“How could my luck be this bad? Why did I have to draw this assignment?” Ji Rongxia sighed as he selected spices. It wasn’t that the assignment was bad; it was just too difficult.

Ji Rongxia gazed at the braised pork on the white porcelain plate and sighed with the air of a doctor: “I don’t think I’ll be able to score more than 95% on this dish.”

On the round plate, a slice of taro alternated with a slice of braised pork. The taro had been deep-fried and held its shape perfectly, layered tightly with the marbled pork slices, forming a smooth, bowl-like shape.

Hmm, it looks quite impressive.

But the completion rate is only 32%!!!

“I don’t think I’ve gotten such a low score in a long time,” Ji Rongxia said, shaking his head. Cooking God System: “Just a little heads-up for the host: this is the hardest dish out of the twenty.”

The difficulty lies in this spice blend.

A good spice blend recipe is something that can be passed down through generations.

Asking the Host to perfectly replicate it right now is admittedly a bit of a tall order, but if it weren’t difficult, how could they cultivate a Culinary God? Many of his previous Hosts barely scraped by.

“Thanks for letting me know,” Ji Rongxia replied listlessly. He rubbed his chin and said, “But even if I can’t replicate it perfectly, I’ll still be able to make this dish in the future. Once I’ve grown the taro, the restaurant can sell it.”

He still remembered the taste of the perfect finished dish he had sampled.

The taro had absorbed the savory richness of the meat broth without losing its own sweet, delicate flavor, while the marbled slices of meat, enhanced by a blend of spices, had achieved a rich, aromatic texture.

He had never imagined before that taro and meat could go so well together.

It was so delicious he wanted to take a few more bites, but unfortunately, he was only allowed one. What a feeling this was.

He wished he hadn’t even tasted that single bite.

He felt this was his second-favorite dish, second only to the mouth-watering chicken that suited his taste so perfectly!!! Unfortunately, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to take this second-favorite dish home with him.

Although Ji Rongxia knew he might not be able to achieve a completion rate of over 95%, he still had to get to work. He tried again and again, making adjustments each time.

He did his best to recreate the flavor of the taro and braised pork belly he’d just tasted.

“Host, half an hour is up,” the Cooking God System reminded him, keeping strict track of the time. Ji Rongxia put down the small plate he was holding: “Huh? That fast?”

“Well, that’s it for today. We’ll continue tomorrow. Little Chef, I’m heading out.” Ji Rongxia yawned. He had to get up early tomorrow, so he needed to get some sleep tonight.

Cooking God System: “Goodbye, Host.”

Ji Rongxia left the space and snuggled closer to Gu Tangjin. Gu Tangjin reached out and wrapped his arm around Ji Rongxia’s waist.

Neither of them spoke; they fell asleep in perfect harmony. 

The next day.

Ji Rongxia jumped out of bed: “Wake up, wake up, it’s time to get up, Tangjin. We’re going out.”

“Mm. Okay, I’m getting up.” Gu Tangjin opened his eyes.

At Ji Rongxia’s urging, Gu Tangjin got dressed and washed up.

Ji Rongxia went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, while Gu Tangjin checked on the sprouting taro and fed the two chubby puppies. Today, Ji Rongxia didn’t plan on making anything complicated.

It had been quite a while since they’d had tofu, so Ji Rongxia bought a block of hot tofu from the street vendor. He heated a little lard in a pot, stir-fried some chopped scallions and ground pork until cooked, then added hot water, a pinch of salt, and some Sichuan pepper powder. He diced the tofu and added it to the simple broth, then beat in two eggs. The pork, egg, and tofu soup was ready.

Yesterday, he had baked quite a few crumbly pancakes; this morning, he just had to pan-fry them briefly before eating.

Though not as good as when they were fresh out of the oven, they still tasted decent.

Yesterday, they told Yao Tianlan and Gu Chuncai that they were going to the provincial capital today.

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin hadn’t been up long, but Gu Chuncai and Yao Tianlan were already up.

“Alright, your mother and I will handle these chores. Have breakfast early so you can head to the pier and catch the boat sooner—that way, you won’t get too hot and uncomfortable on the way,” Gu Chuncai said.

Gu Tangjin: “Dad, Mom, please remember to water the taro, cucumbers, and chili peppers. Oh, and this patch of mats is where we’re growing taro sprouts. We’ll be back in a few days, and by then they should have sprouted.”

