Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Ch39 – The Six Apprentices
Ruan Tang blinked and said in all seriousness, "It's the Star Cup."
The Star Cup was also a very well-known event in the interstellar world. It was similar to the World Cup, except that the scope extended to a whole interstellar world and the contest was mech combat.
Because the name was the same as a snack from his previous life, Ruan Tang had laughed for a long time after he first heard it.
He Yun Chen nodded and didn't say anything more.
But Wen Zeyang, standing next to him, couldn't help but whisper: "When it comes to the Star Cup, Marshal He was the clear champion during those years!"
He Yun Chen coughed and gave him a cold look.
Ruan Tang though was very interested. "He's that powerful?"
Xue Rui heard him and glanced at him but when he spied a glance at He Yun Chen, he looked down and didn't dare to speak. Ruan Tang then looked at He Yun Chen.
He Yun Chen came over to him and said, "It's all in the past. It's nothing worth mentioning."
"How can it not be worth mentioning?!" Xue Rui couldn't help but raise his head. He argued strongly, "At that time, Marshal He was the favorite to win the championship, his popularity was sky-high. In the semi-finals, dozens of contestants banded together to take him out! But the marshal was too powerful for them and he laid them all flat!"
Xue Rui's eyes sparkled, with one glance it could be seen that he's He Yun Chen's fan. "If the war didn't suddenly break out and the marshal abandoned the contest to go and support the front lines, Marshal He would have surely been champion!"
Ruan Tang was very happy to hear about it. He turned toward He Yun Chen, smiled and praised, "You were awesome!"
He Yun Chen's ears were already red. He tried hard to keep his expression serious, and feigning calmness, said, "How are they doing? Are there any who aren't suited?"
"It's all going well, everyone is working very hard." Ruan Tang smiled and replied.
"Oh? Then why is there a burnt smell in this room?" He Yun Chen's cold eyes swept across the group, and many averted their eyes. They looked very guilty indeed.
"All of you, do it again!" He Yun Chen said coldly. "Later, when your dishes are done, you will eat what you made. You will give yourself your own score and those who do not meet the standard will submit themselves for additional training. "
"Yes!" The entire group scattered like birds and rushed to their stoves. They began to redo that scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Their attitudes were now even more serious than before..
"I did, but it was all finished off when I had everyone have a taste." He paused. "Are you hungry? Should I make you something to eat?"
"I just came over to see their progress, no need to trouble yourself." He Yun Chen shook his head calmly, but he walked honestly toward the stove and looked very excited.
"Oh, then forget about it." Ruan Tang deliberately teased him.
He Yun Chen: "…"
His footsteps suddenly stopped, and for a moment, he couldn't maintain his smiling expression.
It seemed like Ruan Tang could see an invisible tail droop behind him. He smiled and continued, "But I was thinking of making something for myself, would you like to accompany me?"
"En." He Yun Chen's brows smoothed out and he lightly nodded with an aloof expression.
Everyone was using the stoves, so Ruan Tang went to get a large rice cooker and was prepared to make a sponge cake. It was now 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a good time to have a snack. Anyway, the main ingredients– eggs, flour and milk– were all available.
First, he had to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Because there was no specialized tool available, he did this by passing the egg between the two eggshell halves. This attracted the attention of several of the soldiers. He then mixed the milk and oil and put in the flour, stirring it evenly with a spoon. He added the egg yolk, and stirred it into a fine batter for later use.
He then used the egg beater to beat the egg white into a milky white liquid, added the white sugar, and beat it again. He folded the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until it turned into a light and delicate batter.
At present, the oven had yet to be restored, so Ruan Tang chose to use a rice cooker. First use a small amount of cooking oil to brush the inner pot of the rice cooker, so that the cake wouldn't stick to the bottom, then pour the cake batter into the rice cooker and turn it on like when cooking rice.
After twenty minutes the cake would be ready to eat.
Ruan Tang wiped his hands and heard a report from his side. "Teacher Ruan! I am done!"
The first one to finish was Zhao Guangming. Although his previous dish was actually passable, he did it again as per He Yun Chen's command. This time he did it more skillfully. The sugar was less than the last time and the sweet and sour taste was just right. Ruan Tang nodded with satisfaction.
Next, Wen Zeyang, Xue Rui and Wang Jun also completed their tomato scrambled eggs, and the taste had improved compared with their previous ones. It clearly showed that they had addressed the problems that he had pointed out to them. Especially Wang Jun, his control over the taste was the best in this group. This time, he had also cooked the scrambled eggs to be loose and soft. All these dishes could be given high scores.
Others also finished theirs one after the other, but their results were still somewhat unsatisfactory. However, the round-faced soldier's dish had improved a lot, which made Ruan Tang very satisfied.
"Everyone has worked hard, let's take a break and have some cake." Ruan Tang said as he opened the rice cooker. A sweet smell immediately swarmed out into the room, attracting everyone's attention.
