A Beggar Fatty

Han Ming held a spoon and carefully scooped up a spoonful of Egg Fried Rice. The thick egg mixture even stretched into long, thin strands. As soon as he scooped through the rice, a rich fragrance rushed at him, constantly assailing his sense of smell.

With just a single sniff, he felt he could no longer keep the saliva in his mouth under control. It was about to spill out.

The people waiting in the group behind him also reacted.

"Hmm? Do you smell something? That scent... gulp..."

"It smells so good. I clearly ate lunch already, so why am I still this hungry?"

"Yeah, yeah. And that chef is so young."

"His cooking is already this incredible at such a young age?"

"No comparison, no comparison..."

Naturally, the reason Ling Qing's Egg Fried Rice had such an aroma was because of the ingredients.

Nourished by Soul Power, these ingredients were no longer comparable to the ordinary ingredients on Earth.

Han Ming swallowed, then brought the rice to his mouth.

The moment the Egg Fried Rice entered his mouth, an intense fragrance struck his taste buds.

The somewhat thick egg mixture instantly solidified in his mouth, becoming soft and tender. The pearl-like grains of rice gave off a faint fragrance, mingling with the soft, tender aroma of the egg. The texture was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Han Ming closed his eyes. At that moment, he was completely intoxicated by the Egg Fried Rice. It was as though he were swimming through an ocean formed from its fragrance, unable to pull himself free.

"Uh..."

However...

While Han Ming had his eyes closed, the other judges directly carried off the plate of Egg Fried Rice.

Ling Qing did not know whether he should remind Han Ming.

But just as he hesitated, the Egg Fried Rice...

Actually...

Was gone!

And more importantly...

Those judges...

Actually returned the empty plate!

That was simply rubbing salt in the wound.

Han Ming slowly opened his eyes. "Ah, this Egg Fried Rice..."

"Huh? Where's my Egg Fried Rice?"

Han Ming had just wanted to praise Ling Qing's cooking, but the Egg Fried Rice in front of him was gone?!

Then he spotted a golden grain of rice stuck to the corner of a judge's mouth...

Han Ming was about to cry.

How had he ended up with such hooligan judges?

Although Han Ming had only taken one bite, Ling Qing had undoubtedly passed. He received his identification tag and number.

Number 1320.

That meant there were still 1,319 people ahead of him.

He could now head to the hotel prepared by the Chef's Association for the contestants: Xiangju Building!

Ling Qing had seen Xiangju Building on his way here to compete. It was right beside the competition hall, less than a hundred meters away.

Xiangju Building stood tall and imposing, with over a thousand rooms inside. It had been specially built for the annual chef competition.

As for the interior decorations, they were simple, yet carried a unique charm.

Ling Qing arrived at the room assigned to him by the organizing committee.

The room's furnishings were simple, following the same style as the hall. There was not much furniture inside: one table, two chairs, one bed, and wooden flooring.

The moment Ling Qing entered the room, he threw himself onto the bed.

It could not be helped. He had not felt the warmth of a bed in a long time. During the past few days of traveling, he had been sleeping in a tent. How could that compare to a soft bed?

After lying down for a while, someone knocked on Ling Qing's door.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Who is it? Coming."

Ling Qing climbed out of bed, wondering who could possibly be looking for him. He did not know anyone here.

The door opened, and a smiling fatty came into view.

This fatty was none other than the one Ling Qing had been watching earlier.

"Hello, my name is Huang Wenxin."

"Hello, my name is Ling Qing."

"Brother Ling Qing, you look very young."

"That's right. I'm only twelve this year. What did Brother Huang want with me?"

Ling Qing got straight to the point.

Huang Wenxin had definitely sought him out for a reason. Ling Qing did not want to waste time on empty pleasantries. Why not be direct and honest with each other?

"Uh..."

Huang Wenxin's expression stiffened. He scratched the back of his head, seeming somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

"Actually, I came to find Brother Ling because I wanted to try the Egg Fried Rice you made earlier."

"You came to beg for food? No, wait—Egg Fried Rice?"

"Uh..." Huang Wenxin froze.

"Yes! The Egg Fried Rice you made smelled unbelievably good. I could smell it even from outside the venue. You don't know this, but I have absolutely no resistance to good food. If I come across it, I have to eat it."

As he spoke, Huang Wenxin could not help rubbing his round belly. Then he looked at Ling Qing sincerely.

"I wonder if Brother Ling would be willing to... Well... I'll pay you!"

Ling Qing's eyes shifted. "Of course. Since I'm making Egg Fried Rice for you, why don't you make me the soup you made this morning? That's a pretty fair trade, isn't it?"

Huang Wenxin's face broke into a smile, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, of course!"

"Alright, then let's go!"

"Let's go!"

A few minutes later, Ling Qing and Huang Wenxin arrived together at the kitchen of Xiangju Building.

Since Xiangju Building was now housing the contestants of the Best Chef Competition, its kitchen had been specially opened for the chefs to practice and exchange ideas.

After showing their contestant identification badges, the person in charge of the kitchen let them in.

The kitchen was arranged the same way as the Gourmet Plaza during the preliminary selection: one hundred cooking stations. Each chef could use one for only one shichen each day.

Ling Qing and Huang Wenxin chose two adjacent cooking stations.

"In that case, I'll start making the Egg Fried Rice. You make your soup."

"Mm!"

Naturally, Ling Qing would not let such a good learning opportunity pass him by.

As he cooked the Egg Fried Rice, he also paid close attention to Huang Wenxin's cooking techniques.

That was what he had in mind. Since he had decided to enter the competition, he would definitely have to show off his abilities properly.

Before long, both of them had finished their respective dishes.

The kitchen was immediately filled with a rich fragrance. On one side was Huang Wenxin's fragrant and savory Eight Treasures Ruyi Soup; on the other was Ling Qing's glowing Egg Fried Rice, overflowing with the aroma of eggs and rice.

The chefs practicing in the kitchen all put down their tools and stared eagerly at the soup and rice in the two men's hands.

They unconsciously swallowed.

It smelled so good!

In short: absolutely delicious!

Huang Wenxin licked his lips, so excited that he fumbled about. "Ling Qing, hurry! Hurry!"

"Here."

Seeing Huang Wenxin acting like a child, Ling Qing smiled helplessly and handed him the Egg Fried Rice. Then he casually took the soup Huang Wenxin had made.

Ling Qing picked up a soup spoon and scooped a spoonful into his mouth.

Slurp~

At once, a rich fragrance burst across Ling Qing's mouth. The incomparably delicious flavor continually stimulated his taste buds.

Ling Qing narrowed his eyes slightly as he slowly savored the soup.

"This soup tastes pretty good!"

Ling Qing promptly drained the soup from the bowl in one go, then wiped the corner of his mouth and said.

"Mm, mm, mm!"

Meanwhile, Huang Wenxin, the fat man, stuck out his backside and wolfed down the rice, making noises from time to time.

The way he ate made him look exactly like Marshal Tianpeng's reincarnation, Zhu Bajie...

A pig...

Of course, Ling Qing would not say what he was thinking.

The other chefs watching from the side also shook their heads when they saw that both bowls had already been emptied.

If only they had not hesitated...