SailorStar9: Well, I've uploaded Chapter 31, and here's Chapter 32. So, read and review. Come on boys and girls, is it so hard for you to leave a review other than putting this on your favorited lists and alerts?

Disclaimers: Me no own, you no sue.

Chapter 32: The Super Dim Sum Competition! The Startling Results!

"Sanche, look at the colorful buns that fill the boat!" Mao gushed. "And the shining golden buns perched on the dragon's back. My eyes are glazing over! Wow, Shell! Just look at your great golden buns! "

"It's a bit too early to be surprised, Mao!" Shell declared. "The geezer's buns only look good, but mine aren't merely skin deep!"

"We'll begin the tasting." Shan announced. "Let's start with Lakon, the King of Dim Sum!"

"Mao, what are the letters written on the four differently-colored buns?" Mei Li asked, seeing the words engraved on Lakon's buns.

"That is.." Leon started. "As I said before, the Hakura Clan is closely intertwined with the history of dim sum. They once calmed down the raging waves of a river that blocked the path of a victorious army. To them, the basis for making dim sum is to calm the spirit. So those buns are a Hakura Clan specialty designed to placate the spirits." he pointed to the intricately crafted boat. "That's the closely-held family secret, the legendary ''Four Gods' Ideal Topography' Buns!""

"What's the Ideal Topography?" Mei Li wondered.

"Look carefully at the letters on the buns." Ya Xue explained. "They stand for Genbu, Suzaku, Seiryu, and Byakko: the legendary divine beasts that protect the country from four directions. Thus, the proper placement of these Four Gods is called the ''Four Gods' Ideal Topography'. In other words, when arranged in that manner, they're the most effective in soothing the spirits."

"That's right." Lakon confirmed. "For the green bun, the Azure Dragon of the East, I added spinach in the skin. The black bun with black sesame added is the Black Tortoise of the North. The Vermillion Bird of the South is represented by the red bun, using carrots. Finally, the undyed bun represents the White Tiger of the West. I called on the Four Gods who protect from all four directions. With their aid, I can calm the spirits of the rivers and oceans. The 'Spirit Calming Buns' are a prayer that calms peoples' souls."

Sea cucumber, shark fin, abalone... Sanche mused, hearing the judges list the fillings of the buns. "Mao! The fillings of Lakon's buns...!"

"Yes, they're the Big Eight of Seafood!" Mao nodded.

"Mao-nii, what's the big eight of seafood?" Shilou asked.

"There are many kinds of seafood, but the richest and most luxurious are, shark fin, abalone, sea cucumber, scallops, crab, lobster, squid, and flounder." Mao explained. "These are the Big Eight of Seafood."

"And thus the eight earthenware pots that have a soft boiling touch." Ya Xue realized.

"L-look at the judges!" Shilou gaped, seeing the satisfied expressions on the judges' faces.

"They're so relaxed!" Mao was stunned.

"But the guild leaders are quite picky." Sanche reminded. "They are accustomed to eating the best of the best. So just because he used the Big Eight won't cut it."

"Sanche, have you forgotten?" Ya Xue reminded. "That the most important part of a bun is its skin."

"A bun's skin?" Sanche looked at the herbalist. "But of course!" he remembered. "He used the ultimate yeast that was passed down through 1,600 years of Hakura Clan tradition: Shu Han Old Dough! Buns made with this yeast enhance the savory taste of seafood even more!"

"My legendary buns of the Four Gods combine the special Shu Han Old Dough with the Big Eight of Seafood." Lakon boasted. "They calm down waves from all four directions. This is the legacy of the Hakura Clan, which spans 1,600 years of history! Our specialty bun: the 'Eight Seafood Treasures of the Four Gods' Bun! Who... what's that?" he demanded, hearing a bright chuckling. "Who's mocking the legendary buns of the Hakura Clan?"

"Be quiet for once, gramps." Shell chided. "Don't take this the wrong way, gramps. The one who's laughing about your calming of the spirits and stupid logic is," he tossed one of his golden buns to Lakon. "None other, but my buns!"

"Ridiculous." Lakon scoffed. "Buns, laughing?" he looked at the chuckling bun in his hand.

"Th-they're laughing?" the shocked Mao gaped, seeing the ringing bun that Lakon had dropped onto the floor. "The buns are laughing?!"

"Ludicrous!" Shan snapped. "How can buns laugh?"

"No, it sounds like laughter is coming from the bun's crack." Master Zhang remarked.

