The next morning was the fifth day of the Far Moon residential practicum.
By the time Xia Yu arrived at the Far Month Palace, a major review about the breakfast challenge was already in full swing in the hotel’s main hall.
In a small hall equipped with a broadcasting screen, after greeting several graduates, Xia Yu also found a seat to sit down.
"Currently leading is Miss Tiqie, with her breakfast being picked up 100 times by customers in less than half an hour!" The graduates stared at the screen’s statistical data unblinkingly.
First place: Tiqie Eriina, 130 servings.
The challenge this morning was about egg breakfasts, and the customers were the Far Moon Group’s ingredient suppliers and their families, as well as the cooking and service department staff from Far Moon Resort, who were also the evaluators for this challenge, in other words.
The criteria for passing the challenge were to reach 200 servings in 2 hours!
"There are customers of all ages, basically recreating the scene of a hotel breakfast period... A rare live practice challenge!"
Xia Yu was quite interested, paying special attention to the outstanding students in her mind.
Tiqie Eriina was just one of them.
"Eh, the runner-up is actually..."
Soon, a graduate exclaimed, pointing at a kitchen table surrounded by people on the screen, where a charming young girl with long black hair, dripping with fragrant sweat, was working.
What she made was clearly some kind of refreshing pastry, and after eating it, customers looked refreshed and vibrant, as if they had shed their fatigue from yesterday.
Shigong Xiaoci Lang slowly said, "Half an hour and 98 servings, no, she’s just surpassed 100 servings, and the speed is increasing!"
They stared at the dishes on the plates through the screen.
Qian Rixiangzi obviously swallowed her saliva, "Makki’s cake looks really delicious!"
Customers are the weathervane for food, and whether the food is tasty or not is immediately reflected upon tasting. The customers around Morioka Makki’s kitchen table wore expressions of happiness and enjoyment.
"Rixiangzi, I don’t want to eat Morioka Makki’s dishes during breakfast," said Mizuhara Fuyumi, expressing a different opinion.
Qian Rixiangzi suddenly covered her mouth, catching on, and with a pained face said, "That’s right, if you end up in a bad mood at breakfast, the rest of the day could be very unpleasant and irritating."
The two were speaking in riddles, but Sekishou Hei and Wutongtian, having joined as judges in the previous two evenings of culinary battles, naturally knew what they were afraid of.
A chill made Sekishou Hei and Wutongtian fall silent, silently giving their approval.
Xia Yu’s focus list prominently featured Makki and Xiao Hui.
This time, for the breakfast practical challenge, Tanaka Hikari prepared a Kantou simmered breakfast, with water boiled quail eggs in the big hodgepodge pot.
Tiqie Ailisha prepared an egg milkshake breakfast.
And Xingping Chuangzhen, as expected, only had 8 servings picked up in the first hour, which was such an astonishingly low score that it immediately caught the graduates’ attention.
Glancing at the broadcast screen, Xia Yu muttered that it indeed hadn’t deviated from the plot, and suddenly lost the desire to continue watching. She stood up and left her seat.
Shigong Xiaoci Lang, however, followed her out.
On the corridor, Shigong stopped Xia Yu.
"Chef Shigong, what’s the matter?" Xia Yu wondered.
"Are you interested in having another competition with me?"
Shigong Xiaoci Lang pushed up his glasses, a challenging smile playing on his lips.
Xia Yu laughed, "Is it for this afternoon’s banquet?"
He had a similar idea as well.
If you don’t stir things up, how will you get system tasks?
With a click of his fingers, Shigong Xiaoci Lang said, "What do you say, Instructor Xia, are you interested? It’s not a culinary battle, just a private competition. The judges will be the students. Let’s see whose dish is the most popular and talked about at the dinner, and that’s how we’ll determine the winner!"
Xia Yu was almost about to burst out laughing, yet he still had to maintain a serious face. He silently awarded himself an Oscar in his mind. He was truly going all out for the system task.
"Chef Shigong, since it’s a competition, shouldn’t there be a wager?" he said calmly.
"If you win, I’ll give you a recipe. Correspondingly, if I win, you’ll provide me a copy of the Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu recipe, how about that?" Shigong showed his foxy tail.
So he was after the recipe!
Xia Yu understood, nodded, and said, "I have no problem with that, but Chef Shigong, do you have a Special Grade Recipe to wager?"
"Of course, I have one! Although it’s not my own, I bought it from a top-class chef in France Paris for a hefty price. I have learned a lot from that recipe!" Shigong explained.
"Then that’s settled..."
Xia Yu and Shigong Xiaoci Lang walked and talked, heading towards the same place—
The hotel’s main kitchen!
In the morning session, they only had practical breakfast preparation, and by the time the bell signaled the end, many Far Moon students practically collapsed on the kitchen counters.
After four days and five nights of continuous efforts, these students’ nerves were on the verge of breaking. Even the top students who breezed through every task effortlessly, like Tiqie Helinai, felt a heavy weariness set upon them.
Soon, a stable voice of Dojima Yin came through the venue’s loudspeaker:
"Thank you all for your hard work during the practicals. I have here the list of the top ten performers... First place, Tiqie Helinai, 800 servings in 2 hours."
"Second place, Morioka Makoto, 755 servings in 2 hours."
"Third place, Yasan Liang, 710 servings in 2 hours."
The students were not surprised by the first name.
However, when Morioka Makoto’s name was announced as the second place, the venue fell dead silent.
Unlike Xingping Chuangzhen, Morioka Makoto had been mostly anonymous except for her appearance during the entrance ceremony, maintaining modest upper-middle scores in class with her partner, Tanaka Hikari, not exceptionally outstanding.
"Fourth place, Tanaka Hikari, 650 servings."
Upon hearing Tanaka Hikari’s name, the venue erupted in murmurs as it seemed many students recognized this lowest-ranking, borderline fail-out student.
"Phew... these two, they really have gotten stronger!"
Xingping Chuangzhen, who had just narrowly escaped disaster by completing 200 servings, removed the white band from his forehead, his eyes filled with a mix of resignation and frustration.
He had witnessed the transformation of Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto firsthand just two nights before.
At the beginning of school, Morioka Makoto was at the same level as him, merely winning by bending the rules with her ’sentiment.’ However, after tasting her cooking on the night of the battle, he was convinced.
Because even the much more skilled graduates and even Senior Shigong were deeply shocked.
But what struck Xingping Chuangzhen the most was the change in Tanaka Hikari, the foolish girl who gained courage over those two days. She was no longer timid. Yesterday, when their group was again assigned to Senior Shigong’s class, Tanaka Hikari unexpectedly produced the work that received high praise from Senior Shigong.
Thus to Xingping Chuangzhen, Tanaka Hikari’s performance in the breakfast task was to be expected.
Yet someone was displeased.
Tiqie Ailisha, who was squeezed out of the top five, ranked sixth.
As soon as the task was over, she found Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto, who were celebrating together.