I'm a Druid at a farmhouse.

Chapter 60 [Gourmet Druid] Basic Skills Guide

The boning knife in Liu Xu's hand pointed diagonally at the ground, making him look much like a cheetah poised to pounce.

"We'll just compare knife skills," he said, staring at Song You, enunciating each word clearly. "Nothing else."

Seeing his expression, Song You didn't reply, but simply put the chef's certificate he had just received into his pocket.

We can't lose this.

Jiang Milu was a little nervous, and she gently tugged at Song You's sleeve.

"I'm not interested," Song You finally spoke, his voice calm. "I'm here today to take the exam, not to compete."

He spoke very directly, without giving any face whatsoever.

Liu Xu's eyes darkened for a moment, but he wasn't annoyed. He just stubbornly repeated, "Just once."

"You little rascal, what's gotten into you again!"

Liu Kun strode over from the judges' table, grabbed Liu Xu's arm, and pulled him back.

"Brother, it's me..."

"What do you mean, 'what are you saying!'" Liu Kun said, suppressing his anger. "Master Song just finished his exams, what are you doing here causing trouble? Get back here right now!"

He turned to look at Song You, forcing a somewhat stiff apology on his face: "Master Song, I'm sorry, my brother is just a martial arts fanatic, he's very single-minded, please don't take it to heart."

"It's nothing." Song You waved his hand, he really didn't take it to heart.

He grabbed Jiang Milu's hand and turned to walk out.

"Master Song!" Liu Xu called from behind, "I won't give up!"

Song You didn't even turn his head.

As soon as the two stepped out of the assessment hall and passed through the small courtyard planted with banana trees, they saw a familiar figure standing at the door.

The man was tall and straight, dressed in a well-tailored casual outfit, with a calm and composed demeanor. He was none other than Zhao Qian, who had come for night fishing earlier.

"Brother Zhao? What are you doing here?" Song You asked, somewhat surprised.

When Zhao Qian saw him, a faint smile appeared on his face. He waved the several brown paper document bags he was carrying.

"Old Wang asked me to deliver something to you, saying it's a basic cooking manual from his hometown."

Zhao Qian handed over the file bag.

Song You took it; it felt heavy in his hand. He opened one of them, and inside were several booklets bound with thread, the covers bearing handwritten calligraphy, the characters vigorous and powerful.

"On the Harmony of Five Flavors", "On the Distinction of Live Fire", "An Initial Explanation of the Power of Flipping the Wok", etc.

He only glanced at it briefly, but the Druid's Diary in his mind immediately registered.

[Druid's Diary: Knowledge inheritance matching the Gourmet Druid branch detected]

[Learnable skills: Harmonizing the five flavors (beginner), Identifying stove fire (beginner), Using a wok to toss (beginner), Analyzing the texture of ingredients (beginner), Concentrating broth (beginner)]

[Learning Requirements: Consumes 15% of the Gourmet Druid beginner progress for each skill.]

Song You's heart skipped a beat.

Good heavens, Master Wang Tong has brought over all the foundational skills of his sect.

He quickly put the file bag away and said solemnly to Zhao Qian, "Brother Zhao, thank you so much. It's really kind of you to make this special trip."

"It was just on the way," Zhao Qian said casually.

Song You remembered something and casually asked, "By the way, Brother Zhao, I forgot to ask, what's Deng Shen's real name? It feels weird to always call him Deng Shen."

Upon hearing this question, Zhao Qian, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Him?" Zhao Qian paused, as if organizing his thoughts, "His name on his household registration is Deng Shen."

Song You was stunned.

"What name did his parents give him?"

"Yes." Zhao Qian nodded and added, "He's quite proud of it. He's liked being called that since he was little, so we've always called him that."

Song You didn't know what to say for a moment.

At this moment, Liu Kun also came out from inside. When he saw Zhao Qian, he immediately stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Mr. Zhao, what brings you here?"

Mr. Zhao?

Song You's heart stirred, and he looked at Zhao Qian.

Zhao Qian shook hands with him casually, saying, "I came here to take care of some business and also to deliver something to Boss Song."

Only then did Liu Kun notice the file bag in Song You's hand, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"So it belonged to Old Wang."

Zhao Qian glanced at Song You, then at Liu Kun, and gave a brief introduction: "Liu Kun is the third-generation successor of Hengshan cuisine, and his knife skills are among the best in Hunan Province. This is Song You, a friend of mine, who is also a chef."

