CHAPTER 161: CHAPTER 156: THE FEMALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE SPIRITUAL SPRING SPACE

"This thing looks amazing!" Two guys in charge of the barbecue came over, drooling at the sight of the lively crawfish.

"Ye Zi, I want the spicy flavor."

"Garlic flavor isn’t bad either."

"I’ll help you peel them, why don’t we just make two flavors? Some people might not be able to handle spicy."

"Okay, let’s do half spicy and half garlic."

The few of them chatteringly made the decision. Actually, a dozen or so pounds of crawfish sounds like a lot, but there are also quite a few of them. By the time it’s divided amongst everyone, there won’t be much left.

Fortunately, there’s a variety of dishes today. In no time, Lin Jiayan and the others brought up a large grass carp. With Ye Qiu grilling the fish and stir-frying a few vegetables, that would more or less cover it.

"It smells so good!" As dishes like crawfish, grilled fish, and braised chicken feet gradually finished cooking, some of the classmates increasingly didn’t want to leave, staying by the pot and drooling over the food.

Everyone had left the school early in the morning and climbed some mountain trails. Now, they were all ravenous, as the scent of the food made their stomachs growl one after another.

"Young lady, your cooking is really good!" The landlady watched Ye Qiu with a face full of surprise. Originally, she thought the pretty girl wouldn’t know much about these things, but who would have thought she was a great chef with hidden talents.

"Auntie, our Ye Qiu has even won a championship in a food competition," Liu Qingqing said proudly. "She was on the national television channel. Remember to watch it in a few days."

"Wow, that’s pretty impressive!" The landlady was full of admiration and kept praising her.

"Has everyone returned? It’s almost time to eat. Auntie, do you want to join us for a bit?" Ye Qiu invited.

"No, thanks." The landlady shook her head. "My hubby has made meals back home."

"So beautiful!" The girls looked at the food on the table, taking out their phones to take pictures.

"The skill level of a five-star chef must be around this, I guess!" A male student sighed and swallowed his saliva.

"Isn’t that an exaggeration?" Lian Lan chuckled awkwardly, feeling even more uneasy under Lin Jiayan’s admiring and astonished gaze.

"This isn’t an exaggeration; it’s being down-to-earth," that male student retorted, looking at the girls taking pictures and couldn’t help but urge, "Hurry up, I’m starving."

"Alright, alright."

"Let’s eat!"

After putting away their phones, everyone pounced on the food like hungry ghosts, eager to dig into their favorite dishes.

"It smells so good!"

"I really want to eat too."

Today at the farmhouse restaurant, there wasn’t just Ye Qiu and their group, but also two other teams with eight or nine people each. However, compared to the warm and enjoyable atmosphere of Ye Qiu’s group feasting, they sat around their cold stove feeling envious.

"This is so delicious."

"Awesome!"

"I now believe you’re a food competition champion."

Everyone was enjoying the delicious food, heaping praise upon Ye Qiu. Even the girls who were initially jealous of her had begun to change their opinions.

Beauty is a gift from one’s parents; what’s there to be jealous about? And it’s not like Ye Qiu ever looked down on others because of her beauty. She’s just a bit indifferent, but what’s the big deal with having some quirks?

Moreover, she is not only beautiful but also diligent in her studies, winning scholarships, and even the champion of the culinary competition. What right do they have to look down on her?

On the contrary, it was they who were narrow-minded and full of baseless suspicions, now guiltily enjoying the dishes made by Ye Qiu.

Lian Lan, skeptical, picked up a piece of grilled fish. In her past life, there weren’t any farmstays, and Ye Qiu hadn’t pursued a career as a chef, so naturally, Lian Lan had never tasted Ye Qiu’s cooking. Hearing the others’ praise, Lian Lan didn’t take it seriously. It’s just a few dishes, right? Could they really be better than those prepared by five-star chefs?

Lian Lan inwardly scoffed at these people who she thought hadn’t seen the world, taking a doubting bite of fish.

How could this be?

Lian Lan unbelievingly widened her eyes. How could Ye Qiu’s cooking be so delicious?

In her previous life, Lian Lan had married into a rich second generation family and had often enjoyed fine foods. However, at this moment, those dishes she had thought were delicacies paled in comparison to this seemingly ordinary piece of grilled fish.

Could a dish prepared by one person really taste this good? Still skeptical, Lian Lan picked up a piece of braised beef brisket. The beef had been stewed until tender and perfectly imbued with the sweet and sour flavor of tomatoes, making it supremely delicious.

It really is delicious! Lian Lan didn’t want to admit it, but she had to.

"Amazing, I didn’t expect you to be such a great cook," Lin Jiayan sincerely complimented Ye Qiu with a look of wonder on his face, removing his glasses to reveal bright star-like eyes.

Lin Jiayan knew that Ye Qiu was very beautiful and had also learned of her academic achievements; she had always been at the top. But what shocked him was that Ye Qiu’s cooking was also delicious; he had thought she was the type who wouldn’t do household chores!

Lin Jiayan couldn’t help but fantasize in his heart that if they got married in the future, Ye Qiu would be standing in the kitchen preparing dinner for the both of them every evening after work. What a blissful thought!

Never had he felt so deeply for a woman as he did in this moment.

When Lian Lan looked up, she just happened to catch the entranced expression Lin Jiayan had while gazing at Ye Qiu, and the food in her mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

With her current level of perception, how could Ye Qiu not be aware of Lian Lan’s animosity? But what of it? She did it on purpose. In her past life, due to the existence of Spiritual Spring Space, it was Lian Lan who received all the admiration and Lin Jiayan’s special attention. In this life, Ye Qiu was simply taking back what belonged to her and showing her true standard.

"How come it’s all gone?" Liu Qingqing looked at the empty bowl that had held the crayfish with regret. That’s the downside of having too many people.

Although Ye Qiu had made a lot of dishes, there were many people to share them. And since the two guys previously in charge of barbecuing were now lazily munching on Ye Qi’s food, they hadn’t really had their fill.

"I’ll do the grilling." Seeing everyone’s hopeful eyes, Ye Qiu gave in.

The crowd cheered, brimming with excitement.

Originally, after Ye Qiu had prepared such a large table of dishes, everyone felt it would be unreasonable to trouble her further. But after tasting her cooking, no one wanted to return to the poor barbecue skills of those two guys. Fortunately, Ye Qiu, though cold on the outside, had a soft heart and felt their strong desire.

"Senior Ye, I admire you so much," said a freshman girl who hadn’t gotten along with Lian Lan, looking up to Ye Qiu in awe, "This grilled meat smells so good, too!"

"Eating too much will cause acne, right?" Lian Lan, unable to endure everyone revolving around Ye Qiu, said sourly.

"That’s perfect, Junior Sister Lian, I’ll help you eat it, I’m not afraid of getting pimples," a boy next to her laughed heartily, not picking up on Lian Lan’s underlying resentment.

"Tch!" Liu Qingqing snorted in disdain and rolled her eyes at Lian Lan. Cao Lu quietly tugged at her sleeve, and she ultimately refrained from saying anything offensive.