“His martial arts are pretty good. I reckon he could take down seven or eight strong men without breaking a sweat,”
Lu Yu mused for a moment before speaking.
“My dear mother, this could affect not only my career, but also my life. No, I have to send a messenger to Guangyang Prefecture to ask for reinforcements.
Lao Bai! Forget the eel noodle, I’m out of here!”
Xing, the head constable, finished speaking and immediately ran back to the county government.
“Haha, that constable is a real coward.”
Huang Rong laughed.
“He only makes three taels of silver a month. Asking him to risk his life is a bit much, it’s always best to be safe.”
Lu Yu understood Xing's reasoning.
After all, the Twin Demons were infamous for their ruthlessness, and Xing, with his mediocre skills and advanced age, was a long shot for survival.
“You've got a point.”
Huang Rong nodded in agreement.
Life is precious, and most people don't take it lightly.
Soon, the dishes Lu Yu ordered arrived.
“Eat up. These dishes are all pretty good. My father, when he was still alive, we used to eat here.”
Lu Yu spoke, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and handed them to Huang Rong.
Huang Rong was taken aback.
“Your father passed away?”
“Yeah, not long ago.”
“What about your mother?”
“I never met my mother, and my father refused to talk about her, she’s probably passed away too.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”
“It’s okay. If dwelling on the loss of parents meant living a life of sadness, then how could we face the long road ahead?
Let’s save that kind of sorrow for the quiet hours of the night.”
Lu Yu said with a smile.
Huang Rong was startled, she suddenly realized Lu Yu had a point.
Moreover, she had also lost her mother at a young age, and felt a deeper connection to Lu Yu's words.
For a moment, she felt closer to Lu Yu.
It was a sense of shared pain.
“Eat.”
Seeing Huang Rong hesitate to take the chopsticks, Lu Yu said again.
“Okay!”
Huang Rong took the chopsticks and began to eat.
“The roast chicken is too salty, the oil-braised shrimp is not oily enough, the stewed ribs are too dry, the braised intestines are over-caramelized and a bit bitter, this vegetable and tofu soup… it’s like dishwater.
This osmanthus cake is pretty good though.”
Huang Rong ate while offering her critique, none of it positive.
She ate two mouthfuls and put down her chopsticks, looking disgusted.
Only the osmanthus cake got more than two bites.
Lu Yu couldn't help but laugh.
This Huang Rong was certainly picky.
Just then, as it was dinner time, more and more people arrived, and Bai Zhan Tang was getting overwhelmed. Li Da Zui joined in to help serve the dishes and happened to hear this, immediately taking offense.
“You little beggar, what’s the meaning of this? My dishes are that bad? Let me tell you! You can insult me, but you can’t insult my work!”
“Big Mouth, calm down. My friend doesn't mean it that way.”
Lu Yu quickly intervened to placate him.
“Little Lu, this is your friend? How can you talk like that? Is my cooking really that bad?”
Hearing this, before Lu Yu could speak, Huang Rong, pouting in dissatisfaction, retorted: “Can’t a person complain about bad food?”
“You dare say my cooking is bad? I tell you! Within a hundred miles, you won’t find anyone who cooks better than me, if you can, this meal is on me!”
Li Da Zui was even more furious.
He could compromise on other things.
But in cooking, he had unparalleled confidence.
Now that Huang Rong said this, his heart naturally bristled.
“You said it yourself! Let me borrow your kitchen, and I’ll show you what real good cooking is!”
Huang Rong was provoked by Li Da Zui, and her temper flared.
When it came to cooking, she had never bowed to anyone.
Even her all-around genius father couldn't compare to her.
“You, a little beggar, know how to cook? Come on! I want to see what you can do!”
Li Da Zui's face showed a hint of disdain, then he turned to Lu Yu and said: “Little Lu, don’t blame me, your friend is really too much.
You be the witness, let’s see who’s cooking is better!”
“Okay. But are you free now? If Boss Tong finds out you’re slacking off, he might dock your wages.
Let’s wait until after dinner time to compare.”
Lu Yu felt helpless, but things had gone this far, it seemed there was no escape.
Besides, it was Huang Rong who was going to cook.
He was curious about Huang Rong’s skills too.
After all, her culinary reputation was known throughout the martial arts world.
Hearing this, Li Da Zui faltered a little.
Because Lu Yu was right.
For the stingy Li Da Zui, getting his wages docked was a painful experience.
“Little Lu is always so thoughtful. You little beggar, dare you face me in a cooking contest later?”
“What am I afraid of? You’re going to lose.”
Huang Rong was confident, unafraid.
With such skills, she could win easily even with her feet.
Li Da Zui returned to the kitchen to work, Lu Yu then spoke: “You’re being too picky. Big Mouth’s cooking, besides being a bit heavy, is actually quite good.”
“You haven’t tasted good food. Just take knife skills for example, this chef isn’t up to par.
Look at this tofu, it’s not even cut evenly, the sizes are all different, which affects the taste of the dish.”
Huang Rong criticized.
Lu Yu looked at the tofu after hearing this, it was true, although it looked similar, there were subtle differences.
For ordinary people, this was sufficient, but in front of a master chef like Huang Rong, it was far from satisfactory.
“You do have a point. I’ll savor your cooking later.”
“Hmph, get ready to enjoy yourself! Don’t eat your tongue off. I’m afraid you won’t be able to stomach anything else after tasting my food.”
Huang Rong said proudly.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Lu Yu smiled, his heart filled with anticipation.
However, he didn’t waste the food on the table, he ate everything.
Since Huang Rong wasn’t satisfied with the dishes, most of it ended up in Lu Yu’s stomach.
Fortunately, Lu Yu had just started martial arts training and had a big appetite, so even after eating everything, he wasn’t full, and he felt like he could eat more.
After all, he was only eighteen years old, a prime age for a big appetite.
After about half an hour, the guests in the inn gradually left, and the entire inn was empty.
Everyone in the inn knew about Huang Rong’s cooking contest with Li Da Zui, and were curious to see.
“Little beggar, let’s go! I’m making tonight’s dinner for everyone, let you see my skills.”
Li Da Zui said confidently.
“Hehe, don’t back out later. We just ate 150 copper coins, almost a month’s wages for you.”
Huang Rong laughed.
“I won’t back out, I mean, I won’t lose!”
Li Da Zui suddenly felt a bit nervous.
If he lost, he would be the big loser.
“You have to pay me the same amount if you lose.”
Li Da Zui suddenly remembered he hadn’t mentioned his bet, and quickly added.
“No problem.”
Huang Rong didn’t mind at all, she knew she couldn’t lose.