Free Web NovelChapter 1325: Chapter 1323: Pursuing Gourmet Food
This meal was extremely luxurious, yet also very comfortable.
Everyone sat together, chatting and laughing, almost like a family, which made Yang Chen feel very warm.
Especially Ye Liangcai and Hu Yashu, who frequently picked up food for Yang Chen with smiling faces, treating him with great enthusiasm.
Ye Xin, however, felt that her parents’ original favoritism toward her had now shifted entirely to Yang Chen, and she had become the neglected one.
Ye Xin, huffing angrily, stuffed food into her mouth to dispel her inner anger.
After the meal, Ye Liangcai hurriedly said a few words and left in a rush.
Yang Chen knew that after obtaining the voice pattern USB, Ye Liangcai couldn’t sit still. But he still insisted on staying to finish dinner with Yang Chen, which was very considerate of him.
Now leaving in such a hurry, Yang Chen completely understood.
After the meal, Elder Ye had someone brew a pot of tea to share, allowing everyone to relax a bit.
Yang Chen, full of curiosity, asked Elder Ye, "Sir, where is our esteemed golden knife chef? May I visit him?"
Yang Chen was very interested in the legendary golden knife chef.
"You’re talking about Old Gao!" Elder Ye chuckled as he sipped his tea and looked at Yang Chen, "I didn’t expect you to be so interested in chefs?"
Yang Chen smiled and explained, "As you know, being a special guard, we eat whatever we encounter. Snakes, insects, mice, even worms and tree bark, we have eaten it all. Under harsh conditions, there isn’t much chance to enjoy good food."
Elder Ye slowly nodded, showing a look of reminiscence, "Speaking of which, I quite understand that feeling. Back in the days when we marched to battle, eating wild grass and gnawing on tree bark, boiling a leather belt for soup until it disintegrated—imagine how tough those conditions were! At the hungriest times, we ate kaolin, and I’ve seen people who were bloated to death from eating it. When there was no other choice, we ate the cotton from our clothes, and after that, we had to endure the cold, with frostbites on our feet like they were coated in plaster—thinking back now..."
Elder Ye was filled with deep emotion.
Yang Chen held a deep respect.
As a guard, Yang Chen always had the utmost respect for the revolutionary martyrs.
And for elders like Elder Ye, who lived through history, he had even greater respect.
The life they now enjoyed was brought about by these predecessors who risked their lives!
"Enough about me, it’s all in the past. I guess you all grew up seeing this in your textbooks, and in the guard you got trained every day, you must be sick of hearing it." Elder Ye waved his hand with a smile.
Yang Chen seriously said, "The stories of revolutionary martyrs never get old! Only by knowing the perseverance back then can one appreciate how wonderful life is today!"
Elder Ye nodded with a smile, finding Yang Chen very valuable. Such insights are now rare to encounter.
"Are you fond of chefs because during missions you couldn’t get good food?" Elder Ye asked.
Yang Chen laughed, "Not necessarily. After all, during our training, it was clear that as special forces, enduring hardship and fatigue was fundamental. The reason is probably that I’m a foodie. I’ve liked eating since I was young. You see, I grew up in an orphanage with a non-biological sister. That little girl is even more of a foodie than I am, but the orphanage didn’t have much money to provide us with delicacies. With her craving for food, I tried to make something tasty with the limited ingredients, and it was pretty good."
Elder Ye’s smile faded, his expression turning somewhat heavy.
Originally, Yang Chen had a happy family, and if things hadn’t happened back then, the Yang family’s status wouldn’t be lower than the Ye family’s!
Unfortunately, at that time, he couldn’t step in to prevent it, which led to this situation.
Although Yang Chen didn’t blame the Ye family, Elder Ye felt deeply guilty.
"Later, in the guard, the food was truly hard to eat. During missions, watching the brothers struggle, I tried to make something delicious for them. Speaking of which, it’s really hard to find good food in the wilderness. But I’ve got to praise our Flame Country’s rich culture. The spices and seasonings of Flame Country are really incredible. Although foreign places don’t have these, plants have common traits. So I made braised meat using these things. You know, with open flames or barbecuing, it’s easy to expose your position. So we dug a deep pit in the ground, lit a fire inside until we had embers, covered it with a layer of soil, then put the prepared food wrapped in leaves on top, buried it, and about half an hour to an hour later, it tasted extremely delicious!"
Elder Ye’s eyes lit up as he listened, "This method is very good; it sounds delicious too."
Yang Chen smiled, "It’s a rustic way, but it’s much better than raw meat."
Elder Ye nodded slowly, stood up, and said, "Let’s go! I’ll take you to see Old Gao."
"I’ll go too!" Ye Xin immediately grabbed Yang Chen’s arm, "It’s been a long time since I’ve had Grandpa Gao’s cooking; let’s see if there’s a chance to have him cook once."
Yang Chen looked at Elder Ye in confusion.
Could it be that what they just ate wasn’t made by the golden knife chef Elder Ye spoke of?
Elder Ye chuckled, "Old Gao is old and rarely cooks anymore. These dishes were made under his direction, not by his own hands."
Yang Chen was even more surprised and intrigued by the golden knife chef.
It was already so delicious just by directing others; what about cooking himself?
Yang Chen was a bit impatient.
Elder Ye took the two of them to the backyard, where the kitchen was located.
At the kitchen door, an old man was sitting on a stone bench, staring at the chessboard on the stone table, lost in thought, not noticing even as the three of them approached.
Yang Chen glanced and found that the board displayed an endgame, where the position of each piece hid deadly threats. With a single misguided move, a series of attacks would ensue, leaving one defenseless.
Seeing such an endgame, Yang Chen was secretly alarmed.
Elder Ye shook his head and sighed, "Old Gao, still studying the endgame?"
Gao Zhenggen snapped back to reality, casually tidying the chess pieces, and reset them, "No, just happened to think of it and took a look."
Elder Ye slightly shook his head without saying much more, sitting down opposite Gao Zhenggen, pointed at Yang Chen, and said, "Let me introduce you to someone. This is my granddaughter’s husband, Yang Chen. He’s quite interested in chefs; take a look."
"Yang Chen, this is the golden knife chef, Old Gao, Gao Zhenggen, I mentioned to you."
Yang Chen immediately greeted respectfully, "Elder Gao!"
Gao Zhenggen glanced Yang Chen up and down, withdrew his gaze, fiddled with the chess pieces, and said, "Such a fine young man, why learn culinary skills!"
