The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 542 When people do bad things, they always…

Upon hearing Qin Lang's words, Du Ziyan and Dai Lan were both taken aback.

The former was the first to react, showing a look of sudden realization.

"No wonder I couldn't find you anywhere in the streets and alleys. Turns out you didn't have a stall at all."

“Indeed, the rules of Enjoy Moments do not require you to choose the stall method.” Dylan, who was standing next to him, looked thoughtful. “It’s just that for most participants, setting up a stall is the most convenient and effective method.”

“That restaurant has some connection with my friend,” Qin Lang smiled. “Their business isn’t doing too well right now, so I’m just taking this opportunity to lend them a hand.”

"Everyone else is setting up stalls, so we'll switch to a different track ticket."

"You really don't follow the usual path." Du Ziyan shook his head, somewhat disappointed that the grand spectacle of the three-on-one sparring would not be repeated.

"Don't worry, there will be other opportunities later." Seeing through Du Ziyan's thoughts, Qin Lang patted him on the shoulder and then suddenly smiled.

"We're already so familiar with each other, could you pack two more meals for me?"

"I'll let my friend try it later."

The two naturally wouldn't refuse Qin Lang's small request.

After quickly finishing the other two meals, packing them up and handing them to Qin Lang, the two ignored Qin Lang and continued their sparring.

Although Du Ziyan is currently in the lead, the difference in the number of signatures between the two is too small, and there is a possibility that he could be overtaken at any time, while Dai Lan is going all out to overtake him.

The sparring between the two had reached a fever pitch.

After holding the food and looking at it for a while, Qin Lang smiled and turned to leave.

Soon, he saw Zhao Qian and Cao Dongdong, who were also queuing up to buy other food, at the agreed meeting place.

"Qin Lang, you're a bit slow!" Cao Dongdong chuckled.

"I ran into two acquaintances." Qin Lang briefly explained the situation of Du Ziyan and Dai Lan setting up a sparring match. "How are things going for you two?"

"I found a stall with a shorter queue," Zhao Qian said, showing off her packed food. "But the feedback from customers who have tried this stall is very positive."

"I've tried it myself, and it suits my taste perfectly. It's just that the flavor might be a little niche, so not as many people want to try it as at other stalls."

“That’s right, I just don’t like it.” Cao Dongdong couldn’t help but speak up.

"Let me try it." Qin Lang took the pancake-like food that Zhao Qian handed him, took a bite, and then his expression became strange. "So that's how it is."

"It seems that the stall owner is someone who likes to eat houttuynia cordata."

Houttuynia cordata, an ingredient with a rather unique flavor, is indeed relatively niche. People either love it or hate it, and some might even gag after eating it.

Qin Lang couldn't accept eating it as a cold dish, but he could accept it if it was just added to the ingredients, like cilantro and scallions.

After taking a bite, he handed the wrap to Egg and Spicy, who had curiously come over.

"You two should try some too."

"Gurgle...gurgle?!"

After taking a bite, Danbao's expression became noticeably strange, as if he wanted to spit it out but was also reluctant to do so.

Spicy, on the other hand, cheered after taking a bite.

"It seems that even food spirits have different appetites." Qin Lang smiled and turned to look at Cao Dongdong beside him. "What did you buy?"

"I packed a dessert, you should try it!" Cao Dongdong held up his takeout bag, his face showing a hint of pride.

"Dessert?" Qin Lang was a little surprised. "This isn't your style!"

Although Cao Dongdong currently only has talent in desserts and pastries, if he were to choose one to taste from among many delicacies, he would most likely not choose desserts.

“You don’t understand.” Cao Dongdong shook his head. “This dessert is different.” “How could it be different?” Qin Lang said casually, then picked up the dessert that looked a bit like a small cake, scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his mouth.

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

Because when he made the gesture of tasting it, both Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian showed the same expression of great anticipation.

It is said that people are surprisingly in sync when they do bad things.

and so…

Something's wrong with this cake!
With a sense of caution, Qin Lang, who had originally planned to take a spoonful at a time, only carefully dipped some into his lips and licked it.

Then, a pungent smell suddenly burst forth from the top of the head.

"Cough-cough-"

Qin Lang coughed violently, covering his nose, and looked at Cao Dongdong with a fierce glint in his eyes. "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson."

"They actually added wasabi to the cake secretly?"

"I'm innocent!" Cao Dongdong quickly raised his hands, looking completely innocent. "This is really the delicious food I bought after queuing up!"

"I think the word 'gourmet food' should be in quotation marks," Zhao Qian scoffed. "Do you really think a dessert stall like this will do any business?"

"I strongly suspect that you chose a stall with no line because you were lazy!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Dongdong fell silent.

If what Zhao Qian said is true, then forget it.

But the key point is...

"That stall had a really long line of people!"

"This time I trust Dongdong." Qin Lang said, suppressing a laugh. "This dessert looks quite exquisite, at least it's very convincing on the outside."

"Didn't you all expect me to try it before? Perhaps many diners had the same idea and tricked their friends into queuing up to try it."

"Everyone has a herd mentality. When they see a long queue, more people will want to join the queue, so those who have been burned before start to cooperate tacitly."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qian and Cao Dongdong's expressions simultaneously became quite interesting.

Considering their own actions just now, everything makes sense.

"But what exactly is that stall owner after?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but wonder. "Does anyone really eat this cake and then sign it for him?"

"Who knows?" Qin Lang smiled. "There are always some people in this world who have ideas that are different from ordinary people."

"A food festival is a platform for food exchange and a grand event for the collision of flavors. Perhaps not every participant comes here to win a prize."

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Qin Lang glanced at the time.

"We should head back to the kitchen of Haibawang Restaurant."
-
"call--"

In the hotel room, Cao Dongdong collapsed onto the large sofa in the living room, exhausted. "Today was truly exhausting."

"This is my first time working in a hotel kitchen," Zhao Qian said, sitting on another sofa. "It feels no easier than running a street stall."

"You guys are actually doing alright." Qin Lang chuckled as he looked at the two of them, exhausted. "Chef Qin actually told us to come back early today."

"If you have to do the daily cleaning in the kitchen after a busy day, that's really tiring." Qin Lang said this with a hint of sigh.

"The moment of indulgence is over. Let's see who advances."

(End of this chapter)