Glossary
Chapter 82: The Preparations Before the CompetitionOriginal and most updated translations are on volare. If this is being found anywhere else, it has been stolen. Donโt support theft. ๐
โOh, then Yuner will listen to Beautiful Big Sister.โ
Yuner obediently nodded, then stared at the young girlโs delicate face and smiled foolishly.
โBeautiful Big Sister is so pretty. But earlier, there was a Big Brother that was as pretty as Big Sister!โ
โA Big Brother even prettier than Big Sister? Does Yuner know who he is?โ
The young girl helped him up as she quietly asked.
When the two lowered their heads and started quietly walking towards the door, a pair of embroidered red shoes appeared in their vision.
โYuner, where are you heading off to?โ
A low voice came from above the twoโs heads. Yuner was startled so much he scuttled backwards to hide behind the young girlโs back and spoke with a trembling voice.
โMo-mother, Y-Yuner isnโt going anywhere to play.โ
The person that came had a strong imposing aura. Her outfit was poised and luxurious, her facial features beautiful and dignified and on her face was a faint smile.
โAh, I heard you got into trouble again? Youโre really such a little troublemaker, always causing Mother to fret.โ
The woman that was speaking was precisely the matron of the Bai household and Bai Lianhuaโs aunt, Bai Yu.
Bai Yu cast a mild glance at the two timid people as she walked into the courtyard leading a line of servants.
Yuner tightly clutched the young girlโs arm without letting go. He kept his head lowered the entire time, not daring to even glance towards Bai Yu.
The young girl gently patted Yunerโs hand and gave him a slight smile.
It was very hard to imagine that the beautiful and intelligent Bai Yu was actually this foolish Yunerโs mother.
โMother, I-Iโฆโ
Yuner saw the warm smile on Bai Yuโs face but he felt extremely afraid and couldnโt stop himself from hiding behind the young girl.
โLady San Yu, wonder how confident you are regarding this competition? The opponent is the number one cook of Heng Xuan Chamber of Commerce and her culinary arts skills isnโt something that ordinary kitchen maids would be able to compete with.โ Bai Yu glanced at that girl. Her tone was quite courteous, but also filled with doubt.
The young girl that was addressed as San Yu lowered her hands and straightened her back as she replied, โMatron has no need to worry. San Yu will definitely win this time!โ
โMeng Yu, itโs probably not a good idea for me to head over like this, right?โ Right after they left that courtyard, Tang Doudou started tugging at her clothes. She saw that kitchen maids and servant girls were walking around everywhere while she was the only one in a manโs outfit. It was exceptionally eye-catching, and she couldnโt help but scratch her head awkwardly.
When Meng Yu saw this scene, she went โahโ, and pulled Tang Doudou to the side before looking her up and down. โAiy this memory of mine. How could I have forgotten such an important matter!?โ
โThen what do we do now?โ Tang Doudou asked with a helpless tone.
Meng Yu looked towards her own clothes, then at Tang Doudouโs delicate and pretty face. She laughed โheheโ and said, โThere is a way, but Iโll have to ask Alliance Head da ren to endure a little.โ
Hah?
One hour later, in the servant quarters of Bai Residence, Meng Yu anxiously paced back and forth outside a door. From time to time, she would shoot an impatient glance towards the room.
โWhy is he still in there? Could it be that he doesnโt know how to wear it?โ
โIf we keep delaying, weโll run out of time!โ
Meng Yu muttered continuously. If she knew earlier that this was going to happen, she wouldnโt have come up with this rotten idea. Meng Yu scratched her head and was debating over whether she should head in to help or not when the door opened.
Upon seeing the person that came out, Meng Yu immediately froze on the spot. Her jaw dropped and only after a while was she able to stammer disbelievingly, โA-a-alliance Head Liโฆ i-is that you?โ
โItโs me ah. Arenโt I stunning? Hm?โ Tang Doudou folded her hands behind her back and laughed cheerfully as she walked out. Her dimples were like flowers, causing Meng Yu to go into a daze as she looked.
Meng Yu sighed with all her heart. Alliance Head Liโs female disguise is truly way too beautiful.
It was just an ordinary servantโs short-sleeved garment, yet when Tang Doudou wore it, it gave off a fresh and lively feeling. The casually tied up ponytail in combination with the faint yellow dress was particularly charming. With those crafty, big, black eyes and face that was like a china dollโs, it truly caused people to be incapable of tearing their eyes away.
