Chapter 1320: The Master Still Has a Trick Up His Sleeve

He didn't want it, so Shi Youxuan handed it to Shi Yuke: "Sister, you take it."

Shi Yuke was much more generous than her own husband; she accepted it readily and justified it: "I've taken so much from my sister over the years, a little bit like this doesn't matter."

She had her husband put it into the storeroom, and only then did he accept it.

The children didn't care about the adults' affairs; Zirui returned to the group, and the children went back to playing together.

The corn in the fields was ripe, and the time to eat fresh corn had arrived.

Gu Zhihao went to the field and picked a full basket of fresh, tender corn, saying he would make something fresh for everyone to taste at noon.

"Master, what fresh thing are you making?" Zichen perked up.

"Hmph, it's a secret!" Master didn't give him a pleasant look.

This kid wasn't on the same page as his master now that he was grown; he wasn't as obedient as when he was little, listening to whatever he was told.

This time, when the Sheng Family came to his home, what Gu Zhihao had been most looking forward to was his good apprentice coming, but after they really arrived, he was greatly disappointed.

In Gu Zhihao's eyes, his apprentice had changed.

Not to mention the lack of the same awe he used to have, even the look in his eyes had changed.

In the past, when he was in the kitchen, Zichen would definitely watch him seriously from the side.

Now, however, he would only watch twice before becoming impatient, and he would even say confidently that he could make all the dishes his master made, and that his master hadn't made any progress—such outrageous words!

In Gu Zhihao's eyes, looking down on the food he cooked was the greatest insult to him!

People could call him a failure, a kept man, or say he lived off a woman... he didn't care about such things, but the one thing he couldn't tolerate was someone saying his food didn't taste good!

For this reason, the master and apprentice even specifically had a showdown, a live PK.

With the same ingredients, the same seasonings, and even the same firewood, pots, and stoves, they had two hours to make eight dishes.

Gu Zhihao made his signature Pan-seared Pork Knuckle, sweet and sour pork, red-braised pork, Dry-braised Fish, Oil-braised Prawns, Stir-fried Fragrant Liver, Stir-fried Three Shreds, and the reserved dish of the Gu Family Cookbook—Sweet and Spicy Beef Soup.

Sheng Zichen deliberately made the same dishes. From the moment he started preparing the ingredients, Gu Zhihao was snickering in his heart, thinking this was a newborn calf not afraid of a tiger, and that he would be crying later.

However, that didn't happen.

When the cooking was halfway done, Gu Zhihao knew he had lost.

Once an expert makes a move, you know if they have the skills.

Although Zichen was his apprentice, after learning his skills, this apprentice had made quite a few changes.

For example, taking the Pan-seared Pork Knuckle.

Using the same method to braise it, he added the Gu Family Secret Spice, while Sheng Zichen added fresh plum juice on top of the secret spice!

He followed the old way of letting it cool naturally.

Zichen, however, took the knuckle out of the boiling pot and placed it directly into an ice bucket filled with ice cubes...

The Pan-seared Pork Knuckle he made was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, while the one Zichen made was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and also had a chewy texture—soft, tender, fragrant, smooth, and bouncy, with a faint fruity aroma.

This was a very magical feeling.

Those who tasted it all wore very complex expressions on their faces.

Surprise.

Astonishment.

Beauty.

As if they had found that long-awaited fantasy deep within their hearts.

How to put it?

The feeling of first love.

Gu Zhihao didn't even need to taste it; just from the look in people's eyes, he could tell he had lost.

It wasn't just this dish; the other dishes were the same. Every dish had improvements. It looked simple, but if someone else tried, they couldn't produce that flavor.

The student has surpassed the master.

No matter how unwilling Gu Zhihao was, he had to admit that his apprentice wasn't old, yet his culinary skills had already surpassed his own.

It wasn't just the culinary skills that surpassed him; there were changes in other aspects too. Zichen wasn't very willing to be close to his master anymore, and he didn't like listening to what he said!

Actually, it was normal; Zichen was in his adolescence, just at the rebellious stage.

He didn't even submit to his parents, who were knowledgeable and experienced.

How could he be obedient to his master?

But Gu Zhihao didn't understand; he just felt his apprentice had changed.

Not being as obedient as when he was a child was simply a great disrespect to him.

Now, when Zichen came over to ask about the methods for new dishes, he was indifferent.

"Master, let me rub your shoulders. You picked such a big basket of corn all by yourself; you must be exhausted..."

Zichen was very observant. Seeing his master ignoring him, he immediately knew why and started buttering him up.

Flattery will get you everywhere.

Gu Zhihao started off with a straight face, but after being coaxed by his apprentice for a few sentences, the expression on his face improved quite a bit.

"Watch closely, kid. Today, Master will show you a unique skill to let you know that there is always someone better, and there is always a heaven beyond the heaven!"

He did as he said, taking out two large basins and two stainless steel graters, peeling the corn, and rubbing the whole ears against them.

Golden corn pulp flowed down steadily. Meiyin and Yulong took the initiative to help, while the Sheng Family children squatted nearby to watch the novelty.

Zihan asked: "Xi Fu, I see on TV that corn is shelled, one kernel at a time."

Zirui followed up: "Why doesn't your family's corn shell the kernels?"

Litian squatted to the side without speaking, also looking thirsty for knowledge. He was three and a half years older than his two younger brothers, but he didn't understand either.

He had seen people growing corn in his hometown when he was little, and the corn was indeed shelled; he had never seen a method like this.

Gu Zhihao said with a chuckle: "What you're talking about is old corn. The moisture inside is already gone, so it's easy to shell. The ones I picked are fresh, tender corn; they can't be shelled, they can only be grated into pulp."

Zichen had a strong desire for knowledge and asked, "Master, what is the corn pulp for?"

"I won't tell you; if you want to know, then help out."

Helping is helping; many hands make light work.

Meiyin and Yulong looked like they were used to this kind of work, handling it with ease; one person stripped the corn husks, and the other grated the pulp.

Thus, the four Sheng Family brothers helped together—stripping the leaves off the corn and removing the corn silk.

Gu Zhihao moved very quickly; four people stripping corn husks was just enough to supply him alone.

Soon, a basket of corn was all grated into pulp, and then filtered through cheesecloth.

Seven or eight free-range eggs were cracked into the filtered corn pulp, a spoonful of flour was added, and it was seasoned with salt and pepper, then stirred until uniform.

Gu Zhihao used firewood to heat the pot, poured in a little oil to coat the entire pot evenly, and then used one hand to scoop the batter while the other hand nimbly rotated the iron pot.

The iron pot, which was a meter in diameter, was not embedded in the stove like other people's, but was movable and could be taken off at any time.

The iron pot was rotated in a circle, and the batter became a thin pancake; he followed the same method to make another one.

It took less than half an hour.

A neat stack of pancakes was already lined up beside Gu Zhihao.

They were all the same thickness, the same roundness, and the same size!

"How about it, kid? Do you want to give it a try?"

Gu Zhihao smiled and handed the spatula to his apprentice; Zichen hesitated, but still took it.

It didn't work.

It looked very easy, but the result was completely different.

In Gu Zhihao's hands, the batter seemed to have a soul, obediently listening to him.

But in Zichen's hands, it just wouldn't work; not a single one turned out right!

"Hahahaha..."

Gu Zhihao laughed very happily.