Shokugeki No Douluo Dalu (Patreon)

Chapter 59: Tai Lei's Joy Returns!

The commotion outside the gates of Shrek City was unfolding, but inside the city, Qi Han's small shop was peaceful.

"Here's the small portion of egg fried rice and the Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower." Qi Han brought out Fu Ya's working meal, his face still bearing the delight of breakthroughs in knife skills.

Fu Ya glanced at Qi Han, who seemed happier than usual, and couldn't help but ask, "Boss, is there something joyful today?"

Joyful?

The smile on Qi Han's face deepened, "Indeed, there are quite a few joyful things."

She’s curious about the boss's joyful things!

Fu Ya widened her eyes in curiosity, "Boss, can you tell me?" After saying this, she seemed to feel a bit inappropriate, "If it's not convenient, never mind."

"It's convenient, it's convenient." Qi Han waved his hand, sitting in front of Fu Ya, "It seems that our small shop's popularity has increased quite a bit, have you noticed?"

Popularity?

Fu Ya pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Boss, now that you mention it, I have noticed. The customers who came for lunch today seem to be mostly new faces."

"Is the boss joyful because of this?"

"That's just one of the reasons." With a slight smile, Qi Han decided to give Fu Ya a major teaser, "In a few more days, the small shop will have a new dish."

"Another new dish!" Apparently shocked by the speed at which Qi Han comes up with new dishes, Fu Ya cutely opened her mouth, then remembered something, "Boss, this dish won't be those strange and odd ones again, right?"

Thanks to Qi Han, the term "new dish" now had a slight psychological shadow over Fu Ya.

With a dry laugh, Qi Han shook his head abruptly, "Definitely not this time."

Temporarily believing Qi Han's words, Fu Ya couldn't help but ask, "So, what is this dish?"

Qi Han gave a mysterious smile, "That's a secret for now, but it will be a very expensive dish."

"More expensive than Dongpo Pork Knuckle?"

"That's right."

Fu Ya was somewhat surprised. She thought Dongpo Pork Knuckle was already quite expensive, but she didn't expect there to be an even more expensive delicacy?

However, no matter how Fu Ya asked, Qi Han only maintained a mysterious smile and didn't reveal any more information.

Helplessly, Fu Ya could only pout and start enjoying her working meal.

The new dish Qi Han told Fu Ya about was naturally "Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb." With the successful breakthrough of the crucial step of deboning the whole fish, even though the subsequent steps were of higher difficulty, they were still a walk in the park for Qi Han's culinary skills.

Even so, it would still take at least three more days for Qi Han to possibly complete "Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb." This kind of delicacy had stricter requirements for each step compared to a two-star recipe.

Perhaps it's precisely because of such stringent cooking processes that three-star recipes possess magical special effects.

According to the system's introduction, when a three-star recipe appears in extraordinary realms like the Douluo Continent, it would trigger some peculiar phenomena. These phenomena can't be seen in training spaces, and no one knows exactly what they are.

Qi Han was quite looking forward to this.

Soon, Fu Ya finished her meal, tidied up the dishes and utensils, and then came to the door of the small shop to open it.

As soon as she opened the door, the sight of four figures in black robes caused her to involuntarily pause her breath.

The four branch hall masters of Tang Sect were here together again.

However, there seemed to be something strange about the atmosphere outside the small shop. Tai Lei's fierce tiger eyes glared at Zhao Yunsheng, while Zhao Yunsheng maintained a calm and indifferent expression, quietly moving away from Tai Lei.

Not just him, even Yu Hua stood far away from Tai Lei, fearing as if he might catch his foolishness like a contagious disease.

Only Niu Yue stood beside Tai Lei, looking puzzled.

Among the customers behind them, while they didn't dare openly rank Tai Lei as a Title Douluo powerhouse, their strange glances towards him were evident.

With Fu Ya opening the door, Tai Lei was the first to stride into the small shop. "Boss, heard there's a new dish here? Give me and my old buddy Tai one portion each, and also two portions of Dongpo Pork Knuckle." He glanced back at Zhao Yunsheng and snorted, "Have Zhao Yunsheng pay for it."

Zhao Yunsheng just followed behind with a smile, not minding at all. "Give me an order of Honey-Glazed Grilled Ribs, a small portion of egg fried rice, and a portion of Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower. Add Old Monkey's order to the tab."

Whether they invited each other or not was a small matter. Zhao Yunsheng had already learned about the magical delicacy of Exploding Honey Badger Intestines from Yu Hua, so he was looking forward to Tai Lei's reaction when he tried it.

Tai Lei had no idea about the new dish at the small shop. After running for a few hours using his Spirit power, the first thing he did upon returning to the Tang Sect was to rest and recover. Just as he finished resting, he hurriedly ran to queue up at the small shop. He had only vaguely heard that there were three new dishes at Qi Han's shop, but hadn't had the chance to inquire further.

There were even more customers at the small shop compared to lunchtime. Probably because not all customers knew that the small shop was open at noon, by the evening, almost everyone who needed to know was already aware.

Under the word of mouth, the three new dishes at the small shop had gained quite a bit of fame right after their release.

Almost every customer ordered the Honey-Glazed Grilled Ribs, considering that vegetarians were basically non-existent in this world of Douluo Continent where meat consumption was prevalent.

As the purest meat dish, the Honey-Glazed Grilled Ribs were beloved by the customers.

In comparison, Exploding Honey Badger Intestines and Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower were much less popular.

By now, very few customers just blindly ordered all the new dishes without hesitation.

Everyone knew that the dish called Exploding Honey Badger Intestines was indeed delicious, but it had a peculiar taste. Customers who minded this should better not order it.

As for the other dish, Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower, there was no problem with the taste. It was said to be quite delicious, but the fact that the main ingredient was the brain of a hedgehog pig was enough to make many customers decline.

Among those who did order it, most were there to specifically try these two unique dishes.

Just like Zhao Yunsheng. Even though he instinctively didn't want to try the Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower after learning about its ingredients, he was still persuaded by Yu Hua's constant recommendations to give it a shot.

After all, if he really couldn't handle it, he could always pass it to Yu Hua.

At this moment, Zhao Yunsheng had even planned out how not to waste food.

Among the three new dishes, Honey-Glazed Grilled Ribs had the shortest cooking time. Under Qi Han's skillful cooking, they were quickly finished and served to the customers' tables by Fu Ya.

Tai Lei's eyes lit up. This meat dish that seemed to perfectly suit his taste caused his appetite to surge instantly.

The entire plate was filled with meat!

Moreover, the aroma of the meat was accompanied by a faint fruity fragrance, which mixed together to reduce the greasiness and add a touch of sweetness to the honey ribs.

The fragrant aroma wafted into Tai Lei's nostrils, causing him to unconsciously swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Tai Lei wasn't one for fancy dining etiquette. He simply picked up the fork, skewered the center of the honey ribs, and put the entire piece into his mouth.

After two or three bites, these intensely fragrant Honey-Glazed Grilled Ribs were completely consumed by Tai Lei.

Chewing on these delicious honey ribs, feeling the burst of meat juices in his mouth, with the interplay of fruity and meaty flavors flooding his senses, Tai Lei couldn't help but close his eyes, revealing a look of enjoyment.

In this moment, he felt his joy returning!