BXBX NOVEL Chapter 156 - 156 Deer Spirit
As Qin Lang came out with the dishes, the aroma which originally filled the kitchen started to disperse towards the living room as the kitchen door opened.
In the living room, Mrs. Yunqi, whose face showed deep thought, gradually snapped back to reality under this scent.
“Your dish is ready?”
“Yes.” Qin Lang nodded.
For some reason, he felt a change in the atmosphere inside the room.
But this did not prevent him from presenting the dish in his hands to Mrs.
Yunqi, “Mirs. Yunqi, this Poetic Etiquette Ginkgo is a dish I cooked, combining a poem from ‘Poems in the Wind1 called ‘Deer Shadow’. Please taste it.”
“Deer Shadow?” Mrs. Yunqi looked at the Poetic Etiquette Ginkgo in front of her, which was refined like a piece of art, with a flash of brilliance in her eyes.
The book of poems she brought out was, naturally, familiar to her.
She could effortlessly recite every poem in it.
The poem called ‘Deer Shadow’ outlines the poet’s freedom when living with a herd of deer. Mrs. Yunqi, establishing Luxing Garden and living leisurely on the mountainside of Bai Lu Mountain, was equally affected by this poem.
Qin Lang choosing it among so many poems was somewhat surprising to Mrs. Yunqi.
The answer given by Qin Lang was equally unexpected to Mrs. Yunqi.
After watching Qin Lang’s previous competition videos, she knew he was a spiritual chef who was good at turning ingredients into unexpected appearances, thereby giving them a completely new taste.
She had thought the answer Qin Lang would give her would also be like that.
But this dish called Poetic Etiquette Ginkgo gave her a different feeling.
The clearly discernible ginkgo fruit was casually scattered beside the carved white deer.
Under the white deer’s lifelike backdrop, this casual plating did not seem perfunctory, but had an unexpectedly exquisite feel.
The round, slightly yellow ginkgo fruit’s surface was shiny and glossy under the light. Mrs. Yunqi could clearly see the osmanthus trapped in the soup, and could also smell the scent of osmanthus and honey that filled the air.
Honey, osmanthus, ginkgo…
A strange look flashed in Mrs. Yunqi’s eyes.
She picked up a ginkgo fruit with chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
The rich and sweet taste caused her taste buds to quiver the moment the soup on the surface of the ginkgo fruit touched her tongue.
It was a crisp, clear taste. The addition of lard added a bit of heaviness and smoothness, but it didn’t bring too much greasiness.
The sweet honey and osmanthus honey integrated with the freshness seeping from the ginkgo were quickly overflowing between her lips and teeth.
As Mrs. Yunqi gently chewed, the ginkgo’s crispy and resilient texture exploded quickly.
The perfectly timed cooking process made it easy to bite open the ginkgo, but its essence prevented it from becoming soft. The ginkgo exploded into a richer texture because of its internal structure.
As the ginkgo became fragmented between her lips and teeth, the internal freshness and sweetness was slowly released. After blanching and removing the bitter taste, what remained was a memorable sweetness.
After eating one, Mrs. Yunqi’s face reflected a sense of surprise.
Ginkgo was not an ingredient that was complex to cook.
But it was extremely rare to prepare it so deliciously.
What a feat, to get everything just right.
She turned to look at the young man standing aside waiting for her to announce the assessment results, suddenly asking, “Did you notice something?”
“If you’re referring to the taste of chrysanthemum and fritillary bulbs in the tea, 1 have indeed noticed,” Qin Lang responded genuinely.
When Mrs. Yunqi took her first sip of tea, Qin Lang realized there was something special about the tea.
Both chrysanthemums and fritillary bulbs have lung-clearing, throat-moistening, and cough-relieving effects.
That’s also why Mrs. Yunqi only drank tea herself and didn’t offer him any.
And Qin Lang’s choice of Poetic Etiquette Ginkgo also considered this aspect.
Ginkgo itself has lung-clearing, cough-relieving effects.
The honey and osmanthus paired with it produce the same effect.
“You are a very excellent Spirit Chef,” Mrs. Yunqi said with an additional smile on her face.
Besides the overt requirements of the test, this too was taken into account by Mrs. Yunqi.
A Spirit Chef, in essence, is still a chef.
And as chefs, they should always have the food guests in mind.
Whether it’s being careless and not noticing the issue with the tea, or noticing but not taking it into account, if the Spirit Chef attempting the challenge ends up using ingredients in their dishes that counteract the cough-relief properties, they would fail this round.
She rose to her feet and entered another room, shortly after returning with a badge.
“Your cooking skills have earned my approval.”
“This Deer Spirit Badge is now yours.”
“Thank you!” Qin Lang hadn’t anticipated such a smooth journey.
He happily collected the Deer Spirit Badge and examined it under the light.
As a Second-Level Food Recommender Badge, the Deer Spirit Badge shares the same silver texture and stunning frame as the Distant Light Badge, but the internal pattern is entirely different.
Set against a serene snowy night, the white silhouette of a ginkgo tree merges with falling snowflakes. Beneath the tree, a white deer seems to be looking back or perhaps gazing into the distance. In the bottom left and right corners of the image, fragmented ginkgo leaves bear a golden hue.
At the bottom of the badge, the words “Bai Lu Mountain City ? Deer Spirit” shimmer in silver on a red ribbon.
Second-Level Food Recommender Badge ? Deer Spirit!
“It’s getting late, you should leave now.” After handing over the Deer Spirit Badge to Qin Lang, Mrs. Yunqi showed no intention of asking him to stay.
She returned to her seat, continuing to savour the taste of Poetic Etiquette Ginkgo, her eyes slightly distant as though lost in thought.
Seeing this, Qin Lang, along with the two Food Spirits, departed without disturbing her.
Only Mrs. Yunqi remained inside the house now.
Without realising it, she had consumed all the ginkgo fruit on her plate.
“So few?” Mrs. Yunqi couldn’t help but mutter, then chuckled with resignation, “Are they afraid I’ll get poisoned?”
“But, 1 need the toxins of the ginkgo fruit to suppress my own problems.”
“Huh?!”
Seeing the Deer Spirit Badge in Qin Lang’s hand, Zhao Chen and the others couldn’t help but widen their eyes.
They knew that Qin Lang was visiting Mrs. Yunqi, the Second-Level Food Recommender in Bai Lu Mountain City, but they didn’t expect him to get the second Second-Level Food Recommender Badge so effortlessly.
“This is too quick, isn’t it?” Qi Xiaoyu couldn’t help but exclaim under her breath, “This is a Second-Level Food Recommender’s test!”
“Indeed, it’s more difficult than a First-Level Food Recommender’s test,” Qin Lang agreed with a nod.
Previously, the tests for the First-Level Food Recommenders typically only had one requirement.
For example, the Fish Scale Badge required cooking fish; the Daisy Badge, desserts; the Teng Niu Badge, beef.
But for the Second-Level Food Recommender Badge, there are requirements for both the ingredients and the dish itself, increasing the challenge significantly.
He had yet realised that Mrs. Yunqi’s test had hidden requirements, making it three in total.
Upon hearing Qin Lang’s words, Qi Xiaoyu’s expression became even more stunned.
The key point is that the Second-Level Food Recommender tests are more difficult?
The real question is, why can you still pass so quickly despite the increased difficulty?!
Quick access: [Monthly Ticket] [Recommendation Ticket]