Chapter 95

After Lu Zheng finished speaking, he knelt and waited for the teacher's criticism, but to his surprise, Li Yi removed the戒方 (square ruler) that was pressing on Lu Zheng's head and turned to leave. Yue Zhongping shouted from behind, "Zhonggui, why are you leaving? Shouldn't you say a few more words?"

Li Yi's voice came faintly, "It's time to eat. What else should we do?"

Lu Zheng and Xin'er were stunned for a moment before they realized that the teacher meant Lu Zheng had spoken well enough and there was no need for Li Yi to say more. Xin'er, delighted, pulled Lu Zheng and whispered in his ear, "Big brother, you're so amazing!"

As Xin'er leaned in, a faint, cool fragrance entered Lu Zheng's nostrils, penetrating deep into his heart, making him feel incredibly comfortable. The fragrance came from Xin'er, but strangely, Lu Zheng had never smelled it before. The scent was so unique that Lu Zheng couldn't help but take a few more deep breaths.

Lu Zheng, intoxicated by the fragrance, felt a bit dazed. Looking at Xin'er's familiar eyes, mouth, and nose, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. He stared at Xin'er, mouth open but unable to speak.

Seeing this, Yue Zhongping patted Lu Zheng's head, "Dumb kid, what are you looking at! Go eat!" He then dragged Lu Zheng away.

Xin'er noticed that Lu Zheng's gaze had been different, as if there was something hidden in his eyes that had captivated her. Just as she was about to look more closely, Mr. Yue pulled Lu Zheng away. This made Xin'er's face suddenly feel hot, and she touched her cheeks, a hint of redness creeping up.

Everyone arrived at the Quzhit Pavilion, sat down, and as usual, the table was already filled with various dishes. Just as everyone was about to finish eating, an additional dish appeared on Lu Zheng's table. It looked like a plate of round 果子 (guozi, a type of pastry), seemingly made from flour mixed with other ingredients. There were six in total, each a different color: yellow, black, green, red, and white, with the one in the middle being transparent like crystal.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng quickly stood up and said, "Teacher, I dare not eat alone."

Li Yi replied, "This is specifically made for you."

As soon as he said this, Mr. Yue exclaimed, eyes fixed on the six-colored 果子, "What? Zhonggui, did you make these yourself? Why only the dumb kid gets them?" His face showed immense disappointment.

Li Yi, knowing his thoughts, said bluntly, "I said, this is specifically made for Lu Zheng. No one else gets a share, so don't even think about it."

Mr. Yue's spirits were immediately dampened, and he retreated to his own table, staring at his food, seemingly having lost his appetite, his eyes occasionally darting to Lu Zheng's plate.

Lu Zheng originally wanted to share with Xin'er and Mr. Yue, but now he couldn't go against the teacher's wishes. He obediently returned to his seat, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and took a bite of the yellow 果子. Mr. Yue's gaze followed the yellow 果子 from the plate to Lu Zheng's mouth, and when he saw Lu Zheng bite into it, he involuntarily swallowed, asking, "Is it good?"

This sudden question startled Lu Zheng, causing his chopsticks to tremble, and the entire yellow 果子 fell into his mouth, nearly choking him. Strangely, as the yellow 果子 entered his mouth, it didn't require chewing but melted instantly.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng's expression changed. He tightly closed his mouth, eyes wide, and grabbed the table, straining to swallow the 果子, his neck turning red.

It turned out that after the yellow 果子 melted, an intense bitterness spread throughout his mouth, numbing his entire head. He dared not spit out the 果子 made by the teacher and could only force himself to swallow it.

Seeing Lu Zheng's exaggerated reaction, Mr. Yue excitedly said, "It must be very good!" and swallowed another mouthful of saliva.

Lu Zheng's eyes were watering from the bitterness, and he couldn't express his discomfort. He nodded vigorously, trying to swallow the taste. Mr. Yue, seeing this, thought Lu Zheng was responding positively, and his heart itched even more, his fingers twitching on the table.

Xin'er thought to herself, "Is it really that good? Big brother's reaction seems a bit off!" She looked at the teacher, who was still sitting there, his face as expressionless as a stone, showing no sign of any change.

The bitterness continued to explode on his tongue, forming a strong, intense sensation. Just as Lu Zheng felt he couldn't bear it any longer, a cool sensation rose from his heart, spreading to his entire tongue, reviving it from the numbness. Instantly, all the bitterness disappeared, and Lu Zheng felt a refreshing clarity, as if all his pores had opened to breathe. The redness in his face and neck quickly faded.

At this point, Lu Zheng entered a state of extreme comfort, feeling cool and refreshed all over, especially his tongue, which seemed to have become incredibly sensitive. He couldn't help but exhale a breath, which was also incredibly refreshing.

Lu Zheng realized that the teacher had him eat this extremely bitter 果子 not as a joke but with a deep purpose. However, he couldn't guess what that purpose was.

This plate of 果子 is not simple!

At this moment, Li Yi seemed to sense the change in Lu Zheng and said, "Lu Zheng, continue eating!"

With this mental preparation and knowing that the teacher had his best interests at heart, Lu Zheng bravely picked up the black 果子 and ate it.

