Chapter 27: Li Yuanfang's Entrustment

  "Do we still need to use a cloth to cover it up, otherwise we will be disqualified from the competition?"

  Gu's hand trembled, and the few remaining strands of his goatee fell out, as he was so angry that smoke was coming out of his seven orifices on top and fire was spouting from the two below. If someone had added fuel to the fire at this moment, Gu would have transformed into a heavenly ape and flown up to the sky in an instant.

  Too arrogant! Such a naked threat to the judges, it's unprecedented and never seen before. I really want to throw a mineral water bottle at him, let this guy wake up.

  But as a judge, his reserve and curiosity got the better of him.

  Using Sanmei tofu to challenge 'Little Country Kitchen' Kong Deming? This is too exciting. It's just like a village girl putting on what she thinks is her best floral dress, smearing some lip balm on her face and going to challenge Xiang Jiang Xiao Jie. If she wins, it's called 'turning rotten into magic', if she loses, it's just being ignorant of the heights of heaven and earth!

  The main ingredients of Sanmei Tofu are only cabbage and tofu, which should be no match for Jiuzhuan Dachang and Tangbao Shuangcuo. How dare this guy speak so boldly, does he really have the goods?

  Nowadays, the culinary world is changing rapidly. The Lu cuisine, which once dominated the eight major cuisines, has long been left behind by Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines. Gu Zhiwei really wants to see someone who can revive Lu cuisine emerge, and this expectation also makes his tolerance, which should be zero, rise sharply.

  The old man curled his lip, glared at Master Hong fiercely, and swallowed this breath: "Alright, I'll agree to it! Let you use a cloth wrapper to block the stove. Hong Tie Niu, you mustn't let me down, or else... heh heh... heh heh..."

  The last two sentences were coldly laughed, as if a gust of cold wind had suddenly passed through the hot summer day, making the folks below the stage involuntarily shrink their necks. This old man was really angry, Hong Lao Liu, you can do it...

  ***

  Many people have great power. Fellow villagers, my family contributed a piece of cloth, your family contributed a block, and then found some skilled needlework women to embroider the red flag, and soon a 20-meter-long fabric enclosure was set up. Then find some bamboo poles and branches to stand on the ground, Master Hong and his stove were suddenly surrounded inside, from a distance, it looks like a rural outdoor theater troupe.

  Kong Deming glanced at the cloth-wrapped object, let out a slight hum of disdain, reached down beside his foot and pulled out a wild rooster from a bamboo cage, cut off its head with one knife stroke, then quickly plucked its feathers and opened up its belly, his hands moving with incredible deftness.

  It's just to get a chicken liver, if it were an ordinary day, this rough job wouldn't even be done by his second chef. But today, Kong Deming is doing it personally, and he wants every step of the "Oil Explosive Double Crisp" to be perfect.

  "Just you wait and see, with just cabbage and tofu, how dare you challenge me!"

  Kong Deming wielded a knife with the dexterity of a skilled housewife handling needles, slicing and chopping with ease. The kitchen knife danced in his hand like snowflakes swirling through the air, and in an instant, thin slices of chicken breast appeared on the cutting board.

  "Wow! It's indeed a true heir of Lu cuisine, just looking at these knife skills and we're no match!"

  The two special third and second-grade chefs invited from Shangxiazhai Village were stunned. To make this dish of crispy fried chicken gizzards, the first step is to slice the chicken gizzards extremely thinly, with a thickness difference of only 2-3 micrometers between each piece, in order to achieve perfection; otherwise, even if the chef has mastered the temperature and heat control, it would be difficult to make this dish perfect.

  Watching Kong Deming's knife skills, it's no longer just a matter of hard work, but requires top-notch talent.

  These two chefs also originated from learning Lu cuisine, and naturally they have worked hard on this dish. At a glance, they knew that there was no need to compare, as they were not even worthy of being Kong Deming's opponent.

