Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 673 - 346: Advanced Level Fire Control 2

Qin Huai also understood what Cao Guixiang meant; he was no longer the child who had to write with force and couldn’t understand a word the teacher said.

Yet he hadn’t completely grasped it.

He knew the purpose of his stir-frying and realized that Cao Guixiang was teaching him to let his understanding precede the dish. Whether it was thickening or chopping vegetables, he must have a clear idea before taking action. He needed to know what he wanted, and then proceed.

But he couldn’t manage it.

Or rather, he could only achieve 90%, always missing the final 10% without knowing where to find it. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Even after five days of stir-frying yams to the point of numbness, losing track of time, the last 10% still eluded him.

He was no longer the child practicing his handwriting, yet he still experienced the same bewilderment as he once did.

Qin Huai swung the spatula once more.

He observed the yam slices in the pot, knowing it was almost time to thicken.

But some parts seemed off; should he press them down?

Thinking so, Qin Huai did exactly that.

He pressed them randomly.

Thickening.

The thickening was bland.

As the thickening sauce poured onto the yams, another thought popped into Qin Huai’s mind: there wasn’t anything wrong with the pressing, but the sauce seemed uneven. Should he stir with more vigor?

He did just that.

Stir-fried yams out of the pot.

A dish far from Cao Guixiang’s level, yet compared to Qin Huai’s previous attempts, it looked considerably more appealing.

Without needing a word from Cao Guixiang, Qin Huai knew that this dish of yams was particularly beautiful.

"That’s it," said Cao Guixiang, "you’ve understood."

"Congratulations, you’ve learned all you need to in this stage. You can book a plane ticket for tomorrow afternoon; after lunch, you can fly back to Shan City."

.

Nodding almost dizzily, Qin Huai put down the spatula and returned to his room to rest, not even tasting a bite of his newly cooked dish.

In his room, Qin Huai sat bewildered on the bed, pondering how such insight had come to him while stir-frying yams.

This was the feeling, but unlike any feeling he’d had before.

Previous sensations were seamless, effortlessly achieved, needing no search—just action, and they would come. Commonly called being spoon-fed by heaven, with heaven sitting opposite Qin Huai, smiling and asking, "Is this enough? Have some more. Oh, you don’t like this? No worries, a different bowl for you."

Unlike the feeling from a few days ago while honing his knife skills—slicing vegetables to the point of an out-of-body experience, accelerating practice as if leveling up knife skills in a single night that would otherwise take a week.

This time, the feeling was a genuine flash of insight, much like the realizations from his childhood writing lessons.

From ignorance, bewilderment, inability to thread thoughts together, to a moment of clarity, understanding it all in a flash of insight.

No need to click on a game panel, Qin Huai knew his fire control level would have upgraded.

Just as reaching master level in filling made Qin Huai understand it better, reaching advanced fire control made him truly grasp the meaning behind it.

Qin Huai yawned.

The past five days of grueling practice felt manageable, nothing too tiring. But now, with an early finish today, Qin Huai did feel fatigued.

Tired yet excited. Physical exhaustion mixed with mental exhilaration, leaving Qin Huai both sleepy and eager to share something with someone.

Before finding someone to talk to, Qin Huai opened the game panel to see if his fire control was indeed advanced.

Indeed.

Fire Control (Advanced): As a pastry chef, you have truly understood fire control. (3/100000)

Qin Huai rubbed his eyes, pulled out his phone, and sent identical messages to Zheng Siyuan, Tan Wei’an, and Zang Liang.

Qin Huai: I think I’ve found the feeling, a true sense, beyond what you can imagine. It’s really a sensation!

For reasons unknown, all three were awake, responding quickly.

Zheng Siyuan: Did the imagined game system give you a mission and have you completed it?

Zheng Siyuan: I don’t really understand how you imagined it. I’ve tried creating one myself, but I couldn’t complete the tasks I set for myself.

Tan Wei’an: What feeling? Is there a distinction between feeling and feeling?

Zang Liang: Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey!

Zang Liang: You’ve found the feeling again!

Zang Liang: I haven’t discovered any feeling these past few days. When are you coming back? I think I’ve found the feeling for crab yellow sauce, but Tan Wei’an says my feeling is off; I think it’s his problem. He doesn’t even know what a feeling is.

Zang Liang: Brother Qin! Brother Huai! Master Qin! Are you coming back tomorrow or the day after? Can you teach me when you return? I want to find the feeling too!

Qin Huai sent out a group message stating he’d return tomorrow and would discuss it further once back before going to wash up and sleep.

A night of good dreams.

A high-quality sleep like Qin Huai hadn’t had in ages. He felt he might have dreamt, but upon waking, he forgot everything, only feeling refreshed.

This feeling was wonderful, no dream with annoying rabbits demanding this or that.

Not having to stir-fry yams in reality by day and continue doing so in dreams at night felt incredibly delightful!