He Haotian lazily tapped his fingers at the table, waiting for Lu Xinyi to serve the three dishes she recreated. Lu Xinyi’s face might resemble her mother’s, but her att.i.tude was more like her father’s. He Haotian thought how silly fate was for bringing her to this town, letting him meet the child of his long-deceased best friend.
If Lu Sibai didn’t suffer from that kitchen accident, he should have conquered the culinary world by now. With his absolute tongue and cooking techniques, there were endless possibilities and doors waiting for him to open.
He would be d.a.m.ned if he would just turn his back at Lu Xinyi without helping her achieve her goals. Just like her father, she inherited the same tongue that the gourmets would fight for. If he couldn’t train her to achieve the pinnacle of her potential, then all of his hard work throughout the years would be deemed useless.
Then, the door slid open, revealing Lu Xinyi with Shen Yi following behind her.
“I see that you’ve made up your mind.” He Haotian said while Lu Xinyi served the corn soup at the dining table.
“My decision stays the same. Whether I lose today or not, I will still attend Silver Leaf.”
“Then what’s the point of accepting this challenge?”
Lu Xinyi stood confidently, her eyes meeting He Haotian’s without a hint of doubt on her eyes.
“Uncle, when I choose this path, I know I cannot avoid the obstacles coming my way. I can only face it. As chefs, we have several reasons why we cook. For some, cooking is an art; but for me, preparing food for others can bring joy that was even more fulfilling than eating. This is something that I share with my father. It’s true that we’re compet.i.tive, but that is only because we seek to learn new things to make our dishes more appetizing and enjoyable for those who’ll eat our dishes.”
The amused glint on He Haotian’s eyes returned. “Since when did you know who I really am?”
Lu Xinyi smiled. The first time she had done for this day, and it was enough to break the tension within the room.
“I know my father’s chopping techniques. I’ve seen how you held your knife, and it was the same with his. He mentioned that there was only one person in this world that can perfectly imitate his cooking methods, his only best friend that has a hawk-eyed ability that can copy almost every dish his eyes landed on.”
“Ah, Madam Shen. You must know that I have very high expectations of you! Let’s change the deal—if you perfectly replicated my dishes, then I will accept your condition on running Grace Palace in your place and will train you personally with all the knowledge I have in cooking. If you lost…”
“I will still attend Silver Leaf whether you like it or not.” Lu Xinyi cut him off.
“Of course, I know now that I can never change your mind. You’re really just like your father. If you lost today, then you will have to fight me for another round until you perfectly copied my dishes.”
Lu Xinyi nodded at his suggestion. She turned her head to her husband like she was seeking his approval which he easily gave.
“Sounds fair to me.”
He Haotian chuckled before lifting the cover of his soup. The other people sitting around him held their breaths as he took a spoonful of the corn soup Lu Xinyi created. Lu Xinyi stared at the cooking she herself had prepared and didn’t feel any nervousness and doubt for her dishes, in contrary to the mess she was earlier at the kitchen.
Following He Haotian’s lead, Gu Meina and the Mo siblings removed the cover of their soups, their eyes widening at the first dish that was presented to them. If they hadn’t seen He Haotian sitting in the same room with them, they would think that these soups were made by him.
“Oh, heavens! I can’t believe that this is Madam Shen’s cooking! Anyang, you’re right! Madam Shen has really a talent in cooking! If it isn’t her that cooked this, then I would think that this is yours! From the colors, consistency, and plating, I would think that this was done by a professional chef.”
Gu Meina picked up her spoon in great antic.i.p.ation. She couldn’t wait to have a taste of the creamy corn soup that was garnished with tiny sprigs of fresh basil and thyme.
Mo Liwei didn’t wait for his sister and dug into his bowl. It was already clean in less than a minute, surprising Mo Lihui.
“Gege, you are such a glutton! Where are your manners?!” She huffed before taking her turn to taste the soup. She only had a spoonful before lowering her head, her jaws slacked in shock of what she had tasted.
“Hmmm… I have taken time tasting this soup, wanting to find a flaw in it… but I couldn’t find anything. No matter if it was too creamy or too salty, I couldn’t find a mistake even in the seasoning. I know that this isn’t Anyang’s cooking, and yet it tasted like it was made by him. It has the same intense corn flavor that wouldn’t let me stop eating.”
Gu Meina exhaled after finis.h.i.+ng the bowl in front of her. Now, her antic.i.p.ation to taste the next dish rose to the next level. For an amateur cook to produce such meals that could be mistaken as professionally done, Lu Xinyi surely had an advantage against her fellow Silver Leaf students.