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墨書 Inktalez
Incredible! In this era, the existence of chili peppers is truly a significant archaeological discovery! When I finally achieve my goals and return to the modern world, I must write a lengthy thesis proving that chili peppers existed in the early Tang Dynasty.
Thinking about it, it makes sense; otherwise, where would the concept of "Seven Spice Chili Pepper" come from? Suddenly, I became very interested in the bank's Boss who proposed this dish.
For the next two days, I relied on my memory to try and recreate the Seven Spice Chili Pepper seasoning. Although I had learned about it before, I had only practiced once, so my recollection was not very clear. After four or five adjustments, I finally felt that the flavor was becoming familiar.
Since Seven Spice Chili Pepper is a term used in Japanese cuisine, I specifically chose Soba Noodles for the dish. Buckwheat has a long history, and Shaanxi is known for its abundant buckwheat production, making buckwheat flour quite easy to find.
On the night of the competition, I made Seven Spice Chili Noodles for everyone’s dinner. Melan took a couple of bites and frowned; it was a bit spicy. However, perhaps fearing that I would be discouraged, she didn’t want to admit it was bad and managed to eat half a bowl with the soup. Luo Dachun commented that it had a unique flavor he had never tasted before and that it was particularly enjoyable, getting better with each bite. Nie Qiuyuan silently finished his noodles—two bowls.
I felt encouraged; this result was basically what I had expected. The flavor seemed to be adjusted just right. When Han Meilan found out that I was going to participate in the Arena Competition, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I want to join too! I want to make one!" She rubbed her hands together eagerly and rushed into the kitchen after dinner.
Since we were just waiting around with nothing else to do, the next morning, Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun accompanied us to the Cooking Competition venue. They were quite indulgent towards us, which made me feel very pleased.
The competition stage was set up in an open area next to Tongfu Hall in the west of the city, creating quite a spectacle. From afar, it looked like a sea of red. As we approached, we realized that large red carpets covered the ground, and tables were arranged in several rows. Not far away was a steaming large stove that had just been built.
Sure enough, like us, all participants brought their own ingredients. When the time came, at the organizer's command, everyone chose their spots at the tables and began preparing their dishes.
The time limit was one hour—equivalent to two modern hours—which was more than enough for making a single serving of noodles. Melan and I shared a table; we took out our ingredients from our bags and got busy. Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun stood across from us at our direction, helping us with bowls and water while their good looks successfully distracted the surrounding female chefs.
I skillfully kneaded and rolled out the dough, dusting it with flour before carefully cutting it into evenly sized noodles. Once cut, I tossed them into boiling water. The cooking time couldn’t be too long; after pulling them out, residual heat would finish cooking them without losing their elasticity. After rinsing them in spring water to cool down and adding a few drops of sesame oil, my Soba Noodles were ready.
The cooked Soba Noodles were chewy and elastic with a dark hue but emitted an enticing aroma. Next came mixing in my Mysterious Seasoning—Seven Spice Chili Pepper.
After mixing, nothing seemed to change visually; they looked like plain boiled noodles but released a much richer fragrance. The serving dish was provided by the organizers; I chose from inside Seventy-Two Container—a shallow light-colored earthenware plate that appeared slightly clumsy.
I selected it intuitively; I felt this style of Container might suit Japanese-style mixed noodles better.
Looking back at Melan, she had made fine flour ramen arranged elegantly around seven different toppings with sauce prepared as well. It seemed she had almost independently developed her version of Beijing-style fried sauce noodles.
The noodles were prepared one serving at a time, likely for the judges to evaluate inside the room. As I looked around, I saw a dazzling array of colorful noodles, some garnished with vegetables that resembled flowers, others in rainbow hues, and some dishes that were unrecognizable. There was nothing too outrageous for the chefs' creativity. Some participants had likely competed in several previous contests and had meticulously prepared their dishes this time, even crafting lifelike vegetable carvings on their plates.
