Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 102 Obstacles

"Chef Guan Shouping! What's going on here?"

Lin Yu was also taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to express my gratitude!"

Lin Yu waved his hands repeatedly, "No! No! This is too formal, I can't accept it..."

","No!"

"You deserve it!"

Guan Shouping stood up and looked at Lin Yu with a solemn expression, his eyes clear and bright.

"I won't hide this from you!"

"Actually, the reason I was invited to be a mentor for the residential training program is because I was personally invited by senior Dojima."

"Is that Gin Dojima, the senior who's in charge of the Totsuki Resort?"

Erina Kiri, who had been listening intently, exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes."

Guan Shouping nodded, but then suddenly changed the subject.

"But Dojima-senpai's personal invitation was not the only reason."

"There's another reason..."

At this point, Guan Shouping paused, revealing a hesitant expression that made it difficult for him to speak.

But in the end, he still spoke up: "There's another reason, actually, because... I've been stuck in a daze for a long time."

Guan Shouping's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

"I've tried many methods before, but all of them have ultimately failed."

"I was invited to be a mentor for the residential training program because I was really at my wit's end. So, I thought I'd try a different environment to see if I could relax and break through my own mental barriers."

"Confusion?"

Lin Yu's tone was filled with confusion.

"Yes."

Guan Shouping sighed as he thought of the darkness of those days.

"Or you could put it another way and use the word 'bottleneck,' which might be easier for you to understand."

Lin Yu and Kiri Erina listened very attentively.

Guan Shouping's face showed a look of reminiscence.

"I don't know when it started, but I've fallen into a vicious cycle of excessive attention to detail."

"During that period, I always forced myself to meet extremely high standards."

"In cooking, I always tirelessly pursue the refinement of every detail."

"During the worst period, I would force myself to perfect even the smallest detail in a dish, one that was so insignificant it had nothing to do with the final result, until there was not a single flaw."

"Isn't this a good thing?"

Erina Kiri raised her doubts, since "perfect and gorgeous" was the culinary style she pursued.

"Isn't paying attention to detail a quality that excellent chefs should possess? After all, details determine success or failure!"

Faced with Kirie Erina's matter-of-fact expression, Seki Morihira gave a helpless bitter smile, and even shrank his shoulders out of fear.

"A pursuit of detail is certainly a quality that an excellent chef should possess, and it is also an essential pursuit in cooking."

"but!"

Guan Shouping then changed the subject.

"But everything has its limits; too much of anything is as bad as too little!"

"At that time, my obsession with details had reached a pathological level!"

"Ultimately, an argument inevitably broke out between me and my colleagues in the kitchen."

""

As he said this, Guan Shouping's voice trembled, and his tone was filled with lingering fear.

"Sometimes, even though I know it's unnecessary to be so harsh on them, I still end up criticizing them severely because I can't stand the intense frustration."

Guan Shouping sighed, "And this, in turn, further aggravated my anxiety. During my worst period, my hands trembled uncontrollably every time I cut fish or made sushi!"

"Oh, this...."

'

Lin Yu and Erina Kiri felt a chill run down their spines. "This does sound like a serious problem!"

"yes!"

Guan Shouping wore a wry smile.

"Once, I overheard my colleagues talking behind my back, saying I had obsessive-compulsive disorder. In a fit of anger, I even went to the hospital for a checkup."

""

"And what was the result?" Lin Yu asked curiously.

Guan Shouping covered his face with his hands in frustration, his voice trembling with despair. "It really is..."

'

Lin Yu and Erina Kiri exchanged a quick glance, their eyes revealing sympathy.

Guan Shouping continued his narration, his tone somewhat somber.

"Whether it's making sushi or interacting with colleagues, this state has severely depleted my energy. Even when serving customers, my condition is not as good as before!"

As he spoke, Guan Shouping seemed to recall something unpleasant, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sigh."

Seeing Guan Shouping's somewhat downcast mood, Lin Yu couldn't help but comfort him, "Chef Guan Shouping, please don't worry!"