  "Xiao Guo Chuan is just Xiao Guo Chuan, that Hong Tie Niu guy, even if he has some skills, it's impossible for him to win. San Mei Tofu is inherently inferior, how can it compete with dishes like Jiu Zhuan Da Chang and Tang Bao Shuang Cui? Old Gu, I think you've made a mistake this time, actually being deceived by a junior in front of so many people."

  Chang Aiguo, this old official, stroked his beard and chuckled to himself. Since he took charge of compiling "Tian Xia Cai Pu", he had always regarded himself as the number one foodie in the world, but every time he was still overshadowed by Gu Zhimi, which had long been unbearable for him. This time, he finally had the opportunity to thoroughly mock Gu Zhimi.

  "Hmph, Hong Tie Niu isn't a fool either, daring to spout such arrogant words in front of us. He must have something backing him up. Old Chang, aren't you curious?"

  He smiled faintly with a hint of sadness.

  "What's going on? If he has the guts, why hasn't he made a move yet? My old man isn't deaf, if he makes a move with his knife, I'll be able to hear it."

  "Could it be that this kid is really a madman?" Gu Zhiwei glanced at the cloth wrapper and frowned.

  At this moment, some villagers who couldn't help but feel a little anxious also came closer, one group surrounded Kong Deming, praising his exquisite craftsmanship; another group stood outside the fabric enclosure and discussed it in an uproar. This Hong Lao Liu's war drum shook the sky with its loud beat, how did it lose steam when it was time to see the real thing? Is this guy really a coward?

  The more people surrounded them, the more anxious Zhou Yi became, and he hastily shouted for Zhu Xiaohua and others to move outside the cloth enclosure and observe from a distance...

  "I'm telling you, Zhang Jiaolao, don't squeeze my wife too hard! Watch out or I'll beat you up!"

  "Osmanthus flower, you widow, what are you doing here joining the commotion? Be careful of those second-rate guys taking advantage of you. Quick, come over to Fourth Brother's side..."

  "What's wrong with you?"

  The more people there are, the more things happen. When you bump into each other, arguments start. The village officials from several villages were busy maintaining order, but the more they maintained it, the more chaotic it became.

  Zhu Xiaohua was afraid that 'Huatou' would be taken advantage of, so she hurriedly protected her and squeezed outwards. But where could they still go? Turning around, neither Guan Wei nor Zhou Yi were in sight.

  At the most chaotic moment, Zhou Yi suddenly slipped down and squeezed out a gap between people. He lowered his body and sneaked into the crowd without anyone noticing. Those who were squeezed by him turned their heads to scold, but couldn't find the culprit.

  "Hey, stop pushing, Old Hong Liu has started cooking!"

  A sudden, urgent knife sound suddenly came from inside the cloth wrapper. Upon hearing this knife sound, the people surrounding outside immediately fell silent, each and every one of them displaying an intent-to-listen attitude with their ears perked up.

  Sounds amazing!

  The sound of the knife is not only swift, but also seems to have a rhythm, even better than Wang Lao Hu's erhu performance. Is this chopping vegetables or playing music? The villagers don't have much musical knowledge, and they can't compare to those judges on TV talent shows who can expound a whole theory just by hearing a contestant sneeze, but they just feel that the sound is nice and enjoyable to listen to.

  But when this voice reached the ears of several judges, the feeling was completely different.

  Yang Cai was originally smiling and watching the chaotic mountain people operating the village scolding top cow, thinking about how to express this rural culture in literary form; the knife sound suddenly entered her ears, and she immediately stunned, with a look of surprise and incredulity on her face.

  The rich rhythm of the knife sound suddenly reminded her of the symphony she heard in Vienna last year.

  Several elderly judges also petrified in an instant. After a while, Gu Zhiwei murmured: "With the sound of the knife entering the music... this, isn't this the knife technique that only Piao Ding, the ancient kitchen god, had? I...I didn't hear it wrong, did I?"

  "Old Gu, you didn't hear wrong, you didn't hear wrong!"

