Si Shi Qi wasn’t happy but everyone else didn’t seem to pay too much attention to what Fan Mei had done. Some might think that she had been a little impolite, but the other contestants were preoccupied with their own matters, and the production team didn’t care too much.

In any case, a bit of strife could also help with driving up the number of viewers as long as it wasn’t too much. Thus, they just let it happen and decided to just keep an eye on Fan Mei so this wouldn’t escalate. Anyway, they couldn’t decide whether she’d stay in the show or not so who knew if she would even manage to make it into the next episode? There really was no reason to be bothered by this.

E Cheng Jun also decided to pretend not to pick up on it and just had Fan Mei return to her seat just like with Si Jin before while she already turned to the next contestant in line. “Now, I believe it’s time for our next contestant, Ye Ping, to come and present her dish.”

She waited for her to walk up to the front of the studio, and then couldn’t help but make use of the opportunity. “For the first two contestants, our judges have asked what the idea behind making this specific variation of congee was. Now, before our judges have to repeat themselves for the third time, let me ask you instead: What are your thoughts on this?”

In fact, she had talked a bit with Ye Ping before while everyone was preparing but she had mostly focused on the issue of time. While she didn’t know how exactly the final episode would play out, she could imagine that the production team would decide to make a small compilation to show the different ideas that everyone had had. Ye Ping’s method would definitely make it onto the show so she figured that having another talk with her right before the judgment wouldn’t be too bad and give her some more screen time.

The camera focused on the two of them and captured Ye Ping’s happy expression. Clearly, she didn’t have any trouble with being on the show at all and wasn’t getting nervous even now that the spotlight was on her. “Well, congee is a really cheap dish. And if you make it right, it can be really nourishing. As a mother of three children, I naturally want to make the most out of a simple dish. How can there be enough time to make a complicated dish every single day to feed so many people? Thus, it’s good to keep it simple.”

As if on cue, the three judges looked away from Ye Ping and at the dish in the bowl in front of them that really looked quite plain.

Chu Yu An was the one who picked up a spoon first. “Well, that’s an interesting way to look at things. Let’s give this a try then!” She tasted a spoonful, her eyes narrowing faintly. “Ah, I feel like grabbing first speaking rights again. Would you mind, Mister Xiao?”

Xiao Ming looked at her and only then realized that the other two had already spoken up first once, so now, it probably should’ve been his turn. But seeing as Chu Yu An seemed to have thought of something immediately, he shook his head. “No, please go ahead, Miss Chu.” Anyway, he hadn’t even picked up his spoon yet.

Chu Yu An happily waved hers and motioned at the bowl. “Well, Ms. Ye, I can already see that you have managed to fully realize your philosophy. This is definitely a very good meal to feed kids. I can see that there are quite a lot of veggies in there. So it’s not just nourishing, but also healthy. I think that this is an excellent choice.”

Ye Ping beamed when she was praised. “Aiya, I wish my children were as grateful as Miss Chu. When I lovingly cut some veggies up for them, they will only ever complain. You must be making your parents so proud.”

Chu Yu An smiled brightly, feeling that the entertainment value was quite high with this kind of contestant. “I will let you in on a secret: When I was younger, I also wouldn’t eat my veggies.” She chuckled and then put her spoon down, turning to Xiao Ming. “What about you, Mister Xiao? Have you always been a fan of veggies?”

Xiao Ming looked at her, feeling a little helpless. Was this really the kind of thing they should be discussing while judging a contestant? But then she had already started it, so he also couldn’t ignore it. “I think we all go through a phase where we don’t like certain things. I wouldn’t say that I disliked veggies in general but there were definitely some that I didn’t like as a kid even though my parents were also trying to cook me very balanced meals.

“Now though, after having grown up, I’m able to appreciate the effort that they put in. I’m sure that Ms. Ye’s children will be able to do so as well. So just hold out a bit, and I’m sure they will be grateful when they’ve all grown up to be healthy young adults.”

“Aiya, Mister Xiao is too nice! I really hope they will be as appreciative as you are. Your parents must be so proud of you!”

Xiao Ming smiled faintly. A lot of the contestants on the show probably had no idea who he was and even for those who did, they likely didn’t know about what had happened with his parents. But hearing this from somebody who was probably of his parents’ generation made him feel a certain way. “Thank you, Ms. Ye, I sure hope that you’re right with that.”

He nodded at her and then motioned at the bowl. “Now, let’s not talk about me and my tastes, but about the congee you made for us. I have to say, I was really surprised when I tasted it just now. Mister Yu said before that the chosen time limit is pretty short. So even though it is possible to make congee in that time, it’s difficult.

“We’ve seen with the previous two contestants that it is possible to make it in time, and have an acceptable consistency, but when I tasted yours just now, I was incredibly surprised. If I hadn’t been watching everyone make their congee in this very room, I would’ve believed you had been cooking this for four hours for sure. This is really spot on.”