Song You and Liu Kun already knew each other. Zhao Qian was also just now aware that Song You was only a level three chef, and he exclaimed that Hunan Province had gained another promising talent.

Song You already knew that Zhao Qian's identity was definitely more than just Deng Shen's friend.

Liu Kun was very polite to Zhao Qian, even showing some respect.

"I've witnessed Master Song's knife skills firsthand today, and they truly live up to their reputation," Liu Kun said truthfully.

Zhao Qian didn't seem very interested in the topic. He turned to Song You and complained half-jokingly.

"Brother Song, you've stolen a big business deal from me."

Song You was completely bewildered: "Brother Zhao, what are you talking about?"

"Old Wang told me a few days ago that he's changed his location for aiming to become a master chef," Zhao Qian said, looking at him. "He's not going to my hotel anymore, he's going to your farmhouse instead."

Song You then realized what was happening.

"Mr. Zhao, do you own a hotel?" Jiang Milu asked curiously from the side.

Before Zhao Qian could answer, Liu Kun chimed in with a smile: "Mr. Zhao owns more than just hotels. The famous Xiangshifu chain hotel in Hunan Province is his business. This building of our Chefs Association is all rented from Mr. Zhao."

Song You now understood completely.

It turns out that Zhao Qian was the hidden mastermind.

He looked at Zhao Qian with an embarrassed expression, and joked, "I'm really sorry, Brother Zhao. How about this, to show my apology, you can come fishing at my place this month for free."

He then changed the subject and added, "But we still have to charge for the cooking."

Zhao Qian was amused by him and nodded, saying, "Okay, it's settled then."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zhao Qian and Liu Kun left separately.

Song You, along with Jiang Milu, also left the Chefs Association.

The midday sun was a bit dazzling.

"Song You, the people you know now are all so amazing," Jiang Milu said sincerely as she walked beside him.

"We're all friends," Song You said with a smile.

The two strolled around the nearby shopping plaza for a while. When they passed a milk tea shop, Jiang Milu stopped.

A huge advertising sign stands at the entrance of the store, featuring a cute cartoon couple.

[Couples Special Offer! Buy one get one half price! Complete the designated interaction on-site and get one free!]

Song You glanced at the price; a cup of milk tea cost over twenty yuan, but if it were free, it would only cost ten yuan per person.

Thinking about the deduction from his account that morning, his little calculations immediately started running through his mind.

"Let's go get some milk tea." He pulled Jiang Milu into the shop. She had spent half the day with him, so he wanted to show his appreciation.

When we took our order, the staff member was a very lively young woman. She pointed to the promotional sign and asked with a smile, "Handsome guy/beautiful lady, would you like to join our couples' activity? One drink is free!"

Jiang Milu's cheeks flushed instantly. She was about to wave her hand and say no, but Song You spoke first.

"How do I participate?"

"It's very simple!" The young female shop assistant's eyes sparkled as she took out a small box from under the counter. "Just draw one action and do it."

Song You reached out and drew a card.

Upon opening it, I saw a drawing of two little figures: a boy hugging a girl from behind, his chin resting gently on her shoulder.

Song You paused for a moment.

The young female shop assistant looked at them with anticipation.

Jiang Milu's face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed. She lowered her head and nervously twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

Song You glanced at Jiang Milu, then at the card in his hand, and finally his gaze fell on the price list.

He took a deep breath, walked behind Jiang Milu, and naturally stretched out his arm to gently wrap it around her.

Jiang Milu's body froze instantly.

Song You's chin rested gently on her shoulder with a practiced ease.

A faint, fresh scent, a blend of sunshine and grass, enveloped her.

"Are you done?" Song You's voice rang in her ear.

"Okay, all done!" The young female shop assistant excitedly took out her phone and quickly snapped a photo. "Such a handsome man and beautiful woman, so pleasing to the eye!"

Song You immediately released his grip, took a step back, and his face returned to calm.

After paying, he took the two cups of milk tea and handed one to Jiang Milu.

Jiang Milu held the warm milk tea, her head down, not daring to look at him.

The two walked out of the milk tea shop in silence.

In the afternoon, Song You took Jiang Milu back to the gate of Xiangnan University.

"Then I'll go back." Jiang Milu stopped and looked up at him.

"Okay, be careful on the road."

"Song You," she called out again.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

After saying that, she ran into the school.

Song You watched her figure disappear into the crowd before taking out his phone and dialing Su Yunxi's number.

"Hey, Su Yunxi, where are you? I'll be at Central South University soon."