After preparing the fish, the two men’s movements were surprisingly identical.

Both of them sprinkled fine salt over the fish, then arranged slices of shiitake mushrooms and cured ham alternately on top.

Winter bamboo shoots were placed on either side of the fish. Finally, they added scallions, ginger, and Shaoxing wine before placing the fish into steamers with already boiling water.

While the fish were steaming, Lu Yongliang couldn’t contain his curiosity. "Boss Su, what’s the significance of steaming two fish at once?"

Su Chen shrugged. "I can’t really explain it. But I feel like this will be better. You’ll know once you taste it in a bit."

"Haha!" Lu Yongliang laughed heartily.

He couldn’t blame Boss Su. After all, it was their first meeting. Who would just casually reveal their secret techniques?

However, Lu Yongliang had seen Su Chen’s entire process for making the dish. If it really turned out to be delicious...

The old man’s smile faded as he sized up Su Chen.

’If it really is better than mine... it would be a wonderful thing to add an entry for Su Chen in the *Wuchang Fish Recipe*!’

Su Chen was unaware of Lu Yongliang’s little scheme.

The time for the first fish was soon up. Su Chen had done almost no knife work on this one. After fifteen minutes of steaming, a layer of fish juice had collected at the bottom of the plate.

"Elder Lu, I’m going to get started!"

"Oh?" Lu Yongliang’s curiosity grew.

’Normally, you would just use the juices from the steamed fish to make the sauce. Why is Boss Su making things so needlessly complicated?’

There was nothing remarkable about the process of preparing the sauce, nor did Lu Yongliang find any part of it particularly stunning.

He started with a lard base, brought the steaming liquid and some chicken stock to a boil, then added MSG and chicken fat.

With steamed fish, the biggest taboo is to add seasonings haphazardly. Too many seasonings will only mask the natural flavor of the fish itself.

By the time Su Chen had finished the sauce, fifteen minutes had passed, and Elder Lu’s fish was also done steaming.

Using a technique almost identical to Su Chen’s, he prepared his sauce. Then, both men poured the sauce over their respective fish at the same time.

Finally, they added a sprinkle of pepper.

"Done!"

"Finished!"

The two spoke simultaneously.

"Wow!" Shang Mingke clapped his hands. "You two have no idea! If I had only been watching your hands, with your upper bodies covered, I wouldn’t have been able to tell who was who. It was spectacular!"

Although they prepared their sauces at slightly different times, their movements were nearly identical!

Shang Mingke had no doubt that if this were filmed, it would look like a scene straight out of a movie!

"Care to try?" Lu Yongliang offered a pair of chopsticks to Su Chen.

"Don’t you have a judge here today?" Su Chen joked. "President Shang, would you care to try?"

Those were the words Shang Mingke had been waiting for!

He looked a little embarrassed, but he eagerly rubbed his hands together as he took the chopsticks from Uncle Lu. "Well then, it would be rude to refuse!"

His first bite was of Lu Yongliang’s steamed fish.

This "peacock tail" style of fish was cut in a way that made it particularly easy to eat. After being steamed over high heat, the segments of the fish were only barely connected at the belly.

With a gentle pinch of his chopsticks, a slice of fish meat came away easily.

"Mmm..."

Shang Mingke had already eaten a lot in the cafeteria, so tasting a dish on a full stomach meant he didn’t have the bonus of hunger to enhance the flavor.

But even so, after eating one piece, he immediately went for another.

After finishing three consecutive slices, he finally spoke, "If all the world’s skill in cooking Wuchang Fish were a gallon, Uncle Lu would have eight-tenths of it! This fish... it’s beyond words."

"What kind of praise is that!" Lu Yongliang pretended to be displeased, but his face was tight with pride.

Shang Mingke wasn’t just flattering him. Across the entire country’s culinary world, if Lu Yongliang claimed to be second best at making Wuchang Fish, no one would dare claim to be first.

With the exception of Su Chen.

"Let me try again!" Shang Mingke chuckled foolishly and started eating again, but this time it was different from before.

As the slice of fish entered his mouth, Shang Mingke pressed his lips together, savoring it carefully.

"I have to say, Boss Su, you chose excellent ingredients. I often eat Wuchang Fish back in the Capital City, but most of it is farm-raised."

Su Chen smiled. "To help President Ling host you, I specifically sent a few employees on a trip to E Province. This fish was bought directly from Liangzi Lake."

"No wonder," Lu Yongliang said. "Choosing the right ingredients is half the battle with steamed fish. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, Boss Su."

Then he pointed to the other dish. "Now, try this one."

"Mm." Shang Mingke’s chopsticks paused.

Unlike Lu Yongliang’s precise knife work, Su Chen’s cuts on this fish looked a bit sloppy.

The two large pieces of fish on the bottom were splayed straight out, while the top looked like it had burst open like a flower. Shang Mingke managed to pick a piece from the top and put it in his mouth.

"Huh? It tastes... exactly the same. Let me try again!"

He took another bite, still in disbelief, then quickly took a bite from the "peacock tail" fish. He went back and forth like this several times.

Shang Mingke was certain. "Uncle Lu, I’m telling you, it tastes exactly the same."

"Your palate has been ruined by all that junk you eat in the Capital City!" Lu Yongliang said irritably, then took a bite himself.

He knew exactly what his own fish tasted like, so Lu Yongliang went straight for a piece of Su Chen’s.

"Oh?" After one bite, Lu Yongliang was intrigued.

He had to admit, the flavor was identical to his own, without the slightest difference!

Lu Yongliang’s gaze filled with admiration. "Not bad, Boss Su. The key to steamed fish is timing and heat control, and your mastery of it is... tsk!"

When people talk about heat control, most immediately think of stir-frying.

In reality, the timing and heat control for steaming is the most difficult to master.