Ye Ping seemed to be smiling even more brightly if that was even possible. “Thank you so much, Mister Xiao! I was really scared when my oldest registered me for the show. Even though I cook daily, I also just cook for the children at home. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep up with all these young people coming here. Now, I’m already feeling much better now that you’ve said that I did the first task well. I definitely won’t be too much of an embarrassment for my children!”

Xiao Ming smiled in response. He didn’t know much about the contestants but just looking at her, Ye Ping seemed to be in her mid-forties, maybe slightly older. Compared to the other contestants who mostly seemed to be in their early thirties, she was indeed a bit older than them.

But then, it wasn’t like ‘Golden Spoon’ had any kind of age requirement. And when it came to cooking, having experience wasn’t all that bad. In fact, the only reason that most contestants were a bit younger was probably that most might have had an easier time registering online. That was might be something that had turned away a few of the older people who might’ve wanted to participate.

Well, that wasn’t his problem to think about it. He did feel like sharing a bit of that sentiment with Ye Ping though. “Well, I think that no matter where you cook or for whom, it is all valuable experience. Having a few more years of that is an advantage, not a disadvantage at all. And the fact that you made it into the first episode of ‘Golden Spoon’ already shows that you have a lot of talent for this. Really, it does make one feel like your children are especially lucky to have a mother like you.”

Ye Ping really looked as if her face would split any moment now with how her smile was turning wider and wider. “Aiya, Mister Xiao, you’re making me embarrassed. So much praise, I really don’t think I deserve it!”

Xiao Ming chuckled, starting to feel embarrassed. He really wasn’t sure what to say to that. Something told him that anything he said would just be met with a similar response from Ye Ping. Then, who knew when they would be able to get to the next contestant?

Usually, he wouldn’t mind giving any of them more time, but there was only so much time in a day and they still needed to finish the second task today. While the third one would be filmed tomorrow, they also couldn’t lose too much time right now or they would be here until after midnight. He really didn’t want to do that to anyone. Thus, he could only deflect. “Well, then let’s see what Mister Yu thinks about whether you deserve that praise or not.”

Next to him, Chu Yu An was barely holding back a laugh. Clearly, that had been the action of throwing somebody else under the bus because Xiao Ming hadn’t known how to deal with this.

But nonetheless, the contestant seemed more than happy with that. In fact, looking at her now, she seemed to be beaming even more now that Mister Yu was about to speak. Well, at her age, Ye Ping was probably seeing Xiao Ming and Chu Yu An as the adorable children serving as an example for her children and the neighbor’s children while Mister Yu was the seasoned chef she personally admired.

Mister Yu had long had the chance to taste the congee while everyone else was talking, and had thought about what to say. “That question isn’t difficult to answer. I do remember you from the casting. At that time, Xiao ming and I didn’t have any trouble agreeing that you would make a good contestant for the show. With this task, you’ve shown that we were right in that.

“Just as Xiao Ming said, the consistency of your congee is even better than I expected anyone to do. The rice has this soft and creamy texture that is just perfect for this dish. On the other hand, you have made sure that the texture of the vegetables is preserved. That is really quite the feat.

“The overall taste is also good. And I do think, just like how Miss Chu said, that this is very much in line with the reason you gave for making the dish this way.

“One thing that I might add — just as a personal piece of advice — is that when it comes to cooking for children, they can be quite fuzzy so sometimes, you will need to trick them a little. So if you know that there is one type of vegetable or fruit that they like, just add a few pieces of it, so they will be less reluctant to start. Then, they will also slowly get used to the other vegetables that you put in alongside it.”

“But of course, Mister Yu! I will definitely start doing that right from tomorrow onward.” By now, Ye Ping seemed as if she would fly away about any moment now.

Three judges just smiled and then turned to look at E Cheng Jun. When it came to the plating, they had all chosen to ignore that point this time around as Ye Ping had somehow felt it was alright to really just put the dish in a bowl and carry it over like she was probably doing it at home.

In that case, it would really be embarrassing for her to harp on it. It wasn’t necessary either. Anyway, the feedback they could give her was pretty much the same that they had already given the previous two contestants so they didn’t feel like repeating themselves. Since everyone could listen to the feedback that others had been given, they would also be able to take a bit of inspiration from that. There really was no need to say anything this time around.

E Cheng Jun caught their drift and came over to congratulate Ye Ping on the positive feedback she had gotten before asking her to get back to her seat so the next contestant could come up.

As this was Si Yi, there really wasn’t any surprise in how it played out: Just like Si Jin before, he naturally got good feedback even though compared to the consistency of Ye Ping’s congee, he couldn’t keep up either. Still, with a healthy and balanced congee, he managed to get some praise as well.

As for the contestant after him, things were about to get a little more interesting as this was Zhao Li Yu, the one who had caused some controversy between Xiao Ming and Mister Yu when they had been choosing the contestants that were supposed to make it into the first episode.