Taking advantage of the time before the light screen disappeared, Shen Muyu read through the rules again. After reading them, she couldn't help but marvel at the shamelessness of the organizers.
After one instance, only a little over six thousand people remained in this area, but the fact that half of the total number of people had voting rights meant that the organizers themselves had the right to more than three thousand votes.
Unless someone's votes are ridiculously high, the organizer basically decides the outcome single-handedly, which is hardly fair or reasonable.
Despite her words, Shen Muyu honestly began to study the organizer's statement. She had to do her best to get those three thousand votes. Although she didn't know what the reward would be, winning would be an extra bonus!
The "Chef King Competition" is ostensibly a contest of culinary skills, but no one else can truly know the taste except herself. Unless she holds a tasting event in the store, which would be considered a disguised vote-getting tactic, it's definitely not going to work, especially since she doesn't have that many ingredients.
However, it's possible that the organizers have a way of finding out, so they will definitely need to put some effort into the taste.
Aside from the taste, all that can be done now is to improve the presentation and ambiance. Shen Muyu stroked his chin, lost in thought, while Da Bai stuck out its tongue and stared at Shen Muyu without stopping.
After getting a general idea, Shen Muyu headed towards the stove outside the car. At this moment, she was completely unaware that she already had an advantage over most people in terms of ingredients, since there were still many people struggling to make ends meet.
Lifting the lid, Shen Muyu saw that it was almost done stewing, so he added some more firewood. It was time to turn up the heat and reduce the sauce.
Shen Muyu stirred the braised pork in the pot. The broth gradually thickened under the heat and coated each piece of meat evenly as he stirred it.
As soon as the time was right, Shen Muyu quickly put it on a plate. This stuff will burn if overcooked, so the cooking time is very important.
After putting the braised pork back in the car and tasting a piece, Shen Muyu silently gave herself a thumbs up. Her cooking skills are getting better and better!
Originally, Shen Muyu only planned to put chicken wings in the cola chicken wings, but the effect might not be very good if they were arranged like that, so Shen Muyu took a potato out of the refrigerator.
As if she had thought of something, she picked out another cup and put it in the refrigerator.
After cutting the potatoes into evenly sized strips, Shen Muyu began making the cola chicken wings. Originally, the potatoes and chicken wings would taste better if they were fried, but since cooking oil was limited, she couldn't afford to waste it, so she had to skip this step.
As the cola was added, thick bubbles bubbled and rose. Smelling the sweet aroma in the air, Shen Muyu licked her lips. Sure enough, sweet dishes brought her joy.
Chicken wings shouldn't be stewed for too long, so after a while she added firewood and increased the heat, turning them over and reducing the sauce. Then, the cola chicken wings appeared on the small table in the car.
Shen Muyu arranged the braised pork and cola chicken wings on a plate, piling them into a pyramid shape, and then sprinkled some roasted white sesame seeds on top.
After plating, she wiped the sauce around the plate for aesthetic reasons. She originally wanted to lick it, since it would be a waste to wipe away something so fragrant, but she gave up the idea for the sake of her image and the quality of the dish.
She had already put a lot of rice in a small bowl, but now, for the sake of presentation, she scooped some out and put it in a small bowl, sprinkling some sesame seeds on top as usual.
Seeing the exquisite dishes in front of him, Shen Muyu nodded in satisfaction. "It tastes just like a five-star hotel!"
Shen Muyu took the cup out of the refrigerator. Due to the temperature difference, a layer of water vapor had formed on the cup wall, which was exactly what Shen Muyu wanted. This water vapor would definitely enhance the appetite when it was exposed to light later.
The first step is complete: pour the remaining cola into the glass.
After slightly adjusting the positions of a few plates, Shen Muyu moved the sunflower-shaped lampshade behind the passenger seat over.
The warm yellow light shining on the small yellow wooden table made it look especially cozy, and also made the two dishes look more glossy and beautiful. The small water droplets on the glass reflected the light slightly, and everything looked very warm and comfortable.
Everything was ready except for the final push. Shen Muyu opened the limited voting channel, found the photo function, took several photos from different angles and uploaded them. The screen displayed the words "Successful Participation".
"Phew~" Shen Muyu breathed a long sigh of relief. She had finally finished. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten such exquisite food. It really took a lot of energy.
Instead of clicking directly, Shen Muyu browsed through the other entries in the voting channel, but what she found truly surprised her.
The majority of the items inside were instant noodles and snacks, with the most elaborate being barbecue, but the lighting was glaring because it was illuminated by car headlights.
However, Shen Muyu did not become complacent because of this. There was only half an hour left before the start of the competition, and there were definitely still people who had not finished cooking dinner. She was only in a position to gain an advantage in terms of time.
Without thinking too much about it, Shen Muyu prepared to eat, since the meat wouldn't taste good if it got cold.
Of course, Shen Muyu didn't forget about Dabai. She took out a bag of dog food from the wooden box. She had opened a bronze box and originally planned to use it as a backup food. She didn't expect to use it now. Luckily, she didn't sell it back then.
"Dabai, time to eat!" Shen Muyu called out to Dabai after pouring the dog food into an iron bowl. Actually, she was a little unsure, since Dabai's current state shouldn't be considered a living creature, and she didn't know if it could eat these things.
Da Bai had been keeping an eye on Shen Muyu, and upon hearing the call, it immediately jumped over from the front.
"Want to eat this? If not, I'll find you something else." Shen Muyu asked, patting Da Bai's head.
"Woof woof woof..." Big White barked a few times as if to indicate that it could eat, and then buried its head in the bowl and started eating.
Seeing that Da Bai was eating very quickly, Shen Muyu felt relieved and sat cross-legged at the small table to enjoy her meal.
As the iced cola entered his mouth, Shen Muyu squinted and made a satisfied sound. What a blessing it was to have a cold drink in this hot and humid tunnel!
This time, Shen Muyu didn't look at the light screen, but focused on the food in front of her. After all, it had been cooked for a while, and it would get cold if she didn't eat it soon.
"Snap~" After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Shen Muyu casually put his chopsticks on the plate, rubbed his belly, and leaned against the big white dog that had already finished eating.
Da Bai didn't move away, but let Shen Muyu lean against him like that, and the two of them looked extremely warm and loving.
Feeling the continuous coolness emanating from Da Bai, Shen Muyu was even more reluctant to leave. He simply lay there and turned on the light screen, since the competition was still ongoing and he needed to keep an eye on his ranking.