  It's worth mentioning that Lao Gan is an old revolutionary and veteran, who fought bravely on the battlefield back in the day. He suddenly jumped up with excitement, grabbing Gu Zhiwei's arm: "It's this damn voice! I'm absolutely sure, absolutely sure! Old Gu, your eyes are not bad, almost as good as my bird-raising skills..."

  Chapter 38: The Number One Flavor Under Heaven

  Compared to the villagers and several judges, Kong Deming and other chefs were even more shocked. The knife sound was like music, and in the culinary world, it was an eternal legend. It is said that when Pao Ding cut the cow, the knife passed through the cow's bones, making a beautiful sound, which made many musicians ashamed. Even Kong Deming, a top-notch chef, the famous "Little National Kitchen", had always been skeptical of this legend, thinking it was just an exaggeration by later writers and impossible to achieve in reality.

  The sound of the knife coming out of the fabric wrapping, light and gentle like a wild goose sweeping through the forest, heavy and solemn like a golden hammer striking a drum, swift and rapid like a large army invading, slow and steady like an old horse lying in wait. But just as it seems to be changing between lightness and heaviness, movement and stillness, it can still maintain an unbroken rhythm; it's as if there is an orchestra hidden inside the fabric wrapping, under the command of an excellent conductor, combining high and low pitches perfectly, composing a world-famous melody.

  "Such craftsmanship might really be able to turn Sanmei tofu into a magical dish..."

  The dishes haven't been made yet, let alone being tasted by the judges, but they've already stolen the show. Kong Deming is still a strong warrior who has seen the world, but those two top chefs from Shangxiazhai Village have already started to lose hope.

  "The sword has been sheathed, yet the lingering sound still echoes on, revealing that the one who wields it remains carefree and at ease..."

  Gu Zhiwei nodded slowly, his face becoming even more solemn. Unbeknownst to him, the old man was about to bump into the fabric partition when Yun Cangming reached out and pulled him back: "Old Gu, you're getting carried away..."

  "Oh, yeah... I forgot myself."

  Old Gu's anger has dissipated, and his fire has been extinguished. At this moment, Coach Hong's rough and unrefined image is more lovable to him than any youthful idol or charming young man. If the competition weren't still ongoing, he would have rushed into the arena and pulled this young man onto his own "Da Lu Cai" battle chariot!

  Just then, a strange fragrance wafted out from inside the cloth wrapper...

  "This is it!"

  The old man was taken aback at first, and then his face changed drastically.

  The fragrance emitted from the cloth wrapper is completely different from the common fragrances of freshness, sweetness, cleanness and meatiness, it can even be said that they are worlds apart!

  Because this fragrance has a layered scent, just like the authentic Jinmen flower, each layer has its own unique flavor that doesn't mix or interfere with one another.

  It started with a faint tofu aroma...... That was the absolute original flavor of bean fragrance, just like in the tofu house, when the first batch of tofu is cooked through, that kind of rushing original fragrance. But even if you run to the tofu house, it's only at the moment when the first batch of tofu comes out that you can feel it, and once the bean flavor becomes strong, this feeling, as if it were a first love, will also disappear.

  The tofu aroma wafting out of the steamer basket was like a lingering, ethereal sound that lasted for nine days. It was so enticing that even top-notch foodies like Gu Zhiwei couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva...

  "Cuckoo."

  Yang Da Mei's face turned red as she stood outside the curtain, subconsciously covering her lower abdomen.

  Too embarrassing.

  The leading lady of the prestigious Zhou Nan Daily, has shamefully growled with hunger? And the sound was so loud that it attracted the attention of the two beggars who were always hovering around her, and they suddenly shouted: "Sister, are you hungry? I'll get you a bowl of noodles!"

  "I won't eat!"

  Yang Yang's face flushed with a layer of red mist, and he fiercely glared at this bald-headed man.

