Chapter 141: Crush Everything Before You, Young Man!
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
"Slurp!"
Ouyang Zongheng stroked his beard as he picked up the noodles with his chopsticks and sent them into his mouth. Even though the appearance of the Dry-Mixed Noodles was pathetic-looking compared to Red Braised Meat and Sweet "n" Sour Ribs… It was still paid for with his money!
"Oh?!" The rich flavor of the noodles burst forth the moment it entered his mouth, causing Ouyang Zongheng"s eyes to immediately widen. He subconsciously exerted more strength and the noodles were suddenly sucked into his mouth with a slurp.
The sauce of the noodles sprayed everywhere and a rich fragrance pervaded the air.
Even though the fragrance of the Dry-Mixed Noodles was not as strong as the Egg-Fried Rice and not as enticing as the Red Braised Meat, this sort of faint fragrance was even more tempting. The moment Ouyang Zongheng started slurping down the noodles, he could no longer stop himself. In that instant, the sound of Ouyang Zongheng slurping the noodles resounded throughout the store.
As Ouyang Xiaoyi gleefully gulped down a mouthful of the Fish Head Tofu Soup, the mellow flavor of the soup spread from the tip of her tongue and caused her to be completely captivated. She felt as if she had turned into a fish and was freely roaming in a milky white sea. Once in a while, she would even cheerfully bite into corals made from tofu.
"Slurp!"
As the sound of slurping rang out, Ouyang Xiaoyi"s beautiful fantasy was ruthlessly broken. The irritating feeling of suddenly being dragged back into reality caused her to angrily turn toward her dad who was busy slurping down noodles next to her.
"Can"t you eat your noodles in a quieter manner? You"re disturbing my enjoyment of the fish soup! Smelly dad!" Ouyang Xiaoyi resentfully said with a pout.
"...Cough cough cough!"
Ouyang Zongheng"s eyes widened as the sound of slurping suddenly stopped and then his entire face turned red. He covered his mouth and started coughing… He ate too quickly and choked on the noodles.
Ouyang Zongheng grabbed the cup of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine that Ouyang Zhen was just about to drink and then finished the entire cup in a single gulp. He immediately felt a relaxing and refres.h.i.+ng sensation coursing through his body!
"Ha… How invigorating!" Ouyang Zongheng said with satisfaction as he wiped his beard with his sleeve.
As he smacked his lips, his nostrils suddenly flared up. He thought, "My gosh... What is this smell! Wine? What an aromatic wine?!"
Ouyang Zongheng looked at the celadon cup in his hand and broke into a grin when he saw Ouyang Di carrying a jar and pouring wine into a cup.
"You rascal, hurry up and fill this cup to the brim for your dad! How could you not share such a fine wine with your father! When we get back, I"ll double your training volume!"
Both the three Ouyang brothers and Ouyang Xiaoyi were speechless.
"Slurp!" After finis.h.i.+ng another cup of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine, Ouyang Zongheng started his journey of slurping noodles once more.
…
After finis.h.i.+ng their meal, the members of the Ouyang family were languidly leaning back on their seats in contentment. The satisfying feeling of tasting delicious food gave them great delight.
Bu Fang wiped off the water droplets on his hands and walked out of the kitchen. When he saw the languid members of the Ouyang family, he broke into a grin.
"The total amount is three hundred and twenty crystals and one hundred gold coins. Thank you for your patronage," Bu Fang said toward Ouyang Zongheng who was patting his stomach in satisfaction.
Ouyang Zongheng"s action of patting his stomach immediately froze and he suddenly felt as if the entire world had gone dim… He thought, "Three hundred twenty crystals, how on earth do they eat so well!"
Under Ouyang Zongheng"s extremely reluctant gaze, Bu Fang took the crystals and gold coins and brushed his hands together in satisfaction.
After he received this sum of money, the system"s solemn voice resounded in his mind.
"Congratulations to the host for achieving a profit of twenty thousand crystals and completing a short term objective, you shall soon receive the system reward. The system reward is being released..."
Bu Fang was surprised for a moment. Thereafter, the corners of his lips curled up and he let out a deep breath. Without his realization, he had already reached a profit of twenty thousand crystals. It was not easy at all.
