Hii guyss, been a month since I updated the stories under me, sorry for that. I’ll upload five chapters each. To be honest, since this site is new, the uploading interface isn’t quite user-friendly, so it was such a drag to do it. I didn’t see the announcement from Admin saying that if we give them access to the files and say which chapters to upload, then they’ll do it. Since I don’t have to upload, that means the schedule will be consistent. Thanks for waiting!

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“Why are you staring at me? Look at these shrimp dumplings—they’re actually translucent. They’re so pretty.”

Gu Tangjin finally managed to tear his gaze away from Xia-ger’s face and shift it to the shrimp dumplings on the counter.

The shrimp dumpling wrappers were crystal clear and indeed very beautiful.

Ji Rongxia shoved the disposable chopsticks in his hand into Gu Tangjin’s: “You should try one. This batch has reached a 96% completion rate—the flavor is almost perfect. See if you like it.”

Gu Tangjin picked up a shrimp dumpling and popped it into his mouth.

First came the springy wrapper; once bitten through, the aroma of fresh shrimp filled his mouth, complemented by the crisp bamboo shoot pieces. It was so delicious that after eating one, he couldn’t resist reaching for a second.

“The flavor is unique—it’s delicious,” Gu Tangjin said.

Ji Rongxia lifted his chin even higher. “Right? Right!! These crystal shrimp dumplings aren’t just pretty to look at—they taste great too. It’s just that they’re such a hassle to make, and we don’t have any wheat starch. We could try making the filling for these dumplings, though. The flavor is truly delicious.”

Gu Tangjin picked up a shrimp dumpling with his chopsticks and held it to Ji Rongxia’s lips.

Ji Rongxia opened his mouth and took a bite.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t changed our breakfast menu in ages. We’ve been selling pan-fried buns for days now; I’d like to try something new.”

Gu Tangjin swallowed the shrimp dumpling and asked, “What do you want to sell? Jianbing?”

The three snack recipes they’d obtained were pan-fried buns, crumbly pancakes, and jianbing.

They’d already made the pan-fried buns and crumbly pancakes.

But they’d never sold jianbing before.

Ji Rongxia said, “I’m not sure if I can make the bread properly. I’ll need to practice. If we make them fresh on the spot, it’ll take too long. We’d also have to get a small stove, and we’d have to move the stove outside to set up the stall—it’s a bit of a hassle.”

Ji Rongxia had never tried making thin flatbreads from batter, so it would be a bit difficult for their breakfast stall to offer this.

It currently takes them less than half an hour to set up their stall, which is just right; if it took too long, it would interfere with their breakfast and other chores.

“I was thinking that if it doesn’t work out, we could just bake some flatbreads, cut them open in the middle—kind of like making jianbing—spread some sauce inside, and fill them with stir-fried meat and vegetables to sell.” Ji Rongxia had already memorized the recipe for shredded pork. Although the ingredients weren’t readily available, he was confident he could recreate about three or four parts of the original flavor.

It would be just like a jianbing guozi—stuffing meat and vegetables inside and letting customers choose their fillings. If he didn’t feel like making stir-fried shredded pork, he could always switch to other meats and vegetables.

Gu Tangjin agreed, “That’s a good idea.”

As they discussed, they unconsciously finished a plate of crystal shrimp dumplings.

After rinsing their mouths with green salt and lying back down on the bed, Ji Rongxia prepared to quietly re-enter the system space to complete his task.

Wow, he’d only studied for less than half an hour today—he could learn a bit more.

Just as Ji Rongxia was thinking this, Gu Tangjin grabbed his hand.

His attempt to sneak away was interrupted, and Ji Rongxia flinched instinctively.

He slowly turned his head to look at Gu Tangjin.

Gu Tangjin gave him a faint smile: “Trying to sneak off?”

Ji Rongxia gave a charming smile: “I haven’t been studying for very long. I’ll only continue for half an hour. After this half-hour, I’ll definitely get a good night’s sleep.”

He was going to become a culinary god! How could he not work hard?

Just think about it—while other cooks were sleeping, he was practicing. Hehe, he felt a little proud of himself.

