The Divine Doctor And A Common Farmer-Chapter 1493 - 1577: The Secret Ingredient Scandal

Chapter 1493: Chapter 1577: The Secret Ingredient Scandal
Dong Huiying was methodical, but clearly processed the ingredients much faster than Zhu De. Her knife skills were precise and swift; when Zhu De was frying the second dish, she was already working on the third. She deliberately disrupted the order of the dishes, and Zhu De sneered dismissively, unaware of anything unusual.
But very soon.
After the third and fourth dishes, Zhu De gradually noticed something amiss.
"What’s going on?"
Logically, the secret ingredient she prepared in advance should have taken effect, but why were the stones in her barrel decreasing while the stones in Dong Huiying’s barrel increased?
Sweat dripped down Zhu De’s forehead, and she became somewhat anxious. So, when preparing new dishes, she increased the dosage, adding most of the secret ingredient to the dishes.
Dong Huiying remained calm, merely casting a faint glance at this. She added a cleanly processed piece of ginseng into the pot, making a soup this time.
Bits and pieces of ingredients were thrown into the pot, with steam and a tempting aroma filling the air.
Dong Huiying began preparing the eighth dish!
An hour had already passed.
Zhu De’s face turned increasingly tense, as she was just about to start on the fifth dish.
When Dong Huiying finished all ten dishes, the large barrel in front of her was overflowing with stones, whereas Zhu De’s barrel, except for some stones received from the trial of the first dish, barely covered the bottom and there were no more to be gained.
Zhu De, infuriated, banged her cleaver onto the thick cutting board with a clank!
"You cheated!"
Zhu De glared at Dong Huiying angrily: "I know now, aren’t these people all brought by you? Can’t compete with me openly, so you secretly bribed them, is that right?"
Dong Huiying found it absurd: "Are you throwing a tantrum out of embarrassment? There’s nothing wrong with humbly admitting when someone is better; losing and still being unreasonable is just shameful, isn’t it?"
"It was clear you cheated!" Zhu De was extremely resentful: "Everyone says Third Master Liang of the Huizi Store is righteous, but who would have thought this is the family style? Committing acts of cheating, utterly lacking in integrity!"
Shujun frowned, about to retort Zhu De. But Dong Huiying gently raised her hand, and Shujun immediately understood, crossing her arms and leaning against a pillar with a posture of waiting to watch a show. She knew Xiao Hui so well—seeing Xiao Hui like this meant Zhu De was in serious trouble.
Dong Huiying coldly eyed Zhu De: "If we’re talking about cheating, I rather want to ask what are your intentions?"
"Your secret ingredient is derived from poppies, ground into powder along with other similar substances. Don’t tell me you don’t know what poppy is. It’s a poison that causes addiction! Just in terms of taste, you definitely can’t compare to me. Your knife skills are inferior, your control over the heat is lacking, and your stir-fried dishes are slightly burnt. They look like they come from some unknown small eatery. If it weren’t for relying on this poppy to make people addicted, what gives you the confidence to compete with my Food As Heaven?"
At the mention of poppies, the crowd was in an uproar. Perhaps some in the crowd were unfamiliar with the poppy’s name, but those with some understanding of medicine knew: "Poppy, being both a beautiful plant and a flower of sin! Its leaves are verdant green, its flower is of multiple colors, its stem is erect and slender, and its capsule stands tall. Yet the sap extracted from the capsule is the main ingredient of the harmful Five Mineral Powder!"
"Ah, I know that Five Mineral Powder. Many addicts have died from overdosing on it, some have become emaciated and deranged, while others have lost everything, ruining their families and lives. Zhu De really has such a malicious heart!!"