The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 488 You're Just a Noob
As one of the very few mayflies that successfully transcended the tribulation, Zhao Cheng'an was naturally the absolute protagonist of this tea party.

Since Luo Jun's house has been completely transformed into a buffet restaurant, and there are quite a lot of people this time, everyone definitely can't sit at the table for a tea party, but instead scatter to different places.

Qin Huai went into the kitchen first to brew tangerine peel tea for Luo Jun, while Qu Jing sat quietly at the table eating the rice cake soup she had brought, recommending it to all the spirits. Only Shi Dadan accepted Qu Jing's invitation, sat down to eat the rice cake soup, and after taking a bite, remarked that Qu Jing's cooking skills were really not good and that she should cook less.

Chen Huihong stood by the window eating durian with a plate in her hand, while Luo Jun remained seated on his beanbag chair, ignoring the rice cake soup in front of him and staring blankly as he waited to drink tangerine peel tea.

Chen Gong, who was on vacation, was enjoying a rare moment of leisure. He stood at the table eating his meal while chatting with Qu Jing and Shi Dadan.

After surveying the room, Zhao Cheng'an felt that Luo Jun was a very easy-going Bifang. He first picked up a plate of food he wanted to eat, and then boldly approached Luo Jun to greet him: "Good afternoon, Mr. Luo... Mr. Luo."

Luo Jun glanced at Zhao Cheng'an, then finally fixed his gaze on his plate, revealing a look of disgust: "Waffles with mayonnaise, your taste is even stranger than Chen Huihong's."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

"What's up?" Luo Jun raised his head slightly, sinking into the beanbag chair. Although he was looking up at Zhao Cheng'an, he gave off a condescending feeling.

"I have a question I'd like to ask you." Zhao Cheng'an's voice trembled slightly as he spoke of his frustration that his cooking skills had regressed rather than improved since waking up. He then looked at Luo Jun with expectant eyes, hoping that this encyclopedia could give him a good solution.

Without thinking, Luo Jun called out to Chen Huihong by the window, "Chen Huihong, Fuyou has something to ask you."

Then he whispered, "I haven't been reincarnated yet, so I have no experience in this area."

Hearing that Zhao Cheng'an needed her advice, Chen Huihong excitedly ran towards him with her tray. Zhao Cheng'an could only repeat his question. This time, almost everyone crowded around Zhao Cheng'an, even Qu Jing, who had been quietly eating her rice cake soup with her head down, looked up at him.

Faced with questions from the new group members, everyone offered suggestions and solutions.

After thinking for two seconds, Chen Huihong spoke first: "Is it because you were never very skilled to begin with? When I first woke up, it did affect my life a bit because I suddenly remembered too many things from before. It felt like someone with amnesia suddenly had many years of memories crammed into their brain, and it was not something I was used to. But I am still me. I am Chen Huihong, and I am also Miss Crazy. For me, those things are all in the past. When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. I have died several times already. I treat the memories before I died as a wonderful dream. As long as I want to be Chen Huihong, I will still be Chen Huihong."

"Although after I woke up, my brother sometimes told me that he felt my personality had changed a bit, but it shouldn't count as a change. I would put on a show in front of them, at least my Huihui didn't notice that I had changed."

“Since I’ve decided to be Chan Wai-hung, then I will only be Chan Wai-hung. My life is to stay with my lover, Wai-hung. Only when I die will I return to be a plant spirit.”

"So theoretically, memories from your past life can have an impact, but not this much. I think you're just not skilled enough. As you just said, Xiao Zhao, you weren't very good at your craft in your first life. In this life, you've been diligent in your studies, but you've also slacked off in the last two years. Your problem may have always been there, but remembering things from the past has amplified it."

"You're just plain bad."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...Do all you plant spirits and monsters speak so rudely?

No wonder your method of transcending tribulation is to come to the human world and be burned to death! With mouths like yours, you deserve to be tied up and burned to death!

In response to Chen Huihong's remarks, Qu Jing weakly raised her hand in opposition: "In fact, if the experiences of our previous lives are very important to us, they can indeed have a great impact."

“The first and last lives of a spirit are very important, not to mention that Master Zhao is not in his last life now. For him, the experience of his first life is the most important.”

“Now that Master Xia is still alive, and Master Zhao is reincarnated so quickly, all eight of his lifetimes are only the same as Master Xia’s. For him, there is not much difference between the first life and this life, so he will definitely be affected. He was Chen Sheng in the first life, and he is Zhao Cheng’an in this life. He is both Chen Sheng and Zhao Cheng’an. There is not much difference between the two, and he has indeed been affected a lot.”

"So it's reasonable that Chef Zhao's cooking skills would be directly affected by waking up, but how to solve this..."

“Sister Hong has a point. The problems have always existed, but Master Zhao’s problems from his first life accumulated until his eighth. If his culinary skills in this life were high enough, those problems might not affect him, but…”

"I probably really need to practice more."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...You little birds speak very unpleasantly. Compared to you, the Bifang speaks with gentle elegance and kindness.

