Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 467 - 466: "Golden Smile" (Part 1)

Chapter 467: Chapter 466: "Golden Smile" (Part 1)

"Mission settled, 100% completion."

"The golden recipe ’Golden Smile’ has been added to the backpack."

Phew.

Xia Yu, who had just fastened his seatbelt and sat in the cabin seat, sighed with relief.

Seven days of effort had indeed borne fruit.

Even the stubborn ninth seat ’Alchemist’ Rui Shan Zhi Jin Ye had turned into his loyal follower.

Although he wasn’t sure how long this loyalty would last, having passed the system evaluation and achieved mission completion, Xia Yu didn’t dwell on Rui Shan’s loyalty. If this guy became disobedient, Xia Yu would have enough time to deal with him after returning from Hokkaido.

A fragrant breeze lingered around him.

His aunt Zhu Qing, sitting with elegantly crossed legs, had both ears plugged with in-ear headphones, gently humming and singing along as she listened to her music with closed eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Xia Yu thought back to when he checked his aunt’s suitcase before departure. It was full of peculiar martial-artist-style clothing, but to assume this cheap aunt was out of style based on her attire would be a big mistake. From her headphones to her phone, everything was brand-name and trendy.

Turning his head to glance at the back row, he saw Dojima Yin and Tiqie Zongwei sitting there, conversing quietly with serious expressions. The elderly professor Roland Chapele sat alone, gazing out the window at the passing white clouds, eyes as deep as a pool.

Across the aisle, a hostile glare met his eyes.

Tiqie Helinai had actually come along.

Of course, she was just an accompanying member, primarily to learn and gain experience.

The fifth top chef of the competition team was Tiqie Leonora, Alice’s mother. She was a beautiful woman with long, waist-length silver hair, wearing an elegant violet gown full of mature charm.

She was softly laughing to comfort the agitated Eriina. Originally, according to the seating arrangement, Aunt Zhu Qing’s seat was hers. Eriina dared not be angry with a Lin Chef, so her frustration was directed wholesale at the innocent Xia Yu.

But Xia Yu had long been immune to the little girl’s tantrums.

"Hmm, sitting idly is still sitting idly. Let’s first connect to the Chef God Space and check the difficulty of ’Golden Smile’!"

And so, having just boarded the plane, Xia Yu immersed himself in the world of food once again, not resting for even a moment.

...

About two hours later.

At Sapporo Chitose Airport, the group exited the airport, greeted by the regional manager of Far Moon Group’s Sapporo district, personally driving a low-key business car to pick them up.

In the car, looking around the road leaving the airport, one could see taxis full of passengers.

Not long after, the road soon experienced a huge traffic jam.

Todai Youji, the regional manager, slowly moved the car forward, explaining with a bitter smile to Dojima Yin in the passenger seat, "President Dojima, you might not know this, but the traffic jams on routes near the airport started about a week ago. Moreover, in the past two or three days, all the hotels and resorts of our group in Sapporo have been fully booked, and we receive countless room reservation calls every day..."

In a few days, it would be the end of September and the beginning of October, and because of the rumored Chef Tools Championship, Sapporo would become the focus of global attention. Therefore, the massive influx of tourists from around the world was foreseeable.

Dojima Yin thought for a moment, then turned to Xia Yu, who was resting with his eyes closed, and said,

"Instructor Xia, where would you like to stay? We have three options to choose from. The first is a retreat in the Ishikari District, on a mountain to the east of Sapporo. It’s relatively remote, with fields at the foot of the mountain, a park and shrine nearby, and even a golf course exclusively for the retreat..."

Xia Yu opened his eyes and interrupted,

"Is there a place closer to the city yet relatively quiet?"

"That would be the third option," Dojima Yin replied with a smile. "The Ookura Mountain Villa near the west district. Both of the large competition venues for the championship are nearby." He winked and continued, "Oh, and there’s a nearby all-girls school named Sacred Heart Girls’ Academy."

"Then let’s go to Ookura Mountain."

Xia Yu nodded and closed his eyes again.

Seeing this, Todai Youji, who was driving, became curious.

"Is this the famed Instructor Xia?" Although based in Hokkaido, Todai Youji paid attention to the news from Tokyo. His sixteen-year-old daughter at the girls’ school was a fan of this young culinary genius.

Soon enough.

The business car slowly pulled up in front of a luxurious villa surrounded by a wall of plants.

Everyone disembarked, each taking their luggage, while Xia Yu stood there, looking around. The three-story Western-style villa curved in a semicircular arc, with many vacant rooms inside, each impeccably clean and clearly maintained regularly.

Casually selecting a room and dropping off his luggage, Xia Yu asked Todai Youji, "Where’s the kitchen?"

The regional manager was momentarily taken aback, then clapped his head and said, "Instructor Xia, please follow me."

From the living area to the other side of the arc.

Compared to the living area, this side felt cold and minimalistic in terms of decor.

Xia Yu selected a professional kitchen and eagerly took out his phone, opening the IGO store to order the ingredients he needed to practice with.

"For ’Golden Smile,’ I’ll practice with Kobe Beef. The flour needs to be medium-gluten. As for vermicelli, I’ll try a good-quality one first. Oh, and baking soda is absolutely necessary!"

Unlike the recipe ’Four Divine Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Suppressing Dumplings,’ ’Golden Smile’ had almost no ingredient requirements. It focused on creativity and fun, therefore demanding a chef’s flair for innovation and keen handling skills. Xia Yu communicated with the Chef God Space and managed to memorize the recipe, but how much he had learned needed to be tested through practice.

After placing the order, fifteen minutes later, an IGO supply vehicle parked in front of the villa.

Staff moved the boxes to the kitchen, while Aunt Zhu Qing curiously came in, seeing Xia Yu empty a small bag of flour onto the counter.

Then, he added about a teaspoon of baking soda and roughly half a spoonful of salt.

Thus, with salt, flour, and baking soda mixed, Xia Yu added cold water, slapped the mixture repeatedly, and within a few minutes, a ball of dough formed in his hands.

He placed the round white dough in a container, covered it, and let it rest for fifteen minutes.

Afterward, Xia Yu took a whole piece of Kobe Beef and carefully used kitchen paper to absorb any moisture from the surface of the steak. Only after ensuring no traces of water were left did he heat the pan and add olive oil to cook the steak!

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

The frying pan emitted aromatic smoke.

Aunt Zhu Qing watched with interest, and since no one else was around, they were likely still organizing the rooms.

"Flipping every 30 seconds or so? Quite a rhythmic control of heat!" Zhu Qing’s eyes sparkled as she watched Xia Yu expertly wielding a wooden spatula, turning the beef at regular intervals.

Click!

Abruptly, Xia Yu stopped and turned off the heat, murmuring, "The pan is overheated, and so is the beef. If I continue, it’ll burn."

He let the pan and beef rest for two to three minutes, but not too long. Xia Yu’s control over the fire was now at a master’s level. The near-gold-framed [Bursting Flame] intuitively guided him on when to stop, when to add more heat.

After several rounds of resting and cooking, the beef was finally ready for plating.

However, Xia Yu placed the beef on a pristine white plate and took out a sharp knife.

"...What is this?"

Aunt Zhu Qing was puzzled.

What now?

He was going to cut the freshly pan-fried steak?