My Husband, a Marshal: Conquering the Stars with My Culinary Arts-Chapter 580 - 196: Painted Face
Zhang Ye and his team of five were also tasked with sculpting animals, but each of them chose different creatures. Zhang Ye decided to sculpt a large-haired lion using a giant winter melon, while the four students beside him were working on a snake, a cat, a rabbit, and a rooster.
The animals they were sculpting were definitely challenging, requiring attention to numerous details. They carved with both precision and speed, and everyone around watched intently as familiar and unfamiliar ingredients transformed into familiar and unfamiliar animals.
One moment, the ingredients were red or green; the next, they had turned into a majestic lion, a daunting coiled snake, a lazy cat, an alert rabbit with perked ears, and a crowing rooster. This was enough to make everyone question reality, and several students couldn’t help but rub their eyes, worried they were being deceived.
How could there be people in this world with such remarkable knife skills! Wasn’t the Food Department always surrounded by delicious food, living in bliss? So why are there people who have honed such admirable yet intimidating knife skills!
The winter melon lion, once sculpted, wasn’t much smaller than the original melon; from head to tail, it retained the length of the original melon, and it was quite hefty. Although Zhang Ye could lift it, he found it more stable to place it on the table.
The seeds and pulp inside the winter melon were untouched; only the slightly greenish white flesh was carved into the form of a lion. Two deep green spots from the melon skin served as eyes, devoid of any other colors.
Besides the lifelike lion, the four students, having been selected by Zhang Ye to perform alongside him, evidently had real skills as well. The four animals they carved seemed to come to life, each occupying space on the table in different postures, silently awaiting everyone’s admiration.
Being the three highest-ranking judges with the most votes, the Iron-eating Beast and others initially stood on the outskirts of the crowd. However, upon noticing their arrival, everyone naturally stepped aside, allowing the judges to move forward towards the table.
This was the closest spot to the five sculptures. Up close, the fine details unseen from afar became visible, and once again, they marveled at the knife skills demonstrated by the Food Department’s teachers and students.
"You all are amazing!" The Iron-eating Beast held a natural fondness for the people of the Blue Star Empire and spoke kindly and sincerely, expressing admiration openly, "I’ve seen my Lady’s knife skills; she truly deserves the phrase ’out of this world.’ Of course, you all are not bad either; you must have put a lot of effort into honing these knife skills?"
Hearing this, all five of Zhang Ye’s team smiled, none taking offense at the Iron-eating Beast’s comment that their knife skills were not as good as Du Xixi’s. After all, it was the truth, and they had always been striving towards Du Xixi’s level.
The Iron-eating Beast’s acknowledgment of their knife skills already proved that today’s performance was a success. Many more people would come to watch, but they felt much more at ease, believing that their subsequent performances would not fall short of this one!
The Minister of the Military, typically a stern man, watching the young people happily clenching their fists and laughing, couldn’t help but soften his expression. He smiled, encouragingly saying, "Keep pushing forward, constantly improving, and your Food Department will only get better and better." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
The Minister of the Military’s words undeniably instilled a sense of pride in Zhang Ye and the others, not because their abilities were recognized, but because their Food Department was acknowledged and encouraged by the Minister. They couldn’t suppress their inner pride and sense of achievement.
While the first two judges’ approval delighted everyone, His Majesty Tosuo’s words felt like a cold splash of water, quickly bringing them back to reality: "Impressive as it is, it’s nothing extraordinary. With stronger spiritual power and more practice, anyone can achieve this. Only if you take it further will I consider you truly impressive."
His Majesty Tosuo really had a sharp tongue. The Iron-eating Beast and the Minister of the Military were used to it, and those who knew him weren’t surprised by his discouraging remark. But most people were left jubilant by the Food Department’s accomplishments, only to have that joy doused by His Majesty Tosuo’s words, leaving their smiles frozen.