“Got it. Is there anything else you need to tell us?” Yao Tianlan asked patiently.

“Oh, right. I told my brother and the others to get some more wooden basins. My brother said he’d send them over in a few days. If we haven’t returned by then, Mom and Dad, please help harvest them.” Ji Rongxia tilted his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly said.

Gu Chuncai: “Hmm, is that all? Think it over again—make sure you haven’t left anything out.”

Yao Tianlan went to the kitchen to bring out the food: “Old man, don’t worry. Let’s eat first. You can think it over slowly while you’re eating.” By the time they finished their meal, neither Ji Rongxia nor Gu Tangjin could think of anything else.

He taught his parents how to make braised pork.

The green corn was temporarily stored back in the system space. He’d already explained the small tasks like watering.

“I guess that’s about it,” Ji Rongxia muttered as he hoisted an empty wicker basket onto his back.

The empty wicker basket was just for cover; he’d already quietly stashed all the food he’d prepared into the system’s storage space. But he couldn’t walk away empty-handed—after all, he couldn’t arrive in the provincial capital with nothing to show for it.

Once there, he could conjure up crumbly pancakes, Pan-fried buns, and taro paste glutinous rice balls…

Carrying a large wicker basket with a lid made everything look perfectly normal.

Gu Tangjin was carrying a large wicker basket as well, filled with all sorts of odds and ends. The two set off together from their home.

The smile never left Ji Rongxia’s face.

“Have you ever been on a boat?” Gu Tangjin asked gently.

“No, there’s a pier right outside our county, but I’ve never actually taken a boat. Isn’t that kind of strange?” Ji Rongxia found it odd even as he said it. It really was strange—the pier wasn’t far from him, yet he’d never once taken a boat.

“I spend my days helping out at home or setting up a stall to sell little wooden carvings. I rarely even go south of the city. No wonder I’d never seen you before. You’re so handsome—if I’d seen you before, I’m sure I would’ve remembered you. I wouldn’t have had to wait for Matchmaker Ding to set us up!” Ji Rongxia said, tilting his head with a playful grin.

For some reason, hearing Ji Rongxia say this stirred a pang of sadness in Gu Tangjin’s heart. He felt a twinge of pity for Xia-ger.

Although Juren Zhao’s original intentions in taking him to the provincial capital to study weren’t exactly noble, it did allow him to see a lot of the world. Of course, his parents’ financial support played a big part in that—he was still very fortunate.

“We’ll need to help our little master find more stones to recharge in the future. Then we won’t just be taking boats—we’ll be riding in carriages, and who knows, maybe even on horses.” Gu Tangjin didn’t say anything particularly profound; he simply painted a picture of a very likely future for Ji Rongxia in a matter-of-fact tone.

These words were far more effective than any comfort; Ji Rongxia’s already elated mood lifted even higher.

“Wow! That’s right—I don’t know how to ride a horse. I’ll have to learn then. Do you know how?” Ji Rongxia tugged at Gu Tangjin’s sleeve and asked curiously. Gu Tangjin nodded. “I do. I can teach you.”

The Cooking God System detected the keyword “Little Chef” and automatically emerged from its semi-dormant state, overhearing the conversation between the host and his partner.

Hmm, the host’s partner is really reliable—they’ve even thought of that.

Ji Rongxia followed up on Gu Tangjin’s suggestion: “Great. Hey, maybe we could sneak a few cows or lambs back with us then. I wonder if that’d work? I’m worried the system might assign us cattle and sheep to raise, and we wouldn’t have an excuse. I’ve heard there are lots of cattle and sheep in the Northern Frontier—I wonder if they taste good.”

“Hmm, then we’ll have to work hard and try to save up for a farmstead. Otherwise, even if we do get cattle and sheep, we won’t have anywhere to keep them.” Gu Tangjin nodded earnestly in agreement.

Cooking God System：“……”

There was no need to think that far ahead.

The two whispered to each other, imagining things that hadn’t even begun to take shape yet, finding joy in their own little world.

“Right, right. I think so too. Once we get back from the capital, I want to tweak the menu a bit and make some of my signature dishes.

Take those shrimp dumplings, for example. I can’t replicate the wrapper, but I can still adjust the filling to work here. Shrimp is pretty cheap around here, though peeling them is a bit of a hassle…”

Ji Rongxia was quite the planner.