"Although encountering a bottleneck is indeed a very troublesome thing, the more we feel that the road ahead is blocked, the less we should be anxious."

The more panicked you are, the less you can see the road ahead!

Lin Yu spoke in a very soothing tone, which made people feel relaxed.

His speech was soft and slow, yet very approachable, revealing an unwavering determination. It unconsciously inspired trust, making people want to listen and believe what he said.

"Don't rush?"

Guan Shouping gave a bitter laugh. "Of course I know that, but..."

"7

"Eh~"

"Easier said than done!"

"That's certainly not easy!"

Lin Yu interrupted Guan Shouping's emotions, his tone very firm, "But even if it's not easy, it has to be this way."

Lin Yu casually picked up an empty bowl, filled it with water, and handed it to Guan Shouping to show him.

"Once a person's thoughts become chaotic, it is like a stone being thrown into a calm pond."

Lin Yu stretched out his finger and gently stirred the water, creating ripples on the surface.

"When the water is disturbed by external forces, ripples appear on the surface and silt is stirred up at the bottom, so of course the bottom of the pool looks terrible."

"But if you wait patiently for a while, until the water surface returns to calm, the silt settles down again, and the water becomes clear again, you will naturally be able to see the bottom of the pool again."

Lin Yu placed the bowl of water on the table and left it untouched.

Sure enough, after a short while, once the ripples on the water calmed down, the water returned to its clear state.

"So, Chef Guan Shouping."

Lin Yu looked at Guan Shouping, his eyes full of encouragement.

"Even in times like these, no matter how hopeless it seems, you must hold on!"

"Be patient and let things settle; don't let worries and anxieties muddy the waters!"

Guan Shouping seemed taken aback by Lin Yu's long speech. After a few seconds of stunned silence, a smile finally appeared on his face.

"I mean, do young people these days really know so much?"

"Oh, this...."

'

Lin Yu smiled sheepishly, "I was just saying, just some humble opinion."

"No!" Guan Shouping shook his head. "This is not a shallow view."

"On the contrary, Lin Yu, this is very helpful to me."

"I am very grateful to you, both for your language and your cooking."

Guan Shouping let out a breath and said with a sigh, "Looking back now, this situation must have happened a few months ago, during a restaurant evaluation."

"That time, in a very important food magazine's evaluation, our restaurant lost to a long-time rival."

F

"Something has been wrong with me ever since then."

"But do you know what?"

Guan Shouping suddenly looked at Lin Yu, his eyes bright, his pupils revealing excitement.

"After I finished eating your food, I suddenly realized something in shock..."

"It turns out that it's been a long time since I've felt genuinely relaxed and satisfied from eating delicious food."

Guan Shouping's tone carried a sense of loss.

"But in Lin Yu's cooking, I rediscovered the long-lost feeling of happiness that delicious food brings to the taster!"

"Although I still can't quite explain it, at that moment, when I ate that dish, I seemed to understand something."

Guan Shouping stretched out a hand, quietly looking at his palm, then suddenly clenched it. "Although I can't explain it in words, I can just feel it!"

Seeing his expression, Erina Kiri asked curiously, "So, Chef Seki Morihei, have you now broken through that... illusion you were talking about earlier?"

"Um, just a little bit more..."

"9

Guan Shouping pinched two fingers together and smiled sheepishly.

"but!"

Guan Shouping suddenly patted Lin Yu on the shoulder and said loudly and excitedly, "Lin Yu! Thank you! You've brought back the joy of tasting delicious food!"

"Given time, I'm certain I'll break through this barrier! And it won't be long at all; I have a feeling it won't take long!"

"You deserve some credit for this."

"I owe you a favor, Lin Yu."

Suddenly, Guan Shouping burst out laughing.

"Lin Yu, come work at my shop after you graduate! I'll offer you the best treatment!"

Guan Shouping was very excited at this moment, and his voice was loud enough to be heard throughout half of the kitchen.

The ordinary students who heard the news were so shocked they were speechless.

Lin Yu, who was the person in question, was somewhat taken aback.

However, after hearing what Seki Shouping said to Lin Yu, Kiri Erina frowned slightly, her eyes showing displeasure.

