"Then I won't hold back."
As he spoke, Dylan picked up the braised, freshly molted mud crab from the plate. The inedible parts had already been removed by him, so it could be tasted directly.
Holding the braised crab, Dylan didn't taste it immediately but observed it under the light. The surface of the shell was coated in a deep, glossy braising liquid color that was incredibly appetizing, and underneath, there were traces of knife work.
The crab meat itself, having had the excess innards removed, had become firm and succulent.
Taking a bite, the soft-shell braised crab entered his mouth, and he could clearly feel the richness of the braising liquid and the fresh sweetness of the crab meat. The two flavors merged perfectly!
It was worth noting that although the mud crab was in its molting period and the roe was far less plump than in its mature stage, the braised meat still carried that delicate, rich fragrance of the crab roe, adding an ineffable touch of luxury to the overall flavor.
"I never thought mud crab could be this delicious."
Rindo Kobayashi's voice rang out. She had already finished the braised crab on her plate and was now licking her fingers, clearly wanting more.
"And because it just molted, even the shell has been braised until it's tender. You can chew and swallow it directly without any problem, saving the effort of shelling it."
Hisako Arato also had a look of pure enjoyment on her face. This flavor was truly irresistible!
"To remove the inedible parts like the innards while keeping the soft shell intact, without damaging the crab's form and preserving most of the meat and roe, undoubtedly requires extremely superb knife skills!"
Rindo Kobayashi nodded in agreement, closing her eyes to savor the taste she had just experienced.
With one bite, everything was edible. The master stock had permeated the crab meat and roe, adding a savory freshness and a rich fragrance.
"I used this. This small knife can lift the mud crab's shell, allowing for the quick removal of impurities inside, making the crab itself clear and bright."
Hearing Rindo Kobayashi's slightly emotional words, Alice Nakiri took out a small knife from the cooking station and brandished it a few times in front of her.
"The fish is delicate, fresh, and tender. The braising liquid brings a savory aroma and a slight sweetness, along with a faint spiciness. This is a new flavor not present in the braised crab before. It's also very good. I suggest you grill it a bit after braising and sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds on top. The flavor will be even better."
Dylan gave his evaluation and suggestions. The braised seafood, paired with a sweet and sour sauce, was both appetizing and refreshing, perfectly balanced in every aspect. It was absolutely perfect.
"You braised so much seafood at the same time. I thought the flavors would be chaotic, but they actually complement and enhance each other so well?"
"I adjusted the proportions before braising and chose suitable types of seafood. Although it's not as precise as Dylan-nii's, it's enough to prevent the flavors in the pot from clashing and becoming strange. On the contrary, they can enhance one another."
Hearing Hisako Arato's remark, Alice Nakiri explained that this was all intentional on her part.
Although, in theory, a master stock can be used to braise anything, just as oil used to fry fish can't be used for stir-frying vegetables, if the items being braised are too varied, the flavor will become strange.
Therefore, to keep the braised flavor stable, or even improve it, chefs generally screen the ingredients before adding them, just as Dylan's white braising liquid couldn't coexist with her seafood.
"Let me have a taste too."
Hearing Hisako's praise and seeing Alice Nakiri's confident expression, a bad premonition suddenly arose in Erina Nakiri's heart. She then squeezed forward and extended her chopsticks toward Dylan's plate.
"Octopus... this feeling..."
Looking at the whole, uncut octopus in her hand, Erina Nakiri mentally prepared herself, then closed her eyes and took a bite.
In an instant, endless tentacles reached for her. At that moment, she felt as if she were in the deep sea, unable to exert any strength, only able to be bound by the octopus.
This bondage brought a perfect sense of suffocation, causing her to feel intense pleasure amidst the pain. The tentacles wrapped tightly around her body, making her unconsciously let out a soft moan.
"Mmm... hngh...!"
Her hand instinctively pressed down on the table as Erina Nakiri let out an extremely suggestive sound. Seeing this, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but smile.
Trap card, activation successful.
That's right, this was a trap.
