The Cooking God System was thoroughly ‘impressed’ by its host’s imagination and verbal skills.

It sighed helplessly, “Host, you can interpret it that way.”

Ji Rongxia exclaimed in delight, “Wow, that’s amazing.”

The fully charged Cooking God System was practically unrecognizable compared to its uncharged version!

“It’s so amazing—it can tell if people are satisfied with the scrambled eggs I took away. I have no idea where that plate of eggs went, but it somehow knows.” Ji Rongxia whispered softly beside Gu Tangjin.

“It truly is remarkable.” Gu Tangjin found himself increasingly unable to discern what this little imp actually was.

Even if he couldn’t figure it out, he intended to make good use of it.

“System, help me discreetly take a small piece of pork hind leg. About the size of a palm will do. Slip it into my hand,” Ji Rongxia instructed, winking at Gu Tangjin for emphasis.

Gu Tangjin silently set down the firewood he was holding and stood up, blocking the entrance to the stove room.

Using Gu Tangjin’s back as cover, the Cooking God System placed a palm-sized piece of pork hind leg onto Ji Rongxia’s hand.

Ji Rongxia suddenly felt a weight in his hand—the fresh meat had appeared. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed.

Far from having any gamey or foul odor, the meat carried a faint, delicate fragrance.

The fragrance was so subtle that Ji Rongxia couldn’t immediately identify the scent.

He mentally inquired, “This is strange. System, what’s the deal with this meat’s aroma?”

The Cooking God System explained, “This premium pork carries an extremely faint nutty fragrance. When stir-fried, it yields a refreshingly savory and aromatic flavor.”

Ji Rongxia couldn’t even remember how many times he’d been surprised today.

“So, about my reward—that hatchable egg—is the breed anything special?” Ji Rongxia’s little brain whirred as he quickly added, “Don’t give me some weird chicken with seven or eight wings and five or six legs, okay?”

Cooking God System: “…”

The host’s imagination is truly vivid!

“Rest assured, Host. I’ll ensure you survive to become a culinary god—no bizarre ingredients for you. The egg I’ve selected will only hatch a high-yielding egg-laying chicken. Its appearance won’t differ much from native chickens in your world.” The Cooking God System painted a rosy picture for the host in advance, “See how perfect this chicken is for raising? So, Host, do your best to complete the task.”

This time, Ji Rongxia swallowed the system’s promises whole without hesitation!!!

“Got it!”

But even after swallowing the pie, real sustenance was still needed.

“Tangjin, go inside and fetch the chili peppers we’re drying by the window—just one will do.” Ji Rongxia nudged Gu Tangjin. Instantly, the seal broke. No longer blocking the doorway, Tangjin headed outside to retrieve the chili.

The chili peppers Ji Rongxia referred to were the ones Gu Tangjin and he had selected for seeds. Though the seeds had been removed, they couldn’t just discard the peppers. Instead, they’d quietly placed a stool beneath the window, laid a clean sheet of paper over it, and arranged the chili peppers on top. By opening the window just a crack, they could sun the peppers discreetly.

Before the day had even arrived, the chili peppers Gu Tangjin had brought over were already shriveling from the sun.

Ji Rongxia sliced the pork leg thinly, marinating it with a touch of soy sauce and salt. He chopped fresh green garlic into sections and minced the chili peppers. After a moment’s thought, he retrieved several Sichuan peppercorns and a small piece of scallion, finely chopping the latter. The pork had no gamey flavor, so Ji Rongxia decided against adding ginger.

Mimicking Gu Chuncai’s stir-frying technique, he first poured oil into the wok. Once hot, he stir-fried the meat, then lifted the slices out. Next, he added the minced chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and scallions to sauté until fragrant. After the aroma was released, he tossed in the green garlic and stir-fried it. Finally, he returned the cooked meat slices to the wok, adding a splash of soy sauce, salt, a dash of vinegar, and a pinch of Sichuan pepper powder. After two more tosses, the dish was ready to serve.

While Ji Rongxia cooked, Gu Tangjin wasn’t idle, tending the fire. The steamed buns from this morning had sold out, leaving only some leftover rice. The rice had cooled slightly, so Gu Tangjin steamed it briefly.

The clumped rice separated nicely with the steam, tasting almost as good as freshly steamed.

“Wonder if it’ll taste good,” Ji Rongxia murmured, inhaling deeply. The rich aroma of the dish filled him with satisfaction.

