Su Wanqing turned around.
Lu Yan took a ration coupon out of his pocket and wrote in his small notebook: “If anything happens, find me.”
Su Wanqing was slightly surprised, slipped the ration coupon into her cloth bag, and nodded.
Lu Yan looked at her small, close-up face, his Adam’s apple moving slightly. He released her wrist and nodded.
In the backyard of the military district canteen, a crowd had gathered—mostly kitchen staff who knew the background and were there to watch the show.
On the blue brick floor of the kitchen, two temporary worktables had been set up, with oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and fresh vegetables laid out.
Director Li stood in the middle with several chefs, while two military officers sat nearby as judges.
“Do you think Su Wanqing can win? I doubt it. She only knows how to cook seafood that no one likes. How can she compete with Su Weiwei’s home-style dishes?” one person commented.
“Exactly. Remember the pufferfish incident last time? If Chief Lu hadn’t backed her, she’d have been kicked out of the kitchen already. I bet on Su Weiwei winning this round!”
“I’ve tried Su Weiwei’s home cooking—it’s excellent. Su Wanqing is definitely going to lose!”
The murmurs went on, mostly doubting Su Wanqing’s abilities.
After all, the original owner’s seafood dishes had a terrible reputation. People still remembered them as “fishy and smelly,” and no one believed she could handle home-style cooking.
Su Weiwei, wearing a crisp dacron shirt, stood beside her worktable with Wang Fang and a few other female workers helping her wash vegetables and hand her bowls, looking confident.
She caught the whispers from the crowd, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes as she glanced toward the door.
Once Su Wanqing arrived, she planned to make her lose face publicly.
At that moment, the crowd suddenly fell silent.
Su Wanqing walked in carrying her cloth bag, wearing a light apricot short-sleeve top with white pants, her hair tied into a bun, revealing her fair neck and delicate chin. Her almond-shaped eyes shone as if lit from within.
Despite the skeptical and mocking gazes from all directions, she showed no hesitation.
“Well, well, Su Wanqing, you finally showed up. I thought you wouldn’t dare come!” Wang Fang was the first to speak, her tone full of ridicule.
Su Wanqing ignored her and scanned the surroundings.
The competition stage, judges, audience… everything was ready, just waiting for her.
Across the table, Su Weiwei stared at her from afar, eyes full of provocation.
Su Wanqing walked straight to the other worktable, set down her bag, and took out the items one by one.
These were her pre-prepared ingredients: a small jar of homemade dried shrimp powder.
She looked up at Director Li and asked clearly, “Director Li, may we start now?”
Director Li’s expression was cold as he glanced at her: “You know the rules, right? One-hour time limit. Make two home-style dishes. Judges score them, the higher score wins. The loser leaves the canteen voluntarily.”
“Understood,” Su Wanqing nodded, her eyes calm, without a trace of panic.
Su Weiwei raised her voice, “Wanqing, if you admit defeat now, I can ask Director Li to let you stay.”
“No need,” Su Wanqing raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint in her almond eyes. “Just don’t try to cheat if you lose later.”
Director Li tapped the bronze gong in his hand: “Time’s up, start!”
At the sound of the gong, both immediately got to work.
Su Weiwei picked up the pre-prepared ribs and skillfully blanched them to remove the blood. She clearly practiced this many times.
Su Wanqing washed her hands first, then took fresh vegetables, a piece of pork belly, and a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms from the bamboo basket.
She was making braised chicken with mushrooms and garlic stir-fried greens—simple home dishes, but ones that required solid technique.
The murmurs in the kitchen started up again:
“Why is Su Wanqing picking such simple dishes? She’s just setting herself up to lose!”
“Su Weiwei is making sweet and sour pork ribs—perfect with rice. That’s definitely going to score higher than chicken and greens!”
“I told you, she can’t even choose the right dishes!”
When the gong rang again, the two tables were filled with finished dishes.
Su Weiwei’s sweet and sour pork ribs were plated on white porcelain, the amber sauce coating the ribs, looking especially glossy.
She personally brought the dish to the judges, her voice soft and sweet: “Leaders, chefs, please try my sweet and sour pork ribs. The balance of sweet and sour goes perfectly with rice.”
Director Li picked up his chopsticks first, took a piece, and immediately nodded: “Not bad, not bad. The balance is good, and the meat is tender—better than what restaurants make!”
The other two judges tried it too. They didn’t praise as extravagantly, but they nodded with smiles.
When it came to Su Wanqing’s dishes, the atmosphere noticeably cooled.
The chicken in her braised chicken with mushrooms was tender and white, the mushrooms soaked up the broth, glistening; the garlic stir-fried greens were bright and crisp, the garlic scent fresh and strong.
But Director Li only dipped a bit of chicken juice, frowned, and put down his chopsticks: “The flavor is too bland, nothing special. It can’t compare to Comrade Weiwei’s ribs with rice.”
Another judge was even more dismissive, barely touching the food, glancing once and saying: “Home cooking needs that home-style taste. This dish looks refined but lacks soul—unacceptable.”
Su Wanqing stood her ground, lightly gripping the strap of her cloth bag, eyes slightly cold: “Director Li, you only tasted a bit of the juice and said it was bland. This chef didn’t even touch it—how can you say it lacks soul?”
“Su Wanqing, how dare you question the judges!” Director Li slammed the table, his voice rising.
“The rules are mine. I decide who wins! I now announce that Comrade Su Weiwei wins. Su Wanqing, pack your things tomorrow and leave the canteen!”
“On what grounds?” Su Wanqing stepped forward, her clear voice cutting through the whispers.
“Before the competition, you said ‘higher score wins.’ Now you can’t even taste the dishes fairly. Isn’t this blatant manipulation?”
Wang Fang immediately jumped in to back her: “Su Wanqing, stop whining! Director Li and the leaders wouldn’t cheat you! You just lack skill and now you’re trying to blame others!”
“I lack skill?” Su Wanqing glanced at her.
“Is it my skill that’s lacking, or is it that some judges weren’t fair from the start and never intended to treat me fairly?”
Wang Fang was momentarily speechless.
Anyone with eyes could see the judges weren’t impartial.
Seeing this, Su Weiwei quickly tugged at Director Li’s sleeve, quietly trying to appease him: “Director Li, maybe we can just let it go. Wanqing might just be being stubborn…”
“Let it go?!” Director Li glared at Su Wanqing. “If you cause trouble again, I’ll call the Military Affairs Office to deal with you!”
Before Director Li’s voice even faded, the canteen entrance echoed with a sudden, orderly march. Someone shouted: “Inspection team from headquarters! Everyone, stand at attention!”
Director Li’s face turned pale instantly, his hand trembling.
Inspections from headquarters were always scheduled in advance—why had they come unannounced this time?
Su Weiwei tensed, panic flickering across her face.
Before anyone could react further, a group of people in military uniforms entered. The man at the front had stars on his epaulettes, exuding a calm authority—none other than Chief of Staff Zhou Yan from headquarters.