Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 198 - 197: What Cooking Conveys

Chapter 198: Chapter 197: What Cooking Conveys

News of Xia Yu and the Four Palace Food Competition spread quickly, as many students had witnessed the argument.

In the afternoon, amidst the whispers of a group of students and the peculiar looks from the reviewing instructors, the team of Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto managed to pass their assignment with difficulty.

"Qualified!"

Sigh.

As the dish they served was acknowledged by the instructors, both Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto heaved a sigh of relief.

If they had received another "unqualified," even if Chef Shigong didn’t deal with them, they would still have faced misfortune with another instructor.

They hurriedly returned to the Far Moon Palace and took the elevator to the hotel’s main kitchen.

As the two entered the kitchen, they immediately saw Xia Yu, who was busy at the counter.

In fact, Xia Yu had also just arrived, as his assignment had just finished, and his female chauffeur, Liangzi Lina, was unusually accompanying him in the kitchen, standing quietly beside him with sunglasses on.

"Nine Treasures French Vegetable Freeze?"

Seeing the nine types of vegetables on the counter and the pot set up on the stove simmering French stock, Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto exchanged glances.

"Yo, you’re here too—"

A vibrant voice filled the kitchen as Xingping Chuangzhen walked in.

"Xingping, why are you here too?" Xiao Hui and Makoto were taken aback.

"Instructor Xia called me here," Chuangzhen responded with a puzzled expression.

Xia Yu kept busy by himself, with Liangzi Lina turning into his assistant.

Soon, Tanaka Hikari, Morioka Makoto, and Xingping Chuangzhen all wore serious expressions, feeling indescribable. Although they were following the same recipe, Xia Yu was combining several steps in the process, especially when handling knives with both hands—that sight made people twitch.

Under the streamlined and combined operations, the seemingly complex Western cuisine was smoothly completed by Xia Yu in one go.

After neatly arranging the sliced vegetables in a Tupperware with cabbage, he poured in the French stock, covered it with the cabbage, and closed the Tupperware’s lid before placing it in the refrigerator.

Looking at the time, Xia Yu turned his head, though he had streamlined the process, it still had taken almost an hour.

The time was just past six in the evening.

"Wait for an hour," he glanced at Tanaka Hikari, Morioka Makoto, and Xingping Chuangzhen who had arrived.

"Uh."

Tanaka Hikari couldn’t help but whisper softly, "Instructor Xia, weren’t you supposed to guide us in cooking?"

"Guide?"

Xia Yu shook his head. "The Four Palace’s ’Nine Treasures French Vegetable Freeze’ recipe is perfect. Just follow the recipe for the assignment. I have nothing extra to point out to you...but..."

He paused, smiled, and looked seriously at Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto.

"Bring out your unique qualities, prove your worth!"

"Our unique qualities?"

Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto pondered.

"What’s my unique quality?" Xingping Makoto scratched his head and asked.

"Your unique quality... is that you have no unique quality!" Xia Yu shrugged.

"Ah?"

Xingping was stunned.

Xia Yu pointed at his head. "Learn, comprehend."

"Do you think it’s very ordinary? It’s a quality everyone has. But if you can take the most common quality and push it to its limit, it can also top the most talented chefs in cooking."

Knock, knock.

Just then, another figure approached the kitchen. A graceful silhouette stood at the open door, tapping on it.

All eyes turned, and to their surprise, it was ’Divine Tongue’ Eriina.

Her chest was slightly heaving, likely rushing over after hearing the news, with her blond hair slightly disheveled and tiny beads of sweat hidden among the strands.

"Eriina?" Xia Yu exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

At that, the ’Divine Tongue,’ with urgency and a hint of anger in her eyes, stood before him, staring intensely at him, "Is it true, the rumor about your Food Duel with Senior Shigong?"

She glanced at Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto, though she already had her answer.

"Yes."

"Why!"

Lina’s chest heaved more noticeably. Her lips quivered, but in the end, she didn’t spit out those breathless curses. Instead, she forcefully held her breath and said, "Senior Shigong and Si Yingshi are simply not on the same level!"

"Although your culinary skills have improved dramatically after the Food Duel with Si Yingshi, there’s still a distance from Senior Shigong, the top graduate of the 79th class..."

This time, Lina actually used gentler words to demonstrate the gap between Xia Yu and Shigong Xiaoci Lang.

Still a distance?

To Xia Yu, it sounded odd, and it made her want to laugh.

Such euphemistic statements, could they really come from Lina, with the ’Demon King’s blood’ flowing in her veins?

Domineering, cold, and so on.

That was Far Moon students’ impression of this young girl.

"I know I’m behind Chef Shigong, but isn’t the Food Duel more interesting because it’s about ’overcoming the superior’?" Xia Yu’s lips curled into an excited smile, "Honestly, I look forward to facing Chef Shigong!"

"... "

That expression, when it fell into Lina’s eyes, left her opening her mouth, not knowing what to say anymore.

Should she return Xia Yu’s "ignorant and arrogant" comment she had told Yashan Liang the afternoon before? But Lina found that within her heart, there still lingered a trace of hope, a fantasy.

What if he won by chance?

This thought crossed her mind and even Lina was startled by it.

Subsequently, the hotel kitchen was steeped in mysterious silence.

About an hour passed.

"Done!"

Xia Yu turned and retrieved the ’Nine Treasures French Vegetable Freeze’ he had prepared earlier from the refrigerator. It was nearly seven o’clock in the evening; he inverted the precisely formed French freeze from its container onto a ceramic plate, adorning the edge of the plate with prepared mayonnaise.

Plating was just so simple, in a rush.

Using a sharp knife, he sliced the French freeze into rings, took several clean forks, and placed them on the dinner plates. "Everyone, try this."

"It’s just a very ordinary French freeze..."

The dish’s appearance had no unique aspects. Lina was the first to reach out, gripping a fork and spearing a small piece of French freeze, she threw it into her mouth. Then her eyes suddenly widened, "What is going on!"

Others followed her lead and tasted it too.

"Umm—"

As the French freeze entered her mouth, Hikari Tanaka tensed her body, desperately suppressing the urge to shout from her chest.

Whoosh.

The view suddenly broadened; it was no longer the hotel kitchen.

The sky was adorned with a proud sun, its warmth bathing her.

A colorful world!

Hikari looked around, her small face filled with the excitement of stumbling into a dreamy world.

Buildings were made of vegetable jellies, and a distant waterfall cascaded down as a refreshing French consommé.

Vegetable juices from asparagus, cucumbers, and okras constantly fell from the sky as small jellies, melting upon contact with the skin the moment they touched.

Within just a few seconds, Hikari was dyed in multicolor by the vegetable jellies. She felt an unprecedented relaxation of body and mind, the entire colorful world seemingly echoing with her mother’s voice, repeatedly giving instructions and admonitions.

"It’s just a very ordinary French freeze!"

A frantic voice came from nearby.

Lina was also encapsulated by the vegetable jellies, but she wasn’t as composed as Hikari, struggling with both hands and feet, faintly recalling some indescribably shameful experiences.

"So warm—"

Makoto Morioka smiled.

At that moment, she suddenly felt at peace.

Although Xia Yu had never spoken any encouraging words to her, what Makoto felt in his dish was a sensation of being tightly wrapped by a warm palm.

When Hikari Tanaka and Makoto Morioka opened their eyes.

"Do you understand now?"

"Affection is the chef’s sharpest weapon!"

"Prove it with this trait!"