Having finished cutting the vegetables, he set them aside and took a kilogram of wheat... placing it in a small pot. Then he took the sliced fish and carefully turned them in the wheat pot, one by one until he completed them all.
'What is he doing? This method looks strange! Is he coating the fish in wheat?.. Hmm, interesting!' Madeline noted in her head.
'Hehehe, it seems he's gone mad! Coating fish in wheat? Don't try to act crazy later to escape the bet condition!' James mocked himself... He had never seen anyone coat fish slices in wheat before! So he thinks madness has struck Xiao Ping's mind for doing that!
'Let's see... Now that I've finished coating the fish slices in flour, I should add some spices for flavor too!' Xiao Ping thought while taking a small bowl and mixing various spices and a sprinkle of salt in it, before tossing the fish slices in the bowl.
'Good.. Now I should pour oil into another pot, then put it on low heat for two minutes.' Xiao Ping moved skillfully in the kitchen, pouring oil into another pot and placing it on the dual gas stove next to James's pot, after lighting the fire beneath it.
"Hiss!" The sound of oil came from inside the pot which began to show signs of boiling. Xiao Ping didn't cover the pot but left it to see the oil boiling, to choose the right time to put the spice-and-flour-coated fish slices.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ping looked towards James's pot with looks of disgust and almost vomited... so disgusting, just thinking about eating it makes me nauseous! I must make James stop eating pork and switch to lamb or goat meat, if I want this partnership to last! Xiao Ping thought to himself.
'What is he trying to do by looking at my cooking! Is he trying to put something to ruin the flavor?' James directed his hands towards Xiao Ping standing in front of the stove and said: "Ping! What are you trying to do? You're not trying to ruin my cooking, are you? Stay away from it!"
'Do what? Is he accusing me of planning to ruin his cooking? What would I ruin from his already disgusting cooking?' Xiao Ping cursed internally before saying: "Relax, man, I'm not planning to give you an excuse to withdraw when you lose!"
"Lose? In your dreams! Just don't do anything suspicious!" James spoke while watching Xiao Ping's movements cautiously.
Madeline looked carefully at the frying oil in the pot, at the fish slices in the spice bowl, and at James's pot too, before saying: "Only twenty minutes remain of the forty minutes! So you should finish your cooking as soon as possible!" Madeline was eager to taste what the duo before her was preparing, but she didn't show it in her capacity as the judge.
"I don't need all this time to finish my dish!" Xiao Ping spoke confidently and continued: "Just ten minutes is enough, but since that would be unfair to James's pork stew!" Xiao Ping turned towards James and smiled while carrying the fish slices and skillfully placing them on the frying oil, to hear the sound of oil in the kitchen and an appetizing, delicious smell enter James and Madeline's noses.
This smell is truly appetizing. Madeline thought while approaching Xiao Ping who was still placing the fish slices on the frying oil.
The smell was very appetizing, so she couldn't bear to stay away and approached. But soon Xiao Ping raised his hand to stop her and said: "Please, Miss, stay away... so the boiling splashing oil from the pot doesn't burn you!"
"Ah! Alright." Madeline obediently tilted her head, and slowly stepped back, with disappointed looks on her beautiful face.
"Ping is right! You shouldn't approach the boiling oil so the splashing oil doesn't burn you!" James jumped in front of Madeline before continuing: "There's no need to rush, you'll be the first to taste both dishes anyway!"
'That James really seizes opportunities to play the knight's role!' Xiao Ping mocked himself before saying: "What James says is true, you are the judge in the end, no need to rush!"
"Alright, I'll wait longer!" Madeline agreed and returned to her previous place at the kitchen door entrance, and waited quietly.
"..." James.
'There's no time for such things, I must hurry and finish this competition!' Xiao Ping pushed away his thoughts... and took the pot with the rice after emptying its water, then poured clean water and oil over it. After that, he put the chopped vegetables over it before adding the spices and a sprinkle of salt... and waited until his slices were done cooking.
