Chapter 6

As a steady stream of customers entered the restaurant, this was the top-rated dining establishment in Sichuan Province, the imperial-granted "Chrysanthemum Pavilion."

In this imperial-granted restaurant, each generation's head chef was always the most renowned chef in Sichuan Province at the time!

Moreover, there was an unwritten rule...

That is, when the baton of the head chef was to be passed on, a "cooking competition" must be held between the old and new head chefs!

Six years ago, the head chef of Chrysanthemum Pavilion passed away, and his wife took over the position. She defeated the new head chef in the competition and thus retained the restaurant...

And this new head chef was known as the "Fairy of Sichuan Cuisine"! She could be considered the best among the renowned chefs of past generations. The various dishes she meticulously created had rewritten the history of the restaurant several times!

As night fell, after a day of continuous travel, Leyuan finally arrived at the small town where the famous state-owned restaurant, Chrysanthemum Pavilion, was located. Although he had eaten some wild fruits, they could not fill his stomach. After a long and arduous journey, he was deeply afraid of encountering someone from the Dark Culinary World. With no money, Leyuan could only endure his hunger and rush forward. When he reached the door of Chrysanthemum Pavilion, he was already exhausted and famished, his vision blurred. He mustered the last of his strength to knock on the door, but a wave of nausea hit him, and he fainted at the entrance of Chrysanthemum Pavilion.

Darkness enveloped Leyuan, and feelings of loneliness and helplessness surged within him. The tragic cries of his parents at Moon White Manor echoed in his ears. Although he knew these were not his true memories, having accepted the memories of Leyuan from Moon White Manor, he was still affected, repeatedly shouting, "Father, Mother, don't hurt my parents..."

A flood of memories continuously retransmitted to his brain. Just as Leyuan was about to be overwhelmed by the sudden influx of memories, a warm current flowed through his body, soothing him and awakening him from the darkness.

"Are you awake?" As soon as Leyuan opened his eyes, he heard a woman's voice. As he tried to sit up to see who it was, a tempting aroma reached his nose. "Come, drink this."

Turning his head, he saw a young woman in simple blue clothing holding a bowl of soup and walking to the bedside, then sitting down.

"When you are cold, hungry, and tired, a soup that is easy to digest and warms the body is the best." She smiled, scooped a small spoonful of soup, and leaned forward to offer it to Leyuan.

Still a bit dazed, Leyuan naturally drank it. As soon as the soup entered his mouth, he felt a sudden invigoration. Having initially merged with the plot and identity memories, Leyuan, now fully awake, quickly took the bowl from her and took a few more sips, closing his eyes in satisfaction. "This taste, I never expected the soup to be so delicious, and I feel my strength gradually returning."

Looking at the soup that sparkled with a mysterious luster, Leyuan couldn't help but exclaim, "I've never tasted such a delicious and warming soup before. Is there some kind of herb in this soup? I've never felt such a unique but comforting taste in any soup before."

Seemingly tasting something, he said, "This bowl of soup contains ginger, scallions, and is simmered in clear water. After cooking, a bit of salt is added, and during the process, radish juice is also added. There's a hint of sweetness, which comes from honey... and the most important herb, after special preparation, is..."

He took a deep sip, closed his eyes, and savored the unique taste, comparing it with all the memories in his mind. Finally, he blurted out, "It's the herb for colds, the source of that hint of taste is the herb for colds, but how was it prepared?"

"Your tongue is truly sensitive, even able to taste the specially prepared herb for colds."

As the woman affirmed, Leyuan heard a system prompt. He quickly called up the system panel and found a new talent under the partially awakened Super Touch.

Talent: Unknown

Partially Awakened — Super Touch (Note: No. 6510, after feeling the bones shatter upon entering the water, regained consciousness and fully experienced the extreme pain in various parts of the body. In the struggle between life and death, he combined his innate talent to develop a super-sensitive touch.)

— Super Taste (Pending, Note: No. 6510, after tasting a special dish and identifying the ingredients one by one, his taste sensitivity was recognized by a legendary chef, triggering the taste talent. The activation conditions and effects are unknown.)

While drinking the soup, Leyuan secretly observed the woman in front of him. Although she was dressed simply, the maternal glow she exuded made even him, whose mental age was already in his thirties, feel a sense of warmth. Since he had lost consciousness at the door of Chrysanthemum Pavilion and received the system prompt, there was no doubt that the woman in front of him was the main character's mother, Master Abe.

"You look much better, that's great, and I'm relieved." With a holy smile, the woman in front of him took the empty bowl. "If it's convenient, could you tell me why you fainted at the door of Chrysanthemum Pavilion? Where is your home?"

