A Beekeeper in a Magical World

Li Lei stumbled back into his rented room, collapsing onto the bed with his mind feeling like mush. The chef evaluation competition was imminent, yet he still couldn't replicate that ancestral delicacy.

He had failed numerous times.

"Face reality and prepare a common dish," his friend advised. "Your recipe barely details ingredient measurements. How do you expect to make it?"

There was wisdom in his friend's words.

The recipe was incomplete, missing crucial details, relying solely on his imagination and constant experimentation.

It was challenging.

Even a top-tier chef would likely take quite some time.

But Li Lei didn't want to give up just yet.

Perhaps it was because he had invested too much time and effort, becoming overly fixated due to sunk costs.

Or maybe, he simply wanted to bring back that delicious childhood memory.

"Not a hundred times... Just need to succeed once," he silently cheered himself on.

Today, he was too drained to contemplate further. Retrieving his phone, he aimed to relax.

A notification from a shopping platform popped up.

Upon checking, it was from a store he had previously followed, the owner having been 'missing' for some time, now suddenly resurfacing with an announcement.

The online shop was temporarily closed, but interested buyers could join the store's WeChat group, the "Bee Whisperer's Cottage."

It was a peculiar honey shop.

A very mystical honey shop.

He had bought a sleep aid honey from there before.

During a period of intense anxiety and severe insomnia, he had tried sleeping pills, but their dependency worsened his mental state.

It was then, when he was browsing for sleep-inducing foods, that he stumbled upon this honey shop selling precisely what he needed.

He decided to give it a try.

Surprisingly, it worked wonders.

A cup of honey water before bed allowed him to sleep soundly through the night, almost dreamlessly.

After finishing a whole bottle, his sleep problems were completely resolved.

More importantly, his mindset had stabilized significantly, alleviating his prior anxiety.

How could a honey have such an effect?

He wasn't knowledgeable in that field and couldn't explain why.

But he had the honey tested at a food inspection center, and there were no special ingredients—just ordinary sugars.

He was a materialist, yet at that moment, he felt as though the shop owner was sent by the heavens to rescue him.

Since then, he became a loyal fan of the shop.

Later, the owner released another honey, claimed to have a beautifying effect. According to reviews, its effects were equally impressive, with before-and-after pictures resembling a complete transformation.

He was always engrossed in researching recipes, paying little attention to his appearance. Hence, he didn't rush to buy it. By the time he considered it, they were sold out.

Regret seeped in.

He believed he had a decent base, but prolonged exposure to kitchen fumes had taken a toll on his skin.

If he had bought it earlier, maybe by now, he'd have become a handsome guy, breaking free from singlehood.

His attention on the shop intensified.

"Perhaps the owner isn't even from this world, as some speculate...," he self-mockingly shook his head. "Impossible."

Regardless of the truth, he treated it as a stroke of luck to cherish rather than delve deeper.

In reality, most fans shared this sentiment.

Respect and gratitude were all they had for this mysterious owner.

Delving too deeply into the owner's secrets might ruin this stroke of luck.

Everyone tacitly understood this.

Unfortunately, after launching two honey types, the owner vanished for a considerable period.

To the point where fans began speculating if someone had been impolite, upsetting the owner.

But now, finally, the owner reappeared, bringing relief to everyone.

Without hesitation, Li Lei immediately joined the "Bee Whisperer's Cottage."

The owner announced in the group that two honey types would be simultaneously restocked this time.

This got him extremely excited.

He clicked on the shelves.

"Phantom Flower Honey... Grace Flower Honey..."

These were all very peculiar names.

According to the owner himself, these were entirely new flower species he'd cultivated, unique in the entire world, with no branches elsewhere.

Was it due to the flowers that the honey possessed such magical effects? Truly amazing.

He carefully examined the effects of the two honeys. The Grace Flower Honey aided mental activities—expressed quite subtly in the description, but he trusted the owner wouldn't deceive.

The steep price definitely had its reasons.

"The missing link in my recipe might just be mental prowess... This honey might save me again."

Thinking this, he, who usually begrudged even buying a 5-yuan drink, decisively spent 3,500 yuan on a bottle of Grace Flower Honey.

Nearly two months' worth of living expenses... It still pinched a bit.

Of course, if 3,500 could secure successful experiments, it would be more than worth it.

"Just don't disappoint me."

...

The delivery was swift, arriving within a day.

As Li Lei received the notification, he was lounging on the couch, utterly dejected after yet another failure.

The cooking competition was in a few days, leaving him with very little time.

Retrieving the package, he opened it to find a familiar bottle.

Hoping against hope, he twisted the lid, deciding not to dilute it with water, instead, swallowing a mouthful to gauge its effects.

The honey was incredibly viscous; a spoonful felt cloying in his mouth.

A distinct floral fragrance spread within his oral cavity.

After about ten seconds, he felt invigorated.

As if a warm current continuously flowed from his stomach to his brain, revitalizing the remnants of his mental capacity.

"Truly effective!"

Once again, the owner hadn't let him down.

Immediately energized, he plunged back into developing his dishes.

...

"Perhaps I should reduce the salt..."

Stirring the pan, he added salt.

Shaking it a few times, he suddenly realized, "That's enough."

The amount of salt was just right.

A little more or less, and it wouldn't achieve the optimal effect.

It was a strange sensation.

Not just with salt, he seemed to clearly perceive the integration of every ingredient and seasoning, down to the gram.

As if his body exuded a peculiar... culinary divine power, encompassing everything within his grasp.

"From quantity to quality, has my culinary skill truly broken through to a new level?"

But he didn't feel it was to that extent yet.

His gaze fell on the honey beside him.

"Could it be..."

His speculation was proven right.

Subsequently, this extraordinary perception gradually waned until it vanished.

Then, he took another spoonful, and the feeling returned.

"Whoa—"

This honey was even more miraculous than the owner described. It didn't just increase mental prowess.

Or perhaps, was it the increased mental capacity that heightened his perception?

Can't comprehend.

Then let it be.

Leveraging this special state, he wholeheartedly dived back into perfecting his dishes.

Three times.

Only three times, and he succeeded.

The long-lost ancestral signature dish, plated and emitting an enticing color and aroma.

A taste.

Exactly the flavor of his childhood.

Li Lei was moved to tears.

Not knowing if it was tears or beads of sweat, he wiped his eyes, picked up his phone, logged into the "Bee Whisperer's Cottage," and commented: "Boss, you're my deity!"

...

On that same day, Hua Mi returned from her stroll outside and began attending to the pending orders.

At this point, "Bee Whisperer's Cottage" had nearly five hundred occupants.

The Phantom Flower Honey was already sold out.

However, there were still over a hundred bottles of Grace Flower Honey left.

Faster than he imagined.

With this many orders, it would keep her busy for a while.

Focused on handling orders, Hua Mi suddenly received a private message.