Twenty minutes later.
Mapo Tofu, Stir-fried Pork with Green Peppers, Spicy and Sour Shredded Potatoes, and a bowl of Egg Drop Soup were neatly arranged on the dining table.
"Dinner is ready!"
Teacher Huang walked out from the kitchen holding a pot of freshly cooked rice.
"It's done so quickly! I'm going to eat a lot today, I'm starving!"
Seeing the food on the table, Peng Peng ran over excitedly.
"Zi Feng, hurry up and eat, and Teacher He too."
Huang Lei also quickly urged them.
Then, Wang Shu removed his apron and walked out of the kitchen.
"The color and taste of these dishes look great. Teacher Huang's cooking has improved again."
Teacher He looked at the three dishes and one soup on the table and couldn't help but praise with a smile.
"I didn't make these. All the dishes today are Wang Shu's work. If you want to count, I guess I cooked the rice."
Huang Lei quickly explained.
"Wang Shu?"
After hearing Huang Lei's words, they all looked at Wang Shu with surprise.
They hadn't expected Wang Shu to cook today, as Teacher Huang usually took charge in the kitchen.
"Hurry up and try it!"
Teacher Huang urged, and then couldn't wait to pick up some food and start eating.
"Delicious!"
"So fragrant!"
"Amazing!"
As they all took their first bite, their eyes lit up, and they said with satisfaction.
Huang Lei even closed his eyes and began to savor the taste slowly.
"This level is truly superb!"
After a long while, Huang Lei couldn't help but sigh.
From the moment Wang Shu was skillfully stir-frying, he could already see a hint of mastery in his movements.
Now, after personally tasting Wang Shu's cooking, he was even more convinced that Wang Shu's culinary skills had reached a peak of perfection.
After all, these were common home-style dishes made with very simple ingredients.
Yet, the dishes cooked by Wang Shu were incredibly fragrant.
It was the original aroma of the ingredients, a fragrance that couldn't be achieved with mere seasonings but was entirely coaxed out by the chef's skill in locking the essence of the ingredients into the dishes.
"Looking at Teacher Huang's expression, he's completely enjoying it!"
"I didn't expect Wang Shu's cooking to be so good that it could impress the master chef Huang!"
"I originally thought he only knew how to fry dough sticks, but it turns out I underestimated him."
"What should I do? I feel like the abalone and king crab in my hands don't taste good anymore. I want the spicy and sour shredded potatoes!"
...
Many viewers noticed Huang Lei's reaction and became curious about how delicious Wang Shu's dishes were to elicit such an expression from the master chef Huang.
"Wang Shu, your culinary skills are truly remarkable. I thought you only knew how to fry dough sticks this morning, but I didn't expect your cooking skills to far surpass Teacher Huang's!"
He Jiong also gave Wang Shu a thumbs up, saying that although he didn't know much about cooking, he could tell if a dish was delicious.
And Wang Shu's dishes were incredibly delicious, even better than what Huang Lei usually cooked.
"Brother Wang Shu, your cooking is so delicious, I think it's better than the delicacies in fancy restaurants!"
Zhang Zi Feng also said with certainty, stating it was the most delicious meal she had ever eaten.
Although these were common home-style dishes, the ones made by Wang Shu were exceptionally delicious, even better than those from so-called five-star restaurants.
Peng Yu Chang, on the other hand, was too busy to praise Wang Shu, constantly reaching for more food and stuffing his mouth.
"Peng Peng, eat slower, there's still plenty of food!"
Teacher Huang shook his head when he saw Peng Yu Chang's eating style.
"It's just too delicious, I can't stop!"
Peng Yu Chang said sheepishly after hearing Teacher Huang's words.
"Aren't you on a diet? If you keep eating like this, I don't think you'll get any kissing scenes!"
Teacher He also couldn't resist teasing him, saying with a smile.
"So funny, poor Peng Peng, he's never had a kissing scene at his age."
"Teacher He is so sharp, he hit Peng Peng right in the heart with one sentence."
"With Peng Peng's physique, if he keeps eating like this, he can be called Peng Peng (puffed up)! Hahaha!"
The audience teased.
"Teacher He, your words pierce my heart!"
Peng Peng stopped eating after hearing Teacher He's words and looked at He Jiong with a dejected expression.
...
"Are these dishes really that good?"
Xiao Zhan, who had already finished eating, stood nearby and watched them, thinking to himself.
After all, the spicy crawfish and cured meat that were on the table earlier had all gone into his stomach.
What was left on the table were just dishes made from cheap ingredients. How good could they possibly be?
