Chapter 1471: The Youngest Judge at the Food Festival

The food festival has begun.

Zichen, as a judge, sat at the judges' table.

Besides him, there were nine other judges, with an average age of sixty!

Student Sheng Zichen single-handedly lowered the average age of the judges, but no one appreciated it; instead, these people were very skeptical of Zichen's status.

"Who is that kid? The Gu Family successor bringing a young lad to sit with us, isn't that insulting us? Who are they looking down on?"

"Hey, Elder Zhang, don't underestimate that child. Although he isn't old, his status is extraordinary..."

Before this person could finish speaking, they were immediately retorted by someone else.

"The status is extraordinary, isn't it just that his family is rich? The eldest son of the richest Sheng Family, the future Heir of the Sheng Family."

Someone immediately chimed in: "No matter how rich his family is, what does that have to do with the food festival? Is there backroom dealing in a culinary competition?"

"Exactly, but he alone can't stir up any trouble. We'll do what we're supposed to do, and we'll mind our own business..."

The judges' words were unpleasant, and the chefs participating in the competition spoke even more harshly.

Everyone said all sorts of things, but they all shared one point: they unanimously believed that Sheng Zichen was not qualified to sit at the judges' table.

Zichen heard all the discussions about him, but his expression did not change in the slightest, and his heart remained calm.

He was already used to it.

From childhood to adulthood, had he suffered few doubts?

He had heard words even harsher than this; this bit of skepticism meant nothing at all, and he would find a way to make everyone sincerely convinced.

The competition began.

First was the host, Chen Family Village Village Chief Gu Zhihao, giving a speech.

He spoke very briefly, without long-winded arguments; it was all practical talk!

He first thanked everyone for holding this year's food festival in their village, which was a win-win situation.

Their village provided the venue and the best, freshest ingredients, while the judges and the participating chefs provided popularity and exquisite craftsmanship to advertise for the village.

After this competition ends, everyone who came will receive a gift from the village, whether they won an award in the competition or not.

The Village Chief finished his speech, and thunderous applause followed.

Then it was the judges' representative's turn to speak.

None of the judges who came today were ordinary people!

The representative was even more impressive—the head of Huo Family Cuisine, Huo Zhenteng!

Mentioning Huo Zhenteng, there was no one in the Jiangzhou culinary world who didn't know him; his family was a legend.

After the Gu Family Cuisine disappeared, the old man of the Huo Family firmly sat in the top chair of the culinary world. Over the years, the political scene had been turbulent, but the Huo Family not only stood firm, they also cultivated their children and grandchildren into various departments.

Huo Zhenteng was the most legendary one in the Huo Family legend.

Back then, he learned his craft from his father and became a famous chef far and wide.

Yet after becoming a famous chef, he opened a restaurant and took in many disciples.

The restaurant made money hand over fist and became the treasure bowl of the Huo Family. Just when everyone thought he would continue to expand his business territory, he sold the restaurant at a high price and went to a government department to become a small staff member.

At the time, no one understood him, and even his wife divorced him in a fit of anger.

But in just a few years, he became prominent again.

Huo Zhenteng married the Mayor's daughter, went smoothly in the political world, and rose steadily to become the Mayor's Office Director.

Just when everyone thought he had a great chance in the next mayoral election, he did something no one expected—he quit his golden rice bowl and went back to his old profession.

Before the restaurant Huo Zhenteng reopened was even finished with renovations, all the seats were already booked for half a year later.

It was packed upon opening; there was no need to worry about customers at all.

Besides cooking himself, the chefs he hired were all top experts. From the selection of ingredients to the cooking procedures, every step was rigorous, and even the pickiest customers couldn't find a single fault in his restaurant.

Such a well-connected figure attended the food festival today as a judge. His role as the judges' representative was what everyone expected, and no one had any objections.

A figure like Huo Zhenteng, theoretically, coming to the food festival was already giving everyone face; he was qualified to put on airs, but he didn't have the slightest bit of arrogance.

His speech was also very simple, without any official jargon; the gist was that it was very cold outside, so he wouldn't talk nonsense and wouldn't let everyone suffer.

First, he thanked Chen Family Village for providing such a good venue for the food festival, and then thanked everyone for being able to attend the food festival in their busy schedules.

Finally, he wished the food festival a complete success!

The speech ended, even simpler than Gu Zhihao's.

But everything that needed to be said was said, and the intended meaning was not missing at all.

At the very end, Huo Zhenteng also humorously reminded everyone: "Ladies and gentlemen, we must do our best in this competition. The advertising has been done for them; if the advertising fee is short of ours, I will lead you to defend your rights!"

"Wow—"

This round of applause was even more enthusiastic than the last!

The speech ended, and the competition officially began.

The contestants stood in front of their respective stations, waiting for the time to arrive, and immediately began to get busy.

The first round required the contestants to use the same ingredients and the same seasonings to make four different dishes within an hour.

There were no specific requirements for the cuisine or flavor; it was entirely up to individual performance.

The contestants were busy, and during this time, the judges were very relaxed.

They just had to wait for the time to be up, for the contestants to finish their dishes, and then serve them for evaluation.

With nothing to do, everyone chatted in small groups.

But no one spoke to Sheng Zichen; he was too young, and no one took him seriously.

Of course, Zichen didn't care; he was very busy!

He was constantly writing something down in his notebook.

His eyes were also scanning back and forth among the contestants.

Because he was too focused, he didn't even know when Huo Zhenteng had sat down beside him.

"Not bad, I just said, Brother Gu wouldn't find an incompetent person to be a judge for no reason!"

Zichen was startled when he heard the voice, and he was startled again when he turned his head to see Huo Zhenteng sitting beside him.

"Chairman Huo? Hello, I've embarrassed myself in front of you." Huo Zhenteng had become the chairman of the Jiangzhou Gastronomy Association upon returning to the culinary world; this news had just been announced, and not many people knew about it yet.

Huo Zhenteng smiled and asked, "Not at all, your notes are exceptionally well-made. You don't need to be modest, and I won't laugh at you. Would it be convenient for me to take a closer look?"

"Of course, please go ahead."

Zichen handed the notebook over with both hands.

He took the notebook and began to read it earnestly from the beginning.

He was indeed reading very seriously and very slowly; by the time he returned the notebook to Zichen, half an hour had already passed.

"The younger generation is to be regarded with respect; I think highly of you."

"Chairman, you flatter me. I was just bored with nothing to do, so I jotted down a few things."

"Young man, you are a university student, right? Which university are you at?"

"I am at Jiangzhou University, in the Business Administration Department, but I have loved culinary arts since I was a child. From the age of five, I learned to use a large ladle to toss sand with my master..."