His cooking skills weren’t quite up to par yet, but he could manage to whip up some edible dishes. Once they returned from the provincial capital, he’d update the menu, serve up some fresh dishes, attract more customers, and work hard to save up some silver!

“I’ll leave it all up to you. I don’t know anything about this,” Gu Tangjin admitted honestly.

Ji Rongxia chuckled. “Of course. If you knew everything, what would I be here for? My culinary talent is exceptionally high.”

He still remembered what the Cooking God System had told him: his culinary talent surpassed that of 99% of the population!

As they chatted, they soon reached the vicinity of the pier.

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin had arrived early, but the pier was already bustling with merchants and boats coming and going. In summer, the Qingchi River flows freely, and there is an especially large number of boats and people traveling along it.

Around the pier, there were many street vendors setting up stalls, as well as men who had come early to find manual labor.

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin even spotted an acquaintance—Lin Dongshan, crouched in a corner, expressionless as he munched on a flatbread.

Lin Dongshan noticed someone watching him. He instinctively followed the gaze and saw Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia. A look of surprise and delight flashed across Lin Dongshan’s bright eyes, only to be replaced by a hint of resentment.

Yes, that’s exactly the kind of resentful look you get from a laborer who’s toiled all day and still can’t eat what he wants. 

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin: “……”

The two had originally intended to go over and say hello, but now they merely gave Lin Dongshan a polite smile before quickly slipping away!!!

“What’s going on? Seeing a regular customer, I feel a little guilty,” Ji Rongxia said, patting his own thin little chest.

Gu Tangjin bit his lip to stifle a laugh. He ruffled Ji Rongxia’s hair and said, “It’s just that our Xia-ger is too responsible.” Ji Rongxia nodded. “You’re right. I am too responsible. It pains me to see a regular customer not enjoying their meal.”

The Cooking God System silently returned to its semi-dormant state.

Tons of dog food had no effect on the Cooking God System—it might as well stay dormant!

There were no fewer than a dozen daily boat trips from Qingchi County to the provincial capital. Gu Tangjin cast a casual glance around, then took Ji Rongxia by the hand and walked toward a familiar boatman.

“Xiucai Gu?” The boatman standing by the pier, calling out to passengers, looked up at Gu Tangjin with a look of surprise and delight. Gu Tangjin said familiarly,

“Boatman Feng, it’s been a long time.”

“Right, right. It really has been a long time—almost two years now. Are you heading to the prefectural city?” Captain Feng had ferried Gu Tangjin back and forth between the county and the prefectural city countless times; even after nearly two years apart, he recognized him instantly.

Boatman Feng’s gaze flicked briefly and almost imperceptibly over Gu Tangjin’s legs, betraying a hint of regret. But it was only for an instant; Feng quickly averted his eyes.

Gu Tangjin didn’t mind at all; he was all too familiar with such looks. Regret and pity were actually the better kind.

“Yes, to the provincial capital. This is my Fulang, Xia-ger.” A smile crept into Gu Tangjin’s eyes and brows as he mentioned Ji Rongxia. Boatman Feng: “Oh, Xia-ger, I know him. I’ve heard he’s a great cook—I’ve heard that.”

He wasn’t just making it up. With all the comings and goings at the dock, he’d actually heard people say things like how good Xia-ger’s cooking was, or how delicious the food was at Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia’s breakfast stall—though it was a bit pricey.

Boatman Feng quickly pointed to his boat: “My boat’s docked over there. We’re just ten or so people short of setting sail. You guys go wait there—once we’ve got enough people, we’ll set off. The price hasn’t changed: eighty wen per room.”

His boat wasn’t very large; it had a total of ten partitioned rooms and one large communal sleeping area.

If you wanted a private room, it was eighty wen a day for a maximum of two people; the communal sleeping area was twenty wen a day. Xiucai Gu, accompanied by his Fulang, was likely looking for a private room.

The journey from Qingchi County to the prefectural capital takes a whole day. It would be far too exhausting without a place to lie down and rest, so many people take this kind of boat for the round trip.

“Hmm, thank you.” Gu Tangjin didn’t linger to catch up with the crew; he carefully helped Ji Rongxia onto the boat. A young man stood by the bed, collecting the fare, helping with the luggage, and making sure no one slipped and fell into the water.

