Chapter 95

Chapter 95 – Hand-Torn Cabbage

The final trial run of the sightseeing train was also the last week of Chen Ran's time on this journey.

Although she’d been busy assisting in the kitchen over the past three weeks, the workload was still far more relaxed than what she had experienced before!

Chen Ran silently accepted that this was the system’s way of making amends for the pyramid scheme disaster, and she’d gone back to her habit of casually chatting with the system again.

—Back in that pyramid scheme den, when she said she wasn’t scared, it was only to comfort Sister Tang and Sister Gao. How could she possibly have not been scared?

But in the end, the scene of everyone coming together to rescue her had become one of the most treasured memories in Chen Ran’s heart.

She shut the train window, looking at the quiet station blanketed in snow, and got ready to start cooking!

“Chef Chen! Let me do that!”

Tang Su strode up and handed Chen Ran a brand-new cloth for holding the hot wok.

The assistant originally assigned to help Chen Ran was pushed aside and stood there looking a little lost.

“Try this pot holder! It’s not the standard one issued on the train—it’s custom-made by me. It protects your hands better. See if you like it; I’ve got a whole box of them.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try. Go back to cooking your own dish.”

Only then did Tang Su step aside and quickly apologized to the assistant who was just shoved aside: “Sorry for squeezing you out just now. I’ll be more careful next time! Let’s have a smoke together when we’re free.”

If the kitchen wasn’t so busy, he would’ve loved to take that assistant spot himself. Just being near Chef Chen—how much could he learn?

Unfortunately, it was ridiculous how hungry the tourists on this sightseeing train were, like they were all reincarnated competitive eaters.

Even when the train stopped at scenic spots, they didn’t get off to explore. The dining car had been operating at full capacity the entire time.

This sightseeing train made stops at five attractions, and based on previous runs, this would typically be when the kitchen staff got a break.

But during this final trial run, they hadn’t had a single proper rest at any of the stops!

And the servers kept bringing back a stream of odd, helpless requests…

“Chef Chen, there’s a customer who’s religious and can’t eat meat. They just want some pure vegetarian dishes.”

Without even turning around, Chen Ran smoothly tossed the wok and counted off the menu items: “Aren’t there quite a few vegetarian options? Just don’t add lard.”

“They said they want to try Dìnghú Vegetarian Delight…”

“Don’t have it,” Chen Ran pointed at a small batch of pure vegetarian eggplant fritters she was deep-frying. “But I can throw in two fritters on the house later.”

Throughout the trip, she’d heard every kind of excuse possible—her ears were getting calloused from them.

At first, the weird tourists were rare, but by the final stop, they were everywhere!

The entire train had practically turned into a Chen Ran fan club team-building event.

There were people from the gourmet chat groups, and others from the fan club's queue management committee.

Green Pepper Guy had finished his thesis, the Best Actor was currently on a break, Bai Qing had just joined a new production and couldn’t make it—so Wang Zhaoshan had the stage all to himself.

Ms. Wang was sitting in the dining car handling business with a laptop in her arms, while Ji You was on the lookout, eyes and ears sharp. Xu Ruyi’s game was a big hit, so she came out for a holiday, sitting across from Ms. Wang and chatting with He Xin.

Every dish served felt like opening a surprise mystery box!“This dish must’ve been made by Chen Ran, right? I’ve had it before at her little restaurant!”

“Let’s bet, let’s bet! The season’s about to end and I haven’t made it to Platinum. If I lose, you’ve gotta play a couple rounds for me!”

“Oh my god, Old Wang, stop playing Honor of Kings. Just give up already. You can’t even make it to Platinum?”

“I won’t give up! Final bet! I say this dish wasn’t made by Chen Ran. If I’m right, each of you owes me five ranked games!”

As the dish was set down, even the server couldn’t help sneaking a glance at the buzz and excitement in the train car.

“Let me try it!”

Last time, Huang Renshou was so mad after getting off the train, he nearly turned green with regret. He dragged his old buddy and found a way to swap tickets for two stops just to get back onboard.

Looking at the salted egg yolk spare ribs, he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and tasted it slowly.

The more he chewed, the stranger his expression became.

Everyone started shouting: “Come on, tell us—was it made by Chen Ran or not?”

“Master Huang, you totally botched it last time with that egg fried rice. Make sure you get it right this time!”

Huang Renshou chewed carefully, his face a bit puzzled. He reached for another piece, but someone stopped him immediately.

“I knew it! Master Huang, you pretended you couldn’t tell so you could eat more!”

As soon as that line came out, the whole car rushed in with chopsticks—one plate of salted egg yolk ribs was emptied in seconds!

Still, the expressions on everyone’s faces all carried a bit of doubt.

Anyone who’d gone to such lengths to get a ticket onto this “Eastern Express” had to be a seasoned fan of Chen Ran’s cooking. Normal folks who’d only heard the legend wouldn’t go this far.

Whether or not a dish was Chen Ran’s—these old regulars could more or less taste it.

But this plate of salted egg yolk ribs was weird.

Someone turned to Wang Zhaoshan, the only food critic onboard: “You tell us—was it hers or not?”

“Yeah! And Old Wang, why were you so sure earlier that this dish wasn’t made by Chen Ran?”