  What followed was a sweet and refreshing fragrance. Gu Zhiwei and the others suddenly felt as if they had entered a vast white radish garden, with an extraordinary and unconventional feeling that made these old guys who had been floating in the soft red for half their lives let out a sigh of relief, feeling extremely comfortable and relaxed in their hearts.

  "Yellow teeth white?"

  Those old men were all experts, and their noses were even more sensitive than those of hunting dogs. So they immediately smelled out that this was the best accompaniment to Sanmei tofu - Tai'an Huangya White, a top-grade white vegetable. As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, this was something that could only be seen at imperial banquets.

  Although Yunshui Mountain is rich in water and soil, the "Feicui Green" it produces is also a top-grade Chinese cabbage. However, compared to Huangya White, there is still a big gap.

  Now several old men just can't figure it out, the dishes prepared by the village for the chefs are all local products of emerald green, where did Hong Tie Niu get this yellow and white?

  "This is what a truly good chef looks like!"

  A truly top-notch chef will always try to collect the best ingredients and preserve them in various ways. At this moment, Master Hong is such a chef in their eyes. To put it in popular terms, this is what they call 'professional consciousness of professionals'! It's an essential quality for becoming a top-notch chef.

  They naturally couldn't think of it, this is actually the power of Zhou Yi, transforming genetically modified food back into healthy green food. Can't even transform 'emerald green' directly into yellow teeth? Even Master Hong, who was right next to him, thought that Zhou Yi had prepared these materials in advance.

  As a wonderful clanging sound of pots and pans arose, the fragrance of tofu and vegetables was perfectly combined, wafting with the wind, enticing countless mountain villagers to drool, several old men looked at each other, all knowing that this dish was a success.

  "Swish swish swish——"

  Several old men suddenly became agile and quickly returned to the judges' table, otherwise when the curtain opened and let Hong Laoliu see that several judges were watching, they would lose all face.

  At this time, Kong Deming and the others had almost finished their three dishes. After all, they had started working long before Zhou Yi mixed into the Bu Wei Zi, and now they were just finishing up.

  Under He Da's hosting, the villagers returned to their seats one after another. Zhou Yi naturally reappeared beside Zhu Xiaohua and others.

  Zhu Xiaohua was still unaware of what his brother had just done, and continued to strike him: "Old Three, have you found the gap? Just like Master Hong's cooking, haha... I think it smells better than your fish soup."

  "That's it. Otherwise, how can others participate in the competition?" Zhou Yi chuckled and said: "Return to your seat, let's see what the judges have to say."

  "What more can be said? Even a fool can tell that the aroma of this dish by Master Hong is unique, and Kong will definitely lose."

  ***

  The mysterious curtain slowly opened, and out came the majestic Hong Dashi, with his head held high and chest out, as towering as a mountain peak, like a green pine on top of Mount Tai.

  He was seen holding a plate of golden tofu, dotted with countless "beautiful jade", walking towards the judges' table. The strange aroma emanating from the dish stimulated the judges' sense of smell and taste, while also causing Kong Deming's face to change greatly.

  He had just heard the sound of a knife and smelled the aroma, he already felt that something was wrong, but still had a thread of luck. At this moment, seeing the dish, Kong Deming knew that he was likely to be defeated.

  What's the nine-turn large intestine, and the soup explosion of double crispy? It's just the mountain road eighteen bends soup explosion of the absolute world double pride, but I'm afraid it can't compete with this small plate of three beautiful tofu.

  According to the rules of the competition, who goes first and who goes last should be decided by the judges, at least according to the chef's seniority. But Master Hong didn't even ask and was the first to present his dish, and surprisingly no one raised any objections. Kong Deming had no say in the matter, while several elderly judges were completely captivated by this dish and had long forgotten what was called rules.

  As for Yang, the beautiful girl, several old men had already demonstrated their gentlemanly spirit and pushed the three-flavor tofu brought by Master Hong to her first. She wanted to pretend to be reserved but her stomach didn't agree.

