Just as Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin finished selling their pan-fried buns, Ji Ronghu arrived.

He pushed a wheelbarrow loaded with several large wooden tubs.

“Xia-ger, I brought these wooden basins over. See if they’ll work for you.” Ji Ronghu pushed the cart into the Gu family’s small courtyard.

“They look perfect, Brother. Take some pan-fried buns home to eat—these are Xia-ger’s.” Gu Tangjin swiftly picked up ten pan-fried buns, wrapped them in dried lotus leaves, and handed them to Ji Ronghu.

Ji Ronghu hesitated, but Gu Tangjin pressed, “These have such thin wrappers—one wrong move, and the filling or broth spills out. I’ve already packed them for my elder brother; taking them out again would ruin them. Please take them home, Brother.”

Though Ji Ronghu was good-natured, he wasn’t fooled by the excuse. How could such a simple dish be so delicate? But since his brother-in-law had gone to such lengths, he could only smile and say, “Alright, I’ll take them. If you ever need anything, just ask. I’ll make it and bring it over myself. No need to make the long trip.”

“Alright, brother, hurry back now. Your fulang is expecting, so you need to take good care of him, you know?” Ji Rongxia filled four large bamboo cups to the brim with fruit drink, packing them neatly into a bamboo basket. “This is sweetened syrup—take it home for your Fulang to drink. It’s not for you, it’s for him. Don’t you dare give it back to me.”

Ji Ronghu scratched his head, unsure how to return the fruit drink.

He could only say, “Don’t worry, your brother-in-law is doing just fine. He eats well and sleeps soundly.”

Hearing this, Ji Rongxia playfully smacked his brother’s sturdy arm. “What nonsense are you talking about? Alright, hurry along now.”

“Mhm.” Ji Ronghu didn’t linger further, pushing his wheelbarrow away.

“These wooden basins are oiled smooth—not a single splinter.” Gu Tangjin inspected several of them. “Father and Brother did such fine work.”

But just for trying to grow some taro, there’s no need for such fine wooden basins.

“Father and Brother put their hearts into it.” Ji Rongxia washed the wooden basins. The small taro sprouts and taro chunks he’d been forcing to germinate the past couple of days hadn’t sprouted yet, so he tidied up these wooden basins first and set them aside.

Gu Tangjin watered the taro plants once—watering was essential for sprouting.

Ji Rongxia made about seventy pan-fried buns today. He had originally set aside twenty for their own consumption, but now he gave ten to his eldest brother. They only had ten left. Which was certainly insufficient. Ji Rongxia promptly lit the stove to cook some dumplings—quick to prepare—and boiled some greens to serve over them. The vibrant green hues looked quite appetizing.

Gu Tangjin helped him carry the dumplings, pan-fried buns, vinegar, and fruit drink out to the courtyard.

Mosquitoes were particularly troublesome today, so Gu Tangjin casually lit a small bundle of mugwort beneath the table. Its faint, herbal scent lingered around their noses, not unpleasant at all.

With the subtle aroma of mugwort lingering, they finished their breakfast and immediately began preparing for the day’s business.

During quiet moments at the eatery, Ge Fulang would grab a handful of roasted melon seeds and come over for idle chatter. The pastry shop wasn’t as hectic as the eatery, even during mealtimes. The busiest periods were actually during festivals and holidays; weekdays were relatively leisurely. Lately, Ge Fulang and Yao Tianlan had grown closer, and he often stopped by to chat with her.

“Xia-ger’s pan-fried buns are far tastier than steamed ones—rich and fragrant, though a bit small. You wouldn’t believe how many people bought two buns today before grabbing pastries, noodles, or steamed buns to eat together. I noticed Brother Pei sold an extra tray of steamed buns.” Ge Fulang knew Yao Tianlan and Gu Chuncai were sleeping in late these days. If Xia-ger and Gu Tangjin hadn’t mentioned it, the two of them probably wouldn’t even know about this.

“Really? That’s wonderful! I was worried the kids’ stall might draw too much attention. This way is perfect—everyone gets to earn a little.” Yao Tianlan paused her embroidery, her voice tinged with delight.

No wonder the Guans next door were greeting them with such smiles. Normally, their relationship was just polite courtesy, nothing special.

“Hey, your sweet drink is so cheap, who among us neighbors hasn’t tried it? I think those kids are just losing money to build a reputation. These pan-fried buns are good, though, at least they can make a few coins.” Ge Fulang curled his lip. Every shop in their alley sold food. Logically, whoever had the best skills deserved to make money, but things were never that simple. If you earned too much, even if the county ruffians left you alone, there were always jealous neighbors who’d cause trouble.

Yao Tianlan smiled without arguing, only praising, “The kids make such good breakfasts. Our eatery has gained quite a few regulars.”

“That’s for sure. It’s so hot these days, the food business isn’t easy. Yet yours seems to be thriving. I’d say Xia-ger brings you luck,” Ge Fulang chuckled.

“Xia-ger is wonderful—he picked up cooking quickly. At least this craft won’t die out with his father and me.” Yao Tianlan beamed at the thought. “Our household is still too small, unlike yours—so lively and bustling.”

