Nine Dragon Sculpture? Yuan Zhou frowned. He had studied ice sculpting before, so he naturally had some understanding of the Nine Dragon Sculpture. Since the founding of the Republic of China, the number of ice sculptors who had completed the Nine Dragon Sculpture could be counted on one hand.
After a moment of silence, Yuan Zhou replied, "Master Yang, although I've been sculpting for some time, it's still a bit difficult for me to complete the Nine Dragon Sculpture."
It had indeed been some time. It had already been two to three months. Yang Shuxin didn't understand the timing, so he replied in a normal tone.
"Not only Master Yuan, I'm not confident either. That's why I invited you," Yang Shuxin continued. "I hope we can verify each other's opinions when we sculpt."
That made sense. Verifying each other's opinions could indeed help one break through the bottleneck.
As the old masters in the 40s and 50s couldn't work anymore, not only ice sculpting, but many other crafts had entered an era of stagnation.
Sometimes, one couldn't simply blame modern people for being impetuous. The progress of the times had brought people not only convenience but also perfunctoriness.
Finally, after much consideration, Yuan Zhou agreed. He also wanted to know if he could complete this challenge.
Yuan Zhou wasn't a fan of competitions, but he liked to do his best when it came to culinary skills.
Zhou Shijie didn't interrupt during the whole process. Although he had always been wary of Yuan Zhou being poached, Zhou Shijie still knew what was important during a discussion like this.
They hit it off immediately, but there was an objection regarding the sculpting.
The raw material for the Nine Dragon Sculpture was naturally not just any piece of ice. Yang Shuxin's requirements for ice were quite high.
Rongcheng didn't have ice that could meet his requirements, but Bingcheng did. Therefore, Yang Shuxin invited Yuan Zhou to Bingcheng.
However, Yuan Zhou emphasized that he wouldn't close his shop for ice sculpting. In the end, Yang Shuxin couldn't persuade Yuan Zhou, so he chose Rongcheng as the location. The ice needed for sculpting would be directly transported from Bingcheng.
"Go back to the hotel first. I still have something to discuss with Yuan." Zhou Shijie waved at Yang Shuxin, signaling him to leave.
After Yang Shuxin and Yuan Zhou finished their discussion, Zhou Shijie urged him to leave as if he was shooing away a fly.
After accomplishing the purpose of this trip, Yang Shuxin was in a good mood. He didn't want to argue with Zhou Shijie. After bidding farewell to Yuan Zhou, he left.
"Yuan, are you interested in the Kong Family Banquet?" Zhou Shijie asked. "In two days, Grandmaster Kong Li will be hosting a banquet in the capital."
The name of the Confucian Banquet greatly piqued Yuan Zhou's interest, as it was even more famous than the Manchu-Han Imperial Banquet. It was one of the four great state banquets.
Speaking of which, the most well-known Manchu-Han Imperial Feast was only at the bottom of the four national banquets.
"Beijing is too far. I can't leave my shop." Yuan Zhou thought for a while and said, "If possible, can you record a video for me?"
Yuan Zhou wasn't stupid. He knew that it was impossible for reporters to record a live broadcast of the Confucian Banquet. Therefore, he could only ask Zhou Shijie for help.
Previously, he had taken two days off due to illness. It wouldn't be good to take another day off. Therefore, Yuan Zhou came up with this compromise.
Zhou Shijie didn't try to persuade him. He nodded and agreed. If possible, he would record it. After all, although Zhou Shijie's status was higher than Kong Li's, it wasn't a matter of status. It was a matter of etiquette.
"How's your culinary skills recently?" After talking about business, Zhou Shijie started chatting.
"Recently, I've been working on the wheaten food in Sichuan Cuisine," Yuan Zhou answered.
Zhou Shijie nodded. He knew that Sichuan Cuisine wheaten food had been added to Yuanzhou shop's menu recently. This was also the reason why Zhou Shijie wasn't worried that Yuan Zhou would be poached by Yang Shuxin.
When it came to culinary skills, Yuan Zhou was still exploring and improving.