Since most people finished around the same time, it wasn't long before the chefs who completed their dishes formed a long line. The queue moved slowly, causing those at the back to grow impatient. Noodles are best served fresh from the pot; letting them sit for a while inevitably affects their texture. Just as murmurs began to rise from behind me, someone stepped out from the Silver Hall and announced loudly:
“If you are the creator of the Seventy-Two Clay Food Plate, you need not wait in line; you may submit your dish first!”
The Seventy-Two Plate—ah, that was me!
I felt as if I had won the lottery; this Seventy-Two Plate truly seemed to be my lucky charm.
Excitedly, I carried my plate forward and submitted my noodles. After that, there was no further movement from inside. I watched as others’ dishes were sent in batch after batch—only entering, never exiting. After waiting for over twenty minutes, I grew somewhat bored and stopped peering into the room. I tightened my thick outer coat and walked over to the seating area prepared for the audience, joining Nie Qiuyuan and the others.
I couldn't help but ponder the significance of holding this cooking Arena Competition. Earlier, I had been so focused on how to find chili peppers and prepare my noodles that I had overlooked a crucial question: wasn’t it rather strange to have this Arena Competition in the first place?
First of all, Seven Spice Chili Pepper is not a term from our language; chili peppers are not crops of this era, yet the organizers have insisted on this theme for several consecutive years. While it’s normal not to arrive at a correct answer over several years in this time period, why must they specifically seek out Seven Spice Chili Pepper?
And why not just focus on Seven Spice Chili Pepper alone? Why include… noodles?
Autumn Scissors—a name that sounds like a priceless gem. Would a bowl of noodles, no matter how rare, truly be worth a thousand taels of silver when attached to an invaluable gem?
Everything that seems illogical often hides a deeper reason.
So now was the time for brainstorming. Let me imagine what that reason might be.
The first possibility is searching for chili peppers. Perhaps Boss Yan has seen chili peppers before and now needs them, but they are unavailable in this era. Since chili peppers likely didn’t have a name back then, they adopted this method instead. Therefore, what he encountered must have been called “Seven Spice Chili Pepper.”
But why include noodles… I couldn’t figure it out.
The second possibility is searching for people—those who possess knowledge about chili peppers. If the palace chefs managed to acquire chili peppers, then surely there are individuals who hold knowledge about them; perhaps they are looking for these people.
But why must it be combined with Shichimi Togarashi…
The third possibility is that I had eaten Shichimi Togarashi noodles somewhere, finding them delicious like food from a fairyland, but later, due to the lack of chili peppers in this era, I could never taste them again. That's why I am searching for someone who can make Shichimi Togarashi.
However, to be honest, the Shichimi Togarashi noodles really aren't that great; they're quite ordinary, as evidenced by Zuo Meilan's reaction. Is it really worth spending years and losing everything to find this?
The fourth possibility is that this Boss might be someone who has traveled here from another world. And... Japanese?!
The fifth possibility made me gasp; could this be a trap to catch travelers from other worlds?!
I suddenly felt that this world was quite treacherous. Wasn't my confidence in participating in the competition based on my familiarity with Shichimi Togarashi? Oh my, it seems that when it comes to inexplicable matters, it's best to avoid stirring up trouble. This gem should be stolen by Night Phantom instead!
But the sea of bitterness is boundless, and there’s no turning back. Just as my mind was racing with wild thoughts, a clear voice rang out from the big house:
“Congratulations to the chosen one of Seventy-Two Dish for winning first place! Please come inside! Other contestants, please go to the side courtyard to collect your prize money according to the list! Friends watching the competition can enjoy noodles at the venue!”
The noodles made during the competition were indeed not wasted; they were served as porridge on site.
“Liuying, did you win?!” Han Meilan’s surprised voice jolted me out of my stupor.
Although the result was what I expected, I suddenly hesitated. Should I go in or not?
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