Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

The next day, as dawn broke, the Nangong family's disciples began their training.

"Keep your hands steady, generate power from your waist, and use skillful force."

An elderly man stood on the training field, watching the children's movements one by one.

This person is named Nangong Xun, the core figure of the previous generation of the Nangong family. Now that he no longer manages family affairs, he takes on the job of educating children.

"As a chef, you need to lay a solid foundation from a young age so that you can achieve greater success in the future."

"Your technique is incorrect. You need to straighten your wrist when you exert force, otherwise you'll injure it."

Nangong Xun watched the children's actions and smiled with satisfaction.

He sat back down in his chair, picked up his teapot, and began to gulp down the tea.

"The old gentleman looks very content."

Just then, Gao Yang walked into the kitchen unhurriedly, and when he saw Nangong Xun reclining in a chair basking in the sun, he couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, it's Master Gao. I'm too old to be of much use anymore. I can just teach the kids how to drink tea here."

"As for the future and all that, that's for you young people to worry about."

He turned his head toward Gao Yang, took a big gulp of tea, and gestured for Gao Yang to sit down next to him.

"Come on, Master Gao, while there's still time, why don't you quickly absorb some of the essence of the sunlight?"

Nangong Xun casually stroked the head of a child running around, a satisfied smile appearing on his kind and gentle face.

"Hey kid, slow down, be careful not to trip and fall."

Gao Yang was deeply moved by what he saw.

Cooking is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind.

Whether in his past life or this one, he has been constantly honing his skills, rarely having time to sit down quietly, bask in the sun, and savor his true inner feelings.

Gao Yang slowly walked up and, imitating Nangong Xun, half-reclined on the solid wood chair.

"Ah, that feels good."

He couldn't help but sigh, and took a cup of brewed tea and put it in his mouth.

In an instant, the aroma of tea spread in my mouth.

The aroma of tea flows down the throat and into the stomach, warm and comforting.

"Sir, your tea is indeed delicious."

"Haha, it's rare to find someone as knowledgeable as you. These tea trees were bestowed upon my ancestor by the Emperor. He brought them back and entrusted them to someone to take good care of them. In the end, these tea leaves ended up in my hands. If I hadn't been craving them today, I wouldn't have even brought them out. Master Gao is just lucky."

Nangong Xun stroked his graying beard, listening to the rustling sound of the children tossing the wok.

He opened his eyes and looked at the sky, his aged face filled with emotion.

"I was born early. The Nangong family followed the last emperor here, hoping to regain their former glory, but fate played a cruel trick on us."

"The Nangong family was so prosperous back then, with six or seven hundred people in the clan. Every family wanted to get on our good side. They were incredibly powerful."

"But now, we're trapped here by a nobody boss. It's like a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs."

He shook his head, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

Unexpectedly, a child ran over there.

"Grandpa Xun, we heard you were incredibly skilled before. Could you show us some tricks?"

The child is only three or four years old, with a sweet, childlike voice, and is very cute.

Seeing the child clinging to him so persistently, Nangong Xun was immediately reminded of the past.

"Haha, you little rascal, you know I'm afraid of you."

His hand touched the child's head, but his gaze was directed at Gao Yang.

"Sigh, when you get old, you just can't stand being asked for things. When I was a kid, I used to beg my master for things like that."

He put down the teapot and stood up, his brows furrowed with heroic spirit, as if he had returned to his former peak as if in a final burst of energy.

"Alright, then I'll show you what I've got today and let you witness the true culinary skills of the Nangong family."

Nangong Xun took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and walked to the stove.

As he moved, a group of children immediately put down what they were doing and ran to his side, chattering like sparrows.

Others also got wind of it and all flocked here.

"Brother, it's truly rare to see Uncle Xun doing this himself."

"Yes, Uncle Xun hasn't cooked in years, but now he's taking action again for these kids."

Nangong Ming crossed his arms, deeply moved.

