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Gu Tangjin was splitting large chunks of wood into smaller pieces.

Some of the firewood here consisted of small twigs, dry leaves, and straw for kindling.

Some of it consisted of large logs that needed to be chopped into smaller pieces for easier burning.

If they bought pre-chopped wood, the price would double, so the restaurant always bought large logs and chopped them themselves. Now that they had plenty of money, they could consider buying pre-chopped firewood for the next batch.

By the time Ji Rongxia arrived, Gu Tangjin had already split a small pile of firewood.

Ji Rongxia took a handkerchief from his bosom, stifling a smile as he stepped forward to wipe the sweat from his brow.

“Still laughing? Step back—don’t get hurt.” Gu Tangjin’s exposed arm muscles tensed, but he carefully relaxed his grip and set the axe down on the chopping block.

“Got it.” It would’ve been fine if he hadn’t said anything, but now that Gu Tangjin had mentioned it, Ji Rongxia found himself wanting to laugh even more.

“Well then, I’m off to the kitchen to work. You ‘go for it’ with the chopping.” To encourage Gu Tangjin, Ji Rongxia even used a phrase the Cooking God System was particularly fond of.

Gu Tangjin shook his head helplessly and chuckled softly, showing no sign of being upset.

Ji Rongxia hummed a tuneless little tune as he entered the kitchen, only to realize that his own work was almost done!

In that case, he might as well practice flipping the wok some more.

Ji Rongxia set himself a task.

Compared to Gu Chuncai, his wrist strength was relatively weak.

Two of the pots in the kitchen were built into the stove; these were mainly used for stewing and deep-frying, so there was no need to toss them at all.

The remaining four stove burners all required pots to be placed on them; tossing the wok made the stir-fried dishes taste even better. At first, Ji Rongxia could only choose the two lighter cast-iron woks in the restaurant to use, but now he could toss any of the restaurant’s cast-iron woks—though he still struggled with the heavier ones.

Today, Ji Rongxia treated it as if he were out having fun, so he was tossing the pans with extra vigor.

After chopping firewood, Gu Tangjin went to check on the oil they’d saved up over the past few days. Rain was actually a good thing for them; if it were hot and dry, fires would easily break out.

Over the past few days, they’d already collected quite a bit of oil, and Gu Tangjin checked on it from time to time—even today, despite the rain, was no exception.

When would he finally be able to put his mind completely at ease—once he’d given all the oil to Diao Kaipeng?

They went to bed early that night. When Ji Rongxia entered the system space, he said, “I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve done a seasoning quest.”

The Cooking God System couldn’t help but remind her, “Host, it’s only been one day since you last did one.”

Sometimes the Host’s drive was truly terrifying.

It even made the system feel ashamed by comparison.

Ji Rongxia said in puzzlement, “So it’s only been one day since I did a mission? It feels like it’s been ages. Well, let’s get started right away then.”

“Okay, Host,” the Cooking God System replied.

【Dish #15: Braised Beef Brisket with Tomatoes.】

【Tip: Here’s a simplified recipe: Cut the tomatoes into chunks and set aside. Place the beef brisket in a pot and boil until half-cooked, then cut into small pieces. Heat oil in a pan, add scallion segments, bay leaves, garlic, star anise, fennel seeds, and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant; then remove them from the pan. Add the beef brisket pieces and stir-fry, then deglaze with Shaoxing wine. Add water and simmer. Add the tomato chunks, then season with a pinch of salt, pepper, sugar, and MSG. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft and tender.】

【Please, Host, try the finished dish.】

“Tomatoes—this is a new food!” Ji Rongxia’s curiosity piqued, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the braised beef brisket with tomatoes.

It was tender and delicious, yet still had a satisfying chew. The tomato broth had a tangy flavor, but adding a pinch of sugar mellowed the acidity considerably. The tangy broth had been infused into the beef brisket—with every bite, the meat was rich and flavorful without being greasy. If only he could pair it with a bowl of freshly steamed white rice and pour the broth over it, that would be even better!

Of course, in reality, Ji Rongxia could only take one bite.

But he could take a bite of a fresh tomato.

And that’s exactly what he did.