Luo Jun listened to Qu Jing and Chen Huihong chatter on and on without getting to the bottom of things, and grew a little impatient. He said, "What exactly is the problem? Is it that they were really affected or that they're not strong enough? Why don't you just make some desserts?"

“I’ve lived for over 90 years and have eaten countless delicious foods. Although Chen Huihong is a freeloader, she still ate at Taifenglou in Beiping for several years. Let the two of us try the dim sum, and we’ll know if there’s a problem with her skill level.”

Luo Jun looked at Zhao Cheng'an: "What are you good at?"

Zhao Cheng'an blurted out instinctively, "Shaobing (sesame seed cake)."

Luo Jun: "? Your Zhiweiju pastry chefs are good at making sesame seed cakes? Zhiweiju, such a high-end restaurant, sells sesame seed cakes? My kitchen has an oven, the vegetables are outside, the meat is in the refrigerator, and the flour is in the cupboard. Are you going to make them now or later?"

"Now." Zhao Cheng'an dashed into the kitchen.

Qin Huai had just finished cleaning the pigeon and was about to put it in the stew pot when she noticed Zhao Cheng'an rushing in in a panic, intending to make sesame cakes. Confused, she asked, "Didn't Chen Gong prepare a buffet? Why are you making snacks?"

"Sister Hong and Qu Jing were saying really nasty things, so I came in to hide."

Qin Huai: ?
Since Zhao Cheng'an was making sesame cakes, Qin Huai, adhering to the principle of accompanying one person, also made "dream-fulfilling" sesame cakes. While the two were making sesame cakes, Shi Dadan leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched, eating the buffet while watching. Shi Dadan ate most of the pot of rice cake soup that Qu Jing cooked, which can be considered as sacrificing his own stomach capacity for everyone.

Qin Huai was quite used to this routine of him making pastries while Shi Dadan watched from the kitchen doorway. Back in Hangzhou, Shi Dadan had always done this. In his own words, he would always stand guard at the kitchen door whenever Xu Nuo made pastries, so he could chat with her and be among the first to enjoy them; he was used to it.

It was thanks to Shi Dadan's habit that Qin Huai was able to know the large-scale production method and specific recipe of Four Happiness Rolls.

Although he still can't make the Four Happiness Roll and can't complete Shi Dadan's side quest.

"Old Shi, weren't you affected by your memories from your first life?" Zhao Cheng'an asked while making sesame cakes.

Shi Dadan was munching on a pear, a Qiuyue pear, which was large and juicy, and made a crisp crunching sound when bitten into.

“I am in my second life now, and I still have most of my memories from my first life, so how could I be affected?” Shi Dadan said. “I haven’t forgotten anything either.”

"Then how did you wake up?" Zhao Cheng'an asked. He really didn't know how Shi Dadan woke up; Qin Huai hadn't told him.

“I just…” Shi Dadan took a bite of the pear, chewed it twice and swallowed before slowly saying, “I woke up inexplicably. Before, I ran a restaurant in Qiu County. Later, the chef quit and the restaurant closed down. Then I went out to do business, traveled to many cities and countries, and woke up in a daze.”

"Logically, once I woke up, I should have committed suicide and gone back as a precaution. But I was a little reluctant to leave Xu Nuo. I don't know which life Xu Nuo is in now. I'm afraid that he won't have any memories in this life and it will be even harder for him to wake up. So I thought I would stay in the human world to look for Xu Nuo. But after so many years of searching... there are too many people. I guess Xu Nuo won't be called Xu Nuo in this life."

"Xiao Zhao, you're quite lucky. You'll be able to see your friends from your first life after you wake up."

Zhao Cheng'an nodded: "I didn't expect Xia Murui to live so long. I've died eight times, but he's still alive and so rich."

"Hey Qin Huai, you said you've unlocked 10 monsters in the encyclopedia, but I counted and there are only 9. Who's the last one?" Zhao Cheng'an suddenly asked. Qin Huai paused for a moment at Zhao Cheng'an's question, then said without batting an eye, "It's an encyclopedia I suddenly unlocked back in my hometown. It failed its tribulation and disappeared. I didn't tell you because I couldn't save it, and I was afraid you'd all suffer along with it."

"Oh, I see." Zhao Cheng'an suddenly realized. "But failing the tribulation is common. Someone like you who can directly see the memories of spirits and wake them up with just a bite of food is practically a bug. I'll definitely be awesome when I go back this time. I've lived for thousands of years and have only ever seen one mayfly successfully transcend the tribulation. I always thought that he was the only one among us mayflies who had successfully transcended the tribulation. Now that I'm going back, I'll be the second one."

"It's a pity that we don't have enough time to move around when we're awake, so we can't hang out up there every day, and it's hard for us to see each other. Otherwise, I would definitely hold a meet-and-greet with celebrities when I go back. In your words, my return this time would be a great honor for my ancestors, and the family tree would start a new page from my name!"

