Chapter 326: A Teacher in Name and Spirit
Qi Han was still in a daze.
He had just been racking his brain about how to rope this pure-hearted kid into becoming part of Han Shi, and now… the kid just offered himself up?
As for Ye Lingqing's concerns about chefs not wanting to share their skills—Qi Han didn't mind that at all.
After all, he wasn't like other chefs.
Back at his Star Luo City branch, he had already taught the Qin sisters how to make hotpot. If time hadn't been tight, he wouldn't have minded teaching them other dishes too.
Having come from Earth, and being the only one carrying the legacy of Earth's culinary traditions, Qi Han sincerely wanted that food culture to take root in this world.
That's why he never objected when other merchants started using chopsticks or took inspiration from his dishes. In fact, he welcomed it.
So, when it came to taking on an apprentice, the issue Ye Lingqing was worried about didn't exist at all.
After a brief silence, Qi Han finally spoke, "You… want to become my apprentice and learn how to cook?"
Huh?
Ye Lingqing, who had already braced himself for rejection, was surprised by the sliver of hope in Qi Han's tone.
"Yes!" he nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling with renewed hope.
"Well, I can agree to that… but it might be really tough."
Qi Han couldn't help but sigh as he recalled his own grueling training in the system's special space.
Even with accelerated time and the ability to stay perpetually energetic, it had taken him a long time to reach his current level. Without those perks, it might take Ye Lingqing a lifetime to reach his standard.
"Without system assistance, any 3 Star or higher dish can't be perfectly cooked. That means no heavenly phenomenons or special effects," came Ru Yi's timely reminder in his mind.
So there's a restriction like that, huh?
Looks like what Ye Lingqing could learn from him would be limited to 1 and 2 Star dishes.
Still, that should be more than enough—those dishes had immense depth as well.
"I'm not afraid of hard work," Ye Lingqing said firmly, lips pressed into a thin line. His resolve had only grown stronger.
"In that case…" Qi Han smiled, "Starting tomorrow, you can come to Han Shi and learn cooking from me."
"Thank you, teacher!"
Teacher?
Qi Han felt a little weird. This was the first time someone had called him that.
The Qin sisters had learned from him before, but since they'd already gotten used to calling him "Boss," they had never changed the term.
"Yes, since I'm learning to cook from you, you are my teacher."
At that moment, when Ye Lingqing looked at Qi Han again, his eyes were filled with deep respect.
Teacher it is, then.
A sense of responsibility as a mentor suddenly welled up in Qi Han's chest. After pondering for a moment, he asked,
"Lingqing, what's your martial spirit?"
"It's a rolling pin," Ye Lingqing replied without hesitation, having no secrets from his teacher. "A pretty obscure kitchen tool."
Qi Han was surprised to hear that was his martial spirit. But when Ye Lingqing added that description, he couldn't help but ask, "Why do you say it's obscure?"
"Because… in all my life, I've only seen one type of food that requires a rolling pin."
Ye Lingqing looked a little ashamed.
A rolling pin, obscure?
To Qi Han, who knew his way around Earth cuisine, this was shocking.
This was one of the core tools in noodle-making—how could it possibly be obscure?
Qi Han raised an eyebrow and thought back to the pasta-like foods of the Douluo Continent. Then he realized something.
Most foods here didn't seem to require rolling pins. Even steamed buns were made by hand, not rolled.
But to someone like him, well-versed in Earth's noodle culture, a rolling pin was practically irreplaceable.
That simple wooden tool could roll out dough into perfectly even sheets, making it one of the most frequently used tools at a dough station—its importance was second only to a chef's knife.
Looking at his new apprentice feeling down because of his martial spirit, Qi Han couldn't help but laugh.
What a treasure he'd found.
He had only asked casually, but it turned out his new apprentice's martial spirit wasn't just any kitchen tool—it was a rolling pin, and an incredibly useful one at that.
At that moment, Qi Han's mind was already buzzing with ideas.
With a martial spirit like that, it would be a real waste not to learn dough work.
Though Qi Han didn't know many noodle dishes for now, he figured he could start Ye Lingqing off with Xiaolongbao.
Whether it was rolling out the wrappers or kneading the dough, both were foundational dough techniques, and both could be practiced through making Xiaolongbao.
Yes, that was settled. He'd have his new apprentice start by learning Xiaolongbao. Later, if he got a new 1 Star Optional Recipe Fragment, he could exchange it for more noodle-based dishes and teach them to him.
With the training plan now laid out, Qi Han found himself viewing his new apprentice even more favorably.
"Oh right—where are you staying now that you've come from Zhilán Village?"
As a teacher, it was only right to care about his apprentice's living conditions.
"I'm staying over in the Sanguan District right now."
Sanguan District?
Qi Han thought for a while but couldn't recall there being any such district in Shrek City.
How far is it from here?"
He was familiar with all the nearby districts—clearly, this one wasn't close.
"It's about a two-hour walk."
Hearing this, Qi Han frowned.
That's way too far.
If Ye Lingqing had to walk that distance every day to come to Han Shi and then go back again, he'd be wasting too much time.
Wouldn't it be better to spend that time practicing kneading dough?
"Do you have anything else planned for today?"
Ye Lingqing thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, teacher. Why do you ask?"
"Then go pack your things this afternoon and bring them here. There's a guest room on the second floor—you can stay there from now on. It's just too much of a time waste for you to travel back and forth every day."
"But…" A hesitant look appeared on Ye Lingqing's face. "Just being allowed to learn cooking from you is already more than enough. I couldn't possibly impose by staying at your place too."
"Don't be so polite," Qi Han waved it off casually. "You already call me your teacher—of course I have to make sure my student has a proper place to stay."
"If you settle in today, you'll have more time to study tomorrow, won't you?"
"Well…" Ye Lingqing gave it some thought and realized it made sense.
If he moved in, he'd save hours each day for extra practice. And if any questions came up, he could ask his teacher right away.
"Thank you, teacher," Ye Lingqing said, his eyes now brimming with even more gratitude.
My teacher is so good to me.
Not only was he willing to teach him cooking, but he even offered a place to live.
He had to work hard and live up to his teacher's generosity!
"Come on, I'll take you to find a carriage," Qi Han said as he stood up. "You can ride it over to your place, pack your things carefully, and come back with the carriage."
He figured that making the kid walk two hours there and then come back carrying luggage would be too much. After all, Ye Lingqing didn't have spirit power—he was just an ordinary person.
"No need, teacher, I can walk," Ye Lingqing said quickly, feeling a bit embarrassed. His teacher had already helped him so much—he didn't want to trouble him further.
"It's already past one," Qi Han said firmly, letting a rare hint of authority show. "If you take the carriage, you'll be settled in before dinner. Just listen to me."
"…Okay then, teacher." Ye Lingqing nodded.
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