"Don't make such a fuss, amateurs!" Lakon retorted. "You can't judge the true quality of the bun solely by the fact that it laughs!" he picked up the bun. "The crack in the side... the use of two saucepans..." he looked at the two woks. "The awkwardly-sculpted dragon... imbecile. I thought you'd put up a good fight against me. And you come up with these pathetic buns?"

"Next, we'll taste Shell's buns!" Shan declared.

"Shell's bun is fried rather than steamed, but it's no use..." Mao muttered.

"Why's that, Mao?" Mei Li asked.

"Well, if he fried it at a high temperature, the flavor of the filling will leech out of the crack during the process." Mao explained.

"That's right!" Lakon agreed. "If you don't have a strong filling, the taste won't be any good! It's just an empty crust. Boy, your laughing bun is just a weird and curious gimmick you concocted. You don't have any right to laugh at the Hakura Clan's legendary Four Gods buns. It's almost painful to watch!"

"Is that so?" Shell grinned and cast a side look at the judges.

"How did Shell make that bun?" Mao wondered, seeing the excited faces of the judges.

"Honored judges, why don't you cut the buns in half?" Shell requested. "Take a peek at what's inside."

"T-This is..." Master Zhang tore open his bun. "This is vermicelli!"

"That's right." Shell nodded. "You want the filling to remain fresh inside the bun. That's why I added vermicelli to absorb and retain all the good sauce."

"I see!" Mao realized. "You used the steak to provide the savory sauce. If you minced the beef, the really good flavor would have dissipated. Therefore..."

"Got it in one, Mao!" Shell cut off the younger chef. "I cooked the beef like a steak to seal in its good taste. Then, I diced it into cubes and placed them inside the bun. Did you get that, gramps?"

"But how did you get the gold sheen?" Mei Li inquired.

"It's egg yolk, right Mao?" Sanche answered.

"That must be it." Mao agreed.

"If you spread egg yolk on the skin, it becomes golden when fried." Shell added. "It enhances the taste of the bun, allowing me to make a deep-fried bun!"

"Child, I'll ask one more thing." Lakon started. "How—"

"How did I make this bun laugh?" Shell finished the question. "That's a good question. I'll tell you, oh King of Dim Sum. The crack was made on purpose. It didn't happen accidentally. First, I make a small incision before cooking. The bun was very flat, so I have to puff it up with something. So I added in some baking powder. Under pressure from high heat, the crack widened when fried. This is why the buns laugh." he showed a piece of diced beef cube. "This is a diced beef cube without any juice left."

"Cubes?" Sanche echoed. "How could those cubes cause the bun to laugh?"

"I got it, Shell!" Mao exclaimed. "The oil floods into the bun through the crack that Shell made. It hardens the cubes, the interior walls of the bun, and the vermicelli. The crack is forced shut by pressure, trapping the juices completely inside the bun. The super-heated juices inside the bun expands into steam."

"And it's the steam causes the laughter!" Ya Xue continued.

"That's right." Mao nodded. "As the steam expands inside the bun, the cubes inside fly around inside like wind chimes. This motion creates a laughing sound that you can hear coming out of the bun's crack."

"This is my golden mouth smile: the 'Golden Laughing Bun'!" Shell declared. "I don't give a whit about the Hakura Clan legend or tradition. Dim sum isn't supposed to be something strict and ancient. It's something to be enjoyed as a snack by everyone, right? Do you see that, Gramps?" he gestured to the guild leaders. "Shanghai's guild leaders are all excited, like little children. Dim sum should be fun just like that, King of Dim Sum!"

"All right. We'll move on to the judging." Shan announced. "Lakon, the King of Dim Sum, has his Eight Seafood Treasures of the Four Gods Buns. Shell, the self-professed Best Super Dim Sum Chef in the continent, has his Golden Laughing Buns."

"There's no need to even compare, Mao-nii." Shilou boasted. "Shell-aniki will win all the votes and the round."

"It looks like this won't be an easy decision, Shilou." Mao pointed out.

"It looks like they can't forget the taste of the King of Dim Sum's four-colored buns." Mei Li noted, seeing the judges' indecisive faces. "This may well be a split decision."

"I'd like the judges to render their verdict now!" Sanche ran to the stage and pushed Shan aside. "Please lift the red spoon if you prefer Steel Stick Shell's buns. Raise the white spoon if you vote for the buns of Lakon, the King of Dim Sum. The judges who vote for Steel Stick Shell, please lift the red spoons now. N-no way!" he muttered when the judges didn't move an inch.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.