Ji Rongxia picked up a red tomato from the stove and took a bite.

“This fruit is so delicious,” Ji Rongxia said, falling in love with it after just one bite.

Sweet and tangy, juice burst out the moment he bit into it.

“It’s precisely because they’re so delicious that these berries were selected for cultivation,” the Cooking God System said. “Most worlds go to great lengths to ensure they have enough to eat. Of course, there are also small worlds that don’t care much about food culture.”

“So if you come across one of those small worlds, Little Master, what will you do?” Ji Rongxia asked curiously, still munching on his tomato.

“We’d cultivate a Culinary God to spread culinary culture there, then collect the culinary products produced by that small world after the Culinary God arrives. Actually, small worlds like this have their advantages—unrestricted by conventional thinking, they often produce all sorts of strange and wonderful delicacies. For example, in one small world I visited, they created a delicious seasoning made from insect shells. In another small world, they came up with a delicious nutritional supplement—the flavor changes with every bite, though it looks a bit like thick snot.”

Ji Rongxia:“???”

Since he was still munching on a tomato, Ji Rongxia quickly changed the subject: “Well, those berries are really tasty, but they’re too soft—they’re hard to store and transport, aren’t they?”

The Cooking God System replied, “That’s true. That’s why some worlds have bred tomato varieties with thicker skins, ensuring they won’t easily burst even if dropped on the ground. However, the flavor has deteriorated somewhat. There are also some small worlds that have improved their transportation technology, allowing for damage-free transport…”

Ji Rongxia listened while silently finishing three tomatoes.

“Time to get to work.” Ji Rongxia clapped his hands, resisting the urge to eat a fourth one.

After all, he was here today to practice seasoning, not to have a meal.

Once Ji Rongxia got serious, his progress on the task shot forward at lightning speed.

In less than one hour, Ji Rongxia successfully concocted a nearly perfect braised beef brisket with tomatoes.

【Ding. Testing shows the seasoning for the braised beef brisket with tomatoes is 98% complete. Since it exceeds 95%, a special reward has been triggered.】

【Ding! Special Reward: The detailed recipe for the beef brisket stewed in tomato sauce seasoned by the Host, as well as the recipe for the perfect beef brisket stewed in tomato sauce.】

“Congratulations, Host. You’re one step closer to completing the mission,” said the Cooking God System.

“Thanks. I’m only five dishes away,” Ji Rongxia encouraged herself. “Another five or six days and I’ll be done.”

He didn’t linger any longer; he said goodbye to the Cooking God System and headed out.

After a good night’s sleep, the next day, with thoughts of going home on his mind, Ji Rongxia deftly prepared the ingredients and then began washing the noodles and making liangpi.

Gu Tangjin, meanwhile, cleaned the courtyard and then fed Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei.

Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei had grown a little more; thankfully, the doghouse Gu Tangjin had built was spacious enough for them to live in even as they grew.

The two puppies whimpered and circled around Gu Tangjin’s feet.

Even Gu Tangjin couldn’t resist reaching out to pet the fluffy heads of Xiao Hei and Xiao Huang, one after the other.

A smile played on Gu Tangjin’s face: “Good puppies. Eat up nicely, and someday you’ll be able to protect me and Xia-ger.”

Ever since the two puppies had come to their home, they’d been well-fed and well-cared for. They’d grown sturdy and plump, with glossy coats, but they hadn’t really proven their worth yet. They were a bit slow on the uptake, and it was unclear how capable they’d be of guarding the house and yard in the future.

Xiao Hei and Xiao Huang were oblivious to their owners’ worries and hopes; they were happily wagging their tails, delighted to receive a pat from Gu Tangjin.

Ji Rongxia had prepared liangpi; they hadn’t made any other breakfast that morning, so this was all they were having.

The two set off together for the Ji family’s house. On the way, they discovered that Pei Laofulang’s shop had already been sold. Workers were there renovating the outdoor tea pavilion and the interior of the shop. Upon seeing this, the two tore down the notice posted at the entrance of the eatery and then continued on their way to the Ji family’s house.

