A Bite of Douluo Continent

Old Zhang jumped, coughed lightly to make way, and gave Yu Qinghong a "good luck" look, "Sister-in-law, you're here. It's nothing, we were just joking, hahaha..."

As Lao Zhang stepped aside, a middle-aged woman dressed in simple clothes slowly walked out. Her delicate features showed the marks of time, but her well-maintained fair skin still revealed the stunning beauty she had possessed in her youth.

“Ah Ting, we might be heading to Shrek City again tomorrow.” Yu Qinghong’s expression turned strange. “Just like last time, that culinary master is going to give a public cooking demonstration.”

Because he hadn't mentioned his daughter's relationship with Qi Han to his wife before, Yu Qinghong still referred to Qi Han as the "Master Chef" in front of her.

"He's only been back for less than twenty days, and he's already giving a public lecture?" The woman frowned slightly, looking at Yu Qinghong suspiciously, then her gaze shifted to the burly man with the thick beard. "Old Zhang, did you take my Ah Hong to some place you shouldn't have gone, and are you using this as an excuse?"

"Really not!" The burly man with the thick beard patted his head, looking completely innocent.

Although he was indeed a bit of a flirt when he was young, he now has a family, so why would he go to such disreputable places?

Yu Qinghong coughed lightly, stepped forward and took his wife's hand, "A-Ting, don't wrong Lao Zhang, he really is an open professor."

After saying that, he suddenly remembered something and pointed to Yu Zhifeng beside him, "Xiaofeng went last time too, you can ask him if you don't believe me."

The woman's gaze fell on Yu Zhifeng.

"Mom, it really is me going to learn cooking." Yu Zhifeng nodded earnestly, his expression incredibly sincere.

"Then..." The woman hesitated for a moment, then looked at Yu Qinghong, "Can I go this time too?"

She was still a little worried.

The last time my husband and son left home, they were gone for more than 20 days. Now they've only been back for a short while and they're going out again.

“Okay, no problem.” Yu Qinghong nodded without hesitation.

He hadn't done anything wrong, so he wasn't afraid of his wife going with him.

This is perfect, as it also allows my wife, who missed out on the delicious dishes of the Cold Food Festival last time, to have a taste as well.

After all, my wife also loves food.

The former most beautiful woman in Lingluo City was attracted to me precisely because of my cooking skills, wasn't she?

and…

Yu Qinghong thought of the dish called Peony Fish Slices.

If my wife could eat one of these pills, would she regain her youthful beauty?

That dish is only available once a month. According to the promotional material, there's a full month to prepare for this one, so we should be able to wait for it eventually.

Thinking of this, Yu Qinghong suddenly felt more tempted.

Although she didn't know what Yu Qinghong was thinking, Mu Xinting felt a little relieved when she saw that Yu Qinghong readily agreed to go with her.

It seems that things are not as I thought.

That's true. After so many years of marriage, Ah Hong has always been a dutiful person.

"Then you guys pack your things, I'll go inform the others and call a car tonight. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning." The burly man with the thick beard laughed heartily. "That should allow us to make it in time for lunch on Hanshi Festival. I'll be going now!"

After saying that, the burly man with the thick beard waved his hand and left the kitchen.

Yu Qinghong breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It seems my strategy of changing the subject worked. A-Ting didn't bring up Old Zhang's joking remark about his future son-in-law again, otherwise... I wouldn't have been able to explain myself.

As for the wife discovering her daughter's unusual behavior after arriving in Shrek City... well, let the daughter explain it to A-Ting herself then.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, his wife's voice suddenly came from beside him, making Yu Qinghong's heart tighten instantly.

"By the way, what did Old Zhang mean by 'future son-in-law'?" The woman frowned slightly, looking at Yu Qinghong with suspicion. "Does my daughter have someone she likes?"

"Ahem." Yu Zhifeng coughed lightly, quickly got up and walked towards the backyard. "Mom and Dad, I need to start cultivating now. You two can chat."

I have a feeling my dad's in trouble, so I'd better get out of here and save him some face...

As Yu Zhifeng left, the woman seemed to understand something, turning her head to glare fiercely at Yu Qinghong, "So you were hiding something from me, weren't you?"

"No, no, Ah Ting, listen to me..." Yu Qinghong gave an awkward smile, inwardly cursing Yu Zhifeng, this filial son who had let his father down, "It's like this..."

…ten minutes later…

Mu Xinting silently climbed up Yu Qinghong's waist, skillfully twisting the soft flesh there. Seeing Yu Qinghong wince in pain, a pang of heartache flashed in her eyes, but she said fiercely, "You knew about our daughter having a sweetheart more than ten days ago, but you didn't tell me a single word?"

“No… Ah Ting, it’s not even close to being official yet, the two of them aren’t even together.” Yu Qinghong said helplessly, “What if I told you, and they didn’t end up together? That would be so awkward.”

"That won't do either. It'll be too late if you wait until we're together to tell me!" Mu Xinting's eyes were filled with deep wariness. "I have to go see him tomorrow to see if that kid really has ulterior motives. I don't trust your judgment of people!"

"Alright, alright," Yu Qinghong said, both amused and exasperated. "Anyway, you're coming with me tomorrow, so we'll see when the time comes."

