love of life

At the dinner table, Gu Ming asked, "Want to go to the food festival this weekend?"

The chopsticks that Lin Zexi was about to pick up food stopped in mid-air, shook his head and said, "No, I have already rejected him."

Gu Ming's good mood was ruined by that other word again. "I didn't ask him, I just asked if you want to go."

Lin Zexi looked at him suspiciously.Gu Ming continued: "If you want to go, go together, I found two tickets."

Lin Zexi was stunned for a moment, there was no obvious expression on his face, but his eyes couldn't restrain the light of joy, "Okay, I really want to go and see it, I feel that I can learn a lot."

"Well, let's go together." The atmosphere at the dinner table instantly improved, and Gu Ming took the opportunity to casually ask, "Are you a local? Which school did you go to before?"

Ze Xi's hand holding the bowl slipped suddenly, and half of the rice in the bowl spilled on the table.

"What's the matter? Are you absent-minded?" Gu Ming couldn't help frowning, feeling that something was wrong with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I accidentally slipped my hand just now." Zexi deliberately avoided Gu Ming's eyes, got up and went to the kitchen to get a rag and started to clean the table.

"Heh, it's nothing else, just asking casually. If you didn't have the opportunity to study in the past, you can consider enrolling in an evening school or something now." Gu Ming could see the panic in his eyes.

"I... still don't need it, it's quite time-consuming." Zexi replied with her head down, still daring not to meet Gu Ming's gaze.

"What about your family? I've never heard you mention it." Gu Ming continued to ask.

"My parents... have passed away, and I'm the only one left." Zexi picked up rice absently with chopsticks one by one.

"Oh——" Gu Ming responded with a little embarrassment, and his tone dragged on for a long time, "Then do you have any good friends?" Gu Ming continued to ask.

"I've been introverted since I was a child, and I don't have any special friends to talk to." Lin Zexi couldn't help lowering her head, and her answering voice became softer and weaker, and it was almost inaudible at the back.He silently picked up the rice in the bowl, and the two of them didn't say a word for the whole night.

Gu Ming's heart is full of doubts. He has lived alone in the world for 25 years without relatives or friends, as if the past did not exist at all. Except for the agents in TV dramas, he does not believe that such people really exist in reality.His curiosity was completely aroused, he eagerly wanted to know who Lin Zexi was and what happened to him.

On Saturday morning, Gu Ming drove Lin Zexi out the door.The venue was in the square of the Hebin Park in the suburbs. A white pergola was set up on the green grass, and colorful flags and posters were floating in the air.There were not many people in the morning, but there were quite a few people in front of the service desk, and a huge banner next to it said "Gourmet Challenge".

"Go and have a look." Gu Ming had already noticed that Lin Zexi's eyes had never moved away from the service desk, but he didn't take the initiative to go over to find out.

"Forget it, let's just stroll around casually." Lin Zexi looked away and scanned the surrounding stalls.

At this time, the on-site staff handed them a leaflet: "Hello, please find out about today's food challenge. There are only 20 places, first come first served. The registration fee is 1000 yuan, and the top three can win professional prizes." Even if you are not shortlisted, you can still get a 500 yuan voucher for a local restaurant, which is a rare opportunity, so you can go to the service desk to learn more about it.”

Lin Zexi looked at the flyer in his hand, then at the service desk, folded the flyer in half, and was about to walk to the booth beside him.

"Hey, don't you want to participate?" Gu Ming asked.

"Forget it, at my level, don't waste money."

"What's wrong with your level? You're pretty good at cooking. I've never eaten a better dish than you. Besides, didn't you come here today just to learn something? Why are you so troubled? Yes." Gu Ming said while pulling him towards the service desk.

"Hello, let's register." Gu Ming ignored Lin Zexi's objection and said directly to the staff at the service desk.

The reception lady at the service desk stared at Gu Ming for a long time, with an inexplicable smile and blush on her face, until a male next to her couldn't stand the job, and asked, "Sir, are you participating by yourself? Do you have a professional training background? We are an amateur competition today, and chefs with professional backgrounds are not allowed to sign up."

"It's not me, it's my friend. He is an amateur. He has no professional background and is not a chef. How do I sign up?" Gu Ming pointed to Lin Zexi next to him and said.

At this time, the reception lady came back to the country, and quickly handed a form from the table to Gu Ming's hand, and said with a smile: "Please fill in the form first, and then bring it to me for review. After the review is passed, pay next to it. OK."

Gu Ming took the form and was about to find an empty table to sit down when he heard a somewhat shrill voice from the side. "Hey, what did you do? It's obvious that I came first, okay? Why let them jump in line first? Believe it or not, I will complain to you."

Gu Ming turned his head to look, and saw a young man with dyed yellow hair pointing at him with his hands on his hips and talking unceremoniously.The young man is fair-skinned, with a dangling earring on his right ear, wearing a slim white shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, and a pair of dark brown slacks with a pair of brown booties.Gu Ming stared at him without saying a word.

