“Are you sure about your answers?” He Haotian stared at her list—her expression neutral, but his tone was a little playful as if teasing her.
“I’m sure. I couldn’t be wrong with my list.” Lu Xinyi said with a confident smirk.
She wasn’t afraid that she guessed wrong. At most, the only thing that she wasn’t confident was her ability to smell. Afterall, the sensation of taste—like all sensations—resides in the brain.
The basic tastes of sweet, salty, and sour had different thresholds, or concentration levels, at which they could be detected. In other words, it was easier to detect some flavors at low concentrations compared with other flavors. These taste thresholds could vary from person to person.
This simple test was also vital to know how Lu Xinyi’s tongue could distinguish and how sensitive it was to flavors. From the looks of it, He Haotian could tell that Lu Xinyi maybe a ‘supertaster’.
Some people had more of these taste buds and receptors so their perception of flavor was stronger than the average person. They were known as supertasters.
Supertasters were particularly sensitive to bitter flavors in foods such as broccoli, spinach, coffee, beer, and chocolate. To compensate for any overwhelming bitterness, supertasters add salt, fat, or sugar to foods they were eating. These foods could mask bitterness, but these made the supertasters eat excessive salt.
Lu Xinyi had the sense of taste with far greater intensity than average, and her increased sensitivity to bitter tastes was apparent. This was also the reason why most of the ingredients used were bitter.
He Haotian had actually added some fat, a little sugar, and a dash of salt to hide the bitterness; but Lu Xinyi was still able to see through his deception.
“What made you think that it was black tea?” He arched a brow when he saw the last ingredient written.
“It’s because compared to green tea, black tea has more astringency and bitterness, but if brewed correctly, it should be smooth and flavorful. Green tea was light and grassy that I wasn’t able to taste.”
“Well, if you are sure—”
“I am sure!” She insisted.
There was no way in hell that she’d take a sip of that disgusting drink again! “Please tell me all of my answers are correct,” she pleaded.
He Haotian rubbed his chin as if he was thinking of something. “Not bad for starters, Xinxin. With only three sips you were able to taste all the ingredients. Here I thought I can have the liberty of seeing you drinking it all.”
Lu Xinyi cringed. Too evil. He Haotian sported the same grin her father used to have. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“I’m very sorry for disappointing you, Uncle.” She gritted her teeth.
“Alright, ahh, I give up. Your sense of taste seemed to be more sensitive than your father. Sibai had to take the same concoction five times before he was able to distinguish everything.”
Five times?!
Three sips were enough to weaken her sense of taste. Lu Xinyi felt like her tongue couldn’t taste anything after this. Taking it five times was too much! It would be a disaster. How her father survived it? She had no idea.
He Haotian’s face turned serious. This little test had given him the answers he needed. Lu Xinyi’s absolute tongue had more potential than her father. Even if she failed at Silver Leaf Academy, he would make sure he will make another path for her to conquer. He should not fail this time.
“Lu Xinyi, this is just the start of your training. I will serve you different drinks these next few days, and you should be able to taste all of their contents by just one sip!”
He had said these words too seriously that the newly hired kitchen staff of Grace Palace and Gao Hong looked at Lu Xinyi with admiration. The initial indifference and doubt they felt against their new mistress were gone. Of course, they knew who Shen Yi was, but they didn’t understand why Lu Xinyi was there.
“Ah, it looks like Silver Leaf will be interesting this year. They’ll have Madam Shen as their student. I can’t wait to see how she thrives along the way.” Gu Meina commented.
He Haotian nodded in agreement. Lu Xinyi was a diamond in the rough, someone who needed smoothing and proper training. With a limited time they had, he should also need to teach her some cooking techniques that she could use as a trump card during skill tests. It was very unfortunate that she chose to become a chef than being a food taster though.
After all, Silver Leaf Academy wasn’t just a school that trains students to become top chefs. It was also a battlefield that gourmets and professional chefs kept an eye on. As there were people from low to middle classes attending the academy, Silver Leaf was largely funded by private wealthy families like the big 5 of the capital city and other sponsors.
Scholarships weren’t offered to anyone. If one was interested to attend Silver Leaf but lacking financial means, the best way was to deal with a family to sponsor one’s education for two years. Students were only accepted after passing an entrance exam, sponsored or not.
“Xinxin, your father never gave up on cooking. I hope you can do the same.” He Haotian said solemnly. His eyes flashed with such sadness that Lu Xinyi could only take that she missed her father.
He had aged well, but she could see the young boy in him, still yearning to return to his younger years. It was as if his soul was left in the past or his inner boy wanted to experience the same thing all over again.
Lu Xinyi could see his worry lines and how they made crosses with those of joy as he tried to torture her mask in his teachings.
“I can never hate food and cooking. Not in this lifetime.”
