Culinary God in Wilderness

While the two men argued over who would get to partner with Lin Chen first, Lin Chen himself was mulling it over.

’Andre is good at hunting and manual labor, true, but the shelter renovations are already done. I can handle the remaining details myself. As for hunting, with my Animal Knowledge and Archery Mastery, I don’t really need his help.’

’Connor’s situation seems interesting, having a coyote with him, but he himself said the animal is only close to him.’

’The coyote is too small, and it’s a juvenile. It has no combat ability and can’t offer any real help. It might even betray him on the spot if they run into danger.’

’It’s a wolf, after all, not a dog. There’s no loyalty to speak of.’

"Connor, what else are you good at?"

After a moment’s thought, he decided to get a clearer picture before making a decision.

"I raise dozens of different animals on my farm, and I’m familiar with all their habits. I also have sprawling orchards and farmlands, and I’m an expert in all that knowledge too."

Lin Chen nodded. That was about what he’d figured.

’The professional contestants invited by the production team must have real skills. They wouldn’t just pick someone at random to participate.’

’He was no different.’

’He might look like a simple food truck cook on the surface, but in reality, he had ranked first in all his culinary classes back in school. Every year, the final exams included a cooking competition where the food was served for a tasting in the school’s first-floor lobby. The student body voted, and he was the most popular chef every single year.’

’Because of this reputation, he was even given a special invitation to intern at the school’s own restaurant for half a semester, where he completed a hands-on practicum that wasn’t part of his curriculum and earned full credit for it.’

’Later, one of his culinary professors even recommended him for a job at a new restaurant affiliated with a Michelin-starred establishment.’

’It’s just that every chef dreams of opening their own restaurant. After honing his skills for a few years, he decided that working for someone else wasn’t the right path for him. That’s why he struck out on his own with a food stall, promoting the food culture of Great Xia along the way.’

’When the production team selected him, he had specifically asked them why. After all, there were countless chefs more skilled than him; he was a complete nobody in the culinary world. So why on earth did they choose him?’

’The production team’s answer was quite simple: they needed a professional chef who could speak fluent English and was skilled in various cultural cuisines. Preferably, an unknown foreigner, as that would add a fresh, interesting dynamic to the show.’

’After a series of evaluations, they had selected him from a large pool of applicants.’

"Let me ask you, then. Out here in this world of ice and snow, with no seeds and no fertilizer, what can you possibly grow? How long would it take to mature? Would it need daily watering? Where would you get the water?"

"In the winter... you can grow poppies, and bearberries, and tinder grass. But it’s already past its fruiting season."

"In other words, you offer nothing of value for a partnership."

Andre let out a visible sigh of relief and took a half-step forward, thumping his chest loudly.

"Just work with me, Lin. Didn’t we have a great time working together last time?"

Only then did Connor realize he didn’t seem to have any impressive skills that would make him an attractive partner. In spring or summer, it would have been a different story, but winter was his absolute nemesis!

"I—I can hunt, too! How about this? I’ll do what Robert and the others do and pay for your services. That should be acceptable, right?"

"Oh?"

Lin Chen had been conflicted. After all, Connor was a guest from afar, and it wasn’t in the nature of the Da Xia People to treat guests poorly.

But when he heard Connor offer to pay him to cook, his interest was immediately piqued.

"The price I charge them for one meal is five kilograms of meat. They provide their own ingredients, seasonings, and side dishes. The main reason is that the prices they charge me are also high. If you want to cooperate on those terms..."

"Five kilograms of meat for three meals. You provide your own ingredients. Sound good?"

"Of course! I think that’s a completely reasonable price!"

Connor breathed a sigh of relief, a victorious smile spreading across his face.

Just then, Andre suddenly cut in, "Ten kilograms for three meals."

"????"

Connor’s smile froze. He shouted, flustered, "Hey! That’s malicious price gouging! Robert, aren’t you guys going to do something about this?"

"Can’t get involved," Robert mumbled indistinctly. "We’re just here for a routine physical and to grab some lunch. We don’t interfere in contestant affairs. You guys can sort it out yourselves. We’re leaving after we eat."

In just a few short minutes, the pot of Stir-fried Lamb with Scallions had been devoured by the four of them. Even the sauce at the bottom of the pot was scraped clean with their fingers.

Hei wiped his thick, greasy lips and, looking as if he still hadn’t had his fill, turned his gaze to the lamb bone broth bubbling away over the fire.

"If you have a container, you can take it with you. It’s ready to drink, but I haven’t added any salt, so you’ll have to season it yourselves. There’s marrow in the bones—that stuff is pure fat, it’s good for you. You can also use this broth to cook instant ramen."

"Cooking instant ramen in lamb bone broth?!"

"Holy shit, that’s the best damn idea I’ve heard all year!"

"Do you just heat it up and pour it in instead of water?"

"No," Lin Chen shook his head, giving them a strange look. "You bring the broth to a boil, then add the noodle brick and seasoning packet directly into the pot, kind of like cooking pasta. It’ll be ready in about five or six minutes. You can add vegetables, meat, seafood, mushrooms... really, any ingredients you want."

"Have you guys only been eating the just-add-water cup noodles this whole time? You’ve never had them properly boiled?"

Ariana wanted to ask if there was really a difference, but she swallowed the words before they could escape her lips.

’He’s a professional chef. If he said it like that, there must be a difference. And chances are, the boiled version tastes better.’

Without another word, Hei pulled a length of paracord from his pocket, threaded it through the pot’s two handles, tied two sturdy bowline knots, and then lifted it with both hands and took off running.

Even though he was running fast, his movements were incredibly steady. You could tell at a glance that he was used to manual labor.

"We’ll be heading out too, then. We’ll drop the supplies down to you in a bit."

Daniel was the first to head out. Ariana gave Lin Chen a quick wave goodbye, then pulled a stethoscope from her first-aid kit and walked over to Connor.

"In three days... oh, wait, that’s not right. I almost forgot," Robert said, having taken just one step. He seemed to recall something, and his expression soured.

"The sudden heavy snow has forced us to change our plans. Starting today, routine physicals will be changed to once every five days. Animal activity is lower in the winter, and the helicopter is too loud. It’s easy to disturb them, which indirectly affects all of your survival conditions."

"We’re also considering whether to switch to a quieter method of transport, but we haven’t reached a decision yet."

"It’s good that Connor is here, too. Saves us a separate trip to inform him."

"Every five days? Fine, I get it... OW!!"

Ariana rolled her eyes irritably.

"What are you screaming for? Why are you big men all so pathetic? You can roll around in the snow, but you can’t handle a stethoscope?"