  So almost without hesitation, Yang Da beauty picked up the spoon and quickly scooped a spoonful of three-beautiful tofu into her mouth.

  "Boom!"

  A never-before-experienced pleasure, a flavor that couldn't even be imagined in dreams, as if exploding, completely wrapped around her slender fragrant tongue that made countless foodies envious and at the same time made countless men's souls dizzy...

  "Mmm... it's so delicious!"

  Yang's beautiful woman XX suddenly turned red, and a fine sweat instantly seeped out on her forehead. She was praising in her mouth, but those big eyes were staring at this dish fiercely, as if she was afraid of being robbed.

  "Delicious, truly the best in the world! The most delicious in the world! Hmm... all of this is mine..."

  Like a little girl protecting her food, Yang Cai pulled the plate into her arms, and Lan's chopsticks flew out of her hands like lightning. In the blink of an eye, she had already eaten over a dozen mouthfuls, and nearly half of the three-flavor tofu dish was gone.

  "Hey, Xiao Yang, we're also judges? Let me have a say too!"

  Several old men saw that something was amiss and, no longer caring about their dignity, hastily grabbed their spoons and squeezed over.

  It's first come, first served; if you don't grab it, it'll be gone...

  Chapter 39: Village Star Hong Old Sixth

  Under the gaze of thousands of mountain villagers, a group of old foodies swarmed up, competing with Yang Cai, this little girl, for food. What's the identity of the judges, what's the old life of an old warrior, what's the style of a man? In front of delicious food, all go to hell!

  That one plate of Sanmei tofu was barely enough, and each person could only have two or three bites before it was gone. Several old men smacked their lips, savoring the aftertaste with eyes closed in bliss: "Delicious..."

  Yang Cai is right, this dish of Sanmei tofu is truly worthy of being the best flavor in the world. The difficulty lies in that when Huangya White and authentic Taian water tofu blend together, they don't destroy each other's flavors. When you take a bite, the original fragrance explodes in your mouth with distinct layers. After fully inducing saliva in your mouth, it finally blends into a wonderful flavor that has both the sweetness of vegetables and the richness of bean paste...

  And then this flavor just emerged, the delicious milk soup carefully filtered with Tai'an water in Sanmei tofu came afterwards, dispersing it again, dividing it into three different flavors, rolling back and forth on the tip of the tongue, making people's mouths water.

  This is the world's most flavorful work, it's hard to find a chef who can make this dish sublime through extreme knife skills, stir-frying skills, and fire control skills, making this dish transform from rotten to magical, entering a realm close to 'Tao'.

  Return to simplicity and authenticity, seeing mountains as mountains, yet still not lacking in magnificent changes.

  This kind of sublimation actually made the humble cabbage and tofu, which were originally not comparable to mountain delicacies and seafood, become the only unique flavor in the eyes of these old gourmets, and they couldn't help but feel that "eating Hong Jun's dishes in the morning and dying in the evening would be alright".

  This Hong Jun is naturally referring to Master Hong. Only at this moment, Hong Tie Niu, this old scoundrel with extremely good acting skills, still doesn't know that he already has such a high position in the judges' hearts.

  Even if he was just a simple and honest countryman, he knew that this time he had made a name for himself.

  Because several judges ate too ugly, a plate of tofu was snatched clean, and one old man even picked up the plate and licked the remaining soup dry. The old man next to him didn't grab it, stomped his feet, pounded his chest, and complained with a red face for half a day.

  But Master Hong didn't have Zhou Yi's worries, instead he was a bit pleased. This simple mountain village chef had never been so popular in his life, looking at those admiring and adoring eyes, Master Hong felt a little proud, Xiao Zhou said what is this? Showing off? Hmm, it really feels great.

  "Really thanks to Little Zhou, otherwise I, Hong Lao Liu, would never have had so many beautiful XX staring at me... even that red-dressed XX from the city is looking at me. Dad, mom, this time I've brought honor to you..."

