Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 615 - 614: The Female Lead’s Sake (Part 2)

Chapter 615: Chapter 614: The Female Lead’s Sake (Part 2)

His vision blurred.

Blinking, Xia Yu found himself standing in a golden autumn wheat field in the countryside. Looking ahead, a shrine stood atop a hill, and under the red torii gate, a young witch dressed in white and red clutched a clay pot, gracefully approaching.

The young witch kept walking and eventually merged into him at his spot.

"Strange!"

Shaking his head to wake up, Xia Yu muttered, "Divine, pure?"

He had tasted something profound.

The Main General Liangzi offered him another cup of warm sake, freshly heated to about 30 degrees. As Xia Yu sipped, his pores expanded instantly, as if he were leisurely sunbathing on a stone bench at a summer shrine, his skin glowing with a fine warmth.

Moreover, as the temperature of the sake increased, its taste and flavor underwent elusive changes.

Next came the sake chilled with ice water, roughly at zero degrees.

With one sip, Xia Yu shuddered as if standing in front of a shrine amidst heavy snowfall, his skin almost forming tiny ice pellets, with only a precious warmth in his palms. The young witch held his hands in her arms, continuously breathing on and massaging them.

Despite the harsh season, the beverage flowed into his heart, intoxicating him with its tenderness.

"Incredible!"

"Each temperature phase has its own flavor, texture, and insights!"

Xia Yu was immensely shaken and chased the lingering tenderness in his mouth.

It was marvelous!

If the "Rainbow Fruit" naturally possessed seven different stages of flavor and color, filled with a dreamy aura, leading one to explore a magnificent, magical fairy tale kingdom, then the Main General Liangzi’s sake was the poetry of liquor, savored in the day or night, spring or winter, on grassy slopes or sunlit beaches... always offering different feelings and enlightenments.

"Reiko, are you also a brewer?" he asked steadily.

"Chef Xia, didn’t you know that Main General Liangzi is a brewer from the Southern Doshu, her ’Zen Residence’ has always specialized in traditional sake beverages..." Yuchuan Ayaka interjected from outside, eyeing the three sake pots on the counter with envy, "And, the sake brewed by Main General Liangzi this time is certainly extraordinary!"

Yuchuan Meisha, sniffing the elegant fragrance drifting from the kitchen, felt her stomach rumbling.

"The theme of this competition is too coincidental..."

Liangzi Lina explained, "In November, during the autumn harvest season, I just happened to mill a batch of new rice for brewing."

She took a sack from her handbag, "These rice hearts are the ingredients for my brewing."

"No wonder!"

He had a moment of realization.

It seemed it wasn’t his preparation.

Carefully holding a dozen ’rice hearts,’ Xia Yu took some rice from the store to compare and breathed in, "This milling degree is definitely below 50%!"

Although he was not very knowledgeable about brewing, as a chef, he had some basic knowledge.

’rice heart’ is the snow-white core part of the rice, similar to undressing the rice, stripping layer by layer to get to the milky-white center.

A 50% milling degree was still good; some special "Daiginjo" had heart of rice data reaching 23%, meaning only 23% of the core part of a grain was used for brewing, extravagantly luxurious, simply outrageous.

"What kind of rice is this?"

Xia Yu’s mind was full of doubts.

"Right!"

He suddenly clapped his hands, his eyes blazing as he addressed the Main General, "Reiko, do you have any surplus sake? I might need to use your special brewed sake for my blend..."

Once the thought started, it couldn’t be stopped.

Having tasted it himself, Xia Yu felt that Main General Liangzi’s privately brewed sake was a perfect match with the "Rainbow Fruit"!

You see, many of today’s sweet liqueur brands in Japan, like Umeshu plum wine, which uses fresh plums soaked in base sake, prove that sake is perfectly suitable for fruit liquor production technically.

"Are you sure?"

Liangzi Lina looked at him, her long eyelashes fluttering, "The sake I brewed this time is quite traditional... and due to the time constraints, the process wasn’t as meticulous and refined..."

"I have tasted it myself!" only this phrase from Xia Yu.

"This is a chewed sake."

"Hmm... Eh? Wait, chewed sake!"

Xia Yu, who had been nodding incessantly, slightly opened his mouth, glanced at the remaining liquid in his cup, and then looked at Main General Liangzi, covering his face with an "uh" sound.

Outside the kitchen, the Yuchuan Sisters were also giving each other peculiar looks.

In the end,

Xia Yu still comfortably asked the Main General Liangzi for some chewed sake, and with this sudden trip, both had gained something.

That night, on the plane back to Sapporo, Xia Yu muttered to himself, "Chewed sake is made by fermenting rice juice chewed by pure virgins. If it’s a young woman, it’s still fine, but if an old witch or granny chews the rice to brew the...."

He shivered.

Chewed sake, beautiful woman’s sake, appearance really matters! That’s why our ancestors specified young virgins for brewing, seems like they had discerned the highest secret of beauty!

He found a reasonable explanation for that slight stir within his heart.

...

Another new day.

"Phew!"

At eight in the morning, beep beep beep, the alarm clock rang for at least ten minutes before the young man on the bed sluggishly woke up.

"I’m not in good shape today!"

Holding his groggy head, his forehead slightly hot, Xia Yu looked a bit helpless. Exam sickness is such a thing—no way out, but fortunately, he and Zhu Qing collaborated well, each completing their own part without holding the other back.

Throwing off the velvet duvet, feeling the chill of the air against his body,

Xia Yu patted his head, fatigued by the fleeting dreams of the past three nights. Just getting out of bed, a corner of a dream lingered in his mind—the figure sitting quietly, kneeling with his back to him...

Yes, today was the competition day.

Three days had passed, unknowingly.

Although the second stage of the competition had changed, broadcasting live and open to the public, the ticket system was predetermined and sold out from the start. Those who managed to attend in person were either professional chefs or renowned food critics.

Of course, there were countless celebrities from both political and business sectors.

By nine in the morning, the giants who arrived early had started networking. It seemed like a global summit of giants, and with a sweep of the camera across the venue, probably many gasps from viewers in front of TVs recognizing that familiar face.

The camera then provided an aerial view of the "Hokkaido Shrine Pavilion."

With as many as 58 cooking stations set up, it meant that 58 teams would compete on the same platform. Teams like the Far Moon Contest Team operated solo, totaling four such teams.

Terrifyingly, after this round of competition, only ten cooking stations would remain for the next round.

Cruel!

Hearing the female host introduce, both the audience on-site and the viewers in front of TVs broke out in a cold sweat.

Backstage.

Many combinations from Lin Chef and special chefs were ready.

"Bye-bye!"

Yuqiong waved at this side, stepping onto the stage with Tang Shan, followed by many familiar faces Xia Yu knew—Qiushan Hong and Shinohara, Indira and Reiko, Lan Chuhai and Li Han, the Red Dress and Wu Yingying teams...

The "Research Faction" team happened to pass by.

Lin Giant Lei Zhe paused his steps, "Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

Xia Yu smiled faintly, and sure enough, related competition tasks popped up—

Task 1: Target! Top Ten!

Task 2: Target! Top Three!

Task 3: The Pace of a Champion!

Each task goal corresponded to different rewards.

"Aim for the top three!" Xia Yu silently thought.

After tasting Reiko’s beautiful woman’s sake the previous two nights, he suddenly realized that Rainbow Drinks were not invincible.