"I'm back."
At Shōkei-en, Dylan's voice rang out.
The next moment, two figures, one large and one small, walked out quickly from the hall.
Megumi Tadokoro's steps were hurried, and she only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Dylan was safe. Still worried, she stepped forward, pulling Dylan to look him over left and right, afraid he might be injured and not saying anything.
"Relax, we're in peaceful times. Who's really going to be swinging swords and clubs? I'm completely fine. Just let me come in and have a drink of water first."
Dylan felt the warmth of Megumi Tadokoro's concern and raised his hands to let her check. However, he didn't want to linger at the doorway for too long, so he smiled and made a request to end it sooner.
"I'll get you some water."
Seeing this, Tadokoro Mieko immediately said.
"No, no, I can get it myself in a bit."
Seeing Tadokoro Mieko about to pour him water, Dylan hurriedly waved his hands. Having his mother-in-law pour water for him was truly a bit of a reversal of the natural order!
"You've gone to so much trouble for my sake. It's the least I can do."
Tadokoro Mieko's tone was firm. She turned, went back inside to pour the water, and then came out carrying it.
"Thank you."
Restricted by Megumi Tadokoro, Dylan didn't actually stop Tadokoro Mieko. Looking at the water she handed him, he no longer acted reserved and accepted it graciously, while also looking at the little Megumi before him.
"It looks like there shouldn't be any problems."
After finishing the water and being thoroughly checked over, Dylan looked at the relieved Megumi Tadokoro, smiled, and patted her head. He then entered Shōkei-en with the two of them, returned to where they had been eating, sat down, and began to discuss the matter of the ryokan across the street.
"Did you find any useful intelligence?"
Tadokoro Mieko was the first who couldn't hold back. Her eyes flickered as she looked at Dylan, filled with both anticipation and the anxiety that her hopes would be dashed.
"Yes," Dylan nodded. "They will most likely agree to the Shokugeki invitation. After all, their ultimate goal is to take over our ryokan."
"Then…"
Hearing Dylan's words, a worried expression appeared on Tadokoro Mieko's face.
Megumi Tadokoro beside her let out a long sigh of relief. She knew that since the opponent dared to accept the challenge, they must have an exceptionally skilled chef. But, standing here was the youngest Special Grade Seven-Star Chef in history, Dylan!
"Don't worry. Although they've decided to use a Shokugeki to take Shōkei-en in the end, they don't plan to make their move so soon. They intend to put some pressure on us first."
In fact, we don't have that much time to wait. If they really use delay tactics, even with a Shokugeki, it will probably be difficult for us to participate.
"If it really comes to that, what should we do!"
Dylan's words left Tadokoro Mieko a bit dazed, and she couldn't help but mutter to herself. She had little confidence in a "Shokugeki" to begin with. If the ryokan across the street insisted on dragging it out until Dylan and her daughter left, then they would have no chance of winning at all.
After all, Shōkei-en's most skilled old chef passed away two years ago. The best among the current kitchen staff was only at the level of a second-grade chef. That might be decent for a small town, but they stood no chance against a powerful chef from a big city.
Ultimately, they were a ryokan, in the business of lodging, not primarily serving food to guests.
Thinking of this, a little more worry appeared on Tadokoro Mieko's face. Now it seemed that rashly initiating a Shokugeki might not have been a good idea.
"Don't worry, I have a way to make them agree to a Shokugeki within these few days."
Seeing Tadokoro Mieko's worried expression, Dylan's voice chimed in at the right moment.
Getting the other party to agree to a Shokugeki isn't hard. They want to pressure us, so we just have to pressure them back, right?! Turn their own methods against them.
A very simple principle.
"Dylan, you have an idea?"
Hearing Dylan's words, a look of pleasant surprise flashed in Tadokoro Mieko's eyes. Then, like someone grasping at a lifeline, she looked at him with hopeful expectation.
"Of course. It's actually very simple…"
Seeing her anxious look, Dylan didn't keep her in suspense and directly stated his idea, which made Tadokoro Mieko fall into deep thought.
"You're saying... we attract all the travelers with top-tier cuisine? But how can that be done? The customers have already checked into the ryokan across the street…"
Tadokoro Mieko looked troubled. Attracting customers to stay through cuisine sounded like a good idea at first, but upon further thought, it seemed very unreliable!