“Don’t mention it. I only have a moment to chat with you now. Once my son and daughter-in-law get busy, I’ll have to watch over Huzi and Qian-ger myself.” Though his words carried a hint of complaint, Ge Fulang’s face was lit with a smile.

After a day of hard work, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin checked the growth of the taro sprouts once more, watered them again, and only then returned indoors.

Gu Tangjin calculated, “In another seven or eight days, these taro sprouts should be ready for planting.”

Ji Rongxia asked curiously, “How long do these taro plants take to grow?“

It wasn’t his fault; he didn’t know these things. His family didn’t own a single acre of land. He could do carpentry work, but he didn’t know how long it took for taro to mature.

”Different varieties of taro probably take different amounts of time. The ones I know take seven or eight months to grow,” Gu Tangjin said after thinking for a moment.

“Seven or eight months?! That’s so long.” Ji Rongxia sighed. “I’ll just wait for the cucumbers then. Taro’s still ages away.”

“Right. If these cucumbers grow fast, two or three months should be enough. You’ll definitely have some by autumn.” Gu Tangjin hugged him reassuringly.

Ji Rongxia wrapped his arms around Gu Tangjin’s slender waist. “Hmm, reading those farming manuals wasn’t wasted. You know so much.”

Gu Tangjin nodded slightly. “Books hold golden treasures.”

“What about the second half?” Ji Rongxia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I already have a beauty like jade.” Gu Tangjin answered smoothly.

Ji Rongxia’s smile grew even brighter.

“Alright, alright, I won’t keep you. I need to go slice beef. Sigh, I’ll probably be at it for another eight or nine days.” Ji Rongxia’s smile faded as he spoke.

Gu Tangjin: “Then I’ll wait here for you.”

Ji Rongxia flushed, shoving Gu Tangjin aside as he scampered to the bedside. He flopped forward like a little turtle, crawling onto the mattress.

Gu Tangjin: “…”

He shook his head helplessly, stepping forward to help him off his shoes and outer garments. He untied his hair, placing the ribbon on the box by the bedside.

Ji Rongxia, accustomed to Gu Tangjin’s attentions, obediently let him fuss over him. He had already closed his eyes and drifted off into a drowsy sleep.

Seeing this, Gu Tangjin placed the oil lamp on the box beside their bed. He pulled up a small stool to sit by the bedside, studying a scroll of agricultural texts.

True to Ji Rongxia’s expectations, it took him a full eight more days of slicing beef to finally complete this massive task!!!

【Ding, task completed.】

Hearing the notification sound, Ji Rongxia solemnly set down his knife.

“Good heavens! I’m finally done!!!” Ji Rongxia spread his arms wide in a gesture of embracing the sun.

The Cooking God System waited until Ji Rongxia had finished celebrating before asking, “Host, how would you like to handle the task reward?”

“Um… just put out a glass of milk. Oh, and the beef jerky too—put out a pound of that as well!” Ji Rongxia said.

Cooking God System: “Understood, Host. Task reward has been distributed.”

“Host, you still have some time remaining. Would you like to take on another task?” the Cooking God System inquired curiously.

“Not for now.” Although Ji Rongxia enjoyed practicing his knife skills, he’d been practicing so intensely lately that he felt a bit sick. He needed a short break.

“Host, a reminder: all completed tasks have a replay practice function. This means you can practice any completed task anytime without needing system scanning and appraisal, though there will be no rewards.” Seeing there was still time, the Cooking God System decided to explain a feature it hadn’t had a chance to detail earlier.

“Oh, so you mean any task I’ve done before is available to practice freely? Like, if I want to make taro paste now, you’ll conjure up the ingredients for it?” Ji Rongxia’s eyes lit up as he asked.

“Correct. Additionally, as the host’s culinary skill level improves, the probability of triggering random tasks will also increase,” the Cooking God System added.

“Got it!” Ji Rongxia wasn’t overly concerned about the probability of triggering random tasks—he’d just tackle whatever came his way. What piqued his interest more was the replay practice feature.

“I want to make taro paste,” Ji Rongxia stated.

The Cooking God System flashed briefly: “Understood, Host.”

The ingredients in the kitchen instantly transformed.

Ji Rongxia silently rose and sliced a piece of purple sweet potato for himself.

Ahh, he took a bite.

Sweet and delicious, so tasty! Delicious!!!

It was so good that Ji Rongxia almost wanted to skip the basics and jump straight to advanced tasks—ones that could be cooked directly on the stove. That way, he could eat more ingredients.

But he quickly suppressed his restless heart.

No, no!

That won’t do!

He must stay grounded. Being able to eat purple sweet potatoes regularly was already a blessing. Everything else could come later.

After this internal struggle, Ji Rongxia poured himself some light cream to drink. After all, it wasn’t his physical body consuming it, so he didn’t need to worry about poor digestion from eating too much at night.

Ji Rongxia sat on a long wooden bench, dangling his feet as he effortlessly milked the system’s practice space for all it was worth.

After eating and drinking his fill, the time limit kicked in before Ji Rongxia could finish his taro paste.

Ji Rongxia: No big deal. He’s not losing out!