Chapter 409: A Test (Two)
Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
"We have dined and wined. So we are leaving now." Along with Zhou Shijie's salutation, Yuan Zhou also stood up.
"See you." Yuan Zhou looked at Chu Xiao and nodded his head slightly, saying that.
"See you next time." Chu Xiao also nodded calmly.
Then, the footsteps of "Ta Ta Ta" sounded while Yuan Zhou walked out of the door after Zhou Shijie.
"Hooo." Only then did Andrew became relieved.
"Clear the dinnerware away." Chu Xiao signaled the waitress that waited for his instructions at the side.
"Head chef, can you take me along with you when you go to China next time?" Andrew followed Chu Xiao step by step and said that after quite a while.
"Give me a reason." Without turning his head, Chu Xiao asked straightforwardly.
"I want to witness if that guy who is as tasteful as you can cook well enough for that elegant taste." Andrew spoke with elegant French.
He sounded fairly sincere and natural, without any hint of fawning over Chu Xiao.
"Sure." Chu Xiao nodded his head and agreed.
"Thank you so much, head chef." Andrew made a gesture of victory secretly without a trace.
On the other side, Zhou Shijie and Yuan Zhou had set out for China after they attended the new dish release conference.
"Little Yuan, do you have any thoughts during your trip here?" Zhou Shijie asked in high spirits.
"Yes. That chef called Felix and the vegetable garden that he took us to visit was quite impressive." When Zhou Shijie asked Yuan Zhou about that, Yuan Zhou thought of the person naturally.
It was the second day of the exchange and coincidentally, this Felix was a friend of Zhou Shijie's disciple. So, after he guided them to savor the new dishes, he also invited them to visit his own vegetable garden enthusiastically.
It was also the source of the food ingredients used for the new dishes.
Felix's vegetable garden was about 1.5 hours' drive from his restaurant. It was about 1.2 hectares large and was managed very well.
"Are these vegetables all planted by himself?" Yuan Zhou asked curiously.
Zhou Shijie's disciple translated for them consciously at the side.
"No, I hire people to look after them. Occasionally, I also come to take care of them personally." Felix answered enthusiastically.
"Do you always pick them one day earlier when you need them?" Yuan Zhou continued asking.
"Of course. The vegetables will be fresher that way." Felix nodded his head.
Then, they continued to follow him and visit the garden. He also raised some small animals in the estate for food.
"Why this one?" Zhou Shijie asked curiously.
"I can see the quality of the vegetables and ingredients personally." Yuan Zhou said earnestly.
"That is indeed so. It feels more private." Zhou Shijie nodded.
"But there are also these kinds of restaurants in our hometown. You can even pick the vegetables by yourself and cook them on site." Zhou Shijie continued saying.
Then, the two people started to chat about this topic.
They changed a flight, waited, and then took off. Time passed very soon. As soon as they arrived at the Beijing international airport, Yuan Zhou couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Um. It's still the same taste, full of the exhaust and haze. What a familiar taste!" Yuan Zhou said expressionlessly.
"Haw-haw. It's indeed so." Zhou Shijie also nodded his head with a smile.
"Let's move. We still have a long way to go." Zhou Shijie said while pointing at the car in front of them.
The plane took off again. It had been 11:00 p.m. when they arrived in Chengdu.
The midnight bell sounded exactly when Yuan Zhou stood at the crossroads of the side street.
"Hua La Hua La".
There was only the sound of his suitcase moving on the ground in the silent street. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the distance.
"What's that?" Yuan Zhou became astounded and paused a little while before he continued walking forward.
"Woof woof." It was the dog barking.
Yuan Zhou walked closer and then got relieved, "It turns out to be you. Why didn't you go guard the restaurant since it's so late?"
It was Broth that stood in front of him. He barked at Yuan Zhou with a low voice.
Although his voice was filled with happiness, he just squatted and kept unmoving there. He gazed at Yuan Zhou silently with his black eyes and didn't even wag his tail.
"Are you still so prideful? You are a dog. Is it really difficult for you to wag your tail to welcome me?" Having relaxed himself, Yuan Zhou became talkative. He pointed at the motionless tail of Broth and started to ridicule.
In response to him, however, Broth just stood up and then turned and left as if he were leading the way. He totally paid no attention to Yuan Zhou's request.
"Ok, fine. It's a fake dog that can't wag its tail." Yuan Zhou looked at the arrogant manner of the dog in front of him and couldn't help ridiculing.
Broth was naturally leading Yuan Zhou to the back door of the restaurant. He didn't stop until they walked to the back door.
He squatted at his empty bowl and didn't walk anymore.
"What the f*ck! I thought you came out to greet me. But it seems you came to tell me you are hungry." Yuan Zhou supported his forehead and said helplessly.
Then, Broth sat by the bowl and stayed silent while looking at Yuan Zhou. Along with the curled fur on the face and the black eyes, he appeared quite lovable.
"Understood. I will carry the food out for you later. You must have evolved into a human." Though Yuan Zhou was ridiculing, he looked very happy.
It was also a warmth to have Broth waiting for him, a warmth from the hairy dog, even if it did that for a bowl of broth.
"Ka La", the door was unlocked.
"Pa"
He switched on the light. Without any change, the kitchen was still how it had been.
As for the dust, Yuan Zhou didn't worry about that at all after he got the system.
"It's still the same as before." Yuan Zhou smiled a lot more than usual tonight.
"So much dust on me. Let me first wash up and then cook the midnight snack." Looking at the familiar kitchenware, Yuan Zhou had an impulsion to cook immediately, but he still controlled himself from doing that.
"Dong Dong Dong", Yuan Zhou picked up the suitcase and went upstairs quickly to wash up. After that, he changed clothes and came downstairs to cook.
"Clear Broth Noodle Soup plus a fried egg." Yuan Zhou opened the cabinet and immediately decided what to eat.
While the broth was being boiled, Yuan Zhou also kneaded the noodles. After throwing them into the broth, he started to fry the egg at once.
Yuan Zhou shook the egg slightly and then broke it into the pan. Instantly, the oil sizzled.
The scorching aroma of the egg filled the air.
"It's so fragrant!" Yuan Zhou didn't wear the face mask this time. He just cooked his midnight snack freely and naturally like that.
A bowl of Clear Broth Noodle Soup didn't require much time. Therefore, Yuan Zhou completed the cooking very soon and started to eat.
The system suddenly came to join in the fun.
The system displayed, "The requirements for a test has been reached. The second test hereby commences."
[A Second Test] to cook five dishes whose name is different from the dish itself
[Test Reward] Whenever you finish one, you can get all ingredients required by the dish.
"Huh? The name being inconsistent with the dish itself?" Yuan Zhou repeated once with curiosity.
The system displayed, "Yes."
"Does the Frog Cake① count?" Yuan Zhou suddenly thought of the food.
The system displayed, "It can be one."
...
① Frog Cake is a local snack in Li'jing District of Yun'nan Province. It's a kind of thick flour-made pancake with stuffings (meat or vegetables) inside, which looks like the mouth of a frog.