Chapter 22 - 22: Zhou Qing’s Test

Translator: 549690339

“118 Linjiang Road…”

Qin Lang, holding Dan Bao, searched for the address of the Food Recommender he found on the official website of the Spirit Chef Association.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a standalone villa with a large garden.

Being among the only eleven First-Level Food Recommenders in the entirety of Dongxia City really did come with its perks.

When would he and Dan Bao be able to live in a villa like this?

After a sigh of appreciation, Qin Lang approached and rang the doorbell on the iron gate.

“Ding dong~”

After the doorbell, a figure quickly emerged from the villa and walked briskly towards Qin Lang.

The moment the iron gate was opened, they both froze.

“Judge Zhou Yun?” Qin Lang blinked, surprised to see the judge from his Food Fight the previous day.

“It’s you,” Zhou Yun recognized the young man he had just met yesterday. His demeanor was softer than during the Food Fight. “What brings you here, Qin Lang?”

“I came to visit Mr. Zhou Qing,” Qin Lang politely responded, then blinked.

Zhou Yun, Zhou Qing…

Both had the same surname, Zhou…

“So, you’re here to see my father. Please, come in,” Zhou Yun’s words confirmed Qin Lang’s suspicion. He ushered Qin Lang in, “You’re here for the Food Recommender Badge, right?”

“My father is currently fishing in the backyard, wait in the living room for a while, I’ll fetch him.”

“You can fish in the backyard?” Qin Lang was stunned.

Just how wealthy was this family?

“A small tributary of the Xiayun River happens to pass through our backyard,” Zhou Yun said, laughing. “My father loves to fish, so when he learned about this villa with a backyard suitable for fishing, he used his lifetime savings to buy it.”

Qin Lang nodded thoughtfully.

Tianhua State featured a mountain and two rivers. The mountain was Bailing, and the rivers were Xiayun and Dulu. They flowed around either side of the mountain.

The Xiayun River almost split Tianhua State in two, passing through three cities — Dongxia City being one of them.

As he watched Zhou Yun leave, Qin Lang took a sip of his tea, offered some of the snacks on the table to Dan Bao, and patiently waited.

After some time, Zhou Yun reappeared in the living room.

But now, his expression held a hint of something strange. “Do you know how to fish?”

“Huh?” Qin Lang blinked, “A little bit.”

Having learned to fish, he had a better understanding of the habits of fish, which was somewhat helpful for cooking fish dishes. Although he was not an expert, he knew his way around a fishing rod.

“That’s good.” Zhou Yun smiled. “My father wants you to accompany him to fish.”

There was a hint of confusion in his heart.

His father had never been like this with Spiritual Chefs before. What had changed today?

“That’s fine.” Qin Lang didn’t mind, just shrugged. “But I don’t have any fishing gear.”

“We have a spare set in the storeroom. 1’11 get it for you.” Zhou Yun quickly brought out a reserve fishing gear set and handed it to Qin Lang. “Come on, let’s go to the backyard.”

After passing through the manicured plants in the backyard, Qin Lang soon saw the tributary that passed through.

About five meters wide, it was crystal clear, with a good number of fish swimming around.

Next to it was a large stone where an elderly man with white hair dressed casually sat motionless with a fishing rod in his hand.

This was Zhou Qing, the Food Recommender Qin Lang was here to visit.

There was a small stool next to Zhou Qing’s stone probably prepared for Qin Lang.

“I’ll leave you here.” Zhou Yun lowered his voice, then quietly left.

Qin Lang nodded, gave Dan Bao a “shhh” gesture, then slowly sat down on the stool.

Dan Bao curiously looked around, then watched as Qin Lang baited the hook, picked a spot, and cast the line.

Zhou Qing also seemed to be subtly watching Qin Lang’s actions. Seeing that Qin Lang did a good job, a smile appeared on his face.

The two began to wait quietly.

Soon, Qin Lang’s fishing float started to twitch.

A fish had taken the bait.

After feeling the force of the fish tugging the line, Qin Lang swiftly lifted his fishing rod. Amid the ripples on the surface of the water, a small crucian carp was struggling wildly.

“Gurgle!”

Dan Bao’s eyes lit up, and he cheered quietly, delighted that Qin Lang had caught a fish.

Qin Lang removed the fish from the hook, looked at it for a moment, and then released it back into the water.

“Why did you let it go?” Zhou Qing suddenly asked.

“The fish is too small, it’s better to let it grow a bit more,” Qin Lang replied honestly.

He seemed satisfied with Qin Lang’s answer and a smile spread across Zhou Qing’s face.

Soon, his own fishing float also started moving.

A Bass weighing about two pounds.

After putting the bass in his bucket, Zhou Qing looked at Qin Lang and suddenly asked, “Did you cook a dish with oxtail in yesterday’s Food Fight?” “Yes.” Qin Lang wasn’t surprised about Zhou Yun sharing this information.

“I thought your specialty was Steamed Bass, but it seems there’s more to your skills,” Zhou Qing said, his gaze falling on the stream in front of them. “There are more than a dozen edible fish species in this stream, including those naturally found in the Xiayun River and those I’ve added and raised here.” “Catch a fish and cook a dish that satisfies me using that fish,” Zhou Qing looked at Qin Lang, “If you can do this, I’ll grant you the Food Recommender badge, okay?”

After taking a good look at the fish in the stream, Qin Lang nodded, “Okay.”

The species here were not particularly rare, all were common edible fish.

This challenge didn’t seem too difficult.

With fresh bait, Qin Lang was more focused than before as he cast his line again, patiently waiting.

Zhou Qing didn’t leave immediately but watched Qin Lang with interest, crossing his arms.

About twenty minutes later, Qin Lang’s float moved again.

Feeling the stronger tugging force transmitted from the fishing rod compared to the last time, he knew for sure that it wasn’t a small fish this time.

After allowing the fish to pull on the line for a while, Qin Lang quickly pulled the line in.

Soon, a Mandarin fish that weighed about three pounds emerged, struggling fiercely.

A mandarin fish?!

Qin Lang blinked.

“There are only a few mandarin fish in here, and you managed to catch one,” Zhou Qing laughed. “1 released a few carnivorous fishes, so the other fish species would be more active, and their meat would be better.”

The catfish effect, huh?

Qin Lang nodded in understanding. “1’11 cook using this Mandarin fish then.”

“The meat of carnivorous fish is usually more delicious. I’m looking forward to it,” Zhou Qing nodded as Qin Lang put the Mandarin fish into his bucket. He then threw a handful of bait into the water, attracting numerous fishes to scramble for food.

“Let’s go to the kitchen.”

Zhou Qing’s kitchen was equipped with everything needed and even had a dedicated food supply warehouse full of various common ingredients.

“Do you need any other ingredients from the Food Material Market?” Zhou Qing asked.

“No, this is already very comprehensive,” Qin Lang responded satisfactorily.

At those words, Zhou Qing turned and walked out of the kitchen.

“Then, i’ll leave it to you..”