To his surprise, the black 果子 was not bitter but salty. Lu Zheng's tongue, sensitized by the previous bitterness, was even more sensitive to the saltiness. Fortunately, the saltiness was not too strong, as excessive saltiness would turn into bitterness. The saltiness in Lu Zheng's mouth was just on the edge of turning bitter, gradually eroding his taste.

After a long time, the saltiness, like the bitterness, disappeared without a trace. Instead of a change in taste, Lu Zheng felt an increase in energy. He had been mentally exhausted from the five tests, but after the saltiness, he felt a surge of energy, as if he could punch through a mountain.

After savoring it, Lu Zheng picked up the other 果子. The green one was sour, the red one was sweet, and the white one was spicy. It turned out that these five colored 果子 represented the five tastes: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty.

When the sourness hit, Lu Zheng felt as if his nose was about to fall off, but after the sourness, his eyes became even brighter. The sweetness was the most comfortable taste, making Lu Zheng feel a warm, sweet sensation in his heart. After the sweetness disappeared, a warm feeling rose in his heart. The final spiciness made him sweat, and then he suddenly smelled the orchid-like fragrance from Xin'er, a mysterious scent that made him feel a bit dizzy.

While Lu Zheng was eating the 果子, Mr. Yue, unable to resist his hunger, casually picked up a few bites of food to satisfy his craving. However, seeing Lu Zheng's exaggerated reactions, he wondered how delicious the 果子 must be. The food in his mouth tasted bland. After a few bites, he put down his chopsticks, looking aggrieved, and picked up a cup of wine to drink.

As the wine went down his throat, Mr. Yue's aggrieved expression turned into a smile. He turned to Li Yi, excitedly saying, "Zhonggui, you're the best to me!"

Li Yi grunted and said, "Alcoholic!"

Xin'er, curious, asked, "Uncle Yue, did the teacher give you good wine? What's so good about it? It's so spicy!"

Mr. Yue, ignoring Li Yi's taunt, took a full drink and looked at Xin'er, "Have you ever had wine?" Seeing Xin'er stick out her tongue, he laughed, "Little girl, what do you know? Wine is a divine creation!"

Lu Zheng interjected, "Mr. Yue, what do you mean by 'wine is a divine creation'?" He had heard Mr. Yue say this before.

Mr. Yue laughed and said, "The world provides us with six things to nourish us. Do you two know what they are?"

Lu Zheng and Xin'er shook their heads. Mr. Yue, holding his wine cup, stood up and walked outside the pavilion, pointing to the flower garden, "The world has beautiful flowers, beautiful scenery, and beautiful people. I nourish my eyes with all the beauty in the world, so all ugliness is invisible to me." He then turned, his sleeves fluttering, and his ancient zither appeared beside him. He played a few notes, drank the wine in one gulp, and said, "The sound of the zither blocks all evil sounds from my ears, so I nourish my ears with the zither!"

Lu Zheng and Xin'er finally understood what Mr. Yue meant by the six nourishments. Beautiful flowers and scenery nourish the eyes, which made sense, but in the Rizhuelu, there were only Xin'er, a young girl, and no beautiful people. Besides, only Mr. Yue would dare to say such a thing; the teacher wouldn't use this to nourish his eyes. Thinking of this, Lu Zheng secretly glanced at the teacher.

Mr. Yue reached out and grabbed a wisp of air, bringing it to his nose and said, "Flowers are not only beautiful but also fragrant, so I nourish my nose with the fragrance of flowers, and all foul odors are blocked." He then pointed at Li Yi and laughed, "With your teacher here, the best flavors in the world can be transformed on my tongue, so all other tastes are blocked, and I nourish my tongue."

Lu Zheng, hearing about the best flavors, thought of his own experience with the 果子, which seemed to go beyond just nourishing the tongue, affecting his entire body in various ways.

Mr. Yue turned around, a common pose he used to show off his clothes, and said, "I protect myself from the cold, heat, and wind with beautiful clothing, so all evil influences are blocked, and I nourish my body."

After saying this, he leaped into the pavilion, picked up the wine bottle, and took several sips, his eyes bright, praising, "Good wine!" He continued, "The sixth nourishment is the nourishment of the heart and mind. The heart and mind are formless, and only divine things can nourish them, like this!" He laughed and kept drinking.

Lu Zheng and Xin'er, after hearing Mr. Yue's explanation of the six nourishments, were secretly impressed, thinking it made a lot of sense. Throughout, the teacher, Li Yi, sat quietly, saying nothing, but after seeing Mr. Yue's wild behavior after drinking, he frowned but said nothing.

Interrupted by Mr. Yue, Lu Zheng almost forgot about the last crystal 果子. He picked it up, curious about what the teacher had used to make this transparent 果子. Even the previous five 果子, which he couldn't figure out how the teacher made, were incredibly unique. The teacher's culinary skills were truly beyond comprehension. Although he often learned from the teacher, he was far from reaching the teacher's level. No wonder Mr. Yue said the teacher's food could nourish his tongue; Mr. Yue's tongue must be very discerning!

While thinking, he ignored Mr. Yue's pitiful gaze and decisively bit into the crystal 果子. He had imagined countless possibilities, but the moment he bit into it, he was stunned.

Lu Zheng never imagined that the crystal 果子 would taste like this, and it left him in a state of shock, his mind undergoing a dramatic change!