Chapter 181: Balanced Diet
As expected, the guests returned just in time for the welcome lunch in the cafeteria. Although the cafeteria was not large, it could expand its sitting capacity whenever needed by pulling out the spare tables and chairs from the storage. Anji liked the view of the lotus lake and decided to sit on the outer deck with her family. The weather was nice as there was a huge parasol over the dining area, providing them with ample of shade.
One by one, the kitchen staff brought out the food. It was not a fancy eight or ten-course meal. If anything, the welcome lunch was closer to a showcase of the new cooks and their talents.
"My successor must have explained previously that the meals here are fixed according to a schedule that cycles once every two weeks, changed by season," Yan Ping stood up for the speech, and everyone fell silent.
"Although it might not suit your palate, I can assure you that the cooks worked very closely with our medical team to create a well-balanced diet made with the freshest ingredients from our farms and mountains. The only things the Mystical Qilin Sect lack are sea salt and ocean-caught fish. Today’s welcome lunch is a preview of the meals you can enjoy during your time with us. Cheers to a fruitful exchange program."
To call it a ’balanced meal’ was understating the efforts of the kitchen crew. When the dishes rolled out, almost everyone’s jaws fell. Only Zhao Mingshen had a huge smile when he recognised the delicacies on the plate. Although the scholarly young master was a fan of refined food, he had to rough it out lately for work with the Gentleman Club. The classy change of pace was highly welcome.
For the appetiser, there was a side of homemade tofu drenched in scallion oil and light soy sauce. Even those who were not fans of plain tofu enjoyed it immensely. Then, the main course appeared with steamed freshwater fish that was as big as a cat with lots of ginger and a dipping sauce. The various mountain vegetables were stir-fried with wild mushrooms. However, it was the soup that made everyone’s eyes pop.
"This is a herbal mushroom soup double-boiled with mountain pheasant," Yan Ping introduced. "It is good for nourishing the body and reducing fatigue."
Herbal mushroom... Zhao Wanting wondered if this was the sect’s form of humbleness. It was clearly the miraculous mushroom — Lingzhi!
Without standing on ceremony, the White Tiger Sect and the Azure Dragon Sect warriors dug in enthusiastically. They didn’t seem to care much as long as there was good meat and rice. Anji studied her mother’s troubled expression and reached out to push a pair of chopsticks into her mother’s hands.