In other words, he obtained an amount of true energy worth ten thousand crystals. This also meant that his cultivation level had finally reached fifth grade Battle-King.
"I am finally a man who could be called Battle-King!" Bu Fang gleefully thought. Just when he was about to examine the system"s reward, Ouyang Zongheng suddenly moved closer to him. He was so close that Bu Fang could even smell the sauce of the Dry-Mixed Noodles that splashed on him.
Bu Fang knitted his eyebrows together as he took a step backward and indifferently looked at Ouyang Zongheng.
"If you have something to say, spit it out. Don"t get so close to me," Bu Fang expressionlessly said.
Ouyang Zongheng"s movement immediately froze and he suddenly gave an embarra.s.sed smile. He wiped his hands on his clothes and said, "Owner Bu… It"s like this, I actually came here today to discuss an important matter with you."
"Speak," Bu Fang replied.
"Owner Bu, your culinary skills are outrageously good. The flavor of your dishes has already reached an indescribable level. I don"t think you want the delicious dishes that you personally cook to be stuck here in this store without anyone knowing, right? That"s simply an insult to your culinary skills!" Ouyang Zongheng said while stroking his beard.
Bu Fang indifferently looked at him and beckoned him to continue.
"Owner Bu, you should know about the Spring Festival. Tomorrow"s the first day of the Spring Festival and the Hundred Family Banquet will be held on the second day. On that day, well-known chefs from all over the Light Wind Empire would rush over to cook at the Hundred Family Banquet. This is the perfect opportunity to let everyone know about your culinary skills!" Ouyang Zongheng said with a smile as he stared intensely at Bu Fang.
"Therefore, Owner Bu, wouldn"t you consider partic.i.p.ating?"
The Spring Festival… Bu Fang narrowed his eyes and recalled that a few minor officials had arrogantly come to his store to cause trouble some days ago. Their intentions also seemed to be getting him to partic.i.p.ate in the Hundred Family Banquet...
"I don"t care about your whatever Hundred Family Banquet. Arrogantly coming to my store and causing trouble is your fault," Bu Fang thought. Therefore, Bu Fang ordered Whitey to strip the minor officials and throw them out.
Bu Fang had almost forgotten about this matter but suddenly remembered it with Ouyang Zongheng"s reminder.
"This Hundred Family Banquet seems pretty formidable from the sound of it," Bu Fang thought as he nodded and looked at Ouyang Zongheng.
"I am not going to partic.i.p.ate. I am not interested," Bu Fang replied.
"Ah? What? You"re not partic.i.p.ating? Why?"
Ouyang Zongheng"s expression stiffened and he immediately asked in confusion. In his opinion, partic.i.p.ating in the Hundred Family Banquet for a chef was as important as partic.i.p.ating in the imperial examination for a scholar.
As a chef, Bu Fang was actually not interested in partic.i.p.ating in the Hundred Family Banquet hosted by the empire. This… was simply absurd!
"From the sound of its name, I already know it"s a troublesome matter. I only want to peacefully cook delicious dishes in my store. If they"re willing to frequent my store, they"re very welcomed to do so," Bu Fang sincerely said. This was indeed his heartfelt thoughts. He was someone afraid of trouble.
His wish was to sit near the store"s entrance with a cup of hot tea in his hand as he observe the changes in the world and watch the flowers blossom and wilt. It was that simple.
"Owner Bu, there will be a selection during this year"s Hundred Family Banquet. The number one chosen by the guests would be awarded by the empire. Aren"t you interested in the rewards?" Ouyang Zongheng asked while staring at Bu Fang.
Reward? The empire"s Three Stripes Path-Understanding Fruit was already taken away by Bu Fang, what else could they provide that would interest him?
"Abrupt mission 2: Would the host please partic.i.p.ate in the Hundred Family Banquet hosted by the Light Wind Empire and get voted number one by the guests as well as obtain the empire"s prize reward.
"Crush everything before you, young man.
"Mission reward: cooking method of the Spirit Turtle Egg Tart."
Bu Fang sighed internally. He was afraid of trouble but there were times when the system would issue troublesome abrupt missions to him.