Old Wang looked at each person with a “you’re hopeless” expression. Only when someone threatened him with his precious branded Alí figurine did he finally speak up.

“We’re almost at the last stop. You think Chen Ran’s not gonna make her move? You think you’re gonna catch her on the first day?”

He took another bite of the ribs, savoring it with a trace of regret. “As for why Master Huang couldn’t tell—it’s simple. The frying and sauce were done by Chen Ran, but someone else finished the final step.”

Huang Renshou sighed and suddenly remembered—back at that Bai Tian’e KTV, he once even helped cover for Chen Ran!

He hadn’t expected that one day the roles would reverse, and he’d be the one eating.

“She’s really impossible to catch…”

“It’s so damn hard just to eat a couple bites of Chen Ran’s cooking. When is she opening a restaurant? I’ll move in and live there!”

That might be tough. Green Pepper Bro, who often helped manage the queue, knew the situation better than anyone: “Look at how many people are crammed into this train car. You think there’ll be fewer people when she opens a place?”

Just think about it—this sightseeing train had stopped ticket sales, and still people found ways to get onboard.

If Chen Ran ever settled down and opened a fixed-location restaurant… imagine how many people would flood the place!Xu Zhanying, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, lightly tapped the table. When everyone looked over, she cleared her throat.

“I have an idea, but we’ll need everyone’s collective wisdom to help me fill in the gaps.”

“Although Chef Chen’s movements are hard to track, there is still a certain pattern.”

“First, in most cases, she doesn’t go too far—only twice was there an exception.”

“Second, she seems to be gathering all kinds of different diners.”

“Third, Chef Chen doesn’t seem to like big restaurants, preferring instead to help diners during the cooking process…”

The diners in the dining car discussed briefly, and Xu Zhanying’s summary was actually quite accurate.

“So, what you mean is, when we catch her this time, we need to find out where she’s headed next and wait for her—like waiting by the tree stump for the rabbit?”

Xu Zhanying slammed her hand on the table: “Waiting by the stump won’t cut it. We’ll set up our own restaurant to trap Chen Ran!”

She was fed up with the frustration of having to compete for dishes by others’ rules!

At that haunted house event, she even invested in Xu Ruyi just to get an extra bowl of chicken porridge.

At the Wulin scramble-for-food gathering, Wang Qing’an arrived first, and Xu, who came later, didn’t even get the chance to invest!

“Think about it! Open our own restaurant! Set our own menu!”

Whatever she wanted to eat, Chen Ran would have to make it. Whatever quantity she wanted, Chen Ran would have to provide!

There was a brief silence in the dining car, then an eruption of voices.

“Yes! Open it!”

“Lion’s Head, Three-Set Duck, Chicken Porridge—serve it every day!”

“How long has it been since I last had little crucian carp? It must come back!”

“A hundred double-special roast chickens every day!”

“Pork knuckle! And pork knuckle!”

Tang Su, working in the back kitchen, listened to the waves of excitement from the dining car and couldn’t help but shrink back a bit.

Before Chen Ran left, she had left a large batch of dishes that only needed the final step, which he was responsible for.

She wouldn’t want anyone to find out, right?

Still, thinking about how Chef Chen had left him her contact information and even promised to answer his culinary questions in the future, Chef Tang straightened his back firmly.

He would definitely guard this last shift for Chef Chen well!

More than an hour had passed since Chen Ran sneaked off the train. By now, she should have arrived at her next job location, right?

Tang Su quietly pulled out his phone and sent Chen Ran a message.

“Chef Chen, wishing you a smooth journey!”

Chen Ran replied with an emoji, then switched to another chat screen.

She took out the wooden business card she had been carrying in her pocket all along and took a deep breath.Now, she finally had the confidence to learn that hand-pulled cabbage dish from Chang Nian.

“Teacher Chang, I’ve arrived.”

“Good, wait at the foot of the mountain. I’ll come down to meet you.”

While waiting for Chang Nian, Chen Ran looked around.

This small mountain wasn’t very high, and the winding path up the mountain was full of twists and turns. A small creek babbled down, giving off a very peaceful vibe.

Having come all the way from the northern train, walking into this spring, feeling the gentle breeze and the warm sunlight on her skin, Chen Ran relaxed a little.

At first, when she thought about coming to learn cooking from Chang Nian, she was still a bit nervous.

Even though she had already honed all her skills to a 2S level, whenever she watched Chang Nian’s cooking videos, she still felt uncertain.

She walked over to the creek, cupped her hands to scoop up some cool water, and felt the water flow through her fingers.

“Ranran, is that you?”

Hearing Chang Nian’s voice, Chen Ran quickly shook the water off her hands and straightened up. “I’m here!”

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. Let’s go, come with me up the mountain.”

Chang Nian still looked modern and composed as always. She reached out and linked her arm with Chen Ran’s, guiding her up the mountain.

“Let’s go. This time, not only will I teach you, but also a great lady of Lu cuisine, Ms. Wu Chao.”

Thinking about that unfilial son at her place, Chang Nian’s gaze softened as she looked at Chen Ran.

“This temple is the one where I first learned to cook. I learned all my culinary skills here, and I hope to leave some of that for you.”

“At the very least, I want you to learn how to make that perfect hand-pulled cabbage.”