Chapter 67
Before preparing the mixed noodles, Su Bin had simmered a large pot of pork bone broth. When the ingredients for the mixed noodles were almost ready, the rich pork bone broth and the vegetables complemented the noodles perfectly.
Obtaining this pot of pork bone soup was no easy feat. Due to the climate in Country B, it wasn’t suitable for growing vegetables, and many commonly seen vegetables in China were imported here. For instance, “baby bok choy” was not only expensive but also rare. As soon as it was stocked in supermarkets, it would be immediately snatched up, mostly by Chinese students…
However, since this activity was sponsored by the football club, as long as it wasn’t sea cucumber or abalone, the club had ways to acquire the ingredients. A few bunches of baby bok choy were nothing, right?
… The really hard-to-get ingredient was the big pork bones!
Local people in Country B only ate meat and not bones. As a result, Su Bin had never seen big pork bones for sale in supermarkets. But for making broth, high-quality pork bones rich in marrow and collagen were the best choice.
After describing the situation over the phone, the staff member was also taken aback and finally said, “I’ll inquire at the slaughterhouse…”
Slaughterhouse…
The staff member explained, “Generally, these bones don’t get sold on the market. They’re either sold cheaply to Chinese restaurants with connections, or they’re disposed of directly at the slaughterhouse.”
Su Bin: “…”
Damn, they just dispose of these amazing pork bones like that? Country B really wasted such precious resources!
Fortunately, the resourceful football club managed to secure a large bag of big pork bones for Su Bin. They had just obtained them this morning, so they were very fresh!
Su Bin cleaned and put half of them into a large pot to simmer. After two whole hours of simmering, the aroma had already filled the air…
In China, there were various pork bone soups—pork bone with preserved vegetables soup, pork bone with radish soup, pork bone with winter melon soup… But in Su Bin’s opinion, pork bone with baby bok choy soup was the true masterpiece! When sipping the soup, tasting the slight sweetness of the tender baby bok choy amid the rich bone aroma made the taste buds dance!
Su Bin’s mixed noodles attracted a crowd of fans. As soon as they saw him preparing the soup noodles, many people started queuing up! The popularity of the soup noodles exceeded Su Bin’s expectations. Several of the soccer stars he had just seen were coming back for seconds. In addition, the club manager approached him and said, “Bin, for future events, we sincerely hope you can join us!”
Su Bin felt a bit embarrassed. “Thank you, but I’m just an exchange student in Country B. I’ll be returning to my home country next year.”
At this moment, among the people present, Tyler’s emotions were the most complex.
At first, he just wanted to prove to his teammates that his praise for Su Bin’s instant noodles wasn’t exaggerated, and he really missed that flavor. So, when he unexpectedly met Su Bin on the field, Tyler had been searching for a chance to have noodles with him again.
Actually, the club’s Christmas event didn’t include the clause “bringing a family member to be the chef.” Instead, there was a benefit related to “chefs” in the event details— “On the day, we will invite some renowned chefs to cook delicious food on-site to treat everyone. If the athletes have chefs they admire, they can submit the chef’s name to the club, and we will formally invite them on behalf of the team…”
When Tyler saw this clause, he immediately thought of Su Bin!
Tyler wasn’t at all interested in the “renowned chef” part. His team captain, Antonio, felt the same way. Antonio came from a well-off family and often dined at fine restaurants. He referred to those chefs as “a group of show-off guys” and even said that most chefs in Country B were too focused on the aesthetics and meaning of food, neglecting the most essential point—taste!
Indeed, what mattered most wasn’t sensory aesthetics or nutritional theories, but whether the food was delicious!
Having this in mind, Antonio had a brilliant idea when he heard Tyler casually mention, “It would be great if Bin could come.”
Tyler’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
So the two of them fabricated a lie and tricked Su Bin into coming! As for the club’s arrangements, Antonio had it all under control.
Su Bin had no clue about any of this, including the fact that the chefs he was cooking alongside were at least Royal Level 2 certified chefs. That was the reason they found his presence surprising. They were probably wondering, “Does this kid even have a chef’s certification? How did he get in?”
Su Bin didn’t need a chef’s certification. He had already convinced everyone who tasted his noodles with his skill.
From the beginning, Tyler had been excited and elated, but now he was gradually feeling annoyed and uneasy. He felt like his precious treasure was being eyed by others.
Now, almost everyone wanted to strike up a conversation with Su Bin. They were curious about his background, asking various questions. How were the noodles made? What seasonings were used? Where could they be bought… They asked if he was a college student, where he studied, and his major… But more people praised his cooking skills endlessly. Some sponsors and famous players even asked if he had his own restaurant.
Tyler watched Su Bin with an overwhelmed expression as he answered the questions. He had the urge to chase away those cunning (?) folks!
