The Game of Life

Eggs are an indispensable ingredient on the dining tables of the rabbits in China, and they’re also one of the most commonly consumed foods among humans.

High in nutrition, every 100 grams of eggs contains 12.8 grams of protein, including all 8 essential amino acids necessary for the human body, very similar to the composition of human protein. The yolk is rich in lecithin, sterols, vitellin, and also contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, and B complex vitamins, significantly benefiting the nervous system, which is why eggs are also an excellent brain food.

Therefore, there’s scientific basis for the mystical perfect-score breakfast of a sausage and two eggs that mothers make for their kids before exams.

Jiang Feng knows how to cook a variety of egg dishes, from stir-fried eggs with hot peppers, chives, onions, to an array of world-mix egg stir-fry dishes, various egg drop soups, boiled eggs, steamed eggs, fried eggs, and marinated eggs—he can make them with ease. But he wanted to prepare a dish that was slightly more complex, one that would demonstrate difficulty without being too time-consuming.

Jiang Feng turned his head to see if Wu Minqi had any clues and found that she had already picked up a pen and started making a list. Then he looked around; some were deep in thought, some held pens but didn’t make any move, and some stopped the staff to ask questions. With sharp ears, Jiang Feng heard the male contestant No. 20 behind him ask the staff.

“Would using Japanese tofu count as an egg dish?”

“Sorry, due to the competition rules, we didn’t prepare Japanese tofu.”

Tofu!

Jiang Feng instantly perked up.

What was his latest specialty dish?

Babao tofu!

It was a sell-out at the restaurant, and he had to make twenty or thirty plates of it every day. Even though they were simplified versions, he could also make the complete version, and most importantly—he knew how to make egg tofu!

Japanese tofu is made from eggs, called tofu, yet fundamentally not tofu because it contains no soy at all. It’s simply a different kind of egg custard. The egg tofu Jiang Feng planned to make relied on steaming, as silky-smooth as tender tofu, just slightly more yellow, with a taste even better than tender tofu. Using it to make Babao tofu would not be out of place at all.

Jiang Feng raised his hand, and a staff member came over upon noticing.

“Hello, Mr. Jiang, do you have a question?” the staff member asked.

“Do you have soaked soybeans?” Jiang Feng asked. If the organizers didn’t provide pre-soaked soybeans, his Babao egg tofu would not be possible.

“Yes, we do, soaked overnight, is that okay?” asked the staff member.

“Do you have cling film?”

“Yes, it’s in the cabinet at your lower left.”

“Do I need to specify the quantities when listing the ingredients?”

“No need, we will prepare the ingredients for two servings of the dish, and you can add more if necessary.”

“Okay, thank you, I don’t have any other questions.”

The staff member smiled, nodded, and left.

Jiang Feng began listing the ingredients.

Eggs, large soybeans soaked overnight, dried baby shrimp, green peas, carrot, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, sausage, and chicken thigh meat.

After glancing at the list and confirming it, Jiang Feng sighed at his ugly handwriting. If he advanced, won the championship, and acquired little fangirls who asked for his autograph, how on earth could he show his terrible handwriting? With a minor predicament on his mind, he raised his hand again and handed the list to the staff member.

The staff member looked at the list and said, “Mr. Jiang, the shrimp we prepared is dried shrimp, is that okay?”

“Sure,” Jiang Feng said.

“Okay, please wait a moment, we will deliver the ingredients to you before 9 o’clock.” The staff member handed the list to another colleague.

Jiang Feng raised his hand to check his watch, 8:47, thirteen minutes left. He looked around; everyone was starting to make their lists. Many were tense and anxious. Only a few, like him, had finished their lists.

He turned around and met Wu Minqi’s gaze.

Wu Minqi nodded at him with a slight smile, then lowered her head to smell the seasoning.

Jiang Feng:…

He thought Wu Minqi’s smile just now was especially official.

More official than the staff themselves.

Turning his gaze away, Jiang Feng stopped sending off the vibe of a salted fish, as the staff brought over the ingredients he had requested. The quantity was indeed generous. Not just one portion of Babao Tofu, but enough for three was no problem. The competition hadn’t started yet, so he couldn’t begin cooking, but looking was allowed.

Jiang Feng first grabbed a handful of soybeans, then checked the dried shrimp, examining each ingredient one by one, finally turning to the chicken leg meat.

It was genuine traditional feed chicken thigh meat. Luckily, it was chilled, not frozen chicken. The ingredients couldn’t be called top-notch, but they were not bad either. They wouldn’t be the highlight of the dish, but neither would they hold it back.

At nine o’clock sharp, the competition began.

Almost instantly, all contestants sprang into action. One hundred and nineteen participants had to ensure quality while maintaining speed. If anyone harbored thoughts like Guo Mengting’s “If I’m slow, might as well take my time,” they would only be greeted by the judges’ burps mixed with various food scents.

Jiang Feng had already taken out the kitchen utensils he needed from the cabinet. He started by filling a steamer with water to boil, while blending the soybeans with water in the soy milk machine to make soy milk. While the soy milk was being made, he cracked two eggs into a bowl, whisked them, and strained them twice. He also strained the soy milk twice, then mixed equal parts of egg and soy milk, and strained again. Straining was the key to achieving a smooth and delicate texture for the egg tofu. Jiang Feng poured the mix, which had been strained several times, into a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap.

By then, the water in the steamer had boiled. Jiang Feng placed the bowl into the steamer to steam on medium heat and began preparing the other ingredients.

Besides the chicken, which needed to be diced in its entirety, the more uniform the dice of the rest of the ingredients, the better. The similar-sized and shaped colorful cubes laid out together were like a blessing for anyone with OCD. As a cook with advanced knifework skills, Jiang Feng’s speed in processing the ingredients was incredibly fast.

In Wang Hao’s usual writing style, it would be described as Jiang Feng picking up the knife like a swordsman gripping his beloved sword. Before even making a move, a connection had already formed between them, making onlookers suspicious. His grip seemed odd, not like the way a common chef would hold a knife. Indeed, the way Jiang Feng held the knife was the Jiang Family’s secret skill, the legendary culinary mystery long lost to history—Jiang’s Star Blade Skill!

And then, he moved.

A glint of cold steel was the first to appear, followed by the swift emergence of the blade, like a dragon, agile and fluid over the chopping board. His hands moved so fast that onlookers could only see the afterimages, gasping in awe. As the saying goes, laypeople watch the excitement, professionals see the subtleties. Fellow competitors stopped their work to watch Jiang Feng intently. At that moment, positioned at the edge, he seemed like the center of it all, exuding a confident and commanding presence, dazzlingly brilliant, like the sun or a night sky filled with stars.

While the crowd was still in a daze, Jiang Feng had already made his final cut. Faintly, it seemed as though the sounds of dragons and phoenixes were emanating from his knife, with light shining, as if stars were scattering around him. In that moment, he was the center of the universe, and the vast earth paled in comparison, more eye-catching than the stars, more radiant than the sun!

After a while, someone exclaimed, “Jiang’s Star Blade Skill truly lives up to its reputation.”

Jiang Feng suddenly paused in his chicken cutting. Why had he suddenly thought of Wang Hao’s latest update from last night?

Is there some damned magic in those silly novels? He had actually started to see himself as the protagonist, using Jiang’s Star Blade Skill.

Shaking his head, Jiang Feng forced himself to stop thinking about “My Roommate Who Got the Pig’s Feet Script” and focused on cutting the vegetables.

Jiang’s Star Blade Skill, huh? Why not go all out and claim Lushan Rising Dragon Fist?