BXBX NOVEL Chapter 245: In Trouble
Watching the pier gradually shrink from his view, becoming only a speck on the shoreline of the Jumping Fish Lake, Qin Lang slowly shifted his gaze away.
On the oversized deck of the “Yueyu” luxury cruise ship, were a dense crowd and a huge number of stall carts. A rough count by Qin Lang put the number above two hundred.
At this moment, the staff members were in consultation with the Spirit Chefs participating in the Leaping Fish Banquet.
Every Spirit Chef who registered for the Leaping Fish Banquet would be assigned a random number. This number corresponds to a fixed position on the deck of the “Yueyu” cruise ship, representing a stable stall for the chef for the next three days.
Fair and reasonable.
Soon, it was Qin Lang’s turn.
Under the guidance of a staff member, he pushed his stall cart to the corresponding spot.
Qin Lang was lucky. His stall wasn’t the best, but it definitely wasn’t the worst either.
An unremarkable stall…
Qin Lang looked around. The Spirit Chefs who had determined their positions nearby were greeting each other, their friendly demeanor accompanied by a hint of wariness.
For neighboring stalls, the competition was the fiercest.
After making sure that Shen Qian, Zhou Qing, and Li Hong – three people he knew, were not close by, Qin Lang heaved a sigh of relief.
He decided to look for their stalls later in the banquet, after establishing an advantage.
Thanks to the efficient coordination by the staff, the two hundred or so stall owners soon arrived at their respective positions.
At the same time, the speed of the “Yueyu” cruise ship, which had been plowing through the waves, slowed down rapidly.
A deep rumble echoed from underneath the ship during the noticeable deceleration that everyone on deck could feel.
It was the sound of the anchor hitting the lake bed.
The next moment, the “Yueyu” cut off its power and came to a complete stop.
“Welcome everyone to the Leaping Fish Banquet.”
A gentle female voice surfaced over the loudspeakers, promptly calming the slight commotion on the deck.
In the center of the deck, a platform rose slowly. Atop the platform stood a middle-aged woman who appeared to be impeccably cared for, smiling at everyone. Behind her stood dozens of distinguished men and women.
“It’s Ms. Ye Cangqing!”
“Second-Level Food Recommender Ms. Min Rou from Ye Zhi city is right behind her!”
“Mr. Gu Wenquan, the Second-Level Food Recommender from Hanhai City is also here!”
“That’s the person in charge of the Mingjing Province branch of the Shi Qi Group!”
Murmurs of astonishment came from everywhere around Qin Lang, prompting him to raise an eyebrow.
So many influential figures accompanied her. It was indeed fitting for a Third- Level Food Recommender from Mingjing Province.
Just this introductory scene made Qin Lang realize the high caliber of the Leaping Fish Banquet.
“The rules for this Leaping Fish Banquet, as I believe, are already known to all of you, I won’t repeat them,” Ye Cangqing began with a smile, holding the microphone. “I only have one thing to say.”
“Please look.”
With the conclusion of her words, twelve giant electronic screens, which had been set up around the deck in advance, simultaneously lit up.
The images displayed on the screens were different, but the style was extremely consistent.
All of them were scenes shot from a high altitude by drones in which a pier was at the center of each image.
Those who were familiar with Jumping Fish Lake could tell at a glance that these twelve different piers were all the piers wrapping around the lake.
And at this moment, people crowded these piers, where numerous small cruise ships were docked.
These small ships were identical in structure, with the pattern of a leaping fish on their hulls.
The same pattern was emblazoned on a flag, fluttering in the wind atop the mast of the “Yueyu”.
This was the emblem of the Leaping Fish Banquet!
“Our twelve piers will be operating at full capacity for the next three days, ensuring safe passage for the citizens.” Ye Cangqing began slowly, “Each of them is a judge for this Leaping Fish Banquet.”
People regard food as their heaven, so show me your reverence for ‘food’.”
“Yes!!!”
A chorus of shouts echoed across the deck.
Just a few short sentences, combined with the images on the electronic screen showing citizens lining up to board the cruise ships at the twelve piers, were enough to ignite the enthusiasm in most of the Spirit Chefs gathered there.
Such a grand occasion was a novel experience for many in the crowd.
“And now…”
Ye Cangqing’s voice paused slightly.
“The Leaping Fish Banquet begins!”
With her words, the deck suddenly bustled with activity.
Food guests had already boarded the ships and would soon arrive at the “Yueyu Cruise Ship” in the middle of the lake. Naturally, they needed to prepare in advance to provide their guests with delicious food that fully demonstrates their culinary skills as soon as they disembarked.
Qin Lang raised himself on his toes slightly, his gaze directed towards the lake beside him.
The Leaping Fish Lake was vast. Located at the center of the lake, Qin Lang could see the shorelines on both sides, but more of his view was filled with the vast expanse of rippling lake water.
The lake water was very clear, and he could even see the schools of fish swimming at the bottom of the lake.
A strange sense of serenity filled his heart, as if his soul was being cleansed at that moment.
Gazing at the cruise ships that were gradually emerging from the horizon and sailing towards them, Qin Lang shifted his gaze to the two little ones beside him who were full of anticipation.
“Now, it’s time to showcase the efforts of the past ten days.”
Qin Lang began to move.
One after another, the prepared glass containers were put on the stall car table with Dan Bao’s help.
His stall car was no longer the one he initially rented.
After testing the waters for a few days, he realized that a customized car could effectively improve efficiency, especially for serving his specific dishes.
Therefore, before officially participating in the Leaping Fish Banquet, Qin Lang enlisted the help of Shen Qian, a local, to find a specialized store and had a stall car made just for him.
Aside from being able to hold an impressive five hundred jin of Seafood Medley with Sauce, the new stall car had room for a seafood cabinet that could store hundreds of Hairy Crabs.
Once dozens of Hairy Crabs were put in the steamer, Qin Lang glanced at Spicy. “Click!”
Cooking Acceleration!
With an impressive rapport built over days of practice, Spicy naturally flew above the steamer and used an invisible force to envelop the steamer, accelerating the Hairy Crabs’ cooking process.
The Hairy Crabs changed from their original grey-green colour to a vibrant red at a visibly fast speed.
Dan Bao, standing by for commands, timely controlled the steamer using Thought Waves. Under its telekinetic power, all the crabs were suspended in the air, and the steps of extracting crab roe, crab paste, and crab meat were performed at an astonishing speed.
Within three minutes, all the Hairy Crabs had been disassembled, and the crab paste, crab roe, crab meat, and crab shells were separately set aside for use.
“Sizzle?? ”
Accompanied by the crisp sound of oil, the crab shells soaked in the pre-heated oil, releasing fine oil bubbles where they made contact with the hot oil.
As Qin Lang adjusted the heat to slow cook the crab oil, Spicy’s Cooking Acceleration already extended over. The hot oil in the pot changed from its original yellow color to an irresistibly tempting orange-red at a visibly fast speed.
The rich aroma of crab oil wafted upwards, spreading dominantly and aggressively.
The others were stunned at this sight.
Thought Waves coupled with Cooking Acceleration…
Who taught you to run a stall like this?!
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