Chapter 397: Shanxi Cuisine Won

The sea's waves rose layer upon layer, like endless, boundless rolling hills.

The speedboat constantly flung off beautiful white spray amid the undulating waves.

At times it weaved in a serpentine path, at times it circled in place, at times it drifted chaotically on the water.

In the rear seat, Lu Yang could only cling tightly to the side rail, welding his butt into place, clamping his teeth shut, constantly fighting the urge to vomit.

He never dreamed that his first official reporting to the Navy would be met with such a horrifically cruel trial; the guy who devised this method was downright inhuman.

First they let you eat and drink well, then they make you vomit it all back out.

That's pure waste!

Adhering to the principle that waste is shameful, Lu Yang can't spit out a single drop—what he spits out is money!

Even though he's a guest invited by Old Zheng, wasting food is disgraceful, especially since he's a soldier with a strong will!

Lu Yang glanced at his watch: fourteen minutes had passed, and in one more minute he'd pass the test, avoiding being sent back to shore.

As Lu Yang silently counted down in his mind, hoping the nauseating turbulence would finally end, the sea suddenly grew windy, and the waves rose higher than before.

"Hoo, the wind's picking up~"

The Major suddenly stood up without warning.

As if he didn't feel the boat's sway at all, he spread his arms to embrace the sea breeze.

Lu Yang keenly noticed that the Captain sitting on the left suddenly put on a life jacket without warning.

One hand gripped the rail tightly, the other hand clutched the seat's notch, his expression solemn and his body taut.

"Comrade, any life jackets left?"

"Only this one."

"Can you..."

"No, stay seated!"

As soon as the Captain finished speaking, Lu Yang's hair stood on end, as if his soul were being chased from behind.

The speedboat's bow lifted high, like an arrow released from a bow, soaring over the raging waves as it sped forward.

The sea wind, laced with salty, briny sea water, made Lu Yang's face shiver, his eyes nearly unable to stay open.

He felt less like he was on a boat and more like he was on a watercraft; if you were to attach wings to this thing, who knows, it might truly fly over the sea.

At that moment the speed neared seventy knots, roughly one hundred thirty kilometers per hour on land; it didn't look fast, but in fact it was.

The feeling was like riding a roller coaster without a seatbelt—relax a little and the jolting boat would fling you out.

At that speed, plunging into the sea would hit a surface as hard as concrete; the result would be either broken bones or extensive bruises.

Fortunately, Lu Yang not only had a pair of Iron Foot, but also an Iron Butt, allowing him to absorb the boat's impacts repeatedly.

Yet the intense dizziness and nausea still gave Lu Yang severe discomfort, keeping his body curled up.

The food in his stomach kept churning upward, only for Lu Yang to painstakingly swallow it back down.

In this moment, the image of a laborer who was a beast of burden in his past life became a tangible experience.

Lu Yang felt that he was now a cow, constantly ruminating!

Lu Yang's cheek muscles swelled with a sour, painful ache, yet he dared not relax for a moment.

He wagered that if he spat out even a speck, the journey would end immediately.

This was a chance secured by Chief Zheng Chengfeng using his connections; no matter how unbearable, he had to endure.

He turned his head toward the Captain by the side; it was already night, and the lighting was poor.

But Lu Yang could still see the fellow's face turning slightly pale, his body tensing even more, his throat gulping up and down.

In other words, the nauseated person now doubled from one to two, giving him a bit more mental balance.

But when he turned to look at the Major piloting the speedboat ahead, the guy seemed completely unfazed, even reciting a poem amid the raging spray.

"Great winds arise, clouds soar!"

"Might over the seas, returning home!"

"How to obtain brave warriors to guard the four directions!"

Watching the confident back of Major Zhang Kuang, Lu Yang thought he must have some serious ailment!

If you have the skill, recite the entire Yueyang Tower inscription!

The Major smiled and turned back; the first thing Lu Yang saw was a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Kid, you're holding up pretty well, huh?"

"You ate until it hit the back of your throat and didn't vomit; no wonder they sent you here?"

The wind on the sea was fierce; the Major practically shouted with his throat strained, but Lu Yang clenched his teeth and gave no response.

Because the wind and waves were so fierce, that bastard still dared to drift, clearly just to see himself vomit.