"What are you looking at, haven't you seen a handsome guy?" the man said reluctantly.

The receptionist next to her was a little embarrassed, and hurried out to smooth things over: "Sir, this form is for you, there are still a lot of places left."

The man glanced at her, and said to Gu Ming, "No, I just want the one in his hand, there should be someone who comes first."

In fact, the two watches are the same, but Gu Ming just found this man not pleasing to the eye, so he didn't intend to give him the watch.Lin Zexi next to him couldn't help but said to Gu Ming: "Just give it to him, anyway, the two watches are the same. Don't quarrel with him."

Gu Ming looked at Lin Zexi and said, "I didn't quarrel with him, he was the one making trouble for no reason from the beginning to the end. Who knows if he is standing by the side in a daze or queuing up?"

"I'm obviously queuing here..." The man was interrupted by a friend who just arrived in the middle of the argument. "Luka, why did you start arguing just 2 minutes after I left?"

Gu Ming heard that the name Luka was very familiar, and unconsciously met his burly friend's eyes.Gu Ming suddenly remembered that the two in front of him were the men who quarreled in the dark that night.Gu Ming also knew from his friend's expression that the other party recognized him.

"He jumped the queue. He's so handsome." Luka pointed at Gu Ming.The receptionist at the side hurriedly smoothed things over: "Both forms are the same, you just fill them out and hand them in quickly. The order of the final competition is determined by drawing lots, and the order of registration has no effect."

His friend took the form from the reception lady's hand with a blank expression, and dragged him aside to fill out the form despite Luka's objection. "Okay, hurry up and fill it out and bring it here to sign up. If you keep arguing, the deadline will pass."

"Gu Ming, why don't we just forget about it, let's go for a stroll." Lin Zexi said.

Gu Ming stuffed the form and pen into his hand and said, "Come on, fill it out quickly."

Luka on the side was so angry that his eyes were smoking, and he chattered endlessly while filling out the form: "What, it's so unlucky to encounter such a thing early in the morning. I hate these self-righteous people the most. What's wrong with being handsome? Can being handsome just ignore the rules of society? You didn’t see the expression on the receptionist just now when she looked at him, her eyeballs were about to fall out, she had a flattering look on her face, it’s disgusting.”

"Okay, are you going to fight with him? Every time we meet, we quarrel." Liang Chenxin asked Luka expressionlessly.

Luka is concentrating on filling out the form, with a serious expression like a middle school student filling out a volunteer application. "Every time? Have I seen him before? It shouldn't be. I am particularly impressed by handsome people. I usually see him once and I won't forget his beauty." to answer.He didn't notice that Liang Chenxin's expression on the side was becoming more and more ugly.

Liang Chenxin said: "I don't know where your self-confidence comes from in a day. Didn't you quarrel with him last time at night? I remember it and you forgot it. I have the nerve to say that I have a photographic memory."

"Night?" He stopped the pen in his hand and recalled carefully, and that dead fish face flashed in his mind. "Oh, it turned out to be him. It's really bad luck. What happened last time really took advantage of him, and it happened to me again today. I didn't expect that a straight man like him would sign up to cook. It's been a long time."

"Okay, what did I tell you? Misfortune comes out of your mouth. If you don't change your bad habit, sooner or later something will happen to you, and I won't bother to care about you."

"Hmph, I'm a person who hates evil and is honest and kind. What can happen. Ah! It's over, I made a mistake in filling in the form, Xiaoxinxin, please help me find the front desk and get a new one."

Liang Chen gave him a new look, and walked straight to the front desk.

The game started at eleven o'clock in the morning. Lin Zexi has been very nervous since he signed up. He hasn't participated in any form of competition for a long time, which makes him a little uncomfortable.Gu Ming saw his worry: "Hey, as a person who eats out all the year round, let me tell you very seriously that the dishes you cook are much better than those in restaurants outside. Don't think about things like Just do it as usual."

A large pergola was set up in the open space in the middle, and 20 stoves were set up.Lin Zexi drew No. 13.He put on his apron and hat, took his seat, got acquainted with the cooker and stove, and was ready to start the game.The first dish was mapo tofu.Lin Zexi picked up the prepared bean paste to check the ingredients, then opened it and smelled it, it tasted quite satisfactory.Although the taste of bean paste is very ordinary, he found that there are all kinds of ingredients on the table, which can be said to be everything.If you only cook according to the textbook, stir-fry minced meat with bean paste and pour hot oil, it will definitely be difficult to stand out.He scanned the ingredients on the table one by one, and suddenly found the fresh rosemary in the crisper, together with the lemon, which should be used for western steak.He picked up a rosemary and smelled it, and suddenly had an idea in his mind.

