Chapter 26: Dad Successfully Advances to the Finals

  On Children's Day afternoon, I went to visit YaYa with XiaoXiao. YaYa's house is really big and has servants, gardeners, and drivers. It's true that if you don't go, you won't know, but once you do, it's a shock. No wonder when we told the taxi driver our address, he looked at us with a strange expression. I've lived in this area for over 20 years, but I didn't know there was such a place here. It turns out it's a rich people's district.

  After entering the house, someone warmly welcomed us and led us into YaYa's room. The room was mainly decorated in pink, with pink walls adorned with small snowflakes that looked like scattered flowers, giving off a warm and pure atmosphere. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, next to a purple wardrobe and a full-length mirror. The most dreamy thing was her soft bed, a large round bed with pink lace edges, exuding a princess-like aura. Looking at YaYa sitting on the bed, she looked sweet and lovely, although her face seemed a bit pale, but it couldn't hide her elegant temperament.

  Xiaoxiao and I walked quickly over there and asked in unison: "Yaya, are you feeling better? We were worried about you."

  Yaya smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm used to it. When I was a kid, I had minor illnesses all the time. The doctor said my physique is weak and I need to take good care of myself. I think I was just too tired recently, so suddenly I didn't feel well again. You guys don't have to worry, in two or three days, I'll be able to go back to school. It's just a pity that I won't be able to participate in the Young Pioneer League entrance ceremony with you all."

  "It's actually nothing, the counselor just gave a speech and then we wore red scarves. Yaya, you didn't go, but it was so hot that day and the wind was strong too. I was worried that if you were there, you would get heatstroke or be blown away by the wind. I was looking forward to the counselor finishing his speech quickly, but who knew it wouldn't end? I counted sheep countless times and still didn't finish. In the end, I came back to my senses amidst the applause of my classmates... You don't know how some people get too excited, they even saluted before their seniors had finished tying their red scarves for them, making their seniors very embarrassed. Everyone was holding back laughter on the side. Anyway, the induction ceremony wasn't that solemn after all, there were quite a few funny moments."

  "Haha, I can imagine the comical scene, but you guys said it's windy and worried that I might be blown away, this is a bit of an exaggeration. I'm not made of paper, I won't be blown away by the wind. But still, thanks for caring about me."

  We were chatting with Yaya, and Xiao said a lot of jokes, including some cold ones. Yaya was very happy, and so was I, laughing until our stomachs hurt. Xiao looked at us with disdain, saying that our sense of humor was too low. Yaya invited us to have afternoon tea and snacks at her house, including matcha cake. Rich people's homes are really different, they even have afternoon tea. This is just envy, work hard and you'll be able to afford it soon. We said goodbye and headed home at 4 pm, with Yaya repeatedly inviting us to come over and play again next time. Her parents were very busy, but now that Yaya's body was a bit better, they went back to the company.

  June has arrived, and July is not far away. The answer is affirmative. Soon we took part in the final exam and successfully completed our third-grade study life. A wonderful summer vacation came, my cousin and I didn't have a plan to travel recently, the reason was naturally Dad's PK match, we need to cheer him on.

  Since we knew that Dad was going to participate in the food festival PK, our whole family has been very supportive. With just a few days left before the preliminary round of the PK, Dad has been coming home early to rest and recharge, letting the person in charge temporarily take over the management of the business. In the morning, Dad said confidently: "I made a few dishes today, which are the dishes I prepared for the PK competition. You guys will have good luck at noon." Around 10 o'clock, my cousin and I were waiting eagerly for Dad's new dishes. After waiting and waiting, finally, Dad's last dish was ready. My cousin and I both had an urge to drool, looking at the three dishes and one soup that were full of color, fragrance, and flavor. Looking at Dad with a "I have something to say" attitude, I quickly asked: "Dad, introduce us to them."

  "Our city is famous for its ducks, so you've all seen that today I'm making a whole duck banquet. This dish is Phoenix Flavor Stir-Fried Celery and Duck Gizzards, this one is Crispy Skin Cherry Duck, this one is Jade Mushroom Duck Soup, and these six are Six Flavors Braised Duck with six pieces of Fried Pancakes. After everyone has eaten, please give me some feedback."

  As soon as Dad finished speaking, my cousin and I started eating hastily, as if we were afraid of not getting enough to eat. I took a bite of the crispy-skinned cherry duck, and before I even swallowed it, I exclaimed that it was delicious. Mom teased me, saying I looked like I hadn't eaten in days. Grandma also said, "Girlie, slow down, no one's competing with you for food." And to my cousin, "Xuanfeng, you too, eat slowly and don't choke." No sooner had she spoken than my cousin actually did start choking, coughing away. I looked at him laughing, and he looked back at me laughing.