That young man was the second son of Boatman Feng.

“Young Boatman Feng,” Gu Tangjin said.

Feng Erlang wasn’t much of a talker, but he was a burly, good-natured fellow. Seeing the huge wicker baskets they were carrying, he said, “Mr. Xiucai, let me help you carry them.”

“No, no, thank you,” Gu Tangjin quickly waved his hands to refuse.

If they handed over that rattan basket to anyone else, their secret would be immediately exposed.

In fact, if someone had closely observed the boat’s draft as they boarded, they might have caught on to something.

But Feng Erlang wasn’t the type to notice such details. He grinned and handed Gu Tangjin a small key: “The third room on the left. Be careful.” 

Gu Tangjin carefully helped Ji Rongxia onto the boat. Ji Rongxia moved with agility and ease, finding his footing effortlessly.

The “ground” beneath his feet felt wobbly—quite different from standing on solid land. Ji Rongxia found it novel, but didn’t feel any discomfort.

Seeing this, Gu Tangjin breathed a sigh of relief. Among the miscellaneous items he was carrying were seasickness powder and water he had prepared in advance. If Ji Rongxia felt seasick, at least he was prepared.

Once they reached the room, Gu Tangjin unlocked the door with a small key. The doorway was so narrow that even he had to bend over to enter, though Ji Rongxia could just barely slip through upright. Curious, he stood on tiptoe—only to bump his head against the doorframe the very next moment.

Gu Tangjin had just stepped inside to put down his things when he turned and saw this scene—it was truly a case of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“Come on in. Captain Feng’s Fulang is very particular about cleanliness. He always keeps the boat in impeccable condition—not just scrubbed spotless, but any minor damage is repaired immediately. He’s different from other boatmen. They don’t cram people into the communal sleeping quarters either; once there are over forty people on board, they set sail. It’s very safe.”

Although running a boat is their livelihood, there are those who don’t take good care of them. Families like the Fengs, who cherish their boat so much, are few and far between.

The Feng family’s boat is quite famous around here. Even though their fare is a bit higher than others, if you don’t arrive early, you won’t even get a seat!

“No wonder you like riding this boat so much, Tangjin.” Ji Rongxia had already taken a stealthy look around while outside. The boat wasn’t large or particularly special, but it was very clean, as if it had just been swept.

The interior was well-kept as well. The small cabin contained only a bed made of planks, with two pillows and a rattan mat on it, along with two small stools, all neatly arranged.

“Captain Feng steers the boat very steadily. The people working with him are his relatives; they’re all honest, hardworking folk. When I was young, I used to get so seasick I’d throw up, and they were the ones who looked after me. I was lucky to spot this boat from the outside and see how clean it was, so I decided to board it. It turns out I made the right choice.”

“You still get seasick? After traveling back and forth so many times, how miserable must that be for you?” Ji Rongxia asked with a touch of concern.

He grew even more disgusted with Juren Zhao. How difficult it must be for a scholar from a humble background to pursue his studies! The hardships endured just along the way were countless, and now he had to deal with a mentor like this.

He really wanted to grab the man and beat him up!

Gu Tangjin brushed it off casually: “It was really bad at first, but I’m feeling better now.”

“Look, we even have a little window here. We can open it to let some air in,” Gu Tangjin said, shifting the subject somewhat awkwardly.

Ji Rongxia thought to himself, Don’t think I didn’t notice—Tangjin just doesn’t want me to worry about him. 

Still, Ji Rongxia obediently went to look at the window, which was no bigger than his two palms.

“What a tiny window!” Ji Rongxia’s eyes lit up. He walked over and carefully lifted the window from the bottom up, propping it open with a small wooden stick tied to the frame.

Wow, it’s so tiny!!!

Neither his Father nor his older brother ever made a window this small.

Ji Rongxia held his hands up to compare—sure enough, it was only about the size of his two palms.

There were two small windows like this in the room, one on each side, letting in a little light into the somewhat dim space.

Gu Tangjin saw that he was so easily captivated by the windows and had started playing with them. He smiled and shook his head, then began to pack up his things. He carefully checked the bedding for bugs before taking two old, heavily patched pieces of cloth out of his backpack.

He spread one over the bed frame and used the other to cover himself, then took out two smaller pieces of old cloth to use as pillowcases.