Soak the tofu in water, stir-fry the meat sauce, sprinkle pepper, and pour over hot oil, all in one go. In just 15 minutes, the mapo tofu with complete color, fragrance and flavor is freshly baked.Lin Zexi wiped the sweat off his brow, and looked up at the people around him. Everyone was almost finished and busy preparing dishes.At this time, there was only a bang, and the stove of the contestant in front of him suddenly burst into flames, which was as tall as a person. Before he had time to marvel at this person's superb skills, he heard a scream, and the person suddenly stepped back. Withdrew, he knocked the mapo tofu he had just made to the ground, and scattered it all over the ground with a bang.The staff hurriedly took the fire extinguishing device and came over to put out the fire. The cleaning staff swept the spilled tofu into the trash can. Lin Zexi was stunned for a long time without recovering.

The person in front turned around and bowed his head to apologize: "I'm sorry, I touched your dish. Do you still have ingredients? Make another one quickly, there should be time."

Only then did Lin Zexi notice that the man in front was the man who had quarreled with Gu Ming just now.Thinking of the fierce look just now, I didn't expect to be quite polite now. "Do you still have enough materials? I have some left over here, so I'll give them to you. Make another one quickly. I'm really sorry."

Lin Zexi came back to his senses, saw the tofu and green onions he handed over, sighed secretly, and started to cook again. Luka looked at his fire-like stove, as if he had given up this round of competition, and turned his head to watch him busy.

"Huh? How do you put rosemary? Isn't this used when making steak?" Luka asked puzzled.

"I want to make something different from everyone else's taste." Lin Zexi said while busy. 10 minutes later, the mapo tofu came out of the oven, just in time for the cut-off time.As soon as Lin Zexi put it on the plate, Luka couldn't wait to dip some of the sauce left in the pot with his hands and put it in his mouth. It really had a more exotic flavor than the usual mapo tofu.

"Don't you think it's a risk? What if the judges don't like the taste?" Luka asked.

"I don't put too much, and the taste of Sichuan cuisine is very strong, this taste is not outstanding. The essence of Mapo tofu is still in the tenderness of the tofu and the taste of the sauce. Rosemary can only be regarded as a small surprise, not decisive effect." Lin Zexi said.

"Oh, you have a lot of research on cooking. I'm going to taste it after the judging." Luka has a good impression of this person in front of him.He caused trouble to others, and the other party not only did not blame him, but patiently explained it to him.

At the end of the first round, Lin Zexi ranked third with 93 points.This was a big surprise for him.The second dish is sweet and sour pork ribs, which is even more handy for him.Since he met Gu Ming, he has cooked this dish no less than five times, each time with new experiences and ideas.The score of the second round was 95 points, ranking first.The third dish is soup doll dish. Lin Zexi was a bit unfamiliar with this dish. He checked the recipe with his mobile phone and finished this dish with a score of 90, ranking fourth.In the end, Lin Zexi ranked third, and the organizer presented him with a certificate of merit. At the same time, special guests commented on the winners, and also presented his exclusive recipes.Lin Zexi still felt unbelievable until the final stage to accept the award and take a group photo.

"Congratulations, I'm really sorry for knocking over your food just now. Fortunately, it didn't affect your grades." Before Lin Zexi got off the podium, Luka went up to greet him and hurriedly expressed his apology.

Lin Zexi smiled slightly and said, "It's okay, as long as you're not injured." After speaking, she planned to leave.

"Your name is Lin Zexi. Your cooking skills are really good. Let's make friends. How about adding WeChat?" Luka had a good impression of him.

"Hey..." It was because Xu Zhe added him to WeChat that made Gu Ming very unhappy, so he couldn't help hesitating.

Luka didn't see the embarrassed expression on his face, took out his mobile phone, clicked on the QR code of WeChat and said, "Scan me."

He couldn't refuse, so he had to take out his mobile phone and apply to add him as a friend.At this time, Gu Ming walked over from afar.Afraid of causing unnecessary trouble, he quickly put his phone in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Gu Ming asked standing beside him.

Luka was burying himself in adding friends, when he felt a strange voice next to him, he naturally asked, "Is that your friend?"

Lin Zexi didn't say a word, and planned to pull Gu Ming away, when Luka looked up, he saw a disgusted face appearing in front of him. "Why is it you again? Why are you always haunted! Zexi, do you know him?"

Gu Ming frowned and glanced at him, then turned to Lin Zexi and said, "What did he tell you just now?"

"It's nothing. I've already finished it, let's go back first, we haven't had lunch yet." Lin Zexi hurriedly pulled Gu Ming away.

Luka looked at the backs of the two walking away, feeling a little strange.At this time, Liang Chenxin came over, and said in a slightly uncomfortable tone: "Why did you get into a fight with that person again?"

"No, I just said hello to No.3 just now. I think he's pretty nice. I didn't expect them to be friends."

Liang Chenxin touched his forehead helplessly and said, "You had such a quarrel with others just now, didn't you see them standing together?"

"Eh? He was there during the quarrel just now?"

"That person signed up for him and you said he jumped the queue. I, a bystander, can see clearly."

"I... I was overwhelmed by anger at that time, who told me that my sense of justice is so strong." Luka muttered.