"Anyone who can make such a delicious soup must be Master Abe of Chrysanthemum Pavilion." Without answering her question, Leyuan said with a guessing yet confident tone, quickly pulling the blanket off himself, flipping out of bed, and kneeling before her with a thud. "Master Abe, please take me as your disciple."

Seemingly surprised by Leyuan's actions, the woman in blue clothing was stunned for a moment before quickly reaching out to help him up.

"Yes, I am the head chef of Chrysanthemum Pavilion. Can you tell me why you want to be my disciple, and can you tell me your story?"

Leyuan lowered his head, his face slightly sad, but in his mind, he was organizing his words, planning to explain his background in detail.

Seeing Leyuan's silence, Master Abe was about to help him up when she heard his slightly immature voice.

"Master Abe, my name is Leyuan. I am the son of Chef Le Lang from Moon White Manor. I came to Chrysanthemum Pavilion because Moon White Manor has been destroyed by the Dark Culinary World. My father and mother have... sniff, sniff..."

As he spoke, Leyuan was also affected by the memory, acting out the sadness, tears streaming down his face. Master Abe was also moved by his crying.

"Child, don't cry, be strong. From now on, Chrysanthemum Pavilion will be your home. Are you willing to consider this your second home?"

Master Abe's maternal words stopped Leyuan's crying. Gradually stopping his sobs, Leyuan wiped his tears and nodded vigorously.

"Then, can I be your disciple?" Leyuan, with red and swollen eyes, looked at Master Abe with an expectant gaze.

"Of course, I'll call you Aiyuan." Seemingly moved by Leyuan's expectant gaze, Master Abe smiled and responded, "But the training for a chef is very hard. Can Aiyuan endure it?"

"I can!" Leyuan immediately replied, his tone slightly stubborn. "Becoming your disciple and making dishes that bring happiness and warmth to people is my dream." Although he said this, in his heart, he thought: Making shining dishes is my dream.

Just as Leyuan and Master Abe were chatting and trying to get more information, the door opened, and a girl around twelve or thirteen years old led a boy into the room.

"Mother, you should rest early. We have to open the restaurant tomorrow." The girl's clear voice like a lark rang out. "I'll take care of things here."

"Ailing, Aobang, you came just in time. This is Aiyuan. From today, he will be my disciple." Master Abe turned to introduce them, then pulled Leyuan up and pointed to the newcomers. "This is my daughter, Ailing. You can call her sister. This one is my son, Liu Aobang. He is eight years old. You can call him Aobang. You should be able to become friends. Chat well. And Aiyuan, take care of your health. It's very important for a chef."

After saying this, Master Abe left the room, leaving Leyuan and the two children alone.

"Is this the future main character? Eight years old, so it must be five years before the story begins. I wonder if the departure time is before or after the story starts."

As Leyuan silently observed the future main character (Liu Aobang), the curious future main character couldn't wait to ask, "Are you called Aiyuan? How did you come to Chrysanthemum Pavilion? Why did you faint?"

With the intention of building a good relationship with the main character, Leyuan processed his story and told it with deep emotion. When he spoke of the Dark Culinary World destroying Moon White Manor, Ailing and the young main character looked angry. When he described how he evaded pursuit in the wild, they looked tense. When they heard that he chose to jump off a waterfall to avoid being captured by the Dark Culinary World, the concern on their faces was evident.

By the time the story was over, the main character's sister and brother had completely accepted Leyuan as one of their own. The young main character looked at him with admiration, as if trying to see what a hero who could survive a cliff jump looked like.

But Ailing, after listening, said with a scolding tone, "You, how can you be so adventurous, just like him, and not care for your own body?"

Hearing Ailing mention "him," Leyuan pretended to be curious and asked, "Sister Ailing, who is 'him'?"

"He, like you, escaped from the Dark Culinary World. His name is Fei. It was five years ago, I remember clearly. It was a year after Mother took over Chrysanthemum Pavilion. He escaped here, learned for a while at Chrysanthemum Pavilion, and then went on a journey to improve his culinary skills." Ailing said with a nostalgic look.

"Aobang, Aiyuan needs to rest well. You should rest early too." Ailing, seemingly not wanting to say more, sent Aobang to bed and turned to Leyuan. "You should rest well too. A healthy body is important for learning culinary skills. I'm in the next room, call me if you need anything." She then took the lamp and left the room.

Leyuan lay in bed, organizing the information he had received: With Ailing's existence, the problematic TV version of "Chinese Chef" can be ruled out. The unsealed Garuda Knife (nameless cleaver) also confirms this. Whether it's the manga or the anime version will be determined by time.

Thinking about how he would soon be able to make dishes that make people feel like they are in a dream, Leyuan fell asleep with excitement.

PS: Leyuan had a small discovery — in this world, people get hungry and thirsty, and not eating will lower their stamina and health, but there is no excretion after eating.

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