I'm the Culinary God

"So, were you wiping your tears just now because you were thinking about your British female classmate?"

Yan Lin’s words instantly pushed Cui Qingyuan’s brain into overdrive.

This question made the gentlemen present feel a rush of sympathy for Old Cui.

But this professor from the Tsinghua Intelligence class put away his smile and calmly said:

"No, I was thinking of you just now and even silently prayed that if you could appear in front of me, I’d teach all undergraduate courses to Lele in 2023, and raise her English score to eight in IELTS, maybe even learn one or two new foreign languages..."

Geng Lele, who was enjoying the banter while munching on snacks, was dumbfounded: ???????

Are you kidding me?

I was just making a small joke because my godmother came, and this is how you retaliate?

Is there any justice?

Is there any law?

Little Mushroom Head originally wanted to complain to Yan Lin, but upon reflecting that all parents are alike—they unconditionally support anything that makes their children study—she let it go.

Ah!

Watching this drama unfold on stage, it’s really not a great feeling.

But since things have been decided this way, she couldn’t say more and got up to help Yan Lin and Xiao Qing with bowls and chopsticks:

"Godmother, sister Qing, you two go ahead and eat, I can’t taste the flavor anymore."

Even her favorite meat dish, at this moment, lost its appeal; only a faint sense of melancholy lingered in Little Mushroom Head’s heart.

The spectators like Chen Yan earnestly advised Geng Lele to work hard. They saw news online about someone who became a Ph.D. student at 22, so clever Lele should easily manage it by 20, right?

"You all better stop gloating over my troubles, watch out or I’ll curse you to choke on your food, cough on your drink, trip over nothing, and gain weight without eating!"

The big sisters who were somewhat superstitious instantly softened their smiles and stayed silent.

Hmm, curses are unpredictable; what if they actually come true, what would we do then?

Yan Lin tried the dishes on the table; she wasn’t particularly interested in mustard-type dishes, but the Qianlong Cabbage, sour and sweet with a strong sesame aroma, pleased her greatly:

"Not bad, I’d always heard about it, thought it’d be pretty average."

Shen Guofu proudly said:

"The ones sold outside are indeed pretty average, but Xiao Xu makes them well—the balance of sour and sweet is just right, and the quality of the cabbage is also high."

Qianlong Cabbage requires the use of yellow leaf cabbage, which is what’s referred to as bean sprouts.

Ideally, you use the heart part of the cabbage. The heart of a cabbage is quite tender, offering a faint sweetness, and the higher price of yellow leaf cabbage often means restaurants use regular cabbage to cut costs.

With compromises on ingredients and savings made on spices, the dish naturally loses some quality.

Not to mention, many restaurants prepare sesame sauce in large batches, which loses its aroma quickly.

Given these circumstances, achieving a result like Lin Xu’s is quite challenging.

In fact, many gourmet dishes are like this; disregarding cost factors makes crafting delicious meals easy. But once you factor in the costs of ingredients, labor, and profit margins, the taste inevitably suffers.

After lunch, Cui Qingyuan obediently followed Yan Lin out, and while going downstairs, you could faintly hear Yan Lin asking about the British female classmates.

Evidently, Miss Yan was quite perturbed that Professor Cui didn’t think of her first.

Thus, she needed a different setting for a thorough inquiry.

Once they left, Xiao Qing sprawled lazily across the booth seat:

"I’m free, what’s the plan for the afternoon? Don’t tell me I’m just hanging around the restaurant to eat, even though I crave Lin Ji’s delicacies, I’d like to wander around Beijing and see if I can run into a fast young biker."

Zeng Xiaoqi: ???????

Why don’t you just give my ID number? Why the roundabout way?

She said to Xiao Qing:

"Later, we’re going to the Fishing Association for an offline gathering, paying the membership fee, and collecting the documents."

Since it’s an approved organization, paying a membership fee is natural. Additionally, Old Su has ordered customized badges and certificates for the Fishing Association, making it quite official.

Xiao Qing wasn’t particularly interested in such activities, but recalling how several people in the group caught big fish the last time made her curious:

"Is fishing really that fun?"

As soon as this question rolled out, Chen Yan chuckled and said:

"When you start to feel curious about fishing, it means you’re already at the doorstep of the fisherman’s world. No matter how resistant you are now, you’ll eventually become a proud fisherman."

Shen Jiayue added:

"Yes, there’s also a chance you might become an Air Force member."

Xiao Qing didn’t believe it, but she imagined that if she could land a big fish, everyone would surely give her newfound respect, and said:

"Alright, I’ll go too and see if I can pick up some tricks. If I catch a big fish, you’ll have to start calling me Sister Qing, right?"

In previous fishing trips, whenever someone landed a fish, their demeanor would become rather shameless—boasting and belittling others while everyone offered insincere praise.

Xiao Qing didn’t understand why catching a fish warranted such behavior, but she wanted to experience the smugness.

Soon, it was time. Everyone packed up, carrying Dundun, and went to the building next door.

Using the stairs, they reached the third floor, followed the corridor to find a room with a sign saying ’Worry-free Progress Tutoring Class,’ and opened the door where Old Su was leading a few local anglers in cleaning.

This was the base of the Fishing Association.