At this moment, Antonio was holding a bowl of pork bone soup noodles cooked by Su Bin. As he ate, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Magical! Oh~! Yes, this is it! Awesome!…”
In the meantime, Tyler silently lit a candle for Antonio’s spicy girlfriend, because the captain wasn’t even this excited when he was with his girlfriend! ╮(╯_╰)╭
Several members of the college team gathered together, chattering excitedly about the noodles Su Bin had made. As they talked, they began discussing the differences in physique between Chinese people and foreigners—
“When playing against the Chinese team, I didn’t really feel like they were particularly small. So why does Bin look so small…”
“Athletes and ordinary people are definitely different. He’s not small; he’s just not as robust as we are. He seems thin and weak, like he could be blown away with a gust of wind…”
“If I encountered someone like that in normal circumstances, I’d definitely want to beat him up because I dislike men who aren’t ‘manly’!”
“But considering how well he makes noodles, I won’t bully him…”
“I’m the same… not only do I not want to bully him, I even want to take him home and raise him… Captain, do I have a problem?”
“You’re not alone…”
“I really want to capture Bin and keep him in our training camp to cook delicious food for us!”
“(☆o☆) Captain, is that okay?”
“Thinking about it this way, we’ll have more motivation to play soccer…”
Su Bin: “…” QAQ These infuriating minors! Should I pretend I didn’t hear anything or that I don’t understand what you’re saying?
Suddenly, someone else exclaimed, “Hey, if Chinese people played soccer as well as Bin makes noodles, we’d be out of luck!”
Another person agreed, “Yeah, fortunately their country’s soccer isn’t up to par…”
Su Bin: “…” Don’t trash talk the Chinese national soccer team! They’re already putting in a lot of effort! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
…
Since going abroad, Su Bin had found his patriotism soaring. Whenever someone said something negative about China, it irritated him to no end. However, even more than foreigners’ criticisms, what Su Bin couldn’t tolerate was the biases of his own people. During his over three months in Country B, Su Bin had encountered a few “angry youth” who seemed eager to degrade their own country, disparaging the system, criticizing the welfare… It wasn’t just a matter of being critical; it was more like blind admiration of foreign things, and that particularly annoyed Su Bin. True, there were areas where China fell short, but they were continuously making progress, and they would keep improving.
From 4 p.m. until now, Su Bin hadn’t stopped. Faced with a group of athletes who couldn’t get enough to eat, he felt like he was being driven to exhaustion.
Seeing that it was nearly 9 p.m., the activity room was still lively. Everyone was drinking, chatting, singing, dancing; there was no sign of it ending…
Tyler brought a drink for Su Bin and took the opportunity to ask him, “Su Bin! Is this event ending at 9 p.m.?”
Tyler: “No, it’s not. The event will continue until late at night.”
Su Bin was surprised, “Huh? Didn’t you tell me earlier that it would end at 9 p.m.?”
Tyler pointed to the cooking area and said, “The segment ending at 9 p.m. is your part. After 9 p.m., you won’t have to cook noodles anymore!”
Su Bin: “…”
Tyler excitedly said, “There will be a lot of fun activities later. Come join us!”
Su Bin hurriedly said, “But I’ve already told my roommate that I’ll be back by 9 p.m… Someone is supposed to pick me up.”
“What? Bin, you’re leaving?” The club’s manager happened to pass by and sincerely persuaded, “There will be many gifts during the activities later. Everyone who participates will get a share. You’ve worked hard this afternoon. It would be a shame if you didn’t join the upcoming activities.”
Oh… So, the main event is after 9 p.m.? After being persuaded by the club manager, Su Bin indeed started to feel that leaving now might be a bit of a waste!
“Worried about getting home too late? Don’t worry, we’ll arrange a driver to take you back at night!”
Su Bin thought for a moment and said, “Then, let me call my friend…” But as soon as he picked up his phone, he was at a loss; he didn’t have Allen’s phone number!
Su Bin quickly dialed Yang Chengzhe’s phone. Since Yang Chengzhe was leaving the day after tomorrow, he was still reachable. Su Bin asked for Allen’s number, but Yang Chengzhe asked him to wait for a moment.
After a while, Allen’s voice came from the other end of the phone, “Michael?”
“Allen, the event here won’t end at 9 p.m.” Su Bin explained the situation, but unexpectedly, there was silence on the other end. “…Allen?” Su Bin was starting to regret making this call.
“What time will it end?” After a long pause, Allen responded, but his tone sounded noticeably colder.
Su Bin: “I don’t know…”
Allen: “…”
Su Bin hurriedly said, “The club manager said they would send a driver to take me home later…”
But he was interrupted before he could finish! “Ten o’clock,” Allen allowed some leeway, “It can’t be any later.”
Su Bin: “Alright…”
Allen: “I’ll have Robert delay his pick-up by an hour.”
“Okay…” Oh no, Su Bin felt like Allen was angry, so he didn’t dare object anymore orz…
Taking back the phone Allen handed over, Yang Chengzhe was curious, “You’re setting curfews for him?”
Allen: “Yes.”
Yang Chengzhe: “…”
Allen: “He’s not well-behaved, so I have to manage him.”
Yang Chengzhe was speechless, thinking that Allen was actually someone who would interfere in trivial matters? How did I not know!
But when Yang Chengzhe recalled how Su Bin had secretly taken on a part-time job, he thought Allen’s supervision wasn’t wrong. “Why don’t you give him your phone number?” he asked.
Allen paused for a second and said, “I’m waiting for him to ask me in person.”
Yang Chengzhe: “…” Is being this haughty really a good idea?
