My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 297: A Draw

Soon, the two officially began to demonstrate their culinary skills. Zhang Lei watched from the side and had to admit that Sha Zhu's knife skills were indeed a notch above those of Nan Yi; the potato shreds were cut to a uniform thickness.

Not long after, both of their shredded potatoes were ready and served to the five judges. After tasting them, the judges nodded in satisfaction. However, Li Huaide, being a seasoned gourmet, immediately noticed that Sha Zhu's shredded potatoes were slightly better than Nan Yi's. After deliberation, the judges decided that Sha Zhu would win this round.

Upon hearing the result, everyone looked at Sha Zhu with newfound respect. Sha Zhu, in particular, smugly looked at Nan Yi: "See? This is real manly skill. You're still far from it!" Nan Yi didn't say anything, but a hint of nervousness appeared on his face. Liu Lan, standing to the side, silently cheered for Nan Yi in her heart, also feeling anxious for him.

Soon came the second dish: stir-fried seasonal vegetables. Looking at the pile of vegetables in front of them, Nan Yi and Sha Zhu chose different ones to cook. Seeing Sha Zhu's careless movements, Nan Yi frowned and deliberately picked vegetables with coarser fibers that would withstand longer cooking. Their dishes were quickly prepared, but seeing that they were all vegetarian, the others immediately lost some of their interest.

The food was served to the judges, and after tasting it, they couldn't immediately distinguish which was better, as it was all vegetarian. At this moment, Li Huaide looked at Nan Yi: "The dishes you chose are very different from Sha Zhu's. Tell me why?"

Nan Yi looked at the leaders and said earnestly, "Leaders, I chose these dishes because they are more resistant to cooking, better for the stomach, and have a longer shelf life, so that the food that the people behind us eat won't be rotten and unappetizing after the people in front have finished getting their food."

Everyone suddenly understood. Sha Zhu, however, disagreed: "All this fancy stuff, as long as the food tastes good!" But the workers disagreed. One of them said, "I think Nan Yi is right. Before, when we were at the back of the line, the food would rot in the pot. If we followed Nan Yi's picks, we would have a better appetite."

Others echoed this sentiment. After deliberation, the judges felt that since this was a large factory canteen, it was necessary to consider the needs of tens of thousands of workers, and Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) was more considerate. Therefore, NUA was declared the winner of this round.

Sha Zhu was very unhappy: "Cooking doesn't have to be so complicated, as long as it tastes good!" Zhang Lei shook his head slightly. Sha Zhu's cooking skills were suitable for big restaurants, but in a large factory like a steel rolling mill, Nan Yi's approach was more practical. Nan Yi didn't say much, just quietly waited for the third round to begin.

Soon, two pieces of fine pork belly were placed in front of the two men. Everyone couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight; eating meat these days was no easy feat. The third round was a competition of braised pork. The two men simmered it in a clay pot, and the aroma of the meat instantly filled the entire cafeteria. Everyone sniffed, and even the judges were whispering among themselves.

When the braised pork was ready, its aroma was irresistible, and its tender, flavorful meat drew Zhang Lei in several whiffs. After tasting it, the judges whispered amongst themselves, looking troubled. Li Huaide spoke up: "To my taste, the two braised pork dishes are equally good." The other judges nodded in agreement.

Factory Director Yang was in a dilemma: "How can the competition continue without a result?" At this moment, Li Huaide spotted Zhang Lei chatting easily with Lou Xiao'e and Ye Shuqi in the crowd, so he asked his secretary to call Zhang Lei over.

Zhang Lei looked surprised, but still followed the secretary to the judges' table. Li Huaide smiled and handed him chopsticks: "Try them, which dish tastes better?" Zhang Lei tasted a piece of each and said honestly: "Director Li, the taste is almost the same. If there is any difference, it's just that everyone has different taste preferences."