“It’s bound to be delicious—it smells amazing.” Gu Tangjin dished the rice into bowls.

The midday sun was fierce, so they didn’t eat in the courtyard but instead went to the eatery.

Gu Chuncai had chilled some rice wine in well water. A little sip at noon would help them nap and sleep more soundly later.

Rice wine was expensive. Though Gu Chuncai enjoyed a drink, he didn’t indulge often. Today was special, wasn’t it? That’s why he wanted to have a little.

“Today’s the day Xia-ger starts cooking. Since it’s just family, we won’t make a big deal out of it. Let’s just have some rice wine to celebrate. What do you think, Xia-ger?” Gu Chuncai asked.

“Sounds good. A whole jar of rice wine costs forty wen! My coming-of-age day must be precious indeed, worth that much money,” Ji Rongxia said with a laugh.

A hint of a smile flitted across Gu Chuncai’s stern face. “You bet it is.”

“Then I’ll pour Xia-ger a full cup first.” Gu Tangjin picked up the wine jar and poured rice wine for Ji Rongxia.

Then Gu Tangjin filled his parents’ cups and his own.

“Eat up. The dishes are getting cold. Try Xia-ger’s stir-fried eggs.” Yao Tianlan picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the scrambled eggs.

The eggs were tender and slightly cooled, just right for eating. Yao Tianlan preferred her scrambled eggs soft, and these were perfectly to her liking.

“Delicious,” Yao Tianlan said. “You should try these scrambled eggs, too. Old man, I think Xia-ger’s cooking is much better than yours.”

“Well, that’s even better,” Gu Chuncai muttered. “What’s that called again?”

Running out of words, he glanced at his son.

“The pupil surpasses the master,” Gu Tangjin interjected.

“Yes, that’s it!” Gu Chuncai nodded.

He picked up a forkful of the scrambled eggs and tasted them. They were surprisingly good. Though he personally preferred his eggs a bit firmer, he had to admit these were delicious.

Gu Chuncai: “These eggs are better scrambled than mine.”

“No, no. Not nearly as good.” Ji Rongxia felt a bit embarrassed and lowered his head to sip the rice wine in her bowl. The rice wine wasn’t very intoxicating and had a subtle sweetness that Ji Rongxia enjoyed.

Gu Tangjin also tasted the scrambled eggs first. They weren’t heavily seasoned, just the pure flavor of the eggs themselves, yet there was no hint of a fishy taste.

“Delicious.” Gu Tangjin looked at Ji Rongxia with gentle, encouraging eyes.

Ji Rongxia suddenly didn’t care to ask the system whether their praise was genuine. Even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter.

“Let’s eat the meat. Everyone, eat the meat! It won’t taste good once it cools.” Ji Rongxia picked up a piece of stir-fried pork himself.

The flavor of the meat slices was exactly as Ji Rongxia had imagined—fragrant, spicy, and savory. Despite the absence of minced ginger or wine, the meat was completely free of any gamey taste. It was chewy yet tender, filling her mouth with satisfying richness with every bite. Moreover, it wasn’t greasy at all. Savoring it carefully, she detected a faint, subtle sweetness and a unique aroma.

“Delicious. This is perfect with liquor.” Gu Chuncai took two bites and downed half a bowl of wine in one gulp, thinking to himself that this was a flavorful accompaniment.

“Don’t drink so much. Eat more rice.” Yao Tianlan, however, found the dish more suited to rice than liquor. She placed a piece of meat and a segment of green garlic on top of her rice, then used her chopsticks to wrap the meat around the rice before popping it into her mouth. The flavor was truly exceptional.

Golden scrambled eggs, salty and spicy green garlic stir-fried with pork slices, fragrant steamed rice, paired with slightly chilled rice wine.

The four of them ate until they were stuffed, leaving not a crumb of food or a drop of rice wine behind.

Today’s stir-fried pork was so fragrant that all four barely exchanged words, just buried their heads in eating.

“This is pork, right? How can it be so fragrant? Even better than what you cook, old man.” Yao Tianlan still seemed a bit reluctant to stop eating.

Gu Chuncai smacked his lips, also savoring the memory of that stir-fried pork: “Xia-ger’s cooking is superb. Heaven rewards those who work hard.”