Yuan Zhou also had a matter that he wanted to ask Zhou Shijie for help with. He said, "Chairman Zhou, you know a lot of people. Can I trouble you to think of a way to obtain the materials for the Nine Dragon Sculpture?"
This time, Zhou Shijie was confused. Although Zhou Shijie didn't interrupt the conversation between Yuan Zhou and Yang Shuxin, he still heard it clearly. Didn't Yang Shuxin transport the ice from Bingcheng?
"Master Yang is an ice sculptor. He can transport the ice from Bingcheng. However, I don't know anyone from Bingcheng, so I can't get the ice suitable for sculpting the Nine Dragon Sculpture. Therefore, I would like to ask for Chairman Zhou's help."
Zhou Shijie felt that he didn't understand Chinese. He couldn't keep up with the conversation. He widened his small eyes and looked at Yuan Zhou.
"In terms of ice sculpting skills, I am definitely not as experienced as Master Yang. Therefore, I don't want to lose out in terms of raw materials for the Nine Dragon Sculpture battle in two days," Yuan Zhou said with certainty.
Battle of the Nine Dragon Sculpture … Zhou Shijie felt that Yuan Zhou seemed to have misunderstood something. He thought for a while and said in a more tactful tone, "Old Yang is inviting you, Yuan, to complete the Nine Dragon Sculpture together."
"I know. I heard that the ice sculpting skills of both the Northern and Southern Sects are mostly lost. Therefore, there are almost no people who can complete it alone after the millennium." Yuan Zhou said, "If you want to break through, you need pressure. I really admire Master Yang's determination to break through."
Indeed, if two people were to compete against each other, and both of them were strong, there was a high chance that one of them would surpass the other.
"I also hope that my ice sculpting skills will improve during this competition," Yuan Zhou said. Ice sculpting was a great help to one's culinary skills, not to mention the plate presentation and the ice plate.
There was another reason that Yuan Zhou didn't say. If an ice sculpting master could find him, didn't this mean that he was also very good? Therefore, Yuan Zhou was very proud in his heart. Of course, there was no change in his expression.
Zhou Shijie knew that Yuan Zhou had completely misunderstood him. He thought about it and decided not to make things clear. Instead, he agreed to Yuan Zhou's request.
Two days later, things would get really interesting. This old man, Zhou Shijie, was definitely the kind of person who didn't want things to get out of hand when they were still students.
After a few more words of greeting, Zhou Shijie left.
Yuan Zhou cleaned up and prepared to return to the second floor. Before he even stepped on the stairs, he heard someone calling him from outside. It was Boss Yuan. Boss Yuan was calling him rather anxiously.
Fortunately, the system hadn't deactivated soundproofing yet. Otherwise, no matter how loud the voice was, it would be useless.
Other than that idiot Wuhai, who else would be looking for him in the middle of the night?
Obviously, this anxious male voice wasn't Wuhai. Yuan Zhou went up to the bedroom on the second floor and poked his head out of the window. He saw an unfamiliar man with a medium build.
Just as Yuan Zhou was about to reply, a shop called Old Ma Shou opened its shutter door diagonally across the restaurant and a young man walked out.
Yuan Zhou understood one thing from the conversation between the medium build man and the young man. This young man was called Yuan Leban. When he called him "Quick", he heard it as "Boss Yuan".
"Why is there a change of boss again?" Yuan Zhou muttered.
Before the Chinese New Year, the shop that was diagonally opposite was selling noodles. After the Chinese New Year, it became so-and-so duck neck. Now, the boss had changed again.
He didn't know if there was a problem with Fengshui. Due to the popularity of Yuanzhou shop, the other shops were doing well. Even Li Li was making a lot of money. However, the shop diagonally opposite had changed three times.
Yuan Zhou thought about it seriously. No matter how the other shops changed, The Kitchen God would always exist.
Following that, Yuan Zhou started practicing his composition. The Nine Dragons Sculpture wasn't just a test of carving skills. It was also a test of composition.
After all, it wasn't nine dragons side by side. Each dragon had to have an independent posture. Yuan Zhou was seriously preparing for the next two days.
…
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