Not to mention their ryokan's current notorious reputation. The mere fact that the customers had already checked into the opposite ryokan meant they wouldn't spend extra money to stay here as well.
"Mother, please believe Teacher Dylan. Since he proposed this solution, it must be feasible."
Seeing Tadokoro Mieko question Dylan, Megumi Tadokoro was immediately displeased and spoke to her with a serious expression.
After all, Dylan was her faith, an invincible existence in her heart that no one could look down upon. Not even her own mother!
"But this method…"
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro's serious expression, Tadokoro Mieko was a bit surprised, seemingly not expecting her own daughter to trust this man so much.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. With just this one dish, I'll draw in all the guests in town!"
Dylan's voice sounded at this moment, stopping the mother and daughter from arguing. He then pointed at the dining table in front of him until both of them looked over.
Worried he hadn't eaten enough and would be hungry when he returned, Tadokoro Mieko hadn't cleared away the Hodgepodge Fish Stew. Instead, she had reheated it and placed it back on the table.
At this moment, the two of them looked at the Hodgepodge Fish Stew on the table, both somewhat puzzled.
They had been eating this dish since they were children. While it was incredibly delicious and the taste of their hometown, it was hardly at a level that would make customers give up everything just to come and have a taste!
Moreover, there were at least a dozen or two places in town that specialized in this dish, and more than half of them tasted better than theirs.
"Attract all the guests in town with Hodgepodge Fish Stew…"
Tadokoro Mieko murmured, her voice filled with disbelief. But when she looked at Dylan and saw his confident expression, her nervous heart calmed down.
It couldn't be helped; Dylan appeared so effortlessly confident, giving off a feeling that everything was under his control.
"There should still be ingredients for it in the kitchen, right?"
"There are some left."
"Good. Megumi, come to the kitchen with me."
"Okay."
After confirming there were still ingredients in the kitchen, Dylan looked at Megumi Tadokoro, who was beside Tadokoro Mieko, and called for her to go into the kitchen with him.
Watching their backs, Tadokoro Mieko was still a bit worried, so she quickly followed. Soon, the three of them were in the kitchen.
Because there were no customers, the kitchen staff were all resting. They only stood up to greet Tadokoro Mieko when they saw her.
"We'd like to borrow the kitchen, Master Minemura."
"Please, use it as you like. There are no customers now anyway." Master Minemura waved his hand, but his eyes couldn't help sizing up Dylan.
Dylan paid no mind to this, instead looking over the ingredients in the kitchen and starting to pick through them, noting that this one wasn't fresh or that one wasn't prepared properly.
Finally, he made a list: "Daikon radish, carrots, burdock root, lotus root, taro, pumpkin, butterbur, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, konjac, potatoes, komatsuna, and shungiku... these are more suitable for a stew."
Megumi Tadokoro quickly wrote down the list, then looked at Tadokoro Mieko standing to the side: "Mother, I'll leave these ingredients to you."
"Don't worry, leave it to me." As she spoke, Tadokoro Mieko took the note.
Looking at the considerable number of ingredients on it, she couldn't help but be inwardly amazed.
The list Dylan had given her, with the ingredients he wanted her to buy, already contained more items than were originally needed for the Hodgepodge Fish Stew.
However, looking at this list, her confidence in Dylan grew considerably.
The more ingredients used, the higher the culinary skill required. The fact that he dared to use so many ingredients proved he had absolute confidence in his abilities.
The thought of soon eating a top-tier delicacy made her heart fill with strong anticipation.
Licking her lips, Tadokoro Mieko left without looking back, went to the market to buy all the ingredients Dylan needed, and then returned.
"What a fragrant smell!"
Returning to Shōkei-en, as soon as she reached the kitchen door, a rich aroma stopped Tadokoro Mieko in her tracks, an entranced expression on her face.
"You're back, Mieko-san."
Hearing the voice from the doorway, Dylan turned his head and saw Tadokoro Mieko standing there. He immediately went forward to take the bags from her hands.
After a quick look at the vegetables inside, Dylan nodded with satisfaction.
As for his current form of address, Tadokoro Mieko had strongly insisted on it. She said they should address each other as they saw fit, as being called "Auntie" made her feel old.
Because her husband had died early, she, in her thirties, was now well-maintained. People would believe her if she said she was twenty-five or twenty-six; she looked incredibly young!