โStunning, stunning!โ Meng Yu snapped back to her senses and walked up to pull Tang Doudou. โI was just thinking earlier that Alliance Head Li would definitely look good in female clothing. I never thought it would actually be to this extent!โ
Tang Doudou smiled, delighted. She was really happy from the bottom of her heart that she was finally able to wear female clothing.
She was finally able to let her little white bunnies out! This feeling was practically even more refreshing than eating ten bags of spicy strips!
โBut, whatโs this?โ Meng Yu pointed at Tang Doudouโs chest as she asked.
โOh, hehe, if youโre going to put on a disguise then of course you have to put on the full set. I stuffed some clothing in there, haha!โ Tang Doudou laughed, then changed the topic. โThatโs right, since Iโve already put on a female disguise, you canโt keep calling me Alliance Head Li this and Alliance Head Li that. If someone hears, thatโd be bad.โ
Meng Yu found it reasonable as well. โThen what do I call you?โ
โTang Doudou!โ Tang Doudouโs expression was pretty happy. Now, she has finally completely become herself!
โTang Doudou? Tang Doudouโฆโ Meng Yu repeated this name for a while. Her eyes then lit up. โThis name is not bad ah! It really fits Alliโฆ Doudou, your current appearance!โ
She almost called the wrong name. But after she called this name a couple more times, she felt that this name was coming out of her lips much more smoothly. She couldnโt help but also giggle foolishly as she stared at Tang Doudouโs face, feeling as if she could never get enough of it.
How could Tang Doudou stand Meng Yu looking at her like this? Tang Doudou pulled Meng Yuโs hand and said, โItโs been a while and we still need to prepare the things for the competition!โ
When the competition was brought up, Meng Yu immediately returned to her senses and slapped her head. โAiy, look at this memory of mine. I almost ended up forgetting the main matter. Letโs go, letโs go. If we end up late weโll be doomed.โ
โDonโt worry, donโt worry. Weโll make it in time!โ
When the two arrived at the competition area chatting and laughing, all the kitchen helpers of Plum Garden that were waiting there rushed up anxiously to them as if something was on fire.
โAiyo, Meng Yu, my great auntie ah! Where did you run off to!? We were searching everywhere for you but couldnโt find you. The competitionโs almost about to start!โ
Meng Yu waved her large hand. โWhat are you guys getting into a fluster about? Have you guys prepared all the materials?โ
โTheyโre all prepared, arenโt we here waiting for you to check them?โ The kitchen maid in charge of preparing the ingredients looked around, then sneakily whispered to Meng Yu, โEarlier, I went to take a look at the Bai Residenceโs kitchen. This time itโs bad ah. I couldnโt understand anything that they prepared. And that kitchen maid named San Yu, they say sheโs the one that drew the lead strip* for this yearโs cooking competition!โ
โpulling the leading stripโ means to have obtained the qualifications to appear onstage for the competition first.
The strip is a bamboo stick with words written on it. Pulling strips was an old style of gambling and getting an inscribed strip signified a sure win. A strip without words varied in meaning. โThe short stripโ is often the worst to pull.
โShoo, shoo! Stop extinguishing your own impressiveness with other peopleโs ambitions. Even if sheโs impressive, I, Meng Yu, am also not a herbivore. Itโs just this yearโs leading strip, whatโs there to be afraid of? Donโt forget that weโre members of the Heng Xuan Chamber of Commerce!โ Meng Yu had long heard of who her opponent was. If she didnโt feel any pressure, she wouldnโt have gone to find Tang Doudou. Itโs just that at this time, there was no way she could let her imposing manner fall behind, right!?
Morale is also abnormally important in competitions!
Meng Yu understood this very well. She then turned towards Tang Doudou who was behind her and asked, โDoudou, have you looked at the menu I prepared earlier?โ
Only then did everyone notice Tang Doudou who was behind Meng Yu. They looked at her clever and delicate face and couldnโt recall having seen her in Plum Garden before. Thus, they couldnโt help but start making conjectures. The kitchen maid that had pulled Meng Yu earlier now whispered, โMy dear great auntie ah, this couldnโt be the helper you were talking about, right? Her fingers are all soft and white, what part of her looks like sheโs a skilled chef who often cooks?โ
โHehe, Qiu Ling, arenโt you underestimating people? Iโll have you know that Tang Doudouโs culinary arts skill is no worse than mine!โ And she had been wondering what Qiu Ling was doing acting so secretively. Meng Yu didnโt expect it had turned out to be such a small matter, so she just replied casually.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ling looked again at Tang Doudou who seemed like a carefree and helpless little miss. No matter what, she couldnโt stop worrying. However, since Meng Yu had already put things like this and since Meng Yu was also the main chef this time, she naturally couldnโt say anything more. However, she felt a bit discontent.
