CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 132: PLAIN DONGPO PORK AND DONGPO PORK_2

Compared to He Yuan’s "literary elegance," the other three men were much more straightforward. They reluctantly swallowed the delicious food in their mouths and excitedly gave Du Xixi feedback: "It’s really tasty!" "The vegetarian Dongpo pork is amazing, it tastes just like meat!" "I really want another piece! A big piece!"

Receiving praise for her culinary creations, Du Xixi was overjoyed. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile, the arc larger than usual, complemented by the naturally light pink at the corners, like two peach blossoms adorning her face, momentarily stunning He Yuan and the others.

Du Xixi’s beauty is actually quite striking, but her gentle demeanor usually softens it. Her face always carries a near gentle smile, which diminishes that striking impact, leaving people amazed by her beauty but without a deeper impression.

But at this moment, whether it was the lingering taste of the gourmet food or her enchanting peach blossom eyes, He Yuan and the others were truly awestruck by Du Xixi. Du Xixi, however, didn’t notice their unusual reaction, thinking they were simply still immersed in the delicious "Dongpo pork" dishes.

She just propped her chin up and mused for a moment about the group of students arriving in the next two days, then suggested, "Tomorrow and the day after, the second batch of students will undergo assessment. Why don’t we prepare Dongpo pork and vegetarian Dongpo pork for them to taste? If their insights align with our expectations, they will pass the assessment."

Lin You arranged for a total of four batches of students. Apart from the first batch, which numbered over a hundred, the latter three batches total around two hundred students. With less than half a month’s time, utilizing some simple assessment methods can still yield effective evaluations.

He Yuan and the others were brought back to reality by Du Xixi’s words. After pondering over it, they found the method sound, and the Food Department’s official director Wenren Yu made the decision: "Great, once Xixi teaches us the recipes for the two ’Dongpo pork’ dishes, we’ll use them as the assessment method tomorrow!"

Thus, the fate of the next batch of students would be determined by these two dishes. If word got out, some might think it too casual, but since the Food Department is dedicated to teaching cuisine, having the assessment centered around food is rightly appropriate.

The following day, Du Xixi donned a fitting casual outfit early, which wouldn’t hinder her cooking or appear too informal, ensuring that arriving students wouldn’t feel disrespected.

Du Xixi stood in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, turning left and right, her gaze landing on the collar of her clothes, noticing the subtle Imperial gold pattern, smiled and walked outside.

The clothes Du Xixi wore now were custom-made by specialists from the Imperial Palace, not only exceedingly comfortable and well-fitting but also reflecting Du Xixi’s noble identity in their details.

Since she woke up early, Du Xixi arrived at Blue Star University quite promptly; the students scheduled for assessment hadn’t arrived yet, so Du Xixi chatted leisurely with He Yuan and the others — mainly discussing the two ’Dongpo pork’ dishes.

Because everyone’s experiences are unique, Du Xixi and the others hadn’t intended to make the assessment criteria too rigid. As long as the students’ insights generally fit, or there aren’t any major issues overall, they would pass today’s assessment.

Although the assessment was scheduled for two days, once Du Xixi and the others confirmed the passing students, the duration was merely nominal.

Just like the last evaluation, Du Xixi and the others decided quickly upon the outcome at first glance, with the subsequent days essentially becoming "early" lessons.

Seeing the time was about right, everyone rose together and headed towards the gate, spotting a familiar hovering bus coming to a steady stop from afar. Du Xixi and the others weren’t in a hurry, maintaining their previous pace, walking forward slowly.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, by the time Du Xixi and the others reached the entrance, those students had already been waiting for quite a while, exhibiting some impatience upon closer look.

Though they were impatient, their dissatisfaction merely showed on their faces without any complaints, displaying a far better attitude than the first group of students. Du Xixi and the others were thus able to accept their visible frustration.

It’s simply that everything needs to be compared to something else.

At that moment, He Yuan, Chen Si, and Zhang Ye stood behind Du Xixi and Wenren Yu, clearly not intending to speak. Therefore, the person who needed to take the initiative to greet the students had to be chosen between Du Xixi and Wenren Yu.