Gourmet Style Beast Taming

Chapter 346: Display

“It’s settled then!”

Upon hearing Chef Zhong’s affirmative response, Qin Lang spoke without hesitation.

“In that case, let me find a kitchen nearby to film Qin Lang demonstrating his knife skills and then hand it over to Chef Zhong as evidence.” Su Henian, who had witnessed the agreement between the two, volunteered.

“Uncle Su, there’s no need to go through all that trouble,” Qin Lang looked around and quickly had an idea, “Just borrow a knife and a piece of tofu from the hospital cafeteria, and find me a balloon.”

“I believe that seeing is believing for Chef Zhong.”

Just like that?” Su Henian couldn’t help but look surprised, “There isn’t even a table in this ward, are you sure you want to demonstrate your knife skills under these conditions?”

Find a kitchen.” Even Chef Zhong felt that Qin Lang was overly confident, and couldn’t help but interject, “I wouldn’t want you to fail to meet my requirements because of the environment.”

“There won’t be any issues.” Faced with their doubts, Qin Lang remained calm and confident.

Alright then.” After a few more attempts at persuasion, seeing that Qin Lang remained adamant, Su Henian gave him a deep look before stepping out of the ward.

Before long, a knife, a piece of tofu, and a balloon appeared in the ward.

There was indeed a cafeteria in the hospital, and borrowing items was not a difficult task under Su Henian’s excellent communication skills.

“If you insist, let me witness how you intend to showcase your knife skills,” Chef Zhong slowly sat up and watched Qin Lang attentively.

He could probably guess that Qin Lang intended to cut the tofu to showcase his knife skills.

Among all the ingredients, tofu, being so soft that it breaks with slight force, is undoubtedly the most challenging one to demonstrate knife skills on.

For Qin Lang to make such a choice, in his view, was a bold move.

As for the balloon…

Chef Zhong couldn’t immediately figure out its relevance to knife skills.

At the moment, Chef Zhong’s wrinkled face showed a hint of expectation. He bore no ill will towards Qin Lang-if Qin Lang could indeed demonstrate impressive knife skills, then allowing him to take his place in tomorrow’s Qualification Battle would improve their chances of victory.

Chef Zhong understood this much. Hence, he hoped that Qin Lang could meet his requirements.

Of course, if he were to fall short, Chef Zhong would firmly oppose teaching him the “Sleeping Bull Silk” technique.

On the other hand, Su Henian also looked forward to it, though compared to Chef Zhong, he had more confidence in Qin Lang.

Though it was his first time seeing Qin Lang in person, Su Henian already had a good understanding of Qin Lang’s culinary skills through letters from his wife and other sources.

If he remembered correctly, Ah Hui mentioned before that Qin Lang had showcased a tofu dish in the Dongxia City Cooking Competition. That dish demonstrated his knife skills superbly, and even till today, many local Spirit Chefs were still challenging it.

Therefore, Qin Lang’s knife skills should be able to meet Chef Zhong’s standards.

As he was using tofu for his demonstration, was he planning to showcase that tofu dish?

If that were the case, it would be even more reassuring.

But-

Like Chef Zhong, Su Henian also couldn’t figure out the purpose of the balloon in this process.

Their uncertainty remained until Qin Lang had the balloon inflated.

Qin Lang skillfully tied a knot at the balloon’s opening, and then handed it to Su Henian, “Uncle Su, could you do me a favour.”

“Help me steady this balloon.¹‘

“Okay.” Su Henian subconsciously complied, holding either end of the balloon to secure it in mid-air. Then he asked curiously, “What’s the balloon for?”

“Today, I plan on using it as a cutting board.” Qin Lang chuckled, picking up the kitchen knife with one hand and the tofu with the other.

Su Henian’s hands shook violently, nearly bursting the balloon as he involuntarily gripped it too tight in astonishment.

His eyes wide, he was left speechless by Qin Lang’s words.

A cutting board?!

Although not a Spirit Chef, he was familiar with the concept of a cutting board.

Most cutting boards are made of solid wood, where chefs place ingredients to chop or cut them. The frictional force on the surface of the cutting board serves to prevent ingredients from slipping, as well as to protect the knife blade somewhat.

The cutting boards used in hotels are generally larger than those used at home, often with a thickness of over ten centimeters and appear quite sturdy.

And now, Qin Lang was suggesting using a balloon as a cutting board?

He looked at the balloon held between his hands, ones that seemed would burst with a soft squeeze.

A mere touch of the blade would instantly burst it, wouldn’t it?

How could it possibly be used as a cutting board?

Chef Zhong, who was sitting on the hospital bed, was no less surprised than Su Henian. At least Su Henian had some understanding of Qin Lang’s culinary skills, while Chef Zhong’s knowledge of Qin Lang’s culinary skills was relatively superficial. Hence, he was all the more shocked when he heard these words.

“You…want to cut the tofu on the balloon?” He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure?”

Yes. Qin Lang calmly took out a piece of tofu and slowly placed it in the center of the balloon’s surface, “So let’s get started.”

Upon saying this, he steadied the tofu with one hand while wielding the knife with the other before starting to move.

Su Henian, who was standing closest, could not help but hold his breath.

As the one holding the balloon, he could see Qin Lang’s knife cutting the tofu clear as day. He watched, spellbound as the knife in Qin Lang’s hand rose and fell,stammer-like, leaving not a tremor in its stead as it sliced the tofu into the thinnest possible slices, the knife dancing on the balloon’s surface like the most precise slicing machine.

Su Henian felt somewhat suffocated as he listened to his heartbeat pound fiercely and rhythmically in his chest for the very first time.

He gritted his teeth and exerted absolute control over his hands to steady the balloon, ensuring that he wouldn’t cause Qin Lang to make a mistake.

Sitting on the hospital bed, Chef Zhong unconsciously straightened his back, leaning forward to get a clearer view of the scene before him.

Once Qin Lang’s first set of cuts had been made and the balloon remained intact, Chef Zhong’s perception of the young man before him had changed somewhat.

Not paying attention to the changing expressions around him, Qin Lang entered his own rhythm from the moment he raised his knife.

His knife rose and fell, slicing the tofu into thin slices, operating like the most precise of workshop cutting machines.

It was as if the world outside had ceased to exist, leaving only the block of tofu in front of him.

In the atmosphere of the hospital room that had grown thick with tension, Qin Lang’s knife moved from one end of the tofu to the other. The once solid block of tofu had been sliced into countless thin tofu sheets, unable to maintain their shape and collapsing onto the surface of the balloon.

“Phew     ”

It was only after Qin Lang had finished cutting that Su Henian drew a breath. He had forgotten to breathe throughout the process.

Without lifting his head, Qin Lang spoke calmly.

“We’re not done yet.”

Upon hearing his words, Su Henian inhaled sharply while Chef Zhong sitting on the bed gasped.