Culinary God in Wilderness

The forest was home to mango and banana trees that grew year-round, with pineapples scattered among them. There were also papayas, cherries, avocados, various citrus fruits, and berries. Aside from the few fruits that bore all year, the rest mostly ripened between February and April.

And right now, it was mid-December. In a little over a month, wouldn’t it be February?

’The show’s planning department is really something else,’ he thought. ’To be able to create a plan based on the ripening periods and habits of the local flora and fauna, while also balancing the survival theme, the difficulty, and the need for innovation... That’s genuinely hard.’

DING.

While he was looking up this information, Robert sent him an address.

’It’s actually near Seattle? Right, he’s from Utah, which is too remote. For better medical care, Washington State is undoubtedly the best choice nearby. And Seattle is close to Vancouver; they’re both major international cities with superior medical facilities.’

He didn’t hesitate. He immediately opened the Air Canada website and bought a ticket for the next flight to Seattle.

The US visa he’d gotten for the show was finally proving useful. He could travel between the two countries whenever he wanted.

「 ... 」

Inside a quiet private clinic, Andre was sitting by a bed. In his hands, he held a steaming hot green pepper and cumin lamb pita pocket. In a paper bag next to him were two pan-fried salmon patties, slightly charred.

"Here, honey, try the recipe I learned from Lin. I made this pita pocket from scratch, starting with the dough! I tried it, and the taste is eighty percent similar to Lin’s!"

"Not bad. You go on one trip and come back knowing how to cook."

The woman sat propped up against the headboard, her sky-blue eyes gazing at him gently, a smile playing on her lips. "You’re not tricking me, are you? What if I get food poisoning? That one time..."

"Ahem, uh, definitely not!"

Andre coughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek. "If it were poisonous, I’d be having a reaction by now. It’s totally fine!"

"Pfft... Haha, I’m just teasing you. These are all ingredients from the supermarket, how could they be poisonous? That time, you mistook poisonous mushrooms you picked in the forest for edible ones. How is that the same thing?"

Just as Andre was about to mention that he had learned to identify several new types of edible mushrooms, the bag in his hand suddenly felt lighter. A salmon patty had been silently snatched by a small hand.

The little girl held the patty, which was almost half the size of her face, and stared at it for a long time, unable to find a good place to take a bite.

The woman, amused, broke the patty in half, revealing the pink salmon mince inside.

"Go on, sweetie. Try your daddy’s cooking."

As she spoke, she took a small bite from the other half of the patty.

The outside of the patty was pan-fried to an enticing golden-brown. Although it wasn’t coated in batter or anything, it had formed a crispy outer layer.

Having watched every episode of the show, she looked up in surprise. "Is this because you added starch? It’s so crispy. The texture seems even more tender than pure fish."

"Yeah!"

Andre nodded eagerly. "I followed the steps Lin taught me exactly. This is how it tasted when I ate it on the show, too. It’s just that mine isn’t as crispy as his, and the fish inside isn’t as juicy."

"Well, he’s a professional chef, after all. It’s impressive you managed to cook it through at all."

The woman, who hadn’t had high expectations, chewed the delicious salmon patty and glanced down at her daughter. She saw the little one eating bite after bite with intense focus, a complete departure from her usual picky self.

She looked again at the man right beside her, and for no particular reason, a warmth spread through her heart.

’Perhaps this is the happiness I’ve always been looking for.’

"Honey, try the pita pocket before it gets cold and hard!"

"Okay, I’ll try it now~"

As the family of three was joyfully enjoying their lunch, a sudden knock came from the room’s door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Come in!"

Andre called out without turning his head, assuming it was the routine midday check-up.

This private hospital was actually the doctor’s home. It was so remote that there were no other patients, and it wasn’t really run as a business; it was more like a mountain retreat.

He had stumbled upon it by chance, and the doctor had simply let them stay, partly for the company.

However, the approaching footsteps didn’t sound like a woman’s. Instead, they sounded more like waterproof hiking boots, the kind worn for trekking in the wilderness.

He hadn’t paid it any mind and was about to feed his wife another bite when he saw her face suddenly fill with shock as she stared toward the person at the door.

"Yo, Andre. You make this yourself?"

Lin Chen strode over to his side, leaned down to examine the pita pocket, and then extended a hand to the woman with a slight smile.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lin Chen."

"Uh, hello, hello!"

The woman, slightly flustered, shook his hand. She clearly hadn’t expected him to show up so suddenly at this time and place.

"Lin?!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Andre’s jaw dropped, and he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"What the hell? I must be dreaming. Why are you here??"

"No, wait, how did you find... Oh, I know. That damn Robert leaked my private information!"

"Calm down, bro. I asked him for it. He needs a favor from me, so he had to give me your address."

Lin Chen then extended his hand toward the little girl, trying his best to make his forced smile seem less stiff.

"Hey there, do you know who I am?"

The little girl, still clutching half a salmon patty, looked at him shyly. She instinctively ducked behind Andre before peeking her little head out again, nodding, and saying in a tiny, sweet voice,