Chapter 425 Listening
The test of the second seal was relatively broad, giving them room to maneuver freely.

There are requirements for ingredients, but there are no requirements for cooking methods. The final judging criteria is whether the long-eyed elderly are satisfied.

And this satisfaction is hard to say.

What level of achievement is considered satisfactory? What requirements must be met to be considered satisfactory?

All this is unknown.

Faced with the unknown, the only thing the two can do is what they have always done, which is to make the most delicious dish in their minds.

Soon, the time of a stick of incense passed.

The stir-frying process was fast, but Yan Xian deliberately slowed down the process and ended up serving the dish at the same time as Xu Qing.

One is a soup, the other is a stir-fried dish. The different aromas intertwine with each other, permeating the air and together creating a wonderful fragrance that will make people fall in love with it with just a slight sniff.

The wonderful aroma of the two dishes made the long-eyed old man move his nose, slowly open his eyes, walk to the table, lower his head to look carefully at the two dishes, and then nodded slightly.

The old man with long eyes asked, "What is Ming?"

Xu Qing and Yan Xian both answered at the same time, "The accurate judgment of things is wisdom."

The old man with long eyes nodded and said, "To see is to be clear, to hear is to be intelligent. This is one of the principles of self-cultivation for the ancient emperors. When the emperor offered sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai, he was declaring his achievements and virtues to the heaven and earth. And this dish of yours is to tell the heaven and earth about his character and virtues, and his 'clearness' on behalf of the emperor."

Hearing what the long-eyed old man said, the two were suddenly shocked.

They don't think so much when they cook.

Is there such a deep meaning in this?

The long-eyed old man noticed their expressions and asked, "What do you think? Do you want to give up? If the dishes are not up to standard, you will never be able to step into this place again in your life, let alone get the Greedy Wolf Pot. It's not too late to give up now."

Give up?
The two looked at each other and saw determination in each other's eyes.

Even though unexpected situations occurred, the two were still confident in the dishes they made.

Xu Qing said: "I won't give up."

Yan Xian smiled and said, "Me too."

Seeing how stubborn the two were, the old man sighed and said, "Sometimes, if you retreat appropriately, you can move forward further. If you insist on your own opinion and keep hitting the wall, you will only end up with a bloody head."

Xu Qing clasped his fists and said, "What the old gentleman said makes sense. But that's just my personality. Once I make up my mind, I won't turn back even if I hit a wall."

Yan Xian took the wine pot, drank a sip of wine happily, and said, "I am different from him. I just don't want this dish that I made with great care to go to waste. Even if you want to judge me as unqualified, at least you have to taste my dish first."

Seeing this, the old man with long eyes said nothing more. He picked up the chopsticks and tasted Yan Xian's stir-fried pork liver first.

The pork liver is first marinated to remove the fishy smell contained in the liver, so that the aroma of the seasoning can fully penetrate into the fibers of the pork liver and blend with the taste of the pork liver.

After fine seasoning, the pork liver combines the flavors of salty, slightly sweet and spicy, forming a layered taste experience.

During the pickling process, the liver absorbs the essence of soy sauce, cooking wine and other seasonings, and is full of salty and fresh flavor. When stir-frying, adding spices such as minced garlic, minced ginger and chili peppers adds a rich aroma and a slightly spicy taste to the dish, which greatly increases appetite. The addition of appropriate sugar makes the liver not only salty and spicy, but also has a unique delicious taste. This is the unique taste highlighted by sugar, which makes the taste of the liver more rich and mysterious.

The fresh and juicy taste of the liver melts in your mouth when you bite it gently with your teeth. After being sliced, marinated and stir-fried, the liver becomes tender, juicy, smooth and not greasy. Each slice of liver is of just the right thickness, so that you can feel the delicate texture of the meat and taste the delicious juice inside when chewing. At the same time, because the heat of stir-frying is just right, a thin layer of burnt fragrance forms on the surface of the liver, making the surface of the liver slightly burnt, while the inside maintains a fresh and tender taste. The burnt outside and tender inside add more layers to the taste of the liver.

The stir-fried pork liver does taste appealing, but if that were all, it would not pass muster.

If you want to grasp the meaning of "Ming", in addition to the taste, you must also look at the chef's hidden intentions.

This is also what Xu Qing cares about.

He carefully observed the expression of the long-eyed old man to see whether Yan Xian, who came from the dark culinary world, had the kind of mind that only a chef from the bright culinary world could have.

The expression of the old man with long eyes changed instantly, and he suddenly saw a bright light in front of his eyes. However, the light was too bright, covering everything and making him feel temporarily blind. This made the old man with long eyes a little at a loss.

His eyesight is excellent. He has always relied on his eyesight the most, so he pays great attention to maintaining his eyesight. At his age, ordinary people have long lost their sight and cannot see things clearly, but he still has excellent eyesight like when he was young, which is something others can only envy.

However, at this moment, he felt as if he was blind, which made him feel a little panic.

Then, a sound suddenly rang in my ears. At first it was a tiny sound, like the rustling of grass leaves in the wind, followed by the chirping of insects, some high and loud, some small and timid, some high and some low, as if forming a harmonious melody.

Then came the sounds of birds singing, beasts roaring, people speaking, and even the sounds of all things. Countless sounds echoed in my ears, mixing with each other. The sounds that should have been chaotic formed a clear picture.

Even if you cannot see anything, the sounds you hear will clearly present everything in the world before your eyes.

No matter whether it is a tiny sound or a grand and majestic sound, everything in the world is making its own voice. Between sound and silence, the whole world is explained thoroughly and clearly, even far better than what the eyes can see.

Because the eyes only see things reflected in the sun, but cannot see things hidden in the shadows.

But no matter whether they are shining in the sun or hiding in the shadows, they will make sounds, some are open and aboveboard, some are whispering, some are loyal and righteous, and some are slanderous and abusive. All the good and bad words, whether you want to hear them or not, all go into your ears and flow into your heart.

Ming refers to eyesight, but it is more than just eyesight.

To distinguish right from wrong, one must not only see with the eyes, but also listen with the ears and feel with the heart. Only in this way can one see clearly.

　I haven't been in good shape recently, so I can only update once today. I'll make up for it tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)