The Major continued teasing, "I'm Bai Yuan—'Bai' as in white, 'Yuan' as in remembering the source of water. What's your name?"

Lu Yang, with a toad-like face, stared at him deadlocked, stubbornly clenching his teeth without speaking.

Bai Yuan snapped his face, "Lieutenant, answer my question; this is an order!"

Lu Yang: "......"

Bai Yuan shouted at the Lieutenant behind him, "Lao Mao, this guy has no manners, no sense of rank; press his head, splash his face, wake him up!"

"Yes!"

The Captain called Lao Mao responded immediately.

Just as they were about to act, Lu Yang blurted out, "My name is Lu Yang—'Lu' from Lu Yang, 'Yang' the sunny, cheerful big boy, not the ocean's... *gag! *"

Before he could finish, a fierce dizziness struck his core, making him nauseous again.

Fortunately Lu Yang spoke fast enough and reacted quickly, covering his mouth with both hands, or else he'd have truly lost his composure.

After all, this was his first time at sea; having never experienced this, a rejection reaction was normal.

Maybe next time, the time after that, it won't be like this; doing this kind of thing always requires an adjustment period.

Bai Yuan sees this situation, a triumphant smile instantly lights up his face: "Where are you from? You can't be from a coastal city, right? You must have taken a boat since you were a kid, otherwise how come you still haven't vomited until now?"

"Still not speaking? Lao Mao, go give him......"

"Su Province, Guangling, not coastal."

"Oh~"

Bai Yuan seems to have suddenly gotten inspiration, and begins to recite a poem with deep feeling: "The world is divided three ways on a bright moon night, two parts are scoundrels from Yangzhou!"

He has the captain named Lao Mao come over to take the bearing, while he moves to the rear and sits beside Lu Yang to chat with him.

"Last year or the year before, I went to your place; over there, lotus root powder seems quite famous, right?"

"Those lotus root powder dumplings, soft and glutinous, one bite—crunch, crunch, crunch......"

"And the lion's head—I've remembered, crab powder lion's head, fatty yet not greasy, leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth."

Lu Yang's throat begins to twitch; already full, he can't possibly swallow any of this.

Moreover, this guy even goes so far as to describe the cooking technique of lion's head.

"Half fatty, half lean—must use diced meat formed into a ball, cannot use minced meat."

Lu Yang feels nauseous and miserable, wishing he could vomit on his face right then.

"Besides lion's head, what else do you have over there?"

"Saltwater goose, salted duck egg, Wang tofu? Ah, especially this Wang tofu—it's old master Wang Zengqi's favorite, the tofu slurps into the mouth......"

Bai Yuan talks nonstop for a while, constantly stimulating Lu Yang's sensory brain, trying to force him to vomit.

But unfortunately, Lu Yang's willpower and endurance are far stronger than he imagined.

Moreover, he uses hard Qi Gong to clamp his throat, as if plugging his esophagus with a large wooden stopper.

"Ah, really boring."

As the journey nears its end, Lu Yang hasn't vomited even once; Bai Yuan, feeling rather bored, says: "Kid, this makes me lose face, do you know?"

Lu Yang doesn't answer; his gaze notices the outline of an island in the distance.

Adding that the ship's speed begins to slow, he guesses that place might be the journey's destination.

Though the experience has been painful, his robust physique ultimately allowed him to endure it.

Meanwhile, the system notifies him that his anti‑vertigo and seasickness resistance have improved slightly, and his sensory balance has also been honed.

Lu Yang releases the pressure in his throat; after the bumpy ride, the food in his stomach has digested a bit, and his body no longer feels as violently uncomfortable as during the earlier "surfing drift."

Lu Yang finally speaks: "Chief, after all this talk, I still don't know where you're from."

Bai Yuan: "From the tone of your speech, can you tell where you're from?"

"Jin Province?"

"Yo, that was a quick response, I thought your brain had already turned into a mushy paste?"

"Hehe, then there's nothing to talk about."

"What do you mean nothing to talk about?"

Bai Yuan is puzzled.

Lu Yang: "Shanxi cuisine is unspeakable, nothing worth discussing; those words weren't from me, they were from Chu Yunfei, go find him."

Bai Yuan's smile freezes on his face, while the Lao Mao ahead bursts into a loud laugh: "Hahaha, that's freaking hilarious, I like this kid's personality! Here, a reward—something good, just right for you now!"