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Chapter 72: You Promised Not to Review, Yet You Scored a Perfect Score?
Chapter 72: You Promised Not to Review, Yet You Scored a Perfect Score?
"Squirrel sweet and sour fish? How can it taste good to cook squirrel and fish together?" Kushina voiced her doubt.
"It's probably not cooked together. Maybe the final dish just resembles a squirrel," replied Minato, having just finished washing the vegetables. He was certain there were no squirrels since he hadn't washed any.
"Minato's right, there's no squirrel in this dish," Mu Yue confirmed as she cleaned the scaled and gutted fish.
Sweet and sour fish was a classic dish from the Suzhou culinary tradition, known for its delightful combination of flavor, aroma, and appearance.
In her past life, Mu Yue had watched numerous videos about this dish and even attempted to cook it once. However, due to her inadequate knife skills, the final product looked nothing like the original dish.
But now, with the Chef skill, Mu Yue envisioned the finished dish in her mind as she picked up the fish, though she hadn't started preparing it yet.
She began by using a knife to cut away the fish bone from the back, leaving about a centimeter of the spine near the tail. Then, she spread the fish open, skin side down, and cut it into a flowery pattern with diagonal cuts, slicing about four-fifths of the way through the flesh.
This step was crucial, as any mistake would compromise the final dish's appearance.
With the Culinary God skill aiding her, Mu Yue perfectly recreated the sweet and sour fish from her memory. The golden, crispy fish meat resembled a squirrel, and when drizzled with the sweet and sour sauce, it not only looked exquisite but also filled the room with a mouthwatering aroma.
"Huh? How did the fish turn out like this while I was just chatting with Minato?" Kushina stared, dumbfounded, at the sweet and sour fish on the table.
Without exaggeration, she had never seen such a beautiful dish.
In her opinion, food served the purpose of filling one's stomach, and if it tasted good, that was a bonus.
Minato stood up and walked closer to the table to examine the freshly cooked sweet and sour fish, feeling equally astonished. He had never imagined a dish could look so appealing.
"This is the first time I've found a dish beautiful," Minato complimented, truly impressed by Mu Yue's creation.
"Don't just admire it, taste it," Mu Yue said with a smile.
Kushina and Minato needed no further invitation and eagerly picked up their chopsticks to take a piece of the fish.
As the fish meat entered his mouth, Minato first experienced the sweet and sour flavors, followed by the crispy outer texture and tender inner flesh. The flavors had permeated the fish, offering a delightful sensory experience.
Shaking off his daze, Minato quickly served himself a bowl of rice to accompany the dish, unable to resist the mouthwatering flavors.
"No way, either I or Minato must learn how to make this dish!" Kushina declared after finishing her meal.
Although she still preferred braised pork, the sweet and sour fish scored much higher in terms of presentation.
"Sure, I can teach you both," Mu Yue offered with a smile.
"But this dish is much more complicated than braised pork. Be prepared for a challenge," Mu Yue warned.
Braised pork didn't require much attention to aesthetics, and as long as one followed the steps correctly, the final product would turn out decently.
However, sweet and sour fish was different. Its appearance was the soul of the dish, and any flaw in its presentation would render it a failure.
"I refuse to believe that this dish is harder than those advanced sealing techniques," Kushina said, confident in her and Minato's abilities.
"Mu Yue, how's your progress with the Three-Finger Seal? Have you encountered any problems?" Minato inquired about Mu Yue's training in sealing techniques.
"It feels much more challenging than the One-Finger Seal. I've been practicing for ten days, but I still can't seem to grasp it," Mu Yue sighed.
Although he had mastered it in six days, Kushina had estimated that it would take him a month. Mu Yue intended to tell her he had succeeded after twenty-seven days.
Mu Yue then proceeded to explain the issues he faced on the first day, assuming the role of an inquisitive novice.
With Minato and Kushina, two sealing jutsu experts, explaining things to him, Mu Yue gained a lot of insight. He felt that the Chef skill had come in handy at just the right time.
Without the Chef skill, his progress with his friendship plan would have been much slower.
...
Two days after the final exam, Konoha, Gan Zitie, Kamizuki Izumo, and Anko Mitarashi arranged to meet up and check their results.
The trio arrived at the agreed-upon location and headed to school together.
"I got second place in practical combat again. If only I'd done better on the theory test, I could have asked Teacher Mu Yue for more rewards." Anko was in a great mood today.
"Come on, Red Bean, you thought the questions were pretty easy after you finished the exam. I'm sure you got a high score," Gan Zitie said with a laugh.
"Yeah, but we're not so lucky. There were so many questions we weren't sure about," Kamizuki frowned.
"Don't worry, I'll treat you both to breakfast after we see the results," Anko said generously.
"Red Bean, are you serious?" Gan Zitie asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"When have I ever lied to you guys?" Anko asked, hands on her hips.
Gan Zitie and Kamizuki exchanged a glance and shook their heads. They wondered who could ever fall for Anko's lies.
As they neared the school, Anko suddenly remembered something. She looked at the other two suspiciously and asked, "You two did so well last time. Don't tell me you're lying about doing badly this time?"
"No way, we just got lucky last time," Gan Zitie denied.
"Yeah, we probably won't be that lucky this time," Kamizuki sighed.
The final exam results could be checked on the bulletin board, or students could go directly to their classrooms to see their graded test papers. The three of them headed straight for their classroom, where Teacher Mu Yue had already placed the test papers on each student's desk.
They greeted Teacher Mu Yue before returning to their seats to look at their test papers.
"Hey, how did I only get 78 points? That's even two points lower than last time," Anko put down her test paper and tugged at her hair. This wasn't what she had expected. She had thought she would get around 87 points.
"Zitie, Izumo, what about you two?" Anko asked, her face falling. How could she ask Teacher Mu Yue for a reward now?
"Looks like luck was on our side this time. We got slightly higher scores than you," Gan Zitie said, placing his test paper face down on the desk and grinning.
"Me too, slightly higher than Red Bean," Kamizuki said, a smile spreading across his face as he saw his grade.
"Slightly higher?" Anko immediately exploded and snatched their test papers at lightning speed.
"How can you call it 'slightly higher' when you got 100 and I got 78?" Anko gritted her teeth as she looked at their scores.
"Zitie got a perfect score too?"
"Izumo as well?"
Gan Zitie and Kamizuki exchanged glances, their faces mirroring each other's shock. They had agreed not to study, yet they had both gotten perfect scores!
"Izumo, don't tell me you lied to me before the exam? You didn't play games at all and were actually studying hard!" Gan Zitie blurted out.
"Zitie, you're one to talk. You said you were reading novels, but you were secretly studying, weren't you?" Kamizuki retorted.
"You two!" Anko gaped at them, her mouth hanging open. So these two scoundrels had pretended not to study, but they had been secretly hitting the books!
Unable to hold it in, Anko pounced on them.
"You two scoundrels, look what you've done to me! Forget breakfast, take this punch first!"
Teacher Mu Yue smiled as he watched the lively trio. Seeing the rewards popping up on the system, he felt that this final exam had been quite a fruitful endeavor.
(End of Chapter)
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