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai felt that given Fuyou's reckless nature and his habit of undergoing tribulations, Zhao Cheng'an's name shouldn't be listed on the family tree; instead, his page should be separate. It's possible that after he returns, the family tree will only have him on it.

The three chatted aimlessly, and soon Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an finished making the sesame cakes and served the Yuanmeng sesame cakes and the round little pork sesame cakes on the table.

Chen Huihong's eyes lit up when she saw the Yuanmeng Shaobing (Dream-Fulfilling Baked Flatbread): "Yuanmeng Shaobing! I remember this snack. Although Xiao Qin's meat filling wasn't very good, his flatbread was quite good. My Huihui loves it."

After saying that, Chen Huihong started eating the sesame seed cake.

Luo Jun also ate the sesame seed cake alone.

The other spirits ate normally, but Shi Dadan stuffed his food full of meat filling.

Luo Jun's appetite was indeed not very good. He ate half of the sesame seed cake made by Qin Huai, took two bites of the sesame seed cake made by Zhao Cheng'an, and drank two sips of water before making a comment.

"Is this how you make a pancake after eight generations of cooking? Chen Huihong is right, if your skills aren't up to par, stop making excuses."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Chen Huihong quickly protested her innocence: "I didn't say that, Luo Jun, don't talk nonsense. I said that Xiao Zhao is just bad and needs more practice."

"I remember Chef Chen from Taifeng Restaurant. Boss Lu would occasionally let me taste his dim sum. Chef Chen's skills are far superior to Xiao Zhao's. If Xiao Zhao is his apprentice, his skills are indeed lacking."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

"It's far inferior to Jiang Weiming's skills," Luo Jun said.

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Upon hearing Luo Jun mention Jiang Weiming, Qin Huai immediately asked, "Mr. Luo, has the private investigator you hired found Master Jiang Weiming?"

"No." Luo Jun slowly sipped his tea. "The previous private investigator wasn't good at finding people, so I got a new one. I wonder how good he is now, and whether he can find the person before I die."

Qin Huai didn't ask any more questions.

Zhao Cheng'an began to doubt his life, wondering if he was really that bad. He had always been a well-known genius since childhood, but everything changed after he met Qin Huai. Now, he was just a bad guy who needed to practice more.

Zhao Cheng'an felt that the world he had awakened to was truly cruel.

After finishing his tea, Luo Jun showed no intention of continuing to eat the sesame seed cake. Instead, he casually glanced at Qin Huai and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Huh?" Qin Huai was taken aback.

“Master Qin, you’ve been distracted ever since you came in. And you’re not usually a quiet person, but you’ve barely said a word since then. It’s like you have something on your mind written all over your face,” Chen Gong said with a smile.

Chen Huihong was completely bewildered. She gave Qu Jing a look that seemed to say, "Does Qin Huai really have those words written all over his face?" Qu Jing returned a blank look that Chen Huihong couldn't decipher either. The two ate their pancakes in silence.

Qin Huai hadn't expected that his masterful lies and acting skills would be so easily seen through by Chen Gong and Luo Jun, so he stopped hiding it: "Actually, it's not that I have something on my mind, it's just that Gong Liang has also arrived in Shanshi."

“I think this is an opportunity. I don’t usually have much contact with him. I can only meet him when I go to Suzhou. Mr. Gong’s side quests have obviously not been fully triggered.”

"It's a rare opportunity for everyone to gather together, and I'm thinking about whether I should find an excuse to bring him over so we can all meet him."

Luo Jun couldn't help but roll his eyes: "What are you hesitating about? Do you think Chen Huihong can't control her mouth and will say the wrong thing?"

Chen Huihong protested, "I have met Gong Liang. My interactions with him in Suzhou were perfectly normal!"

"No, it's mainly because Mr. Gong is quite shrewd..."

Luo Jun raised his voice: "You think I'm not as smart as him?"

Qin Huai: "...What I mean is..."

"Alright," Chen Gong said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "Mr. Luo means that since it's a rare opportunity, we shouldn't hesitate. Qin Huai, you can rest assured and bring the E's Beast over. Mr. Luo and I can handle any unexpected situations."

"I live downstairs."

"Moreover, I believe in Yie Shou's social skills. As long as he knows that we have an internal tea party where he can eat exclusive snacks, he will find a reason to join the tea party without you, Qin Huai, having to find an excuse."

"But you need to find an excuse to bring Wang Gensheng and An Youyou over as well."

Qin Huai's eyes widened: "Ah, are those two coming too?"

Neither of them woke up!

“Of course.” Chen Gong nodded. “Since it’s a tea party to get everyone together before Mr. Luo dies, it would be best if everyone, whether they’re awake or not, could come.”

"After all, Mr. Luo doesn't have many days left to wait. If we have to wait for the three of them to wake up, Mr. Luo may have to live for another two years, or he may have to successfully overcome his tribulation directly."

"Mr. Luo is probably not very willing."

Luo Jun rolled his eyes.

(End of this chapter)