Lin Yuan was taken aback. Hadn’t old man Zhuang just ntioned that he had a unique secret manual that others were not allowed to see? Why was he suddenly letting her help him out?
Seeing Lin Yuan not moving, Zhuang Kangping raised his eyebrows and said in a sowhat sarcastic tone, "What? Is Princess Pingxi putting on airs? Is my old self unable to invite you over?"
Pfft!
Lin Yuan also realized by now that the old man clearly had sothing to say to her, and yet he insisted on maintaining an air of superiority. How amusing!
Shaking her head inwardly, Lin Yuan followed him into the small kitchen, but she didn’t forget to close the door behind her.
As she had guessed, once the kitchen door was closed, Zhuang Kangping imdiately chuckled and said to Lin Yuan, "I didn’t finish what I was saying earlier. Girl, who did you learn your cooking skills from? Who is your master? From which school?"
Lin Yuan blinked, feeling a bit troubled by the gleam in Zhuang Kangping’s eyes.
In both ancient and modern tis, lineage is important. Just like in the Martial World where various factions exist, the art of cooking is also based on lineage.
However, Lin Yuan had rely attended a culinary school and thereafter, by her own perseverance and diligence through practicing and contemplation, she had achieved her current skills. How could she claim to have a lineage like those famous chefs?
But it was different in ancient tis. Lu Chong and Master Niu were disciples of Zhuang Kangping, who in turn was a student of an old master from Dongbei. Although that old master wasn’t famous for his cooking skills, teaching Zhuang Kangping gave him so fa by association.
As for Lin Yuan’s lineage, could she say she was from a 21st-century vocational school in the East?
With a self-deprecating cough, Lin Yuan casually said: "Mr. Zhuang, not to hide from you, actually, I learned my cooking skills under an old master."
"Oh?" Zhuang Kangping’s eyes brightened, his interest piqued further, "Which old master? What’s his surna and na?"
Lin Yuan tilted her head, feigning contemplation, and sighed, "Mr. Zhuang, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but that old master said he didn’t want people to know his whereabouts. He was just traveling around and happened to pass by Lin family’s valley; he taught a bit simply because he took a liking to ."
Just a bit of teaching and she could defeat a student he taught for over ten years? This old master must be incredibly skilled!
Zhuang Kangping felt unbalanced inside, and couldn’t help but probe Lin Yuan further.
Run out of patience from being questioned, Lin Yuan blurted out a made-up na: "I’ve told you now, please make sure not to tell anyone else! Hmm, my master asked to call him Mr. Dongfang. Other than that, I really know nothing else."
Mr. Dongfang? Mr. Dongfang?
Zhuang Kangping wracked his brain and couldn’t recall any such person known for culinary skills in Dayong.
Seeing his puzzled and distressed face, Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there wasn’t such a person as Mr. Dongfang, otherwise, if the old man dug deeper and went looking for him, wouldn’t her lie be exposed right then and there?
"My goodness, who could this Mr. Dongfang be? Right, maybe it’s just a pseudonym! It must be so, it must be!"
Watching Zhuang Kangping definitively settling on that conclusion, Lin Yuan quickly nodded in agreent: "I guess so too. I even tried to find so information about Mr. Dongfang later, but I couldn’t find any clues. I guess Mr. Dongfang just didn’t want to be disturbed, so he gave a false na."
Since it’s a pseudonym, there are no traces to be found, and it’s even impossible to seek his guidance.
Zhuang Kangping repeatedly smacked his chest, both annoyed and regretful.
Just as Lin Yuan thought he might let her leave, she heard Zhuang Kangping mumbling again, "Girl, actually, today I asked you to co to this small kitchen not just to inquire about your master."
Lin Yuan looked up at his unusually serious face, full of curiosity. Could there be sothing else?
Could it be that this old man, seeing her defeat his disciple, wanted to challenge her himself?
Lin Yuan couldn’t help but twitch her mouth. If that was the case, should she aim to win or lose?
However, it seems she was overthinking things today.
Zhuang Kangping patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder, his eyes, though cloudy, were clearly filled with admiration: "Girl, although you had a good master, he only taught you for a limited ti and you haven’t systematically studied the art of cooking. Your accomplishnts today are a result of your intelligence, agility, and hard work."
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