266: Chapter 266 has no other flaws besides being unpalatable.

As soon as they entered the cornfield, the atmosphere changed.

The rustling of green leaves rubbing against each other sounded like a natural accompaniment.

Teacher Ma was indeed an old hand; her technique was skillful. With one hand stabilizing the corn stalk and the other making a 'crack', a plump ear of corn was neatly tossed into the basket.

As she snapped them off, she naturally began to hum a folk song from her early years, melodious and lingering:

"The distant mountains, oh, wrapped in white clouds~"

The corn in the fields, oh, golden and bright~"

Her singing seemed to carry the fragrance of the soil, instantly casting an artistic filter over the tedious labor.

Yan Zheng listened from the side, an appreciative smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Teacher Yan worked at a leisurely pace, but his efficiency was incredibly high.

He picked up Teacher Ma's tune, using his signature deep voice—reminiscent of aged fine wine—to improvise a harmony:

"Hey~ ya~ golden and bright~"

The sweat of the farmers~ sweet yet salty~"

As soon as these two lines of harmony came out, it was as if a thick, warm foundation had been laid for Teacher Ma's melody; the sense of sophistication was instantly maximized!

Even the camera operator couldn't help but zoom in to capture this rare "field harmony."

Beside them, Chen Yu watched dumbstruck; amidst his admiration, he was also eager to try.

His technique for snapping corn was still a bit clumsy.

Snap—peel the leaves—toss into the back basket—done!

He was so focused on snapping corn that he didn't watch his step. He tripped over a corn root and nearly fell into Yan Zheng's arms, making everyone burst into laughter.

Tan Xinya cleared her throat, casually snapped off a corn ear, and actually used a bel canto coloratura style to improvise a line.

"Oh~ golden hope~ blooming at the fingertips~"

Her voice was high and magnificent with incredible penetration, startling a flock of sparrows at the edge of the field.

Chen Yu looked impressed: "Sister Xinya, you've turned snapping corn into an opera! I'm convinced!"

He truly was convinced!

They clearly weren't tired yet; if they were, they wouldn't have the energy to sing!

Teacher Ma Ying also laughed so hard she couldn't close her mouth: "The way Xinya snaps corn has such presence!"

Yan Zheng calmly summarized: "Labor creates art, and art embellishes labor. It's quite good."

And so, in the cornfield, laughter, singing, and the sound of snapping corn rose and fell.

An ordinary farm chore was turned by these four musicians into a witty, improvised "field concert."

...

Lunch.

Chef Huang showed off his skills in the kitchen, his spatula flying, full of confidence.

Teacher He led everyone in setting up the table and chairs in the courtyard. The clinking of bowls and chopsticks was filled with a warm, domestic atmosphere.

"Dinner's ready!" Teacher Huang walked out high-spirited, carrying a large bowl of bright, red-braised pork.

"Today's main dish is my secret recipe. Everyone, have a taste!"

Everyone sat around, praising the table full of dishes that looked and smelled wonderful.

"Teacher Huang, these skills are amazing!" Tan Xinya gave a thumbs up.

"It looks like it'll go great with rice." Yan Zheng nodded with a smile.

Teacher Ma Ying also said happily, "We're in for a treat, in for a treat."

Chen Yu was even more expectant; even a culinary novice couldn't fail every time, right? Having worked all afternoon, he was already famished.

As the head of the family, Teacher He warmly greeted them: "Come, come, don't be polite, start eating!"

Everyone reached out with their chopsticks.

Tan Xinya took a bite of green vegetables, Yan Zheng scooped a spoonful of steamed egg, and Teacher Ma Ying aimed for that eye-catching bowl of red-braised pork.

Chen Yu was the first to put a piece of that marbled red-braised pork into his mouth.

He chewed twice with great anticipation, and the expression on his face instantly underwent an extremely subtle and brilliant change.

From anticipation to doubt, then to a desperately controlled stiffness!

His chewing speed noticeably slowed down, his eyes went a bit vacant, and his cheek muscles twitched slightly, as if he were using every ounce of strength for expression management.

Chen Yu subconsciously wanted to swallow it quickly, but that incredibly salty taste seemed stuck to his throat, making him cough softly.

"Cough, cough... Um, Teacher Huang, the flavor... is very unique."

Chen Yu managed to squeeze out a very polite and slightly distorted smile, then quickly shoveled a large mouthful of plain rice, trying to neutralize that shocking saltiness.

He'd fallen for it again!

The table went quiet for a moment.

Immediately after, the others fell for it one by one!

Tan Xinya was straightforward; after taking a bite of steamed egg, her eyes widened instantly, and she blurted out: "Wow! Teacher Huang, this egg... really goes well with rice!"

After saying that, she quickly gulped down some water.

At least her EQ was high and her reaction fast! She stubbornly avoided saying it was deathly salty!

Yan Zheng had the best self-restraint; he ate a piece of green vegetable without changing his expression, then nodded steadily and evaluated very artistically: "Hmm... the flavor is very solid."

Then he quietly turned his chopsticks toward the rice, which seemed the safest.

Teacher Ma Ying was an old hand; after tasting a bite, she put down her chopsticks with a smile and picked up her teacup.

She said slowly, "Teacher Huang's dish has flavor and leaves a deep impression; it needs to be savored slowly with tea."

She perfectly defused the awkwardness and saved her own taste buds.

Teacher He was so shrewd; he immediately took a bite, realized what was happening, and suppressed a laugh to smooth things over: "Oh! Old Huang, did you kill the salt merchant again? This dish is way too substantial!"

Teacher Huang quickly tasted it himself and immediately showed a wry expression: "Oh no! My mistake! I was so focused on chatting with you all that my hand slipped and I put in too much salt! Sorry, sorry!"

Teacher Huang just made mistakes easily; it wasn't like he was actually malicious, right...

The entire place erupted into good-natured laughter.

[Bullet Screen] exploded instantly—

[Hahahaha Chen Yu's expression is killing me! From anticipation to despair!]

[Chen Yu: Who am I? Where am I? Why is it so salty?]

[Tan Xinya is too cute! 'Goes well with rice' is a classic!]

[Teacher Yan Zheng's 'flavor is very solid' is the most elegant roast I've ever heard!]

[Teacher Ma Ying is the real master! Savoring it slowly with tea, brilliant!]

[Chef Huang's fail scene arrived late but it arrived! A Mushroom House traditional skill!]

Facing this bowl of "excessively salty" red-braised pork, everyone instead found it exceptionally interesting, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became even more relaxed and lively.

But nobody touched it!

Talking more meant eating fewer dishes.

Eating fewer dishes meant staying alive!

Teacher He had a sudden inspiration and suggested: "Since the food is salty, let's have some 'sweetness' to neutralize it! How about we improvise some music with the theme of 'Chef Huang's Salt'?"

This proposal received an enthusiastic response.

Da Hua immediately picked up his guitar and played a slightly frantic blues tune with a smile, humming improvisations: "Hand slipped~ too much salt~ so salty it hurts~ but the intention was good~"

"Teacher Huang's salt, a little salty~"

Lanming Hua's performance made Chef Huang very satisfied.

Buying a house might not be out of the question...

Teacher Ma Ying smiled and played a playful, witty melody on the harmonica.

Finally, Teacher Huang reprocessed the dish, adding water to make red-braised pork noodle soup.

Well, it really wasn't that salty anymore.

There were no other flaws except for being unpalatable.