After all the fish slices were cooked, Xiao Ping put sleeves on his hands so he wouldn't get burned by the pot's heat, then lifted it and placed it on the shelf away, before bringing the pot of rice and chopped vegetables and placing it on the gas stove, covering it well.
James was wearing sleeves on his hands, and had taken his pot off the heat and placed it on the shelf to cool a little, waiting for Xiao Ping to finish cooking his rice.
And so the last minutes passed like a silent battlefield, until Madeline announced the end of time, asking the two to follow her to the living room so she could judge the winner.
At that moment, Xiao Ping took the crispy fish slices out of the oil and placed them in a dish over the soft rice he had cooked, with some potato and parsley slices making his dish look very appetizing.
And James also opened his pot, and a very appetizing smell came out. The pork was browned with spices over rice and some vegetables, making it look truly delicious.
'No matter how good the smell or taste, pork remains... one of the leading causes of cancer!' Xiao Ping truly hated pork and said that those who eat it are a bunch of fools. Xiao Ping mocked himself.
Xiao Ping took a knife and fork from the left shelf before heading towards the living room behind Madeline, and James followed him after putting his cooking in a suitable dish.
While leaving the kitchen, Xiao Ping saw that Sticky was still sleeping quietly on the sofa.
'Why is this cat so lazy, despite its strength?' Xiao Ping couldn't understand why Sticky kept sleeping all the time.
Xiao Ping ignored the sleeping Sticky, and looked towards the circular table in front of the sofa, which had a folder with papers and a silver wristwatch and also cards with strange designs.
'Does that folder contain the Antonius Mirus case? I'm also not convinced by James's talk that he read the specified investigation date wrong! Yes, there's something fishy!' Xiao Ping thought to himself.
Madeline quietly moved the things on the table aside before looking at the two dishes with eagerness on her face.
Upon seeing that, Xiao Ping stopped and quietly placed the fork and knife on the table with an aristocratic calmness that James or Madeline weren't accustomed to, then looked at Madeline who was staring at the white, pristine slice of "Sol" fish as if it were a piece of cloud.
And Xiao Ping said in a calm voice filled with solemnity:
"Miss Madeline, food is not merely fuel for the body, but a message from nature.
Look at this fish.. It dwells in the depths of the ocean, filters pure seawater, and its meat reflects the whiteness of the light hidden beneath the waves.
When you taste it, you won't feel the heaviness of fats that cling to arteries and choke breath, but will feel the lightness of the spirit."
He leans slightly towards her and continues in an almost whispering tone:
"The pork that James boasts of, is an animal that feeds on waste and lives in mud, eating everything it sees without discrimination, and its meat carries that heavy, dark energy.
But this fish.. it is the 'Lord of the Depths'; light as a breeze, rich as wisdom, and pure as your blue eyes in the morning light.
Taste.. and feel the difference between one who lives in mud, and one who swims in purity."
James let out a faint, mocking laugh, shaking his head as he looked at Xiao Ping before turning to Madeline with crimson eyes burning with challenge.
James said in a deep, confident tone:
"Beautiful words, Ping, but they are the words of someone who hasn't yet tasted real life!
Fish? It's food for those who fear facing reality, food that disappears in the mouth as if it never was.
But this..."
James pointed with his knife towards the dish of browned pork glistening under the kitchen light, and continued:
"This is 'Plains Meat'. Look at this crispy layer, it's not just fat, it's a storehouse of energy a warrior needs.
This meat absorbed the fire's heat and soaked up the spices to the marrow.
When you eat it, Madeline, you won't feel a fake 'lightness of spirit,' but you will feel blood flowing in your veins, and strength coursing through your body giving you warmth on these cold days."
He approached Madeline with a charming smile and continued:
"Xiao speaks of 'purity' as if he were a monk, but we live in a harsh world, and the body needs something real to cling to.
The pig is a tough, stubborn animal that doesn't surrender easily.. just like me.
Taste this piece, and you will know that the difference between my dish and his, is the difference between a 'beautiful dream' and a 'solid, strong reality' that fills your heart with satisfaction and contentment."
...
End of Chapter ~ To be continued