Chapter 100 - 98: The Great Chef’s Surprise

Chapter 100: Chapter 98: The Great Chef’s Surprise

"Dad, Mom, over here."

Wan Tiejun looked over. He had the typical build of a chef—a thick waist, a stout neck, and a burly frame.

He stared at the man beside his daughter. If looks could kill, Wu Jiaxing would have been riddled with holes by now.

In contrast, Wan Qianqian’s mother, Xi Ping, was quite pleased when she saw Wu Jiaxing, mainly because he had a scholarly air about him.

Wan Qianqian ran over, and a nervous Wu Jiaxing hurried to follow.

"Hello, Uncle, Auntie. My name is Wu Jiaxing. It must have been a long trip. Let me help you with your luggage."

"No need. I can carry it myself."

Wu Jiaxing stood there awkwardly, his hands outstretched, until Wan Qianqian finally pushed her mother’s suitcase into them.

"Dad!"

Seeing his daughter’s expression, Wan Tiejun felt a sense of resignation. ’How did she fall for this kid? He’s so frail, with such skinny arms and legs. He probably couldn’t even lift a wok.’

The four of them got into the car and headed for Lin Xian Village. Along the way, Wu Jiaxing did his best to make a good impression, but his future father-in-law still wouldn’t give him the time of day.

However, he noticed his future mother-in-law was very warm toward him, which made him sigh in relief.

"What are your plans for the future?"

Hearing his future father-in-law ask him a question directly, Wu Jiaxing quickly replied, "I’m currently a painter, working in Lin Xian Village."

Wan Tiejun frowned. The profession didn’t sound very reliable.

"Dad, Jiaxing is a very talented painter! He even studied under the master of traditional Chinese painting, Mr. Yang Deyu. And his salary working in Lin Xian Village is very high."

"Don’t make excuses for him. Let him speak for himself."

"Uncle, I only worked for a few days in Lin Xian Village last month and earned a total of 8,690 yuan. Next month, my income should be in the tens of thousands.

I know that might not be a lot of money to you, but I’ll keep working hard to earn more and give Qianqian a better life."

Although Wan Tiejun’s expression remained calm, he was secretly surprised. He might not know anything about painting, but he understood the value of a skilled trade.

Xi Ping said, "You’re a good young man. I heard from Qianqian that you came here for your mother’s treatment."

"Yes. My Mom had a rare and complicated illness—a persistent cough that just couldn’t be cured.

Then I heard about Lin Xian Village. Now, my Mom’s condition has improved a lot. She’s not coughing anymore."

"That’s good. Health is the most important thing. This Lin Xian Village really does seem magical."

"Mom, once you get to Lin Xian Village, you’ll feel its magic for yourself. The environment there is just incredible."

The couple had initially thought their daughter was just trying to talk Wu Jiaxing up, but when the car entered the bounds of Lin Xian Village, the distinct change in the environment surprised them.

"Dad, Mom, this is just the outskirts of Lin Xian Village. The deeper you go, the better the environment gets. It’s so comfortable being here."

"It really is nice. The environment here is much better than some of the tourist spots your dad has taken me to."

Wan Tiejun’s attention, however, was drawn to the buses. He noticed they were running very frequently on this mountain road.

"Are there a lot of tourists here?"

"Dad, didn’t you see the news? A mountain here in Lin Xian Village collapsed and revealed a cave last night. There are bound to be more people today."

Wu Jiaxing explained, "Uncle, Lin Xian Village sells 1,000 servings of Medicinal Tea every morning, and it sells out very early each day.

Because there’s a purchase limit, there are eight or nine hundred people who come just to buy the Medicinal Tea every day, and that’s not including the other tourists who come to visit.

The daily foot traffic is around three thousand people, and that number increases whenever it’s in the news."

"That many tourists!"

Wan Tiejun was genuinely stunned. The place had no official tourism rating and was in a remote location, yet it attracted so many people.

"Dad, that Arrow Tower is really amazing too. You and Mom will understand once you try it out later."

Wan Qianqian had gone with Wu Jiaxing to try the Arrow Tower and the telescope the previous night, and her first experience had been truly magical.

What’s more, the cause of these phenomena still hadn’t been figured out.

All those professors staying in Lin Xian Village were there precisely to find the reason behind it all.

Once they entered Lin Xian Village itself, they found even more tourists. The original fence around the valley was now completely surrounded by them.

There were also many people livestreaming, which drew even more visitors to Lin Xian Village today.

"Dad, look over there. That huge cave was formed by the collapse yesterday.

And this valley didn’t have any water before. The collapse also caused an underground river to flow out."

Wan Tiejun looked at the distant cave, the surrounding tourists, and the environment here, feeling a sense of disbelief.

"This place really is something else."

Looking at the woods in the distance, Xi Ping said, "So many little animals."

"Auntie, after the environment here improved, a lot of small animals started showing up."

Seeing her son approaching with his guests, Yu Wanqing hurried forward and said, "Qianqian’s father, Qianqian’s mother, thank you for coming all this way. I hope my silly boy hasn’t caused you too much trouble."

"Not at all, not at all. Hello, Jiaxing’s mother."

The group arrived at Wu Jiaxing’s house. Upon entering, they noticed the temperature inside was several degrees warmer than outside and thought the air conditioning was on.

But they soon realized that couldn’t be right—the windows and door were all open. The AC would be useless in this situation.

"Mom, what do you think? Doesn’t it feel much more comfortable?"

"Yes. After coming inside, it feels several degrees warmer than outside."

"This house is magical. I heard it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer, so you don’t need air conditioning."

"Please, both of you, have a seat and rest for a bit. Have some tea and fruit."

Wan Tiejun was a bit thirsty. He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and his eyebrow immediately twitched.

Even though it had been brewed with tea leaves, he could still taste it—the water used for the tea must be exceptionally good.

’This small mountain village... he was starting to find it hard to comprehend. The huge number of tourists, the comfortable environment, and that magical Arrow Tower he hadn’t even seen yet.’

’He remembered his daughter telling him on the phone that they were looking for a skilled chef to open a more high-end Restaurant here. Now, that was something worth considering.’

’He had taught many apprentices over the years. Some worked in large hotels, while others had opened their own restaurants.’

’Many of them were highly skilled, but this place was so remote that probably not many would be willing to come.’

’After thinking it over, one apprentice did come to mind who might be a good fit for this place.’

’He thought about giving Huang Yi a call later. This particular apprentice dreamed of being a food critic, but it was clear his Talent for it was lacking.’

’He’d heard that his social media ventures hadn’t amounted to much, but his cooking, on the other hand, had improved significantly from trying out food everywhere.’

’He’d send a message in the group chat later to see if anyone else knew a suitable chef.’

’His daughter and this fellow were clearly inseparable. If he brought some people he knew over, at least his daughter wouldn’t be taken advantage of.’

At lunchtime, when Wan Tiejun saw the scene at the communal feast, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Are there this many tourists eating here every day?"

"Yes. Right now, the communal feast is the only dining option in Lin Xian Village, so most tourists eat here on the mountain."

’This place was just perfect for opening a restaurant. A huge number of tourists with no competition—it was practically a license to print money.’

What impressed him even more was that the owner here wasn’t ripping people off. The food was actually a bit cheaper than outside the village.

He thought about the other tourist attractions he’d visited, where food was typically three to five times more expensive than outside.

He could forgive the high prices if the food at least tasted good, but it usually ended up tasting worse than what you could get elsewhere.

It just went to show the "advantage" of having too many people, a phenomenon on full display at every tourist spot during the holidays, which were always packed to the brim.

In that kind of situation, businesses never worried about high prices scaring customers away. There would always be someone willing to pay.