Chapter 43: The True Power of the Divine Tongue

Now Bai Renzong understood one thing: the Divine Tongue had given him not only extraordinary taste, but also an instinctive sense of how different flavors could be combined. It was as if he naturally knew which tastes would harmonize to create delicious food. No one could be better suited to be a gourmet—or a chef—than he.

Han Jiayi busied herself at the stove. Though it was her first time working at this particular kitchen, she moved with practiced ease, placing the ingredients on the iron griddle in an orderly manner. She didn’t just follow Bai Renzong’s suggestions for improvement; she added her own ideas. Rather than wrapping the ingredients randomly in a pancake, she layered them with purpose.

First, a layer of pancake, then a smear of sweet bean sauce. Next came crisp lettuce stems, followed by various meats and eggs. She drizzled a spoonful of chili oil, added a bit of scallion, and only then rolled up the pancake.

“Smart girl,” Bai Renzong teased, smiling as he patted Han Jiayi’s head.

Han Jiayi shot him a fierce glare, then wrapped the roll and handed it to the shop owner.

“Please, try it,” Bai Renzong said, gesturing.

The owner swallowed nervously—whether from anticipation or anxiety, it was hard to tell—then took the roll and bit into it.

His expression changed instantly: the first bite revealed the pancake’s crispy exterior and chewy interior, then the crunch of fresh lettuce, followed by the tender meat and egg. As he noticed the meat and egg becoming a bit dry, the chili oil came in just at the right moment to balance things out, and finally, the crispness of the scallion alternated through each layer.

But it wasn’t just the texture—the sweetness of the bean sauce, the oily heat of the chili, the slight bitterness and pungency of the scallion—all blended perfectly, yet didn’t overpower the natural flavors of the ingredients. The distinct layers of taste combined with the rich textures formed a symphony of flavor, prompting an involuntary sigh: How could a simple roll taste so exquisite?

The owner covered his mouth, utterly astonished and speechless.

Han Jiayi stood by, stunned—this scene seemed so familiar… Wait, wasn’t this exactly how she’d reacted yesterday?

Compassion stirred in her for the owner, and she glared at Bai Renzong with renewed hostility.

“Oh, husband, it’s delicious!” The proprietress was far more open-minded. After tasting a bite, she beamed with joy. “Just by changing the order of the fillings and switching up the sauce, it’s unexpectedly wonderful!”

“Yes!” Wang Xiaoblack exclaimed excitedly, turning to his father. “Dad, if we improve our rolls with this method, we won’t have to worry about getting customers—everyone will be lining up to buy them!”

“Ah, my secret sauce that I’ve worked on for more than a decade… just like that…” The owner sighed in resignation, sitting to one side.

In the end, he chose to compromise, accepting that Bai Renzong’s ideas were indeed better than his own. Bai Renzong thus completed his first official restaurant exploration and prepared to head home.

Of course, even as they left, the owner never uttered a word of thanks. Instead, it was the proprietress and their son who repeatedly thanked them, asking for help to spread word about their shop.

Bai Renzong suspected this was why people disliked hearing the truth.

But it didn’t matter to him. Essentially, his purpose in visiting restaurants was for his own sake—to film videos, not to instruct others in cooking. Whether his suggestions were accepted or not was irrelevant, especially since the owner knew deep down that he was right.

“You criticized me again just now!” Han Jiayi protested, grabbing Bai Renzong’s arm.

“I did not! I was commenting on the owner’s cooking, and I even praised you for being smart,” Bai Renzong replied, frowning.

“You said my review was unprofessional!” Han Jiayi pouted.

“You really are unprofessional,” Bai Renzong said, puzzled. “You pointed out the problems but didn’t offer solutions.”

“That—that’s because I didn’t have time to think of any!” Han Jiayi argued.

“I agree, it really was dry…” Wang Bei, holding the camera in the back, tasted her roll and frowned. “Especially once it cools, the egg yolk mixed with the beef… nearly choked me.”

“But the new roll Jiayi and I developed doesn’t have that issue,” Bai Renzong answered.

Han Jiayi raised her eyebrows, suddenly delighted: He said the new roll was researched by ‘us’…

Her dissatisfaction vanished instantly, and she skipped along cheerfully.

“But honestly,” Bai Renzong turned to Han Jiayi, “the pancakes themselves are still better made by the owner. His are much more fragrant than yours. Do you know why?”

Han Jiayi’s face darkened, glaring at Bai Renzong: every time she started to feel a little fondness for him, he immediately erased it!

“Because he cooks them just a touch longer, giving them a special toasted aroma,” Bai Renzong explained. “Surprising, isn’t it? Sometimes imperfection is true perfection.”

“You always have something to say!” Han Jiayi stomped her foot in frustration. “Can’t you just praise me for once?”

“I did praise you,” Bai Renzong frowned. “Didn’t I say you were smart?”

“Just two words!” Han Jiayi complained. “Why not say a few more? When you criticize, you could write a thousand-word essay, but when it comes to praise, you only say two words!”

“Alright, alright, my fault,” Bai Renzong patted his forehead. “I’ll try to improve next time.”

Wang Bei followed behind, smiling as she filmed the scene. “Another great blooper for the reel.”

After returning home, Bai Renzong began editing his video. As a content creator, he handled the initial editing and scriptwriting himself, while He Guang took care of post-production. In other words, after Bai Renzong finished editing, He Guang would add his narration, subtitles, background music, and some effects.

But basic editing and recording were simple enough—Bai Renzong could finish quickly.

Before dinner, he sent the rough cut to He Guang, asking him to choose suitable background music and adjust the subtitle timing.

In fact, post-production was the most troublesome part and could be time-consuming for the inexperienced, with no guarantee of quality.

Since Bai Renzong lacked expertise in that area, knew few background tracks, and adding effects or memes wasted time, he left the professional work to He Guang.

Having finished, Bai Renzong breathed a sigh of relief and went up to the rooftop for some fresh air.

August in Beichang City was as hot and dry as ever, but his mood was light—everything was going smoothly.

He no longer had to worry about content for his food videos. He could explore restaurants, collaborate with Han Jiayi, and now his focus was on maintaining popularity in the food section while building his reputation in the film review and game critique sections, so as to attract more followers and boost his traffic.

“Old Bai, dinner’s ready!” Han Jiayi called from the balcony door.

“Coming,” Bai Renzong replied, heading downstairs for dinner.

(Thanks to I Love the Prefect, Book Friend 20190322093151981 for the monthly ticket, and Book Friend 140806122908273, Prodigal Son No. 2, isloin for their two monthly tickets.)