After visiting the spaceship on The Moon, Ma Lu rested for less than half a day before flying to Sanya to participate in the God of Cooking competition.
Right off the plane, he felt the fervor of the tropics.
The temperature in Sanya was about 10 degrees higher than City B, and even in the evenings of March, it wasn't cold; the air was also filled with the unique humidity and fishy saltiness of the seaside.
The person who ca to pick him up was his acquaintance, Qiu Lele, who used to follow Mr. Sun.
She wore a white blazer today and was holding a sign with Ma Lu's na on it at the exit.
"Welco to Sanya, Boss Ma," Lele extended her hand.
"Nice to see you again, Mr. Qiu," Ma Lu shook her hand.
"The trip must have been tiring. Get in the car first," Lele said as she stepped forward to take Ma Lu's suitcase and led him towards the parking lot.
"I have to pick up three contestants in total; everyone's flights are close together. One has already arrived, you're the second, and with one more person, we can head to the hotel.
"It won't be too long; we should be able to leave in about 20 minutes," Lele said, glancing at her watch.
"Soone's already here? Who is it?" Ma Lu asked.
"The chef from Japan, Chuan Ye Zhengming. You'll et him in a mont. He doesn't like to talk; the people around him describe him as silent as a rock by the shore."
The two walked to a Buick GL8 in the parking lot, where Lele opened the door.
There was no one inside.
Only when Ma Lu looked towards the back row did he find a man with dium-long hair and a goat beard sitting in a corner.
Just sitting there motionless, his ssy hair hanging in front of his forehead, covering his eyes.
"Boss Ma, this is Chef Chuan Ye Zhengming from the Isolated Island Restaurant."
Lele introduced him and then said in Japanese, "Chef Chuan Ye Zhengming, this is Boss Ma from Universe Infinite Canteen."
Chuan Ye Zhengming showed no reaction upon hearing this.
"Is he asleep?" Ma Lu asked curiously.
"Possibly, considering Chef Chuan flew in from Hokkaido and had two layovers, he might be tired."
Lele had just finished speaking when Chuan Ye Zhengming suddenly moved.
He leaned forward, bowed slightly to Ma Lu, then went back to his previous position, continuing to shrink back into the corner.
"Ts ts ts, he really is like a rock."
"Anyway, please wait here for a while; I'll be back soon," Lele said.
"No worries, go do your thing," Ma Lu placed his luggage in the trunk and then got into the GL8.
Lele returned to the exit, where the information on the flight board kept changing.
The flight status for the one Lele was waiting for soon changed to 'Arrived.'
Lele then patiently waited a little longer before a young woman erged from the crowd, dressed in a hoodie, ripped jeans, sneakers, and carrying a travel bag diagonally across her shoulder.
Upon seeing her, Lele's eyes lit up, and she waved frantically, "Sun i! Sun i! Over here, over here!!!"
The young woman with the travel bag also spotted her and quickened her pace, "Lele!"
Sun i first gave Lele a big hug, then looked her up and down.
"Hahaha, you've changed so much! It's been what, six or seven years? I rember you as the little girl who used to cry in the kitchen by herself after the lights were off.
"And now look at you, all suited up as if you're so career woman."
"How long exactly do you plan to talk about one embarrassing childhood incident," Lele said, voiceless, "I'm not a chef anymore. I now work with the World Cooking Federation in charge of outreach."
"Not bad, if only my grandpa were as open-minded as yours, allowing to do what I like," Sun i sighed.
"What are you joking about, I'm only doing administrative work at the Federation because I lack talent. Grandpa was worried I'd tarnish the restaurant's reputation, so he sent there," Lele said, "If I had your talent, I would have stayed in the kitchen for sure."
"Well, you know, I've never been much interested in cooking," Sun i said, "I prefer drawing. But people like us, we've been pushed into the kitchen by our families since we were kids, nobody cares about what we like.
"When I was little, I always thought if I just finished Grandpa's tasks quickly, I could go do what I really loved. The irony is, the better I cooked, the more they pushed to cook.
"They'd say Sun family's future is on , not to fail the expectations of our patrons – it was like trapping myself in my own cocoon," Sun i laughed ruefully.
"So, you intentionally lost the World Young Chef Competition," Lele said, "that's pretty crazy, Mr. Sun still curses out loud when he brings it up."
"Just showing a bit of rebellious spirit, otherwise he'll treat as his puppet forever."
Sun i said, "After all, his love for cooking is his business. Why should he take away my passion without question? By the way, how's he doing?"
"Not too bad, though he slipped and fell in the rain last year, making him less nimble than before."
"Fell down? Why didn't I know about this?" Sun i raised her eyebrows.
"Weren't you two not speaking for a while?"
"True, but I still hear a lot about him from my dad, including the God of Cooking competition which he told about through my dad."
"He probably didn't want to worry you. Since you went abroad, Mr. Sun has always kept an eye on you, often ntioning your na."
"He ntions ? He probably doesn't say anything good, I bet it's all about wasting my talent, failing his teaching, and all the effort he put into ..."
"Um, there's so of that, but he has praised you, too, saying if 'i was still here, she definitely could do it,' also saying you're the smartest chef he's ever seen, able to cook any dish after just one glance."
"Hah," Sun i snorted, "Do you know what he called the night before I left the country?
"What?"
"Ingrate – he spat that out pointing right at my nose, also calling the everlasting sinner of the Sun family, saying if his culinary skills were to die with him, even if I died, the ancestors of Sun family wouldn't let off the hook."
"That... might be a bit too harsh," Lele said, "but over these years since you left, he's really missed you."
"What Mr. Sun misses isn't ; it's his successor," Sun i said, "Soone who can take his place, uphold the gold-lettered sign of the state banquet chef, and bring glory to the Sun family.
"I'm back this ti to fulfill his wish. As long as I can defeat everyone and earn the title of the God of Cooking, I should be able to clear my debt to him, and then I can freely pursue what I truly want to do."
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