Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons in a County Town?

After admiring the Exquisite Kitchen Knife for a while, Li You returned it to the Storage Pavilion.

He then went into the kitchen to make another bowl of beef noodles.

This one was for him.

He hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

After making the noodles, he savored every bite before starting on the dishes.

With nearly a hundred bowls to wash, it was going to take a while.

’I wonder if the system has kitchen equipment like an automatic dishwasher?’

’It probably does.’

’It’s just a matter of when I’ll draw one or get one as a drop.’

’I hope it’s soon.’

Although automatic dishwashers were sold commercially, Li You had no intention of buying one.

They were no good and not very user-friendly.

’A dishwasher from the system would surely be leagues better than any commercial model.’

After quite some time, he finally finished washing all the bowls.

He went to the rocking chair outside the restaurant and lay down.

Time for a rest.

An hour later, Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, and Qu Feng were the first to return.

They came to say their goodbyes to Li You.

Jiang Caidong said, "Having Boss Li’s restaurant here is a stroke of luck for our entire Changxi County."

By then, everyone already knew Li You’s name.

Li You quickly insisted that Boss Jiang was flattering him.

Liang Heng and Qu Feng both said again that being able to eat Li You’s Yangchun Noodles was their great fortune.

Li You quickly replied that it was his honor.

Afterward, Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, and Qu Feng went to the parking lot, got in their car, and left.

Another hour passed, and the rest of the customers returned one after another.

They also came to say their goodbyes to Li You.

"Boss, we’ll be back. We might even become regulars," the customers all said.

Li You smiled. "You’re welcome anytime."

After the customers left one by one, Li You went back to lying down.

’Even if no other customers show up this afternoon, today’s business has been more than enough.’

The fluffy white clouds in the sky were truly beautiful.

The occasional breeze always carried the fragrance of wildflowers.

’So relaxing.’

...

Meanwhile, news was slowly spreading throughout the culinary circles of Heyang and Xingshui.

The result of the match between Qu Feng and Changxi County’s Liang Heng was out; Qu Feng had indeed won.

But in the end, Qu Feng had lost to Changxi County.

This news came as a considerable surprise to the culinary circles of both cities.

What was going on?

Wasn’t Liang Heng supposed to be the best at making Yangchun Noodles in Changxi County?

How could Qu Feng have clearly beaten Liang Heng, yet ultimately lost?

"It’s simple. Because the person in Changxi County with the best Yangchun Noodles isn’t Liang Heng. I heard there’s a restaurant in a place called Jiulong Gorge. The boss of that restaurant makes better Yangchun Noodles than Liang Heng. Qu Feng competed against him and lost."

"For real? No way! I’ve never heard of anyone in Changxi County being better than Liang Heng at Yangchun Noodles!"

"Just because you haven’t heard of them doesn’t mean they don’t exist! Qu Feng admitted it himself. He said he lost. He even said that the Jiulong Gorge Restaurant boss’s skill with Yangchun Noodles is far superior to his own."

"Even if Qu Feng really lost, there’s no way that... that Jiulong Gorge Restaurant boss’s Yangchun Noodles skill could be *far* superior to his. We all know how good Qu Feng is with Yangchun Noodles. How could someone be that much better than him? That’s just Qu Feng being modest."

"That’s probably true. The boss was likely just a cut above Qu Feng. But even if it was just by a little, a win is a win! Qu Feng lost, which means our Heyang City’s Yangchun Noodles lost. This is just... SIGH!"

"..."

The news that Qu Feng had personally admitted defeat to the owner of Jiulong Gorge Restaurant spread through the culinary circles of both cities.

Qu Feng also said that the Jiulong Gorge Restaurant owner’s skill with Yangchun Noodles was far superior to his.

However, the chefs in both cities believed this was just Qu Feng being modest.

But even if Qu Feng had only lost by a small margin, it was still a loss.

So, as the news spread, the reactions from the two cities’ culinary circles were completely different.

The chefs of Xingshui City were more delighted than ever.

Who would have thought Changxi County was full of hidden masters, even someone who could beat Qu Feng.

"HAHAHA! What did I tell you yesterday? It’s not over until it’s over! How about that? A miracle happened, right? This just goes to show that until the final result is in, anything can happen."

"I really didn’t expect Changxi County to have someone even better than Liang Heng at making Yangchun Noodles. What a pleasant surprise! He single-handedly turned the tide! Jiulong Gorge... that place sounds a little familiar. I’ll have to visit that restaurant when I get the chance and meet the boss. He’s the number one Yangchun Noodle chef in all of Xingshui City now!"

"Changxi County is full of hidden talents. This time, it was all thanks to the owner of Jiulong Gorge Restaurant. We have to go meet him when we have the chance."

"That Qu Feng dared to come challenge our Xingshui City all by himself. So arrogant! Now he knows how formidable Xingshui City is, right? HAHAHA!"

"I’ve heard of Jiulong Gorge in Changxi County. I heard it’s out in the middle of nowhere, a total wilderness. How could there be a restaurant there?"

"It’s probably just in the direction of Jiulong Gorge. Qu Feng isn’t familiar with the area, so he only knew about Jiulong Gorge and just called it Jiulong Gorge Restaurant. That’s not important. As long as a restaurant like that really exists, that’s all that matters."

"..."

While the chefs of Xingshui City were overjoyed, the chefs of Heyang City were utterly dejected.

The main reason was the drastic emotional whiplash.

One moment they were celebrating victory, and the next they were told they had lost and the victory belonged to the other side.

Anyone would feel terrible in that situation.

To think a master of Yangchun Noodles who could beat Qu Feng was hiding in a small county town?

It was truly something they never could have imagined.

Jiulong Gorge, Changxi County?

The chefs of Heyang City all committed this place to memory.

"Speaking of which, is there anyone in Heyang City who’s even better than Qu Feng at Yangchun Noodles? Could someone go and challenge the boss of that Jiulong Gorge Restaurant? And beat him."

"That’s hard to say. Among all the chefs I know, Qu Feng is the best at Yangchun Noodles. But in a big city like Heyang, we can’t rule out the possibility of a hidden master. Maybe there really is someone whose skill surpasses Qu Feng’s."

"I think it’s very possible. If a little place like Changxi County can have hidden talents, why can’t a big city like ours?"

"I really hope so. Losing to Xingshui City’s Changxi County like this... it just doesn’t sit right."

"None of us can accept it. Let’s hope someone can give us a pleasant surprise."

"..."

The chefs of Heyang City were dejected and resentful, but also hopeful.

...

「Jiulong Gorge.」

The sky gradually darkened. Indeed, no other customers had come in the afternoon.

Li You had spent the whole afternoon lying comfortably.

Now it was time to get up and move around a bit.

’Might as well roast a couple of fish to eat.’

’I could never get tired of eating roasted fish.’

He found some dry firewood nearby and lit it.

He took two crucian carp from the Storage Pavilion.

The carp had been cleaned before being stored in the Storage Pavilion.

So, he found two branches, skewered both carp, and began roasting them directly over the fire.

Fish cooked in this simple, primitive way might not be the most delicious.

But Li You liked this way of roasting fish.

Slowly, a fragrant aroma began to drift out again.

...

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