If it was the Tang Doudou from before, she wouldnโt have been able to hear what they were saying, but now she could hear them clearly. It was most likely due to the fact that she now had inner strength.
This counts as Li Xueyi having given her a benefit ah!
As Tang Doudou thought this, she rubbed her chin. Then, recalling the menu that Meng Yu had shown her before, she said, โI saw it before. But I feel like ah, though the dishes are complicated and hard to make, itโs not colorful and original enough.โ
Seeing that Tang Doudou had brought up the points in which the dishes were lacking, Meng Yu immediately perked up and moved over to ask, โThen, Doudou, what do you suggest?โ
Tang Doudou smiled mysteriously. โWeโll still use this dish, but for the things, weโll switch it up a little!โ
โSwitching things last moment? You sure imagine the wildest things! The competition doesnโt allow for it since the menu and ingredients list has already been sent up to the judging panel! What difference is there between switching something and taking the initiative to admit defeat? I say, could it be that this is what youโre planning?โ Qiu Ling couldnโt bring herself to like Tang Doudou. Now that Tang Doudou said she wanted to switch something, Qiu Ling immediately erupted and started criticizing her.
It was normal for Qiu Ling to be this doubtful as they didnโt know each other and she didnโt know about her capability. That was why Tang Doudou take offense at the dislike in her voice and explained, โDonโt worry, I only want to switch out a few little things inside. They wonโt be able to tell!โ
Her voice was filled with confidence so Meng Yu was pleased. Pulling Tang Doudouโs hand, Meng Yu led her into their temporary kitchen shed.
Qiu Ling followed behind the two, completely displeased as she muttered, โWhen problems end up occurring, what are we supposed to tell Masterโฆโ
When Tang Doudou heard this, she was bewildered. When did she end up angering this woman?
Why did it feel like she was always targeting her?
Meng Yu didnโt have martial arts so she didnโt hear Qiu Lingโs muttering at all. She was currently wondering curiously about what things Tang Doudou could switch out that wouldnโt be discovered. However, she thought for a long time and still couldnโt figure it out, so she opened her mouth to ask Tang Doudou.
โDoudou ahโฆโ
Right after she opened her mouth, Tang Doudou made a โshhโ motion towards her. She shot a conniving glance towards Qiu Ling who was behind them and said with a smile, โThe mysteries of heaven must not be revealed. Youโll know soon!โ
Since Tang Doudou wasnโt willing to tell, Meng Yu could only suppress the curiosity in her heart as they walked towards the kitchen shed. Meng Yu looked at the aids that had all finished preparing, then carefully examined the ingredients and seasonings multiple times. Finally nodding, she ordered, โCarry these things to the competition stage first. Doudou and I will head over right after we change!โ
Those aids nodded, then methodically started working.
Tang Doudou also looked at those ingredients and seasonings and saw that the preparations were of good quality. After seeing this and those mysterious kitchen tools Meng Yu had, Tang Doudou felt even more confident for this competition.
However, beyond this heaven are other heavens, there are other geniuses besides this genius, so one must not be careless.
โMeng Yu, do you know how big the gap is between the opponentโs cooking skill and yours?โ
Meng Yu glanced at Qiu Ling who was commanding the servants not far away and said in a small voice, โAhem, sheโs probably a little better than meโฆโ
And you were still speaking so confidently earlier!?
Seeing Meng Yuโs embarrassed expression, Tang Doudou could only keep this exclamation inside her heart.
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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira, Edited by LazyMiyu
[Chiyomiraโs Corner]
In regards to pulling strips, thereโs a common way to cheat shown in manga. If you do it with paper strips that are colored on the bottom and say that the person that gets the completely white strip doesnโt have to do anything/gets a benefit/or is the loser, the person holding the strips can rig stuff by just closing his fist more tightly when the person that he wants to get the white strip pulls. That way, the bottom of the strip will be ripped off and itโll look completely white.
Glossary
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