Ruan Tang inverted the soft and fluffy golden cake out of the inner pot and onto a large plate. He let it cool and then cut it diagonally into 12 pieces. "Everyone take a plate and get a piece. There's enough for everyone to have one."
Actually, this cake can only be regarded as very basic. If more ingredients were available, Ruan Tang could have made some icing or a mousse cake. Unfortunately, the production of mousse cake required the use of gelatin powder or the so-called fish gelatin. It was a kind of gelatin extracted from the bones of fish. It was impossible for him to make his own, so he made a note of it in his heart. Later on, he would tell He Yun Yi about it, to ask for help to somehow recreate it.
Everyone hurriedly took a plate, but then they were just standing on the side. Obviously they were waiting for He Yun Chen and Ruan Tang to take their share before they dared to take theirs.
He Yun Chen learned from Ruan Tang's example. He picked up a spoon, dug a piece of cake and put it in his mouth. It was sweet with the faint taste of eggs and milk. It was very soft and fluffy, truly very delicious.
The reaction of other soldiers was obviously the same as that of He Yun Chen's. Their eyes shone as they ate. Wen Zeyang, who was the most outgoing and had an extroverted personality, came over to ask Ruan Tang if they could also learn how to make cake.
According to his observation, Zhao Guangming, Xue Rui, Wang Jun and Wen Zeyang were more talented in cooking. The round-faced soldier Liu Haitao was a bit crude and careless but he if he did things more seriously, he could also come out with something good. Therefore, Ruan Tang marked him down for continued observation.
As for the performance of the other five soldiers, it was unsatisfactory. It wasn't that they weren't earnest in cooking but simply that they didn't have any talent for it. Instead of staying here and continuing to waste their time, it would be better for them to return to their posts so that they could make better use of their talents.
He consulted with He Yun Chen in low whispers and He Yun Chen agreed with him.
Ruan Tang went to find the five soldiers and tactfully told them his opinion. He asked what they intended to do. If they really wished to stay, he wouldn't drive them away. After all, they weren't required by their superiors to come here, instead, they had all willingly signed up for this. They had a true enthusiasm for cooking, so Ruan Tang wouldn't beat a mandarin duck.
However, these people also knew that their performance today wasn't good. If they continued to stay, they would only trouble Ruan Tang and waste his time and energy. Therefore, four of them expressed their willingness to return to their original posts. .
Only a gaunt young man hesitantly asked, "Is it ok if I stay and try again?"
Ruan Tang said, "Of course, it's ok." Cooking wasn't just about talent. Perseverance and willpower were also important. As long as they practice hard, stupid birds can also fly first.
So the young officer named Cui Liang also stayed and went along with the others to learn how to make cake.
"Then I will not continue to bother you. Let me know the results after the lessons." He Yun Chen said to him.
"Okay." As a marshal, He Yun Chen's time was very precious. It was impossible for him to stay here the entire time. Ruan Tang didn't take it to heart and immediately agreed.
This time, Ruan Tang already had an idea regarding their learning ability. So he didn't just let them observe his demonstration, he also explained things in detail.
Having done two egg dishes earlier, they were now very skilled at beating eggs. And because they had received a soldier's training for a long time, they were very strong and fast. Soon, the egg whites and egg yolk batter were very evenly mixed. After that, the batters were placed in the rice cooker. Since the rice cooker would automatically bake the cake, there would be no problems from being unable to properly control the temperature. So long as the previous steps were done well, the cake would be a success.
Twenty minutes later, the cakes were baked. The four top students, Zhao Guangming, Xue Rui, Wang Jun and Wen Zeyang, made theirs very well. As for Cui Liang and Liu Haitao, one had put in too little milk and the other had put in too much. One cake was too hard and the other was too soft that it collapsed. Ruan tang had no choice but to make them redo it.
Fortunately, this time, the two of them remembered their mistakes, and the cake they made was finally up to standard.
Ruan Tang was quite satisfied with these six apprentices. He agreed to return tomorrow to continue teaching them and he let them go.
After finishing the lesson for the day, he sent a message to He Yun Chen and told him the results as he walked towards the gate. He already had the light brain open to call for a suspended car to take him home.
However, he had just walked to the door when he saw the eye-catchingly handsome He Yun Chen standing in front of his modified silver suspended car.
"Get on, I will send you back."
"No need to trouble yourself, I can just call a car to take me back." Ruan Tang was always causing trouble for He Yun Chen and he wanted to politely decline.
"I'd like to talk with you about what's going on on the star network and what the plans are."
"Well, then I'll have to trouble you." Hearing this, Ruan Tang gave up his plans to call a suspended car. But he was always causing trouble for the other and he felt a little uncomfortable about it. He suggested, "Why don't you have dinner at my house?"
Anyway, he would be sending the brothers their portion for dinner. Wouldn't it be more convenient for He Yun Chen to just have it at his house?
"Alright."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone