"Tomorrow during the day, after Ming Chuanyun and Yunzi leave for work, we will go," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. While others preferred night, she liked daytime. It was unexpected for them.
Yan Aohan laughed. "Then daytime it is. But truly, Ani, your growth is amazing."
The old Zhu Yanyi was not so decisive. Now she became more capable every day, showing her transformation.
Zhu Yanyi shrugged slightly. "It’s okay. You taught me well."
Without Yan Aohan, she knew she wouldn’t have reached this point.
Yan Aohan smiled softly, accepting her praise.
"So, what is our plan for today?" Sikong Xuran asked.
Zhu Yanyi raised an eyebrow. "I don’t like this country much, but it has good food. Since we act tomorrow morning, let’s wander and eat today. It’s a chance to relax. Who knows if we’ll have time later?"
She spoke casually, unaware that she would soon have no time to enjoy this trip. But that was later.
Now, Zhu Yanyi held Yan Aohan’s hand, leading Sikong Xuran and the others to stroll slowly.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t like shopping. Yan Aohan knew this, and so did Sikong Xuran and the others. After walking a bit, they entered a local restaurant with unique features. They took a private room to eat.
"I find the sashimi and raw fish balls tasty. The wasabi is just a bit strong," Sikong Xuran said, eating a piece of sashimi.
Ouyang Tianyun tasted it and said, "It is good. But without wasabi, the fishy smell remains. Then it wouldn’t taste good."
Zhu Yanyi ate a piece of sashimi. "I think the tuna is good. The owner slices the fish well. If it were thick, it wouldn’t be good."
"Try this salmon. It tastes good too," Yan Aohan offered Zhu Yanyi a slice of salmon.
Zhu Yanyi took a bite. "So, for raw food, you must come here. The salmon, tuna, and conch meat are all good."
Indeed, they ordered many raw dishes: salmon, tuna, conch, oysters, raw abalone, sandworms, and more. They ordered fewer cooked dishes because raw food had a stronger fresh taste. After eating raw food, they didn’t want cooked food.
"This sake is good too," Yi Yunfei said, pouring and drinking a cup.
"Sake is a local specialty," Yan Aohan said with a smile.
"From a food perspective, this country values the original taste of ingredients," Ouyang Tianyun said.
"Third Senior Brother, you focus on cooking skills everywhere," Zhu Yanyi said with a laugh.
Ouyang Tianyun laughed. "Of course. I am a culinary cultivator. I must evaluate food constantly to find my flaws and improve."
"While finding flaws, you can also enjoy the taste," Zhu Yanyi said, picking up a conch slice, dipping it in wasabi, and eating it.
The strong wasabi mixed with the conch’s sweet aftertaste made her want another piece. She indeed ate another one.
"The grilled meat here is good too. I had them slice it and send it over. Don’t just eat raw food. Drink some sake. I know you won’t get sick, but I still want to remind you," Yan Aohan said helplessly.
Eating too much raw food causes diarrhea. Everyone knew this. People usually drank alcohol with raw food because alcohol kills bacteria.
Zhu Yanyi nodded happily, drank some sake, and ate another slice of salmon. Then, sushi arrived.
The sushi was varied: tuna, grilled eel, salmon, and more. They ordered a mixed platter, so they had all flavors.
Next came the grilled meat, served with lettuce. Wrapping grilled meat in lettuce with special sauce tasted great.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t need to wrap it herself, as she wasn’t obsessed with meat. But Yan Aohan wrapped some for her. She didn’t refuse and smiled at him. "Don’t just serve me. Eat yourself too."
Yan Aohan didn’t refuse. He wrapped a few for himself, eating them quickly. It felt satisfying.
Sikong Xuran and the others followed Yan Aohan’s example, eating happily.
"In this plane, there is really good food," Ouyang Tianyun said. "I mean the country where Fifteen lives. It has many cuisines. I visited a bookstore and bought many recipe books."
Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly. "Yes, our country has many cuisines. Each generation of chefs has their own skills and creates new ones. But now, cuisines are simpler than in ancient times. Third Senior Brother, if you want to study, look at ancient recipes."
"What are ancient recipes?" Ouyang Tianyun asked.
Zhu Yanyi thought for a moment. "Like the eggplant dish in Dream of the Red Chamber. It says: peel the eggplant, keep only the flesh, cut it into small cubes, fry in chicken oil, then add chicken breast, mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, dried tofu, and dried fruits, all cut into cubes. Simmer in chicken broth until dry, add sesame oil and fermented bean curd oil, seal in a porcelain jar. When eating, mix with fried chicken cubes. But the real dish might not be so complex. You can study such rare dishes. It might help you."
Ouyang Tianyun was stunned, then his eyes shone. "Fifteen, thank you. Truly, as a culinary cultivator, I hit a bottleneck. My direction is right, but breaking through is hard. Now I understand. I lack creativity. My cooking is just copying. To improve my cultivation, I need dishes from my own insights."