He was even cooking while others were sleeping.

“Alright, go to bed early. Don’t stay up too late.” Gu Tangjin had just wanted to give him a gentle reminder, but Xia-ger’s little “caught in the act” expression was just too adorable.

Gu Tangjin closed his eyes first.

Ji Rongxia glanced at him a few more times. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes too, silently wishing to return to the system space.

Once he felt Ji Rongxia’s breathing had steadied, Gu Tangjin opened his eyes again and gazed intently at his little Fulang for a while before closing his own eyes to rest.

“I’m back!” Ji Rongxia said, hands on his hips. “Come on, the third dish!”

Cooking God System: “Yes, Host.”

【Third Dish: Braised Pork (Red Braised Pork).】

【Tip: A simplified recipe follows: Blanch pork bones to remove scum, add scallions and ginger, then simmer over low heat to make a clear broth.】

【Caramelize sugar: Crush rock sugar, heat oil in a pan, add the rock sugar, and stir-fry until it turns golden brown.】

【Select spices such as angelica root, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, cassia bark, cardamom, fennel seeds, Chinese cardamom, dried tangerine peel, and star anise to make a spice pouch. Boil it briefly in hot water, then transfer it to the clear broth. Add an appropriate amount of salt and caramelized sugar, and simmer the braising liquid over low heat.】

【Once the ingredients are prepared, cook them in the braising broth, and it’s ready.】

【Please taste the finished dish, Host.】

“Oh my god, this… this seems even harder!” Ji Rongxia stared blankly at the long list of spice names, feeling like he wanted to grab the system and beat it up!

This braised meat is practically the polar opposite of the crystal shrimp dumplings from last time.

One relies on a light, subtle flavor to create deliciousness.

The other relies on a rich, intense flavor to create deliciousness.

Ji Rongxia scratched his head: “I finally understand why this mission only requires a seasoning accuracy rate of over fifty percent. It’s so hard.”

The Cooking God System reassured him, “Don’t worry, Host. You can take your time with this mission. If you run into a problem, don’t panic. Just set a small goal and do your best to achieve it. Your completion rate for the first two dishes is already over 95%. Even if this one fails, your average will still be passing!”

“That makes sense.”

Ji Rongxia rolled up his sleeves, picked up his chopsticks, and prepared to taste the glossy, succulent, deep-red braised pork in front of him.

“Then I’ll set a small goal—let’s aim for 60% on this dish.”

At least that would get him a passing grade.

With that in mind, he picked up a piece of braised pork hock.

He chose braised pork because he was most familiar with its flavor, followed by beef; he wasn’t at all familiar with other meats. The flavors of the meats provided by the system were all over the place. If he happened to bite into one with a distinctive aroma and mistook it for the seasoning, it would seriously skew his judgment.

He took a bite of the braised meat. The texture was tender and succulent, with a savory, spicy, and refreshing flavor—the pork practically danced on his tongue.

“This would definitely go great with rice,” Ji Rongxia remarked.

If such fragrant meat could be paired with freshly steamed white buns, the taste would surely be exquisite.

Unfortunately, he could only savor this one bite; after that, he’d have to get back to work!!!

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At the Shi household.

Tao Xingsheng returned home in the middle of the night.

Shi Fulang brought him a bowl of porridge kept warm on the stove and a small piece of salted fish.

Tao Xingsheng wolfed down the porridge and salted fish, and only then did he feel a little better.

Shi Fulang boiled some water for him to soak his feet.

Shi Fulang cleared away the bowls and chopsticks and asked, “You won’t have to work the night shift tomorrow, will you?”

“Yeah, I don’t have to work the night shift anymore this month,” Tao Xingsheng replied. “Brother Gu invited me to drink at his restaurant, and I accepted.”

“When? What’s the occasion?”

Tao Xingsheng: “The night after tomorrow. Xiucai Gu and Xia-ger want to buy a couple of plots of land and thought they’d ask me. I asked the guys on the night watch today, and I’ll ask around some more tomorrow.”