The phrase "Come work at my shop" in particular made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

It's hard to describe that feeling in words. In short, it's like there's an emptiness inside, as if a piece of something is suddenly missing.

Erina Kiri hated this feeling, and a nameless irritation suddenly welled up in her heart.

"Chef Guan Shouping, please keep your voice down!"

Erina Nakiri interrupted Sekimori.

"Not to mention that it affected the other students' cooking, the noise you just made... was probably loud enough for the guests waiting outside the kitchen to hear it."

"Yes, Chef!"

At the food delivery window in the back kitchen, several burly figures wearing vests and shorts were peering into the kitchen.

"You're enjoying the happiness that food brings, but we're still starving!"

"That's right! We're starving! How much longer until we get to eat!"

The hungry diners, their mouths watering at the enticing aromas wafting from the kitchen, began to complain.

Hearing diners say they were hungry, Guan Shouping suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, dinner will be here soon!"

Guan Shouping scratched the back of his head and looked at Lin Yu. "In that case, I won't keep Lin Yu any longer."

"Hurry up and serve the meal to the guests. Once you've finished the task, go and rest."

Guan Shouping quietly reminded him, "The [residential joint training] isn't that simple!"

"Today is only the first day. The assessments will only get more tiring each day. We must rest well and recharge our energy to cope better."

Guan Shouping patted Lin Yu's arm and gave him an encouraging look.

Go!

"Thank you, Chef Guan Shouping. I'll be going now."

Lin Yu carried the dishes to the food counter, where a long queue had already formed. Countless hungry diners had been waiting for a long time, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Under the expectant gaze of the first diner in line, Lin Yu handed out a steak set meal.

"Wow, it smells so good!"

The first diner in line took a deep breath after receiving the tray.

The rich aroma filled his nostrils and traveled straight to the top of his head, causing him to grin foolishly in ecstasy for several seconds before he came to his senses.

"It smells so good!"

"I haven't even eaten it yet, but just smelling this tempting aroma makes me feel like I could eat a hundred servings!"

His words also caused a stir at the back of the team.

The hungry crowd tiptoed, greedily sniffing the enticing aroma wafting from ahead.

Everyone was swallowing hard, feeling a strange emptiness in their stomachs.

"Gurgle~"

"Gurgle~"

The rumbling of stomachs echoed throughout the ranks.

"Hey! You in front, get out of the way if you've got your dinner!"

"Exactly! There are still a lot of people lined up behind us!"

"Hurry up, you guys! We're hungry too!"

The commotion in the queue grew stronger, and those in front didn't dare to linger. They took the trays Lin Yu handed them and quickly moved to the side, while the person behind them immediately stepped forward with a beaming smile to collect their dinner.

The aroma emanating from the food in their hands was so enticing that diners carrying trays were unwilling to walk far to find a table and chairs. After only a few steps, they were tempted to sit cross-legged on the ground.

Anyway, the auditorium was carpeted, so it wasn't cold to sit on the floor, and these burly men were also quite uninhibited.

One person took the lead, and everyone followed suit, placing trays in front of them, picking up bowls and chopsticks, and beginning to feast.

"It smells so good!"

After taking a deep breath of the enticing aroma of the food in front of them, sounds of rapture echoed throughout the auditorium.

"Wow! This soup is so delicious! It's fragrant and sweet, and the vegetables and eggs are so smooth."

"This garlic eggplant is absolutely delicious!"

"The garlic flavor is so strong and intense, it's like it's about to explode in your mouth!"

"Yes, and the eggplant is so soft and tender! Mixed with rice, it's incredibly delicious!"

"tasty!"

"Why are you guys staring at the side dishes? The main course is clearly this steak!"

"This steak looks really good, all golden brown, and it's topped with a fried egg."

"This steak is so tender! When I bite into it, my teeth feel no resistance at all."

"Yes, and it's so juicy!"

"Ah! This delicious meat juice... it's like a water balloon bursting in my mouth!"

"I'm so touched!"

The burly man who said those words was moved to tears on the spot.