"This show is so boring. I'll never accept such an invitation again!"
Xiao Zhan thought to himself.
As the hottest idol singer of the moment, why should he endure such hardship and do such dirty and tiring work in a mountain village?
Next time, no matter how high the appearance fee, he wouldn't come again. Anyone who came to this show was an idiot!
After the meal, it was already afternoon.
Everyone was sitting leisurely in the courtyard.
"Wang Shu, I heard from Peng Peng that you're a singer, and Peng Peng is a fan of yours!"
In the courtyard, Teacher He curiously asked Wang Shu.
"I'm a singer who just debuted not long ago. Of course, I'm happy that Peng Peng likes my songs."
Wang Shu replied with a smile.
"So, that song 'The Ordinary Road' was sung by you?"
Teacher Huang also asked Wang Shu with great curiosity. He had accidentally heard Peng Peng humming the song and was amazed by it at the time.
"Yes, Teacher Huang!"
Wang Shu nodded and replied.
"Genius, truly a genius! I thought the author of that song would be at least my age, but I didn't expect it to be you, such a young fellow!"
After getting Wang Shu's answer, Huang Lei couldn't help but sigh.
"We have a guitar here, why don't we have Wang Shu give us a live performance?"
Teacher He suggested.
"I think that's a great idea! What do you think, Wang Shu?"
Huang Lei directly agreed with the suggestion and asked for Wang Shu's opinion.
He had only heard a few lines of the song from Peng Peng before, and even from those few lines, he could tell it was an excellent song.
However, since he didn't know the song's title, he hadn't thought about the original singer. Now that Wang Shu had admitted to composing it, he was very curious about what kind of song it was.
Wang Shu couldn't refuse the invitation from the two seniors, so he directly took the guitar from Teacher He.
Zhang Zi Feng and Peng Yu Chang, seeing that Wang Shu was about to start singing, listened attentively.
Xiao Zhan, on the other hand, had no interest in Wang Shu singing and didn't understand music well. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Wang Shu held the guitar to his chest and began to tune it.
"Wandering, on the road
Are you leaving, via via
Fragile, proud
That was also my past self"
Wang Shu gradually got into the mood and began to sing "The Ordinary Road" again with his excellent voice.
Teacher Huang and Teacher He listened intently.
Teacher Huang even took out a pen and paper to write down the lyrics Wang Shu was singing.
"...
I have crossed mountains and seas, and passed through crowds
I once had it all, but it vanished like smoke in an instant
I was once lost, disappointed, and lost all direction
Until I saw that the ordinary is the only answer"
"Well said, 'the ordinary is the only answer.' This song is truly written well!"
When Huang Lei heard the end of the first chorus, he immediately recognized it as an excellent song.
He had only heard those two lines from Peng Peng before, but this time, listening to Wang Shu sing it live, he was greatly impressed.
After Wang Shu finished singing the entire song, Huang Lei's gaze towards him was filled with even more pleasant surprise.
This young man had brought him too many pleasant surprises.
Not only did he have excellent culinary skills, but his songs were also so outstanding.
"Wang Shu, with your excellence, I believe you will definitely be a strong force in the Chinese music scene in the future!"
Teacher He exclaimed, marveling at Wang Shu.
"Actually, someone once called me the savior of the Chinese music scene."
Wang Shu said with a smile to Teacher He.
"Who has such a big ego?"
Teacher He widened his eyes in surprise and asked Wang Shu.
"Teacher Qin Feng."
Wang Shu replied.
"Qin Feng? He said that about you?"
Upon hearing the name Qin Feng, both Huang Lei and He Jiong gasped.
After all, Qin Feng was a heavenly king-level figure in the music industry. If even he said that about Wang Shu, then Wang Shu's future was truly limitless.
Afterward, they chatted until evening.
Seeing that it was getting late, Wang Shu stood up and prepared to bid farewell to Teacher He, Teacher Huang, and Peng Peng.
"Wang Shu, Zi Feng, please come back and visit Mushroom House again. You are always welcome!"
Teacher He specifically emphasized this to Wang Shu and Zhang Zi Feng.
Xiao Zhan also left with them, but Teacher Huang and Teacher He didn't pay him much attention.
After all, Xiao Zhan's behavior today made them dislike him. Despite their well-known high emotional intelligence, they wished someone like him would just leave quickly.
After leaving Mushroom House, the three of them took the show's car towards the county town.
Along the way, Zhang Zi Feng chatted non-stop with Wang Shu.
Wang Shu also had a good impression of this young girl he had just met.
On the other hand, the guy named Xiao Zhan, he didn't like him much.