“Buy land? Xiucai Gu and Xia-ger haven’t been running their breakfast stall for very long, have they?” Shi Fulang looked at Tao Xingsheng with astonishment.

“It might be money they saved up from before; I didn’t ask too many questions,” Tao Xingsheng said.

“I heard today that the Ji family was asking around to see if anyone was selling land. I thought they were the ones looking to buy, but it turns out it’s Xia-ger and Xiucai.”

He said just that much, and the conversation ended there.

Shi Fulang wasn’t one to listen to gossip. He’d been big and burly since childhood, and working at the mill had made him even stronger than the average man. Unlike the dainty young gers, he’d been the subject of plenty of backbiting when he was younger, so once he grew up, he stopped gossiping about others.

Tao Xingsheng was used to his husband’s temperament. He said, “Old Gu is a reliable guy. I can’t drink much, so to be honest, I’m just going to enjoy some good food. I’ll bring back some treats for you and Yue when I get back—Old Gu’s cooking is top-notch.”

“You haven’t even gone to the banquet yet, and you’re already thinking about bringing the gift basket home? Who does that? You’re something else.” Shi Fulang glared at him in mock reproach.

Tao Xingsheng laughed heartily. He rubbed his nose and asked, “No word yet from Matchmaker Ding?”

“It’s not that easy to find a son-in-law. It’s hard enough to find someone decent, let alone someone good.” Shi Fulang sighed.

When they took Tao Xingsheng in, they only gave him five coarse-flour buns!

Times have changed; finding a suitable match is no easy task.

“We’ll just have to take our time looking.” Tao Xingsheng had no other options; he’d been asking around but hadn’t heard anything promising either.

The couple chatted for a while before going to sleep.

Today, Gu Chuncai went to see Tao Xingsheng openly, and the Ji family had also spread the word to gather information—many people now knew the Gu family wanted to buy land.

But not everyone was as calm and composed as the Tao family.

Liang Laoniang heard that Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia were planning to buy land, and she was so furious she couldn’t sleep a wink all night.

She’d originally thought of following that cripple’s example and selling pan-fried buns to make some silver, but who knew she’d end up with nothing but trouble instead of money.

She calculated how much silver Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin must have saved up these past few days—it felt as if they were snatching her money away, making her miserable.

“Stop tossing and turning,” Old Man Liang said, slapping the bedframe and shouting angrily. “You’ve been tossing all night. What are you trying to do? Are you going to work tomorrow or not?”

Liang Laoniang flinched, but she still retorted, “I just can’t stand it. How come that cripple has such good luck? Back then, he was a brilliant student—he passed the exams to become a Xiucai, and we couldn’t compare to him. Now that he’s crippled, he’s still managed to save up enough money with that deaf man to buy land. I’ve worked so hard all these years, and I haven’t even managed to buy a single plot of land.”

She’d accepted not being able to keep up with him in the past, but now she still couldn’t measure up. Why was her life so bitter?

“We live in the county seat—why are we even thinking about buying land?” Old Man Liang said nonchalantly. He had no desire to toil in the fields for a living, and besides, the Liang family still had relatives in the countryside; buying grain and such was quite convenient.

“You’re so short-sighted,” Liang Laoniang glared at Old Man Liang with hatred. How could she have married such a narrow-minded man?

Her eyes darted about. She thought to herself, if she wasn’t going to get her way, she certainly wouldn’t let that cripple and that deaf man have it so easy!

The next day, Liang Laoniang took a few pieces of brown sugar to bribe her two grandsons and the neighborhood children who had come out to play.

With candy in hand, the children obediently followed Liang Laoniang’s lead.

As soon as they saw the Gu family’s eatery open, the children scurried over.

Ji Rongxia hadn’t quite figured out why the children had come running over, but he was always very patient with kids, so he instinctively curved his lips into a smile.

The children mimicked Gu Tangjin’s limping gait.

They clapped and laughed as they imitated him.

Liang Dabao still had a piece of sugar in his mouth, speaking with a slur: “Lame Gu, Lame Gu, Lame Gu who walks with a limp!”