"Where's Megumi? And the others…"
She glanced into the kitchen. Megumi Tadokoro, who should have been cooking with Dylan, was nowhere to be seen, and the other chefs had also left, leaving him alone.
"I asked her to help me buy some fish at the market. The others are responsible for bringing the fish back. After all, we're preparing for tonight's dinner, and the quantity needed is quite large."
As he spoke, Dylan took the potatoes from the vegetables Tadokoro Mieko had bought, quickly peeled them, cut them into chunks, and threw them into the pot to stew with the seafood.
"Potatoes. They have a soft texture and can absorb the flavor of the broth. You could say they are a perfect side ingredient, even common in Western cuisine."
After adding the potatoes, he stuck a few pieces of flat dough to the sides of the pot, making it somewhat resemble the Tie Guo Dun from the northeastern region of our country.
However, one focuses on seafood while the other focuses on meat, so the various details in the cooking and the requirements for the vegetables are not quite the same.
Dylan explained as he stuck the freshly made dough to the pot. He then covered it with a lid, relying on the heat of the iron pot to naturally cook the flatbread. Once cooked, it would be scraped into the pot to soak up the broth, becoming an unparalleled delicacy!
The flatbread serves the same purpose as the potatoes; both are to increase the edibility of the dish.
At the same time, both the flatbread and the potatoes can enhance the flavor of the soup base.
"Aren't you going to add the rest of these?"
Walking over to Dylan's side and looking at the untouched vegetables on the cutting board, Tadokoro Mieko asked with some confusion.
"Some ingredients need to be put in at the very beginning of cooking, otherwise their flavor can't be fully released. Adding them now would just be a waste."
At the cooking station, Dylan felt a fragrant breeze and turned his head to see the curvy and very wife-like Tadokoro Mieko bending over to look at the pot.
He answered her question with a brief explanation and then quickly averted his gaze.
"I see."
Tadokoro Mieko nodded, seeming to half-understand. There was a strange look in her eyes. She was the type who could cook a little, but not in depth.
Her skill level was more than enough for a family's three daily meals, but not enough to open a restaurant. She was an ordinary housewife.
"Mm, this pot is about ready."
He lifted the lid, and a rich aroma washed over them. Tadokoro Mieko, who had been able to remain calm, suddenly felt her body go weak the moment she smelled it, her face showing an expression of utmost captivation.
"This smell... it feels like the same thing I make, but also completely different!"
Leaning her face in to take a deep sniff, Tadokoro Mieko murmured with a slight blush, wondering why there was such a huge difference between the same dish when she and Dylan made it.
At this moment, she was certain that the Hodgepodge Fish Stew Dylan made could absolutely attract all the customers from across the street.
Because it was just too fragrant!
"Actually, this dish is better eaten while it's still heating. But with the current limitations, we can only serve it in small portions."
He portioned the Hodgepodge Fish Stew into bowls, then added a piece of the cooked flatbread to each, letting it fully absorb the essence of the broth.
"Alright, have a taste."
There was no dazzling golden light. After being served in the bowl, the Hodgepodge Fish Stew only had a layer of flowing light lingering on its surface, continuously, making it look very high-class.
Beside him, Tadokoro Mieko could no longer hold back her desire. She picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and the next moment her body began to tremble violently.
"Ah! Mmm~"
Tadokoro Mieko's body trembled slightly, her face filled with an inexplicable blush, and she let out some unintelligible sounds.
Of course, the most crucial part was the deliciousness of the Hodgepodge Fish Stew rampaging through her mouth, then entering her throat and moving towards a deeper place.
"This is simply a feast for the taste buds, with progressive layers of flavor, leaving an endless aftertaste!"
The moment it entered her mouth, a rich umami fragrance filled her oral cavity.
The freshness of the fish offal combined perfectly with the soft, fragrant potatoes. The broth was rich but not greasy, carrying a hint of the ocean's fresh air.
The cooked flatbread was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. After soaking in the broth, the outer layer absorbed its deliciousness, while the inside still maintained the proper chewiness of dough.
Taking a bite, the richness of the broth and the fragrance of the flatbread intertwined in her mouth, bringing a unique sense of satisfaction that made one cry out involuntarily!
No one could refuse a dish like this!
____
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