are you daydreaming about?"

The student from Nanjing University of the Arts looked anxiously at the cafeteria manager: "Manager, these aren't my kitchen utensils!"

The cafeteria manager looked on in disbelief.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu immediately stepped forward to provoke him: "Nanjing University of the Arts, you're too scared to compete, aren't you? You've given yourself away, haven't you? If you're afraid, just admit defeat, and I might save you some face."

The student from Nanjing University of the Arts was both angry and anxious: "Who's afraid to compete? My kitchen utensils have been switched!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the room.

Seeing the chaotic scene, the cafeteria manager quickly lowered his voice and reminded Nanjing University of the Arts, "Nanjing University of the Arts, I think these kitchen utensils are still usable. Let's hurry up and have the competition; the leaders are watching!"

But Nan Yi frowned deeply. These weren't the kitchen utensils he was used to, and he couldn't concentrate on the competition at all.