Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading

Chapter 198: Cooking Competition

"Well, it’s true, isn’t it? Anyone can join the bidding these days."

The words were harsh and familiar.

Su Xiaoxiao looked up and met Zhang Dongmei’s schadenfreude expression.

She didn’t expect Zhang Dongmei to be here too.

Beside Zhang Dongmei sat a well-built young man, who looked about the same age as Zhang Dongmei and wasn’t the Hong Kong businessman from last time.

The two locked eyes from a distance, and Zhang Dongmei let out a scoff before grabbing her bid and sashaying forward.

As she passed by Su Xiaoxiao, she suddenly leaned close and mocked, "Su Xiaoxiao, this canteen contract isn’t child’s play. I suggest you go back to where you came from and not embarrass yourself here."

However, her smile didn’t last long. Suddenly, she lunged forward with a cry and fell flat on her face.

"Su Xiaoxiao!"

Zhang Dongmei roared, getting up from the ground, her eyes glaring at Su Xiaoxiao as if they could shoot flames. That damned girl actually dared to trip her just now.

Su Xiaoxiao glanced at her, "If you’re not in a hurry to submit it, I’ll go ahead and hand in mine first."

With that, she walked forward with her own bid in hand.

Zhang Dongmei, seething with anger, kicked a table with a loud bang, but ended up hurting her own foot and her face changed color from the pain.

But with so many people watching, she had to save face and forced herself to swallow the cry of pain.

As Su Xiaoxiao returned after submitting her bid and they passed each other, Zhang Dongmei gritted her teeth, ready to retaliate.

As Su Xiaoxiao approached, she stealthily stretched out a foot, thinking it would be amusing if Su Xiaoxiao tripped and fell flat on her face.

But unexpectedly, Su Xiaoxiao directly stepped on her foot as she lifted it.

The scene Zhang Dongmei envisioned did not unfold. Instead, she let out a scream of pain; that damned girl had quite the strength, nearly crushing her foot.

Yan Guohua counted the bid submissions and noticed that one was still missing. He frowned in irritation and urged, "Who hasn’t submitted yet? If you don’t submit now, it’ll be considered a forfeit."

"I... I haven’t, it’s me."

Zhang Dongmei, momentarily forgetting her spat with Su Xiaoxiao, limped over to submit her bid.

After being outwitted by Su Xiaoxiao, Zhang Dongmei was unwilling to let it go.

On her way back from handing in the bid, she deliberately dragged a chair over closer to Su Xiaoxiao.

"Su Xiaoxiao, don’t get too smug. Do you know what my brother-in-law does? He’s the head chef of the largest state-owned restaurant in our city. With him here, you can forget about winning the bid."

Su Xiaoxiao was puzzled, "Isn’t your sister dead? Where did you get a brother-in-law?"

Zhang Dongmei’s expression changed but she quickly recovered, "A cousin-in-law isn’t good enough? Why do you care where my brother-in-law came from?"

"Oh, I see. You’re implying that no one else here is as capable as your cousin-in-law."

Just as Zhang Dongmei was about to speak, she noticed that everyone present was looking at her with displeasure.

Of course, openly declaring that no one here was as good as her brother-in-law was just asking for trouble, wasn’t it?

Meeting the unhappy gazes of the others, she quickly shook her head, "I didn’t mean you guys, I meant her, them, not you.

She hurriedly began to explain, apologizing repeatedly until the others diverted their gaze.

Soon, the time came for the most crucial part: the second round—culinary display.

This round required a larger venue.

Yan Guohua led everyone to a different location, which was the cafeteria of the previous department store.

The tables and chairs in the canteen’s hall had been moved aside, and in the middle, two rows of stoves were set up, accompanied by chopping boards, knives, and other cooking tools.

Yan Guohua cleared his throat and announced, "I declare the culinary contest officially open. Next, please draw lots. The competition will proceed in groups of five according to the draw order."

Liu Cuilan and Xu Zhaodi both looked at Su Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxiao, you have good luck. You draw the lots."

Under the expectant gazes of the two, Su Xiaoxiao could only step forward to draw on their behalf.

Before long, the drawing was finished, and Su Xiaoxiao’s luck was decent, landing in the second group.

Su Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief; as long as it wasn’t the first or last group, it was fine.

Once everyone had drawn, Yan Guohua briefly explained the competition’s rules before announcing the official commencement.

Su Xiaoxiao was listening intently but suddenly felt something was amiss.

There was a persistent tremor she couldn’t quite place.

Perplexed, she lowered her gaze to see that Xu Zhaodi was clutching her arm and shaking like a leaf.

"Sister Zhaodi, don’t be nervous. Just follow the practice we’ve had; it’ll be fine."

She quickly reassured her, then said, "Look at my mom. She’s not nervous at all."

At this point, Liu Cuilan turned around, her face was deathly pale, and her lips were trembling.

Su Xiaoxiao: "..."

Not nervous, indeed.

The way the two were trembling, like they had Parkinson’s, how could they compete? They probably couldn’t even hold a knife steady.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed them both, "Mom, Sister Zhaodi, stay calm, you have to stay calm. Think of the guarantee fee we paid..."

Upon hearing about the money, the shaking of the two immediately lessened considerably.

By this time, the five people in the first group were already introducing themselves, creating a lively scene.

Some claimed to be head chefs from a certain state-owned restaurant, others boasted titles from international hotels, and some said they were known chefs at local celebrations. Every person seemed to be a bona fide cook.

Upon hearing all this, Liu Cuilan and Xu Zhaodi, whose hearts had just calmed a bit, found them racing uncontrollably once again.

Liu Cuilan held onto Su Xiaoxiao’s hand, "Xiaoxiao, these guys are all professionals. Can we really do this?"

Xu Zhaodi added, "Xiaoxiao, maybe we should..."

"Stop that! No matter win or lose, we must participate, otherwise the guarantee fee is wasted."

At this moment, someone nearby poked their head in, "What guarantee fee? I haven’t heard of any."

Xu Zhaodi and Liu Cuilan, about to give themselves away, were fixedly staring at Su Xiaoxiao. Quickly, Su Xiaoxiao stood up and clapped vigorously, "Bravo!"

The chef closest to her was startled, nearly dropping his spatula. He turned to glare at her; this little girl had no business yelling randomly and almost made him make a mistake.

Su Xiaoxiao was oblivious to the consequences and told Liu Cuilan and Xu Zhaodi, "Mom, Sister Zhaodi, quickly get ready. It’s almost your turn."

The distraction led the two to forget about pursuing the matter of the guarantee fee, and they focused seriously on the competition.

At this point, the first group had completed their dishes, all neatly arranged on the table, waiting for the judges’ critique.