Chapter 608: Pretty Strong

It looked like Turtle Immortal was up for its morning exercise. I had no idea how it had climbed out of the bathtub. ‘I guess Hah’Er woke up, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and gave it a hand when he saw it struggling in the tub? But Turtle Immortal was having a perfectly nice stroll, so why the heck did you climb onto its back? The guy has lived for several hundred years. It’s older than your grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa… Bullying an old-timer like that isn’t very nice, is it?’

“Hah’Er, get down from there!” After staring blankly for a good while, Shen Yibin finally snapped out of it and quickly got up to call Hah’Er over. ‘I’ve never seen you bully a new friend before. When did you pick up such a bad habit?’

“Mmm~” Hah’Er whined, looking at Shen Yibin with an innocent expression. He then pointed at Turtle Immortal beneath him, as if to say, ‘This guy doesn’t seem to mind.’

Shen Yibin turned to take a look. Turtle Immortal indeed didn’t seem to object to Hah’Er sitting on its back. It continued ambling slowly in circles, even turning its head from time to time to size Hah’Er up, seemingly quite curious about the creature. ‘That makes sense. Even after spending several hundred years in Dongting Lake, it’s probably never seen a panda before, so of course it would be curious about Hah’Er.’

‘Alright, if you don’t mind, then I’ll leave you to it.’ Shen Yibin sat back down, getting ready to dress and start his day. Of course, he didn’t forget to add a word of caution. “Hah’Er, just sit for a little while and then get down, alright? Don’t wear it out!” ‘And I have to say, Hah’Er is no lightweight. For this Turtle Immortal to be able to carry him for a walk around the room, it must be incredibly strong. Are you a turtle or the Dragon King’s sixth son, Bixi? Do you just love carrying things on your back that much?’

‘Sigh. I came to Dongting Lake to find a new pet, but it looks like I found you a mount instead.’ After getting dressed, Shen Yibin shook his head helplessly. ‘You two just do whatever you want! Today, I’m going to the hotel kitchen to learn how to make some local dishes. I can skip the others, but I absolutely must learn how to make Junshan Silver Needle Chicken Slices.’

He picked up the bedside phone and called room service to order breakfast. He then mentioned that he’d like to have a chat with the head chef. The hotel might have hesitated if it were a regular guest, but Shen Yibin was a frequent customer. Moreover, his pleasant interactions with chefs at other branches were already well-known within this hotel’s culinary circle. So, after a quick inquiry, room service informed him that the kitchen staff would be delighted to welcome him. Shen Yibin wanted to learn local dishes, and they wanted to learn about other culinary styles from him—it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

“Come on, time for breakfast at the table!” Bald Qiang and his wife, along with Hah’Er, could climb onto the chairs themselves to eat, but Turtle Immortal didn’t have that ability. So, Shen Yibin crouched down, intending to lift it onto the table. He had even ordered shrimp and small fish for it today, hoping it would enjoy them.

“Ngh! Ngh!” Hah’Er insisted on showing off, pushing Shen Yibin’s hands aside. He crouched down himself and struggled to wrap his two front paws around Turtle Immortal, trying to lift it. Despite his small size, Hah’Er was incredibly strong—a fact the police officer and the thief he had previously taken down could both attest to. Hah’Er lifted Turtle Immortal onto a chair in one go. Then he climbed onto the chair himself before hoisting Turtle Immortal onto the table.

“It’s rare to see you being so helpful. Here, eat something to get your strength back!” ‘Yes, this behavior is definitely worthy of praise.’ Shen Yibin picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and placed it in Hah’Er’s bowl as encouragement.

“Heh heh!” Hah’Er chuckled goofily. He then grabbed a shallow plate from the side and put it in front of Turtle Immortal. ‘He’s actually pretty smart,’ Shen Yibin thought. Hah’Er knew the food bowl was a bit too deep for Turtle Immortal to use comfortably, so he had specially switched its dish. Shen Yibin picked up the platter and slid some shrimp and small fish onto the plate for it.

Turtle Immortal began to eat immediately. Unlike yesterday, it didn’t seem to be starving today, so it was able to control its eating speed, chewing slowly and deliberately as it ate the shrimp.

‘Is this also a way to maintain good health? Have I been eating too fast all this time?’ Influenced by the turtle, Shen Yibin also slowed down his eating pace and reminded Hah’Er and the Bald Qiang couple to eat more slowly as well. It seemed like this would be much better for digestion and absorption.

They finished breakfast in twice the usual time. Looking at the table, Shen Yibin saw that Turtle Immortal was still there, unhurriedly chewing its food. ‘It looks like this meal is going to take a while.’ He had an appointment to meet the hotel’s head chef and couldn’t wait around. So, he instructed, “Hah’Er, after it’s finished eating, carry it down and take it to the balcony to sunbathe. I’m heading out for a bit. I’ll be back at lunchtime.”

‘Maybe lunch today will be dishes that I cooked myself!’ Shen Yibin was confident he could master those few dishes in a very short time. ‘That way, all of Hah’Er’s long hours of training won’t have been for nothing, right?’

“Mhm! Mhm!” By this time, Bald Qiang and his wife had already finished eating and had run back to the bathtub for another soak. Maphario had darted to a corner of the living room and climbed up the potted plant, seemingly studying the fruit on its branches. Only Hah’Er was left at the dining table. He nodded repeatedly upon hearing Shen Yibin’s instructions.

“I’ll leave things to you then!” With that, Shen Yibin left, feeling reassured. He hummed a little tune as he went down to the restaurant. After he gave his name, a waiter immediately led him to the head chef.

“Welcome, Mr. Shen! It’s a pleasure to have you. I have everything ready here. I’ll do a demonstration first, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, Mr. Shen, feel free to ask at any time.” The chef had already prepared everything needed for the lesson and deftly began his live demonstration. As he cooked, he explained the secrets of the trade, such as how to select the most suitable ingredients, how to control the heat and the ratio of seasonings, and how to preserve the tenderness of the dish. Each tip was a secret he had perfected over many years of practice.

Shen Yibin chimed in from time to time with questions about specific details. Each question was perfectly timed and hit right at the heart of the matter, and the head chef answered every one with professional and meticulous explanations.

After one demonstration, Shen Yibin had already gotten the gist of it. Then, it was his turn to cook while the chef provided guidance from the side. In just over an hour, Shen Yibin had mastered the recipes for those few local dishes. All that was left was to go back and practice them slowly.

To return the favor, Shen Yibin taught the chef a few classic Cantonese recipes he had learned from Chef Ah Qing. Of course, the chef wasn’t nearly as quick a study as Shen Yibin, so it wasn’t until lunchtime that Shen Yibin was finally finished.

He personally cooked a few dishes, placed them on a food trolley, and declined the waiter’s offer to help. Shen Yibin pushed the trolley back to his room himself. He opened the door, pushed the trolley inside, and took one look at the scene before him. Shen Yibin was stunned once again. ‘What in the world are you guys up to?!’