When braising the octopus, she had added a lot of chili peppers and some sesame oil to the master stock, causing the overall flavor to skyrocket.
Therefore, even though Erina Nakiri tasted the spiciness, she was unwilling to give it up, even reveling in it, and finally became a captive of the braised octopus!
"So, having tasted both our dishes, the winner of this match should be clear. Is my dish delicious enough, or is Erina's superior? Frankly, I can accept whoever wins. Tell us, Dylan-nii!"
Her gaze shifted from Erina Nakiri and finally settled on Dylan. Alice Nakiri's face was full of confidence as she asked about the outcome.
On the other side, Erina Nakiri had also recovered. Supporting herself on the table, she stood up straight and also looked at Dylan, somewhat nervous about his final answer.
Although she had only eaten the octopus, its intense and distinct flavor had indeed given her an unparalleled shock. She had been full of confidence before, but now most of that confidence had vanished.
"To be honest, both of your dishes are excellent. Erina's braised goose used the characteristic Chaoshan Lion-head goose, which is large and has delicate, delicious meat. After braising, it's full of flavor. Alice's braised seafood platter has a unique flavor for each type of seafood. It's like a map marked with treasure, bringing an intense surprise the moment the explorer finds it. If I absolutely have to choose one, Alice's braised dishes are rich and varied, with each category being no less impressive than the braised goose, and when combined, they elevate even further. If I'm not mistaken, you used a sequential braising method, right?"
As he spoke, Dylan looked at Alice Nakiri, waiting for her answer. The others, hearing about the sequential braising method, also showed curious expressions.
Sequential braising method? What kind of method was that?
"That's right, I used the sequential braising method. Each layer of braised food adds a layer of flavor. By the end, the flavor of the dish will be much stronger than the braised items that came out of the pot earlier."
"There's actually such a method."
"Come to think of it, this seems to have the same effect as a master stock. The older the stock, the more fragrant it is. The essence of previously braised ingredients remains in the master stock to enrich the next dish. That must be the theory behind it."
Hearing Alice Nakiri's explanation, everyone present immediately started discussing, clearly stunned by her idea.
There's such a move? An artificially created master stock?
It had to be said, this was a bold innovation, but in terms of results, the dish tasted great. At least the judges were very satisfied.
"There's actually such a method..."
Erina Nakiri murmured softly, a hint of unwillingness on her face. She thought she had victory in her grasp this time, but she never expected her opponent to pull such a move.
"A bet's a bet, little sister Erina."
Seeing Erina Nakiri's speechless and choked-up expression, Alice Nakiri smugly pinched her cheek and then brought up the bet they had made earlier.
"I won't go back on my word. Just tell me what you want me to do."
Erina Nakiri pursed her lips. Although she was extremely reluctant, with so many people watching, if she reneged, she would definitely lose face.
As the young lady of Totsuki with immense pride, she would never allow such a thing to happen!
"Hmm... let me think."
Putting a finger to her lips in a thinking pose, Erina Nakiri nervously clutched the corner of her clothes, afraid that Alice might say something she couldn't possibly do.
"Never mind, I haven't thought of anything yet. I'll tell you when I do."
"You!"
However, just as she was anxiously waiting for several minutes, the pressure making it hard for her to breathe, Alice Nakiri suddenly smiled and spoke.
At that moment, Erina Nakiri understood that she had been teased again. What a terrible person!
Thinking of this, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but grit her teeth slightly. This girl was always like this, enjoying teasing her in all sorts of ways.
The key was that she could do nothing about it.
Looking pitifully at Dylan, Erina Nakiri made an indignant expression as if to say, 'You have to control her!', clearly very upset.
To this, Dylan could only give a helpless smile.
He couldn't interfere with the sisters' bet, so he shook his head, stood up, and took out the cooled braised dishes from the refrigerator, quickly slicing them into appropriate sizes.
"Take your respective portions to compare with the dishes you made. Go back tonight and improve them. I'll check on your improvements tomorrow."