Ji Rongxia scratched his head, feeling somewhat undeserving of the praise. The deliciousness of the stir-fried pork wasn’t just due to his skill, but also the quality of the ingredients.

“Father, Mother, we’ll tidy up here first. You two go rest. We’ll take turns resting later,” Gu Tangjin interjected.

Yao Tianlan, having drunk wine and eaten her fill today, was already feeling sleepy. Tangjin’s suggestion made her drowsiness worse.

She yawned as she stood up and replied, “Alright, your father and I will go to bed first.”

Gu Chuncai also stood up. After a moment’s thought, he said to Ji Rongxia, “Xia-ger, these next few days I’ll teach you how to make braised pork belly and braised fish. Once you’ve mastered them, you can prepare them at the restaurant.”

“Got it, Dad,” Ji Rongxia replied promptly.

He could actually become a real chef!

Seeing his willingness to learn, Gu Chuncai felt a warm glow of satisfaction. Thinking that Xia-ger could eventually take charge of the kitchen, he felt much more at ease. Even if he and his wife were no longer around one day, their two children would still be able to live well.

The elders retired for the night, and Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin began clearing the dishes.

Ji Rongxia washed the dishes while Gu Tangjin fetched a basin to water the cucumber seedlings. With the hot weather, they needed watering to grow properly, and the taro plants also required tending.

“Xia-ger, we need to set up a trellis for the cucumbers.” After watering, Gu Tangjin crouched down and measured the length of the cucumber seedlings with his palms. They were nearly two palms long—it was time to build a support.

“A trellis? I don’t know how to make one. How do we do it?” Ji Rongxia asked blankly. The rice wine had made him drowsy, making his reactions a bit sluggish.

“It’s not hard. Stick two bamboo poles on either side, tie them together at the top, then lay another pole across. We’ve planted two rows of cucumbers, so just let them climb up both sides of the poles.” Gu Tangjin hadn’t been reading those farming manuals for nothing lately.

Ji Rongxia: “Sounds pretty simple.”

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin dug out some old bamboo poles and hemp rope.

The two of them clumsily erected a row of trellises.

Gazing at the vibrant green cucumber seedlings and bamboo trellis, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin could already imagine how crisp and delicious the future harvest would be.

“Ancient times had Wang’s plum tree to quench thirst; now we have Xia-ger and me gazing at the trellis to satisfy our cravings,” Gu Tangjin mused softly.

Ji Rongxia withdrew his gaze and smacked Gu Tangjin’s chest with his shoulder in triumph. “No wonder we’re destined to be husband and husband.”

Both of them laughed.

After Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan slept for a short while, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin finally returned to their room for a brief nap.

After a short rest, both felt refreshed and energetic.

Four blocks east of the Gu Family Restaurant lies a night market. Evening diners outnumbered lunchtime patrons, and Ji Rongxia easily sold nine portions of scrambled eggs, barely meeting his task requirement.

【Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing your task.】

【Task reward has been disbursed. Please collect.】

Ji Rongxia excitedly clenched his fist in quiet triumph.

Once the rush was over and he returned to his room, Ji Rongxia eagerly retrieved the eggs from the system space to examine them closely.

These eggs were larger than ordinary ones, plump and adorably round.

“We sold way too many scrambled eggs today. We’ll have to take them off the menu tomorrow,” Gu Tangjin teased.

“Huh? Why?” Ji Rongxia asked, puzzled, cradling the plump, adorable eggs.

“You used over eighty eggs today. Dad also used about ten for stir-fries and soups as toppings. That’s already over a hundred eggs. With this heat, the chickens aren’t laying well. Uncle Zheng can only bring us fifty eggs a day, but today we used two days’ worth. Of course, we have to take it off the menu!“ Gu Tangjin explained.

”Oh, I see. I was so focused on cooking. Hmm, running a restaurant really is a big undertaking. I still have a lot to learn.” Ji Rongxia nodded repeatedly.

”It says the chicks hatched from these eggs will be great layers. Maybe someday we won’t have to worry about eggs again.” Ji Rongxia’s eyes twinkled as she cradled the eggs in her hands like precious treasures.

Gu Tangjin ruffled Ji Rongxia’s hair. “Then we’ll wait until the weather cools down to hatch them.”

Ji Rongxia hurriedly had the Cooking God System take the eggs back, his little face filled with concern.

“Right, right! It’s too hot now. We wouldn’t want our eggs to get ruined by the heat!”