  Although it wasn't due to his own abilities that he gained this fame, Master Hong was still very grateful to Zhou Yi. If not for Zhou Yi, this small-time person would probably never have become the center of attention for the masses in his lifetime.

  "Xiao Hong, can I ask you something?"

  Old Guo is now more and more pleased with Chef Hong. If his granddaughter didn't already have a boyfriend, and Chef Hong wasn't slightly older, he would be eager to marry her off to this 'genius' chef: "Did you prepare the Huangya Baijiu and Tai'an tofu used in this dish yourself?"

  "Yes, this is what a good chef should be doing."

  Master Hong is now more and more addicted, just like taking some kind of medicine: "Doesn't Mr. Gu think so?"

  "Well said!"

  Gu Zhīwèi nodded repeatedly: "I really didn't expect that I would meet the modern-day Master Chef in Yunshui Mountain! This Sanmei Tofu dish, whether it's the selection of ingredients, knife work, fire control, or flavor enhancement, its demonstration of skill has already approached the realm of 'Tao'. I think it deserves a perfect score, what do you all think?"

  Nature is perfect...

  Several old men and Yang Cai all nodded, without any objection. If the vegetable fight hadn't ended yet, considering their identities as judges, these foodies really wanted to ask Master Hong if he had any leftover ingredients and could make another dish of Sanmei tofu?

  Not full yet.

  "Uh—dishes from Liu Lilou Village and Shangxia Zha Village can be served now..."

  Gu Zhiwei was also momentarily excited, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he gave a perfect score, but forgot that Kong Deming and the others hadn't even served the dishes yet. Yang Cai and Chang Aiguo surprisingly didn't raise any objections. But this made Kong Deming and the others feel awkward. Should they serve the dishes? Yuncun Village had already received five perfect scores, going up would be embarrassing; not serving the dishes? That wouldn't only be embarrassing, but also lose face.

  Fortunately, Gu Zhiwei reacted quickly and hastily called out "serve the dishes", giving the three chefs a way to save face.

  Including Kong Deming, the three chefs all gritted their teeth and brought up the dishes. The outcome was already a foregone conclusion, now it's just going through the motions to finish this last procedure, and then they can be free from this ordeal. Dragging it out any longer would simply be torture.

  The judges wanted to give the three chefs some face, especially Kong Deming, who had a good relationship with his master and others like Gu Zhimi. But this was a difficult task, as after eating Zhou Yi's three-bean tofu dish, even Kong Deming's three dishes, which he had put great effort into making, tasted bland to them, and they didn't even want to take another bite.

  Kong Deming's nine-turn large intestine and Tang Bao's double crispy were each tasted by several judges, as for the three-water tofu dish, it was considered to be made in a mediocre way. With jade in front of them, who would want glass marbles? The judges just used their spoons to dip into the soup and taste it, then...then there was no then.

  "Honorable judges, there's no need for scoring, I've lost this match..."

  Kong Deming gritted his teeth, turned around and glanced at Master Hong: "Kong has learned a lesson. Master Hong, the green hills will remain unchanged and the clear waters will continue to flow, Kong will definitely work hard on his culinary skills and come back to seek your guidance in the future." After finishing speaking, he slightly bowed to the five judges and turned around to walk down from the stage.

  "This young man must have watched too much TV drama?" Master Hong sneered, but somehow Kong Deming's words sounded like he was reciting lines from a script.

  "We also admit defeat, Master Hong's high kitchen, admirable!"

  The two chefs from Shangxia Village saw Kong Deming and both conceded, what's the point of persisting? Rather than waiting for the judges to score, it's better to concede directly and save face...

  "Fellow villagers, the result of this vegetable dish competition has been decided. Since the chefs from Shangxiazhai Village and Liulilou Village conceded on the spot, we five judges unanimously declared that the champion of this dish is... Yunshui Village!"

  "Has he won? Hong Lao Liu has actually won!"