"Let's go see what Uncle Xun is up to today?"

Here, Nangong Xun stood in front of the stove.

The stove he used was not a modern, high-powered stove, but an old-fashioned earthen stove.

Beside the stove, a young man was already sitting at the air vent, adding firewood to the stove one handful at a time.

Nangong Xun closed his eyes slightly, with ingredients laid out in front of him.

The entire kitchen was completely silent. Everyone held their breath, not daring to breathe, just waiting for Nangong Xun to make his move.

"Tsk, I didn't expect him to know how to do breathing exercises."

At a glance, Gao Yang could tell that it was different from others.

"Breathing?"

Su Wanqing walked up to Gao Yang's side without him noticing, and was stunned when she heard Gao Yang's words.

"Is it the breathing technique used in martial arts?"

"Yes."

Gao Yang's expression turned serious, and his gaze toward Nangong Xun was filled with admiration.

The art of breathing exercises is the true core of a skill, and it is generally never passed on to outsiders.

His gaze fell on Nangong Ming, and he saw that the other party was not surprised at all.

"No, the Nangong family's cookbook is probably not as simple as I think."

He stroked his chin, making up his mind.

"What does breathing exercises have to do with cooking?"

Su Wanqing countered with a question.

"Breathing exercises can regulate your breathing and calm your mind."

"Look at Nangong Xun, he is gathering all his energy, like concealing his strength, waiting for the moment to strike."

Everyone looked over.

Nangong Xun's abdomen rose and fell, his breath flowed, and even though his body remained completely still, he exuded the demeanor of a master.

The next second, he moved.

Nangong Xun's eyes snapped open, his gaze shifting rapidly, and an invisible aura emanated from his body.

His gaze swept over the dark cast iron wok in front of him, and a spoonful of raw oil was poured out of the wok.

In the blink of an eye, wisps of smoke rose, and the aroma of heated oil filled the air, neither too strong nor too weak, just enough to capture the smoky flavor of the wok.

Nangong Xun remained calm and, with a slight flick of his wrist, placed two whole eggs, each with a bit of scallion white on them, steadily into the pot.

"Sizzle sizzle"

The eggs are heated and set in the iron pan, releasing the full aroma of the scallions.

"Wow, Grandpa Xun's cooking smells so good! My mouth is watering."

"I didn't know Grandpa Xun was so amazing. I want to become as amazing as him someday."

The group of guys around him had their eyes shining. If they hadn't been taught at home not to get too close when cooking, they would have wanted to lean over the stove and stare intently at him.

At this moment, Nangong Xun, with a smile on his lips, poured the loosened leftover rice into the pot.

White rice paired with yellow eggs, their surfaces glistening with oil, sizzling in the pan.

Gao Yang nodded repeatedly.

Indeed, Nangong Xun's movements were swift and clean, each flip perfectly executed.

He could feel that with each breath, the invisible energy within Nangong Xun's body was flowing along his meridians.

"This fried rice looks simple, but it actually tests your basic skills the most."

"The egg drop soup should be tender and not broken, and the rice should be light and not oily. These things seem simple, but it takes decades of practice to reach this level."

Finally, he sprinkled in a handful of chopped green onions, gradually adding flavor to the fried rice.

"It's done!"

Nangong Xun's smile widened as he scooped the fried rice from the pot into a plate.

"Have a taste, little ones."

He stood with his hands on his hips, smiling as he looked at the little ones in front of him.

The little ones held spoons in their hands, their mouths practically watering, eagerly waiting to taste the fried rice in front of them.

Gao Yang couldn't help but applaud when he saw this.

He walked forward slowly.

"Wow, that's amazing! No wonder you're a master."

"If it weren't for your connection with Xiao Jianyuan, I would really like to have a good talk with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nangong Ming and the others who were standing on the periphery straightened their expressions and walked over.

"Let's go, Uncle Xun, let's have a talk."