The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 236 Li Yuantu's Test
"Thank you uncle!"

Qin Lang accepted the card with a smile, showing no intention of being polite to Cao Wang.

At worst, I can teach Cao Dongdong a few more dishes later.

Even Zhao Qian, who was standing to the side, had a glint in her eyes.

Although there was only one card, according to Cao Wang's words, it was clear that she had a share. Although Zhao Qian's savings were still quite substantial, it would be a great joy to have someone reimburse her for the food expenses.

For a moment, because of this card, Zhao Qian seemed to find Cao Dongdong more pleasing to the eye.

Well, it’s decided!
Next time, I'll skip beating Cao Dongdong a few more times!

Only Cao Dongdong wasn't very interested in the card. He held the boat ticket Cao Wang had given him and examined it. "Departing in four days?"

"If only it could have been earlier."

Although he hadn't wanted Qin Lang to choose to go to Mingjing Prefecture because of him, Qin Lang's decision made him the one who was most looking forward to it.

At this moment, Cao Dongdong wished he could sprout wings and fly to Mingjingzhou immediately to taste all kinds of delicious seafood.

"Slap!" Cao Wang finally lost his temper and slapped Cao Dongdong on the back of the head. "You brat."

"You just got back, can't you spend some time with me and your mom?"

"Uncle is right." Qin Lang smiled. "We've come all this way, so we should definitely stay a few more days."

Cao Wang had bought their boat tickets in advance, which was somewhat unexpected for Qin Lang. Moreover, judging from the timing, Mr. Li Yuantu was traveling with them.

Mr. Li Yuantu is going to Mingjingzhou. The twelfth painting features the "Leaping Fish" cruise ship. Cao Wang asks them to go to Mingjingzhou...

This trip to Mingjingzhou is likely to be very interesting.

A smile appeared in Qin Lang's eyes as he looked at the exquisite pictures printed on the ticket.

Before boarding the ship, all I had to do was…
-
"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"

"Is Mr. Li Yuantu here?"

Qin Lang knocked on the door, called out, and then stood still.

Footsteps came from inside the door, and soon a middle-aged man with gray hair opened the door, his eyes showing a hint of surprise when he saw Qin Lang.

"You are... Qin Lang?"

"Mr. Li Yuantu, do you know me?" Qin Lang blinked.

"The champion of the Tianhua Prefecture Youth Cooking Competition came from Dongxia City. If I, as the president of the Dongxia City Royal Chef Association, knew nothing about it, then I would be far too incompetent." Li Yuantu smiled slightly and turned to the side.

"come in."

"Sorry to bother you." Qin Lang strode into the room and immediately saw a large display case with various trophies and medals on it.

Inside, Qin Lang even saw a trophy with the same design as the one he won in the cooking competition, except it was the runner-up trophy.

Just by seeing the wall full of honors, Qin Lang instantly realized that Mr. Li Yuantu, a Level 2 Food Recommender, had very high culinary skills.

Following Qin Lang's gaze to the honors displayed on the wall, Li Yuantu smiled and said, "These are all from my younger days."

"I keep it now and look at it occasionally; it's a kind of memory."

At this point, Li Yuantu turned to look at Qin Lang, "Actually, I had heard your name from Song Hui and Zhou Qing before the cooking competition."

"Both Song Hui and Zhou Qing have praised you highly."

"That's because my seniors think highly of me," Qin Lang said with a modest smile.

“They think highly of you because your cooking skills are good enough to impress them.” Li Yuantu shook his head and chuckled. “I’ve also heard about Pang Long and you. That guy is blind and has suppressed many talented chefs.”

"But now, he has received the punishment he deserved."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lang remained silent.

While the original owner's talent was indeed lacking, it can't be said that Pang Long was blind to talent. At most, he was just unlucky to have encountered Qin Lang, who had transmigrated from another world.

“Yesterday, Zhou Qing told me that a young man wants to be assessed by me. He didn’t say who it is, but he said I would definitely be interested in this young man.” Li Yuantu smiled as he said this.

"So I was a little surprised to see you come, but not so surprised."

"Your timing is quite convenient. If it had been any later, I would have had to go on a business trip to Mingjing Prefecture, and I probably wouldn't be back for a month or two. In that case, you would have had to find another Level 2 Food Recommender to take the exam."

"No, not at all." Qin Lang smiled. "I'm also going to Mingjing Prefecture next, and if nothing unexpected happens, I'll be on the same ship as you."

"Hmm?" Li Yuantu was somewhat surprised. "That's quite a coincidence."

“In that case, let’s get straight to the point.” Li Yuantu smiled. “I suddenly thought of an interesting test question.”

Qin Lang's lips twitched slightly.

Having seen the test questions Li Yuantu gave to the other spirit chefs, he didn't think that the test questions Li Yuantu found interesting were anything serious.

However, he certainly wouldn't voice these thoughts. Instead, he took a deep breath, nodded to Li Yuantu, and said, "I'm ready."

Since we're both going to be traveling on the 'Leaping Fish' cruise ship...

Li Yuantu paused slightly, then said, "So, before the 'Leaping Fish' cruise ship reaches its final destination, Leaping Fish Lake, let's use the sights and sounds of this trip as inspiration for our cooking and create a dish that will satisfy me."

"Eh?"

Qin Lang was somewhat surprised, but then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

The "Leap Fish" is a sightseeing cruise ship, so it will not reach its destination at the fastest speed, but will sail at a steady speed most suitable for sightseeing, and will make temporary stops at some sightseeing docks along the way.

The entire voyage took seven days.

This means that Qin Lang has seven days to prepare for the exam.

There was plenty of time to prepare, but the exam itself was uncertain, because Li Yuantu's requirement was to "use the sights and sounds of this journey as inspiration for cooking," and Qin Lang had no idea what they would encounter during the voyage.

Since he would be traveling with Li Yuantu on this trip, it was impossible for him to simply offer Li Yuantu a dish to fool him.

The food he ultimately creates must be related to his experiences on this trip.

In addition, another important point is…

The food must satisfy Li Yuantu.

Although Qin Lang had always easily gained the approval of food recommenders before, he was really unsure of himself this time.

Because the person standing in front of him was no longer a Level 1 food recommender, but a Level 2 food recommender with profound culinary skills.

Qin Lang had no doubt that the other person's cooking skills were superior to his.

In this situation, it's not easy to satisfy the other party.

嗏

The more difficult the situation, the more excited Qin Lang became.

The last time he was this excited was during the final showdown with Du Ziyan in the cooking competition.

After that duel, Qin Lang clearly felt that his cooking skills, which had just reached the top-tier standard of his previous life, showed signs of further improvement.

The door to even greater culinary skills is opening for him.

and so…

“No problem!” Qin Lang said firmly.

"I accept your test!"

(End of this chapter)