  Although she had mentally prepared herself, Li Yuanfang still found it hard to understand how Master Hong's culinary skills could suddenly become so extraordinary. But never mind, as long as he can thoroughly crush the arrogance of Liu Lishan Village and seize the Fengshui of Yunshui Mountain, that would be a good thing, and it would be considered a repayment to their fellow villagers.

  "Hong Lao Liu, Hong Tie Niu! Incredible!"

  The villagers of Yunshui Village were boiling over, shouting out Master Hong's name, crazily like a group of star-chasers.

  At this moment, a village star named Hong Tie Niu rose quietly, but no one knew that the person who released this star was silently blaming himself: "Master Hong, sorry, your life will be difficult to calm down from now on...... However, your acting skills are so good, you should be able to handle it, right?"

  Looking at Hong Shifu, who was thrown up and down by the villagers of Yunshui Village several times, Zhou Yi now only hopes that he can keep his promise and seal his mouth.

  Otherwise, you'll be in trouble. Although the chef is not someone who can affect the fate of the country, even if people know that this dish was made by him, it's no big deal. But thinking about the eating habits of those old men, Zhou Yi couldn't help but shudder. Hopefully, Master Hong is a man of his word and won't betray himself and bring those old gluttons over again...

  Chapter 40: Three Mu of Land and One Head of Cattle

  After the grand banquet, Yunshui Village finally got the long-awaited face-changing feast, and fiercely seized a handful of Fengshui in Yunshui Mountain. Master Hong also completed his transformation from an ordinary person to a big star.

  On the day the banquet ended, a group of old men led by Gu Zhiwei surrounded him, each one stirring up their tongues to persuade him to go to a wine house or restaurant with good relations; even Yang Cai, this modern woman who is usually very picky about men, did not hesitate to show her smile in front of Master Hong.

  She wanted to do an exclusive interview with Master Hong, and the title was already thought out, called "Grassroots King of Chefs". Yang Cai believed that this interview would not only cause a sensation in the food world, further solidifying her position as the "Food World's Tongue Girl", but also had positive, uplifting inspirational value, with certain social significance.

  But including Yang Mei, everyone was brutally rejected by Master Hong.

  Master Hong said with a loud laugh: "I grew up in this mountain, I won't go anywhere else. I study cooking skills to pursue the ultimate realm, but my current realm is not enough, how can I be distracted by these worldly XX? So sorry, after the competition, I have to leave, I am still the little chef of the nursing home, before, now and in the future..."

  After finishing speaking, Master Hong floated away and disappeared into the depths of the mountain, with no one knowing where he went.

  "Was, is, and will be..."

  After hearing Master Hong's words, Gu Zhiwei was shocked all over: "Xiao Hong... no, Mr. Hong is actually the real seeker of Tao, we are all vulgar..."

  "Yes, we've all become so common, it's simply unbearable."

  Sun Chengzong, who had always been taciturn, gazed at the increasingly distant figure of Master Hong and nodded silently: "It's been too many years; we old men have been rolling around in the ten-zhang red dust, where is there still half a heart seeking the Tao? Today, hearing Master Hong's words, it was like the morning bell and evening drum, with an effect as if being drenched in sweet dew..."

  "Right, right......"

  A group of old men suddenly looked enlightened as if they had been blessed by the Buddha, and collectively poisoned themselves.

  "Xiao Yang ah..."

  It seemed like Gu Zhiwei suddenly remembered something, and he turned to Yang Cai and said: "If you still have a shred of conscience as a journalist, please don't disturb Master Hong anymore?"

  "Master Gu... I..." Yang Cai had never seen Master Gu look so serious before, and she was taken aback, stuttering: "I'm reporting on it, isn't that also to bring glory to the culinary world and promote Chef Hong's work?"

  "You're wrong."