After slicing the braised dishes into suitable sizes and mixing them with sauce, Dylan distributed them to the girls waiting nearby and gave the order to leave.
"Then we'll head back first. See you tomorrow."
"I'll cook all night. I can definitely take the flavor of my braised dish to the next level!"
"My side dish for dinner is settled."
The girls understood Dylan's meaning, picked up the packed dishes from the table, and left one after another. A teacher also has his own life; he can't be teaching them every single moment. They had realized this long ago.
So, every time Dylan showed any intention of dismissing them, they would tactfully leave, at most asking a question before they left to avoid annoying him.
"Then I'll go practice my horse stance in the courtyard."
As the last person left and closed the door, Erina Nakiri went to the living room, glanced outside, and then dutifully walked into the courtyard.
This was the special training Dylan had set up for her, which she had been doing for several months. In order to meet the minimum requirement of the 'Ten Cauldrons of Rice on the Silver Learning List' and thus make the God's Tongue grow quickly, Erina Nakiri could be said to be working extremely hard.
"Go ahead. Hisako, you stay. Have you learned everything I just taught you?"
Stopping Hisako Arato, who was about to leave the kitchen to attend to Erina Nakiri, Dylan posed a question.
"I've pretty much learned it."
"Then repeat it back to me, and then prepare it following the steps I just showed you."
"Okay."
After saying this, Hisako Arato returned to the cooking station, closed her eyes to recall Dylan's cooking steps, and then began to work on her own.
She didn't look at her notes, as that would be disrespectful to Dylan. He had taught her so diligently, so he naturally wouldn't want to train her into someone who could only follow a recipe.
Learn, then practice.
Only look at the recipe if you're really stuck.
Nearby, Alice Nakiri watched for a while and got bored, so she also went out to the courtyard. With the air of a senior disciple, she began guiding Erina Nakiri's horse stance.
Although Erina Nakiri found her a bit annoying, she couldn't deny that her methods were very effective, so in the end, she pinched her nose and accepted it.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon the sky had completely darkened. Hisako Arato also brought her homework to Dylan and received his praise.
"Not bad, it's at the level of a Two-Star Special Grade. Take the remaining dishes next to you outside."
"Okay."
Carrying the freshly cooked dinner, the two left the kitchen one after another. Then Dylan went straight to the courtyard to call Erina and Alice for dinner.
"You must be hungry. Come and eat."
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Dylan saw the sweat-drenched Erina Nakiri. The girl was breathing lightly, currently performing a high-difficulty move.
"It's finally over."
Hearing Dylan's voice, Erina Nakiri felt as if she had found her savior. She immediately stopped her movement and returned to her original posture, then scurried over to his side.
"Your foundation isn't even solid yet, so why have you started the advanced course? I don't remember teaching you that. Alice, don't tell me you taught her that?!"
Looking at Alice Nakiri, who had a guilty conscience and didn't dare to look at him, Dylan instantly understood everything. He then stepped forward and flicked her on the forehead.
Besides her, no one else here knew the advanced moves.
"Oof..."
Taking a hit to the head, Alice immediately crouched down defensively, clutching her head in grievance. She had kindly taught Erina a more advanced course, so why was she being scolded?
"Practice the horse stance for another three months before you can proceed to the next step. Otherwise, your body won't be able to adapt, and in the long run, it will cause physical damage."
Dylan glanced at Alice Nakiri, then turned his gaze to Erina Nakiri.
Alice was fooling around, but was she going to fool around with her? Didn't she understand her own condition? Blindly practicing things she hadn't been taught, wasn't she afraid something would go wrong?
"I... I'm sorry."
Being watched with such a gaze, Erina Nakiri immediately spoke pitifully, looking like a young girl who had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded.
In comparison, Alice Nakiri was much more of a veteran troublemaker. Although she had been hit, she showed no intention of admitting her mistake. Instead, she held her head high with a brazenly defiant look.
Dylan was also helpless against this. This girl was his wife; he couldn't really hit her, and he was afraid scolding her would make her cry. This girl had really been spoiled by him!
"You're in for it tonight!"