“Although the boat is kept clean, you can’t rely on the passengers who aren’t so particular about hygiene. It’s safer to use my own cloth.” Gu Tangjin finished making the bed, sat down on it, and said, “If we leave now, we’ll reach the prefectural city just as dusk falls.”

“Tangjin, didn’t you say it would take two days by boat to travel back and forth between the prefectural city and the county? How can we get there by nightfall?” Ji Rongxia asked curiously.

Gu Tangjin replied, “I said it takes two days round-trip. Since we’re traveling downstream now, it’s naturally faster, but the return trip will be slower. Add in the time for walking and waiting for the boat, and it all adds up to two days.”

“There’s no curfew in the prefectural city these days, so we can even stroll through the night market when we get there. Their night market is very different from ours—here, the night market winds down by the hour of Zi before the curfew, but the one in the prefectural city stays open all night long.”

“All night long? The whole night? Good heavens, don’t they ever sleep?” Ji Rongxia still remembered how his head had felt like it was about to explode the last time he stayed up late.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to stay awake all night. It must be awful.

Even when the Cooking God System was buzzing wildly in his head, it never stopped him from getting a good night’s sleep every day!

Gu Tangjin patiently explained, “We have to work during the day, so naturally we can’t really go without sleep. Some people don’t have to work during the day. Others make a living at the night market and sleep during the day—that’s the only way they can keep going. A few years back, the capital city had a curfew, too. Now that the court is stable, they’ve lifted the curfew in some major cities. After being suppressed for so long, once the restrictions were lifted, many people just loved to go out and have fun.”

“There’s plenty of good food over there. It’s hot in the summer now, so the night market has all kinds of cold dishes, plus watermelon. Slices of watermelon are laid out on the stalls—they look so pretty with their red and green colors, and they taste great too.”

Ji Rongxia perked up at the mention: “Let’s go check it out then. I’ll tell my young master to cut our evening lessons short—just half an hour—so we can free up some time to go have fun.”

Gu Tangjin had actually intended to take Ji Rongxia out to play when he mentioned this, so of course, he agreed: “Sure.” Before long, Boatman Feng had gathered enough passengers, and they set sail about half an hour later.

Though they could only sit in the cabin, Ji Rongxia didn’t feel bored. Gu Tangjin was telling him all about the city, making him so excited he didn’t even notice how dull it was to be cooped up in the cabin.

The two of them chatting together was actually quite fun!

At noon, the two shared a crumbly pancake and ate two pieces of the taro paste cakes Ji Rongxia had made the day before.

The recipe for these taro cakes was simple: knead glutinous rice flour into a dough with hot water, wrap it around taro paste, press it into round cakes using a mold, and steam them in a pot. He had borrowed the mold from the Liu family’s pastry shop.

The taro cakes taken from the system storage were still warm; the glutinous rice hadn’t hardened at all and remained just as soft, chewy, and sweet!

The two of them also secretly drank milk and ate beef jerky and chili sauce. After all, there were only the two of them in the small room; once they closed the window, no one could see them, so they could sneakily eat the chili sauce and beef jerky and drink the milk!

After finishing their afternoon snack, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin curled up on the bed, which was a bit cramped for the two of them, and took an afternoon nap.

The boat glided across the water, rocking gently like a cradle, and Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin soon drifted off to sleep.

Before going to sleep, Gu Tangjin made sure to lock the doors and windows. He also handed their silver and valuables to Ji Rongxia, instructing him to secretly stash them in the system space. After all, silver doesn’t take up much space, and with no valuables on their persons, the two could now sleep with relative peace of mind.

Before going to bed, Ji Rongxia muttered to himself, “I’ve done nothing but play today—I haven’t gotten any work done. I wish I could go to the young master’s place and practice my cooking skills for a while.”

Then, when he regained consciousness, he found himself in the system space.

The Cooking God System boasted gleefully, “Host, I sensed your call. You activated the system space during the day. It’s just that your consciousness isn’t as stable during the day as it is at night, so entering the system space takes a bit of energy. Luckily, it hasn’t rained much lately, so I’ve managed to recharge a bit using solar energy, so it’s still manageable.”

The cloud-shaped Cooking God System flickered: “Host, are you surprised?! Are you happy?!” 

Ji Rongxia: “……”

He, he was just saying that!!!