  Don't bother to understand the taste of speaking, often loving the country has already spoken with a heavy heart: "As for Jiang Lang's talent being exhausted and Du Shi's worrying about the country, how can a seeker of truth be infatuated with fame and status? Mr. Hong is seeking the way, we can't help him anymore, how can we bear to disturb his peaceful life? This is a crime, Little Yang!"

  "What Lao Chang said is correct."

  Yun Cangming gazed in the direction where Master Hong had disappeared, with a mix of emotions: "Xiao Yang, let's preserve the last bit of sincerity for today's culinary world... If you don't want Master Hong's craftsmanship to become the last echo of Guangling, then please don't disturb him, it's us old men begging you."

  "Uh, is it that serious? I see."

  Yang Cai's gaze was momentarily dazed, and in his memory, Master Hong's not-so-tall figure suddenly became extremely majestic; that chubby silly face also seemed to suddenly fill with wisdom and Zen...

  At this moment, Master Hong had already slipped back to the nursing home. He was still clear about his own weight, and having won the competition and gained XXXXXX's attention was enough; if he continued to make a fuss, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  It's okay, the speech that Zhou Yi had prepared for him in advance really stunned several old men, which made him admire.

  This little Zhou is indeed a high-ranking person.

  ***

  After the summer harvest, it is the busiest time in rural areas. The wheat that has been cut needs to be threshed and de-grained, and they are busy turning over the soil, watering and moistening the fields, preparing for the summer planting. The excitement brought by the long table banquet quickly disappeared in this busy period. A few days passed, and Hong Lao Liu was still Hong Lao Liu. Except for a few women with ulterior motives who treated him like a star, the villagers still affectionately called him Old Six, Iron Bull, and Master Hong.

  This is the countryside, this is rural life. Even if you were once a legendary figure, after hiding out here for a few days, your glamour will fade and you'll return to normal. Let alone in the eyes of the villagers, no matter how well you cook, you're just a chef, fundamentally different from the big stars on TV or the great scientists who have walked in space.

  This is exactly what Zhou Yi hopes to see. After the long table banquet, he can still see Hong Shifu laughing and serving soup and rice in the cafeteria, feeling that this scene is quite beautiful. Thank goodness, thank Buddha, this time not only did they win big against Kong Daming's brothers, but their own good life with Hong Shifu was also unaffected.

  Finally can rest assured to plant the fields.

  The three plots of land rented out had been tidied up by Li Yuanfang long ago. Zhou Yi directly opened the system and used a 9th-grade excellent item to temporarily upgrade the 'Planting' sub-profession to level 9 Great Perfection.

  Before the 1 million points brought by the Ninth-Grade Mysterious Object are depleted, he is the God of Agriculture. If he wants to study miscellaneous crops and whatnot, he can absolutely surpass a certain professor. However, Zhou Yi naturally doesn't have the heart to do such petty things. Upgrading this secondary occupation is mainly for growing his own trustworthy grains and vegetables to eat, and incidentally accumulating some upgrade potential points, which is killing two birds with one stone.

  Because he didn't know whether he was going to plant rice or vegetables, melons and fruits on these three mu of land, Li Yuanfang didn't let people irrigate. However, there were canals by the field and waterfalls on the mountain, which wasn't a troublesome thing at all.

  Zhou Yi bought 'Old Farmer's Hoe' from the system store, and in the two acres of land, he made a high bed about 10 cm high. He also dug out the bed interval ditch and ring ditch at the edge of the bed, which is used for water storage; He also dug drainage ditches around the outside and excavated water pits at the four corners of the field grid, which are used to drain water during heavy rainfall.

  These farm work is the first time since birth, but can't withstand the powerful system, now he starts to work, even if it's an old-fashioned way of farming, he has to give a thumbs up.

  After finishing the field, Zhou Yi finally opened the water gate and looked at the clear and sweet spring water rushing into the field. Suddenly, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction: "Brothers are also landlords now..."

  Three acres of land, one cow, and a wife with children who are all hot-headed.

  I don't have too much ambition for Zhou Yi, it feels pretty good this way.