  Then my brother and I didn't have time to say much, just nodded and said "en en", you guys eat too. Our whole family enjoyed the meal, when there was nothing left on the plate, my dad happily said: "Everyone is so supportive, I'm full of confidence! Wife, just wait for me to bring back the trophy and prize money!" "En en, I believe in your strength, husband, go for it!"

  Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but think of the line "Old man, look at you!" This line is really suitable for the current situation. No way, I have to tell my mom about this sentence and let her say it to cheer up my dad on competition day.

  Finally, the day of the exciting food festival PK match has arrived. The competition is scheduled to start at 10 o'clock and end promptly at 11:30. As a family member of the participants, we watched from outside the venue. I didn't know what to expect before going, but after arriving, I was shocked!

  There were over a hundred participants, and the competition was fierce. Only thirty people could advance to the next round, which meant that only one in four would make it through.

  As the gong sounded, all the contestants entered a tense cooking session. From time to time, family members shouted "Come on!" I urged my mom to shout "Look at you, old man!", but she felt embarrassed and refused to shout until the competition was about to end. My dad looked tired but still persisted, and my mom's heart ached. She finally blurted out "Old man, look at you!", and my dad turned back with a confident gaze, as if receiving a signal, telling my mom not to worry.

  With the old mother's shout, the whole scene was once again ignited with a cheering frenzy, ending with the final gong. The judges came down to casually taste each contestant's work, some works had many judges in front of them, while others had few people asking about them.

  Dad's position is at the back, and until now no judges have come, I'm so nervous, sweating, thinking: How did Dad draw such a number, being at the back doesn't count, some judges have already made up their minds. The more I think about it, the more excited I get, the more I feel it's unfair.

  Finally, a judge in his sixties walked over to my dad's side, took a look at the dish, and seemed to think it was okay. He picked up his chopsticks and tasted it, saying, "Not bad, just need to grasp the fire better." As he said that, he wrote down my dad's number. My dad nodded and said he knew.

  As soon as he left, the other judges came one after another to taste Dad's work, all with a "wow, it's really good" expression. It seems that this old man is quite famous in the industry, and once he tasted and confirmed, others followed suit. You know what? After leaving Dad's table, he rarely tasted anyone else's work, looks like he's not easy to please.

  The results of the preliminary round were announced an hour later, and the atmosphere was hot. Our mood was even hotter as the host read out one number and name after another. Our hearts were lifted again and again, just like a bucket of water being poured, up and down, seven or eight times. When the host announced my father's name, Nan Zhenggang, it indirectly indicated that my father's performance in the preliminary round was average. Anyway, hurray! My father has entered the final round, and we will celebrate when we get back home. Of course, some families are happy while others are worried. More people were not selected, some sighed that they were not as good as others, and some said that they had learned a lesson today and would work hard to come back stronger next year.

  The rematch took place a week later, and our whole family returned home in high spirits. My cousin and I paid respects to my dad, who was a bit embarrassed, saying: "I still need to continue working hard, after all, there are still rematches and finals. This is a case of 'there's always someone better out there'." For the rematch, Dad decided to stick to the original plan of having a full duck banquet, but with more varieties and more exquisite dishes that were tempting. Unlike the first round, which had a large number of participants eliminated, the rematch would take the top 10 from 30 contestants, who also needed to introduce their cooking concepts.

  Dad was carefully preparing, although he had always been steady, but after all, he hadn't experienced any major setbacks, and his heart was still a bit uncertain. The night before the competition, I heard him say to mom: "Wife, my mood is a bit complicated, I don't know what tomorrow's result will be. I'm afraid I'll let you, baby, everyone down." "Husband, I believe in your abilities, don't think too much, remember that even if we lose, it's still glorious. You can enter the rematch, and we're all proud of you already... ...Got it, I'm lucky, didn't get it, no big deal." "En en, wife, you're right, even if I fail, I won't regret it. After all, there are many masters out there, this PK match has been very enlightening for me, and it's given me a lot of inspiration to improve the dishes at my small restaurant."

  The next day, Dad participated in the rematch with a calm face, and the result was surprisingly good. He even received unanimous praise from the judges, especially his concept of "Food Festival, People's Holiday". He was the first to be confirmed as a finalist. Dad's performance in the preliminary round was mediocre, but he unexpectedly became one of the dark horses in the rematch, becoming a seeded player in the final. This is what we often say, "the incense stick on the ancestral grave has been lit".