Chapter 22: Cao Dongdong's Talent

"Huh?"

Hearing Zhao Qian's voice, Cao Dongdong's attention was quickly diverted. Glancing at her retreating back, he winked at Qin Lang and lowered his voice, "I didn't see that coming, you rascal..."

"She's my landlord's granddaughter. We met through a Spirit-Food battle," Qin Lang replied, giving Cao Dongdong a sharp rap on the head. This kid, barely wet behind the ears, had a mind full of nonsense.

Hearing this, Cao Dongdong's expression shifted to one of realization. "Oh, so it was a Spirit-Food battle? I thought you had..." He paused. "Wait... a Spirit-Food battle?!"

Cao Dongdong stared at Qin Lang as if he had seen a ghost. "Where did you get a Spirit-Food?"

"Gulu~ (￣▽￣~)"

Danbao, who had been nestled in Qin Lang's arms the whole time, made a sound of dissatisfaction. *I'm a Spirit-Food this big, and you can't see me, kid?!*

Finally noticing Danbao, Cao Dongdong's eyes widened. "This... is yours?!"

Looking dazed, he pulled out his phone to check the time, then jumped up and slapped himself twice. "I must be dreaming." Just yesterday, he had been consoling Qin Lang, trying to figure out how to help him deal with the trouble he’d caused by offending Pang Long. And yet, here was Qin Lang today, already owning a Spirit-Food. This world was truly surreal.

Qin Lang: "..." He wondered how his original self had ever become friends with such a guy.

"Alright, alright, quit standing around like a statue at the door." Qin Lang said irritably, opening the door and shoving Cao Dongdong inside. Didn't he notice Zhao Qian already covering her mouth to hide her laughter nearby? How embarrassing!

*Bang.*

As the door closed, Qin Lang looked at Cao Dongdong. "What brings you to my place out of the blue?"

"I'm here to teach you cooking!" Cao Dongdong declared righteously. "Pang Long taught me some new things yesterday. Here, these are my notes." He produced a notebook, then shook the tote bag he had been carrying. "I even bought the ingredients for practice!"

However, he glanced at Danbao and set the bag down. "Though... it seems I won't be needing these."

Qin Lang felt a warmth in his heart, touched by the gesture. Say what you will, but Cao Dongdong was a true friend. Not only did he take notes, but he had even considered his poor circumstances and bought the ingredients himself.

He picked up the notebook and flipped through two pages, but his brow furrowed, and his sudden gratitude vanished. "Are you sure this is what Pang Long taught you?" He took a deep breath, pointing at the note that read, "If the dish is too salty, add a spoonful of salt."

Regardless of his character, Pang Long was at least a professional Food Critic; how could he possibly say something so absurd?

"Ah, well..." Cao Dongdong scratched his head, thinking hard for a moment before saying uncertainly, "Maybe it meant add *less* salt?"

"...Forget it." Qin Lang shook his head and opened the tote bag to check the ingredients. They were quite comprehensive, with both meat and vegetables—enough to make several dishes.

"Here’s the deal," Qin Lang said, handing the bag back to Cao Dongdong. "Go into the kitchen and make the two dishes you consider your specialty. I want to see where your problems lie."

He was serious about what he had said on the phone yesterday: he wanted to help Cao Dongdong become a Spirit-Food Chef.

"You got it," Cao Dongdong agreed readily. He hadn't taken Qin Lang’s words seriously yesterday, but seeing that Qin Lang now had a Spirit-Food, he was starting to believe it.

This wasn't Cao Dongdong’s first time at Qin Lang’s, so he was familiar with the kitchen and quickly got to work. Qin Lang stood by his side, holding Danbao. To teach him effectively, he needed to understand Cao Dongdong’s current skill level so he could choose the dishes best suited to help him pass the Food Critic's test.

Soon, Cao Dongdong took out a piece of pork belly and a potato to begin prep. Watching his technique, Qin Lang gave a slight nod. His knife skills weren't bad. Slicing fresh meat is difficult, often leading to uneven cuts, but Cao Dongdong didn't have that problem. His slices were consistent—not bad for an apprentice with only two years of experience.

After prepping, Cao Dongdong lit the stove. Seeing him start the fire, Qin Lang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The technique was quite unconventional. But then he remembered that these weren't traditional Chinese dishes, but the local cuisine of this world, and he relaxed. Judging him by Chinese culinary standards might be unfair. Perhaps this was just how this dish was supposed to be prepared?

Staying silent, Qin Lang continued to watch. When he saw Cao Dongdong toss the pork belly directly into the pan without any preparation to remove the gamey odor, his eye twitched violently. When he saw him sear the potato chunks over high heat and turn off the flame as soon as the surface browned, his brow furrowed again.

By the time he saw how Cao Dongdong seasoned the dish, Qin Lang’s face had gone completely dark. He might not know the local cooking methods, but he could already imagine the taste of this dish.

"Here, taste my specialty: Potato and Pork Belly!" Cao Dongdong proudly served the dish to Qin Lang.

Qin Lang took a deep breath, and with the resignation of a man facing his doom, he picked up a potato chunk with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. As expected, the inside of the potato was completely raw.

In despair, he picked up a piece of pork belly. It was overwhelmingly salty and sweet, with a distinct, pungent, gamey odor that left Qin Lang in a long, stunned silence.

Danbao, nearby, sniffed the dish curiously. Seeing that Qin Lang hadn't said a word, it couldn't resist sneaking a bite. The next instant, its little yolk-colored face turned green. It looked as if its soul had left its body, and it tumbled straight from the air to the floor.

*Even 80 points of defense and 90 points of stamina can't handle this...*

After picking Danbao up and putting it back on the table, Qin Lang sighed and looked helplessly at Cao Dongdong. "Tell me, who taught you how to season?"

"I figured it out myself," Cao Dongdong said with a grin. "Don't you remember? Pang Long always told us that seasoning should be done 'to taste.' Doesn't that just mean adding whatever you want?" He looked at Qin Lang expectantly. "So, what did you think? Is it good?"

"Good..." Qin Lang snatched the dish from his hands and dumped it straight into the trash can. "...at being a disaster!"

"Next dish!"

"Don't rush, don't rush," Cao Dongdong said, shrinking his head. "Wait for it. The next one is my real specialty." He pulled out a metal basin, added flour and water, and began to knead the dough.

"Oh?" Qin Lang’s eyebrow arched, and a glimmer of surprise appeared in his eyes. The ratio of flour to water was actually perfect. Watching Cao Dongdong skillfully knead the dough until the dough, the basin, and his hands were all clean—the "three cleans"—Qin Lang’s surprise deepened.

His dough-kneading ability... not bad at all!

Next, Cao Dongdong began to chop meat for the filling. After watching for a few moments, Qin Lang couldn't help but cover his face. He really shouldn't have held any expectations for Cao Dongdong's seasoning.