Mu Xinting looked at Yu Qinghong, who was still rubbing his lower back, and asked, "Does it hurt?"

“…It doesn’t hurt,” Yu Qinghong said helplessly.

“When we were young, it would hurt if I pinched you.” Mu Xinting sighed softly. “Sure enough, we’re both getting old. I’m getting weaker and weaker, but your skin is getting thicker and thicker.”

Yu Qinghong: "..."

I'm just more tolerant now, okay?!

"Pfft."

Seeing her husband's speechless expression, Mu Xinting chuckled and put her arm around his shoulder. "Alright, darling, let's go back to the room. I'll... apply the medicine for you."

"okay!"

Upon hearing the words "apply medicine," Yu Qinghong's eyes lit up instantly.

The tacit understanding between the couple for over twenty years is not as simple as it sounds.

...

The evening's lecture ended quickly, and Qi Han returned to his room, sitting on the edge of the bed without lying down.

It's impossible for Ye Lingqing to master a two-star recipe in one night. Tonight, Qi Han only taught him a relatively simple dish: shredded pork with garlic sauce. Even so, it would probably take him more than ten days to fully master this dish.

This is even after Ye Lingqing had already mastered a large number of one-star recipes and had been helping Qi Han in the kitchen every day, gaining considerable experience in various two-star dishes through observation and exposure.

If a chef with little experience were to directly attempt a two-star recipe, it would take much longer.

At this rate, it would take several months to complete side quest eighteen and have Ye Lingqing master ten two-star recipes.

Therefore, Qi Han had already decided that in order to speed up the process, he would no longer need Ye Lingqing to assist him.

During business hours, Ye Lingqing can practice cooking on the other side of the kitchen.

This way, you'll have more time to practice, and your speed will naturally increase.

Leaning against the edge of the bed, Qi Han took out the love knot, looked at the dull jade pendant, and his eyes were filled with longing.

Yu Lianxin, what are you doing right now?

Should we trigger the Heart Knot and ask a question?

Just as Qi Han was about to inject his soul power to trigger the Heart Knot, the Heart Knot in his hand suddenly lit up.

...

In the quiet room, Yu Lianxin finished her meditation and washed up. She sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the love knot that Qi Han had given her, her eyes filled with longing.

What is he doing right now?

I'll ask.

While we're at it, let's try out how to use this love knot.

Thinking of this, Yu Lianxin poured her soul power into the Love Knot without hesitation. As the Love Knot lit up, she coughed lightly and asked, "Qi Han... are you asleep?"

Before long, the love knot began to shimmer slightly, and another voice came from within it.

It was Qi Han's voice.

"Not yet, what are you doing right now?"

Hearing her beloved's voice, Yu Lianxin's face flushed slightly, and her legs subconsciously tightened, the soft flesh on her thighs slowly pressing against the blanket covering her waist. "I just finished washing up and am getting ready to sleep."

“Me too.” Qi Han’s laughter came quickly from the other end of the love knot. “I just finished teaching Ye Lingqing how to cook shredded pork with garlic sauce, and I’m about to go to sleep now. It’s quite a coincidence, I was just about to use the love knot to send you a message when I received your message.”

"Hmm..." Yu Lianxin gently placed the love knot on her heart, a smile on her face. "Perhaps this is what it means to be in sync with someone."

"Definitely." Qi Han's tone was very certain, and he continued, "Will you come to the shop for lunch tomorrow?"

"Let me think..." Yu Lianxin thought about tomorrow's arrangements and said with a smile, "I don't have anything else to do tomorrow, so I will definitely come."

"That's good." Qi Han's voice carried a hint of amusement and anticipation.

"What's wrong?" Yu Lianxin asked curiously.

"I've prepared a special meal for you tomorrow at noon," Qi Han said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll like it."

"Okay!" Yu Lianxin's eyelashes curved. "I'm starting to look forward to it."

"Let's sleep together now~" Qi Han's voice was exceptionally gentle.

"Okay, then... goodnight, my boyfriend."

Goodnight, my girlfriend.

The light of the love knot slowly faded and dimmed. Yu Lianxin held the love knot in her hands and pressed it against her heart. With a satisfied smile on her face, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 577 The Precious Pearl of the Dining Realm

The next morning, Qi Han got out of bed early.

Perhaps because he had said goodnight to Yu Lianxin last night, Qi Han felt that he slept exceptionally well this time.

So after waking up and quickly washing up, Qi Han left a message for Yu Lianxin in the Heart Knot, and then quickly entered the system space.

After being promoted to senior chef, the time flow in the training space has increased to 480 times. This means that what used to take about a month to train a four-star recipe can now be completed in about half a month.

The ever-growing pile of four-star recipes finally made it possible to master them quickly.

With this in mind, Qi Han did not hesitate to choose the four-star recipe: Precious Pearl, and stepped into the realm of food.

As the white light dissipated and his consciousness returned to his body, Qi Han began to slowly survey his surroundings through the eyes of the body's owner.

This is a very clean and tidy kitchen. Such a clean and spacious kitchen would only have appeared in wealthy households in ancient times.

However, the body's clothing did not resemble that of a wealthy young man; rather, it resembled that of a servant.