Li Huaide laughed and said, "That's what we think too, but we can't just leave it unresolved." Zhang Lei thought for a moment and then said with a smile, "Director Yang, Director Li, a competition doesn't necessarily have to have a winner and a loser. Our factory has more than one canteen."

Factory Director Yang's eyes lit up: "You mean...?"

"Shazhu and Nanyi's cooking skills are about the same. Why not transfer Shazhu to another canteen as the head chef? This would relieve some of the pressure and not waste his good skills," Zhang Lei said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Li Huaide was even more satisfied with Zhang Lei. He had only wanted to hear the workers' perspective, but Zhang Lei had given him a sound solution.

Soon, the cafeteria director received the results, cleared his throat, and announced: "After unanimous evaluation by the five leaders, both chefs from Nanjing University of the Arts and Chef Sha Zhu have their own strengths in cooking, and it's a tie!"

A murmur of discussion immediately broke out. Sha Zhu, looking unconvinced, protested, "Impossible!" The cafeteria manager glared at him, "This is the unanimous assessment of the leaders. What are you complaining about?"

Sha Zhu wanted to compete again: "Director, if it doesn't work, let's compete again. We have to decide a winner today!"

"Nonsense! We've wasted so much of everyone's time, how long do you plan to keep this up?" The cafeteria manager continued to announce, "The leadership has decided that Sha Zhu will be transferred to the head chef position at the third cafeteria, while Nan Yi will remain at this cafeteria and continue to serve as the head chef of the smaller cafeteria."

Upon hearing this, everyone praised the leader for his thoughtfulness; having another good cook meant they wouldn't have to squeeze together in line for meals. Sha Zhu was somewhat surprised, not expecting to be transferred.

The workers gradually dispersed, all quite satisfied with the outcome. Sha Zhu and Nan Yi remained stubbornly unwilling to concede. Liu Lan quickly ran to Nan Yi's side, congratulating her with a smile, "Nan Yi, congratulations!"

Nan Yi looked at her and said, "Thanks to you today, otherwise we wouldn't have achieved this result." Liu Lan blushed instantly.

The Nanjing University of the Arts then asked, "How is your family doing now?"

Liu Lan said softly, "The neighborhood committee helped me and Ma Kui get a divorce, and he's going to be sentenced in the next couple of days."

Nanjing University of the Arts was genuinely happy for her: "Congratulations! You're in for a good time from now on."

"How could that be? There's still money owed, which needs to be paid back slowly," Liu Lan said in a low voice.

Nan Yi looked at her and said seriously, "If you don't mind, I can help you pay it back."

Liu Lan quickly shook her head: "No, I... I can't trouble you."

Nanjing University of the Arts said gently, "You have no one to rely on, and I'm single too. I know you've suffered a lot, and I just hope that our two lonely hearts can offer each other some warmth. I'm willing to wait for you, so please don't reject my kindness until you've thought it through."

Liu Lan was both surprised and touched, her eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded gently.

On the other side, Zhang Lei led Lou Xiao'e on their way home. Lou Xiao'e said excitedly, "Honey, I really didn't expect this result. That silly guy looks so dull, but his cooking skills are actually quite good. Nanjing University of the Arts is not simple either."

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "You, Miss Lou, have eaten all sorts of delicious food, yet you're watching with such enthusiasm?"

"Eating is one thing, but such a lively competition is a rare sight. It would be great if there were one every month," Lou Xiao'e said with a smile.

"How can we have a competition every month? This is a factory, not a professional chef competition," Zhang Lei shook his head.

Lou Xiao'e exclaimed excitedly, "When I get home, I want to learn to cook from Aunt Mute, and I'll be a chef someday!"

Zhang Lei squeezed her hand: "Okay, once you've finished making it, I'll be the first to try it."

"Alright, then I'll reluctantly let you be my taste tester." Lou Xiao'e proudly raised her head.

Zhang Lei joked, "As long as you don't burn the pot, I'm willing to eat it."

Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e was so angry that she reached out to hit her. The two of them bickered and laughed all the way home.