Left with no choice, Dylan could only resort to his ultimate weapon. The battles of the night were the only weapon he could use. Creating positions that were rather difficult to accept was also his unique method of punishment.
Because he had watched many educational short videos in his past life, Dylan was very knowledgeable about this.
Blindfolding a person, their senses are infinitely magnified in the darkness, and at this time, binding their hands and feet—
Dylan said nothing, only sneering coldly.
"Fine by me. I'll accept whatever you do."
Alice Nakiri blinked her eyes, not yet knowing what her husband had decided. Thinking Dylan was just bluffing, she stood up after the matter passed and came before him without a hint of blush or a racing heart.
"You said it. Don't go begging for mercy then. Begging for mercy will only make me more excited."
"I won't beg for mercy! Dylan-nii, you're too arrogant. I might not be able to beat you in cooking, but in this kind of thing, my stamina is very strong!"
"We'll see about that."
Pinching Alice Nakiri's cheek and hearing her defiant words, Dylan smiled. This girl had no idea what was going to happen tonight.
Nearby, Erina Nakiri somewhat understood what they were talking about. Her large eyes were filled with innocent thoughts. She first looked at Alice Nakiri, then at the smiling Dylan, a little confused.
In contrast to her innocence, Hisako Arato, standing beside her, understood the deeper meaning in Dylan's words, and her face immediately turned bright red.
Although she didn't know what would happen between the two at night, she could predict that it would definitely be something unsuitable for minors, something unspeakable.
"Wipe yourself off. Take a shower before you go home and wear Alice's clothes. The temperature difference between day and night is large, and it gets quite cold at night. Don't catch a cold."
Taking a pack of tissues from his pocket, he thoughtfully helped Erina Nakiri wipe the sweat from her forehead, then pulled out a new one and handed it to her. After saying this, Dylan walked towards the inner rooms.
"Thank you..."
Looking at the tissue in her hand, Erina Nakiri was stunned for a moment. She watched Dylan's retreating back and thanked him in a low voice. As she looked up, her eyes met Alice Nakiri's, and she saw the playful smile in them.
"Remember not to forget our promise."
Seeing that Dylan had walked away, Alice Nakiri stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder, then also headed towards the inner rooms. After being busy all afternoon, she was already hungry.
"I know!"
Hearing Alice's words and thinking of their conversation in the courtyard just now, Erina's face turned rosy. She was the third to step into the inner room, with Hisako following close behind.
Soon, the four of them were sitting at a dining table.
The dishes on the table were all simple home-cooked meals, but each one was shrouded in a flowing light, clearly dishes of Seven-Star Special Grade or higher.
Faced with such dishes, no matter what was in the plates, they would devour them. Wasting even a little would be a disrespect to 'Flowing Light' grade cuisine!
And that was indeed the case. In less than ten minutes, all the food on the table was cleared away.
All that remained were a few empty plates so clean they looked as if they had never been used, making one wonder if they had ever held food at all.
This was the power of 'Flowing Light' cuisine.
"I'll do the dishes."
Gathering the empty plates from the table, Dylan tied on an apron and went into the back kitchen. At the dining table, Erina Nakiri watched this scene and finally mustered the courage to stand up.
"Go for it, Erina."
"I'll go help too."
Watching Erina Nakiri's back and remembering the determined expression on her face as she stood up, Alice Nakiri whispered softly, stopping Hisako who was about to go help.
"What's wrong, Alice-sama?"
Looking at the hand on her shoulder, Hisako Arato showed a puzzled expression.
"Let them have some time alone. Erina has something she wants to say to Dylan-nii. If you're there, you'll just be a third wheel, and it will make it hard for her to speak up."
After a brief explanation, Alice Nakiri looked towards the kitchen with a joyful expression. Erina Nakiri had already arrived, standing by Dylan's side.
"Dylan-sensei, I'll help too."
Perhaps thinking about what she was about to say, Erina Nakiri was very nervous at this moment, constantly taking deep breaths to compose herself, her chest rising and falling noticeably.
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