Chapter 35

"Brunei!" Luo Youde pointed to the northern part of Borneo Island, mentioning another country name that Hong Tao had no impression of.

"Here?" Hong Tao decided not to say the country names himself and instead pointed to the map. The scale of this sea chart was off, making the Malay Peninsula a tiny dot while Sumatra was quite large.

"Java..." Luo Youde was really going all out to get Hong Tao's information about Australia, answering every question.

"Here?" Hong Tao was still not satisfied and pointed to the area near Jakarta.

"Java..." This name Hong Tao had heard before.

"Australia is here..." Hong Tao didn't want to drink the tea-like water at all, so he used it as ink, dipping his finger in the tea and roughly drawing the shape of Australia on the coffee table below the sea chart.

"Too big!" Luo Youde was shocked by the size of Australia. Even if he had drawn the Philippines and Sumatra a bit inaccurately, they were still tiny compared to Australia.

"More or less. Your sea chart isn't very accurate. Who drew it? It's best to redraw it; it's too problematic and can easily lead to death!" After showing off his vague homeland, Hong Tao felt a bit elated and started talking without thinking.

"Tsk! You young man, you're too cocky. This is a sea chart that the Luo family bought at a high price, with a history of two hundred years. You say it's inaccurate, so it's inaccurate!" Luo Youde hadn't said anything, but the middle-aged man beside him couldn't stand it. However, from his tone, Hong Tao could tell that this sea chart probably wasn't easy to come by, even if it was said to be bought at a high price.

"Ha ha ha... That's true. I was just chatting. You've eaten more salt than I've eaten rice, so you know more than I do. Don't take it to heart, just chatting!" The middle-aged man's reprimand reminded Hong Tao not to be too showy... he had to control his mouth, those two pieces of meat were troublemakers!

"Ah Cai, go prepare dinner. I'm in a good mood today, we'll have four meals! Don't be slow!" Luo Youde, though easy-going, had a sharp eye. He immediately saw that Hong Tao was about to back off and quickly changed the topic, smoothly getting rid of the middle-aged man who had made Hong Tao wary.

"No problem! No problem, I'm just a fisherman, I don't know much about etiquette. May I ask, don't sharks only eat shark fins? What do you need the shark's body for?" Hong Tao didn't dare to talk about the map anymore, though his eyes were still on it. He changed the topic to remember the map's shape as quickly as possible, so he could use it later. Not for his own use, but to harm those who obstructed his dreams, anyone!

"Oh, Brother Hong, you don't know that sharks can be eaten for their skin? Ha ha ha... Well, well, well, I'll let you try it. Ah Cai, prepare a dish of shark skin botuo, serve it on the second round!" Luo Youde was taken aback by Hong Tao's question but quickly reacted, laughing happily and shouting down from the stern deck as if he had discovered a treasure.

"What is botuo?" Hong Tao had never heard this term before. He knew it was food, but didn't know what it was. Not knowing, he asked. He thought this was true in any dynasty; there was no need to pretend to know, as people in any dynasty weren't fools.

"Brother Hong, don't worry, you'll know when you come up, you'll know! May I ask if there are any rare delicacies in Brother Hong's hometown? I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed, I'm a glutton too, I've traveled all over the South, and every place I go, I must first taste the food!" Luo Youde's attitude made Hong Tao feel comfortable. He didn't put on airs and spoke frankly.

"Uh... Food... Fish fillets, hot pot, and braised dishes are quite fresh. Also, Brother Luo, have you ever eaten bread?" Talking about food, Hong Tao had a lot to say, but he couldn't mention seasonings that didn't exist in the Song Dynasty, at least not chili peppers, potatoes, cumin, curry, or fermented tofu and yellow bean sauce, which he wasn't sure about. He had to talk about dishes with complete seasonings.

"Never heard of it! Wonderful... Ha ha ha! Brother Hong, I have a request. Could you stay in Zhenzhou for a few more days? As long as Brother Hong gives me some guidance, I will surely be able to make it!" Luo Youde, unexpectedly, was a big foodie. Hearing about something he hadn't eaten, his eyes widened.

"But I still have to go back to fish..." Hong Tao certainly didn't want to be a chef for him. He was once the richest man in the world; how much would it cost to hire the richest man in the world as a chef?

"No problem! No problem! According to the current price, I'll pay you daily, regardless of whether you catch fish or not!" Luo Youde was really willing to pay, offering to pay Hong Tao hundreds of strings of cash per day.

"No, no, no, I'm not asking for money. I have a foster father from the Tanka community to support. Brother Luo knows, the Tanka people live a hard life..."

Luo Youde understood immediately. "I understand, I will definitely pay. But could you let me see it first? To be honest, when I encounter food I haven't tried, I can't sleep at night!" Luo Youde followed the path Hong Tao had set, but he wasn't giving it away for free. He wanted Hong Tao to show him first, but his words were very smooth, showing that Luo Youde wasn't a fool, but a sharp person!

"No problem, let's start with a simple fish fillet. All I need is wheat flour!" Hong Tao had to look at Luo Youde differently. This guy was a smiling tiger, harmless-looking but not taking any losses, at least not until he thought he wasn't losing.

"Yes, yes, yes... Should I clear the kitchen to prevent the secrets from spreading?" Luo Youde was even more considerate than Hong Tao, even bringing up the issue of patents.

"No need, no need. If Brother Luo likes it, you can learn from me. It's very simple, you'll learn it quickly!" Hong Tao stood up, walking downstairs while extending an invitation. A simple fish fillet, no need to make it a secret technique. He didn't plan to live as a chef in the future, so anyone who wanted to learn could.

"Ha ha ha... Great! I'll go with you!" Luo Youde was waiting for Hong Tao's words. He didn't hesitate for a moment, standing up and following Hong Tao downstairs. Hong Tao's politeness was fake, but Luo Youde was sincere.

Luo Youde didn't lie to Hong Tao. He was indeed a foodie. The kitchen on the ship was actually on the first deck, which was supposed to be living quarters, but it had been converted into a huge kitchen. Whether this was typical of rich people in the Song Dynasty, Hong Tao didn't know, but he liked this style, it had character!

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