As luck would have it, they ran into Wang Laofulang of the Zhang family again, but this time, as soon as Wang Laofulang spotted Ji Rongxia from a distance, he slipped away, as if afraid of being seen by him.

“He sure ran fast,” Ji Rongxia frowned, suddenly recalling how Zhang Tongsheng had fled just as quickly the last time he saw them, terrified they’d beat him up. It really was true that birds of a feather flock together.

They arrived early; when the two of them got there, Hong Yuelian and the others were still having breakfast.

“Perfect timing! I made this liangpi myself—it’s fresh off the press. Go ahead and help yourselves. I brought it in a big wooden bowl, so just scoop it into your bowls,” Ji Rongxia said, having used a wooden dough-kneading bowl to serve the liangpi, worried there wouldn’t be enough for everyone.

It was a huge basin—there was more than enough for everyone.

Hong Yuelian didn’t even know what to say. This boy always brought so much food whenever he visited, but judging by this, her son must be doing quite well in the Gu family. This marriage really was a good match.

“Look at you—bring a little less next time. Just a taste is enough.”

Ji Rongxia pulled Gu Tangjin over to sit on the wooden stools Ji Ronghu had brought for them.

Qian Xuecheng also brought them some roasted sunflower seeds for them to snack on.

Ji Rongxia knew exactly how to handle his mother, so he said with a smile, “Mom, you guys eat first. I’ve got something I want to ask you later.”

“Something to ask? Then hurry up and eat.” Hong Yuelian stopped beating around the bush and told everyone to help themselves to the cold noodles.

Cao-ger and Xiao He had been staying at the Ji family for a while, so they’d become more relaxed at mealtimes. Although they were still a bit reserved, at least they weren’t as timid as they’d been at first, when they hadn’t even dared to serve themselves any food.

The liangpi was so delicious that they managed to polish off an entire large plate in a single sitting.

Ji Ronghu even dipped his steamed buns in the last of the broth.

Once they’d eaten their fill, Ji Ronghu and his father went off to work, while Cao-ger and Xiao He went to weave cloth.

Hong Yuelian pulled Ji Rongxia behind the folding screen and had him and Gu Tangjin sit on the edge of the bed.

Qian Xuecheng brewed some tea for them.

Qian Xuecheng said, “Don’t just munch on sunflower seeds—have some tea, or your mouth will get dry.”

As Ji Rongxia sipped his tea, he eyed Qian Xuecheng’s stomach, which appeared only slightly rounded.

It looked more like the curve of someone who’d just eaten a big meal, though.

Qian Xuecheng didn’t seem embarrassed by his gaze and said, “It’s still early—it can’t show that fast.”

“It’s still early?” Ji Rongxia felt like it had already been a long time—when would he finally get to be an uncle?

“Go ahead, what’s on your mind?” Seeing him lost in thought, Hong Yuelian quickly reminded him to get to the point.

“Oh, right. Our restaurant is looking to hire two helpers to serve dishes, wash dishes, and do odd jobs. Mother, do you know of anyone suitable? It’s not urgent—we can find someone later—but they need to be hardworking and not have any ulterior motives,” Ji Rongxia said.

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin had briefly discussed this before coming over. They decided not to mention the workshop for now—not because they didn’t trust their parents, but because there were so many members of the Ji family around, and it wouldn’t be good if word accidentally got out. If it were just their own family and didn’t involve Wu Baoquan, then of course they could talk about it freely—it wouldn’t matter. But now that they’d signed a contract with Wu Baoquan, they needed to be more careful.

So they simply said they were hiring staff for the restaurant.

After all, they were genuinely looking for two suitable assistants.

Ji Rongxia added, “The pay is negotiable. Currently, in the county, a day laborer at an eatery or restaurant earns about one guan a month. My husband and I are willing to add five hundred wen. But they must be hardworking and obedient.”

From now on, outsiders would certainly not be allowed into his kitchen, so paying a little extra wasn’t a problem—as long as they could guarantee the workers were reliable.

“If you put it that way, I actually do know someone suitable. That person is grateful for your kindness and has been very good to us as well,” Hong Yuelian said hesitantly.

Seeing his mother like this, Ji Rongxia’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “Who is it, Mother? Just tell me—why are you beating around the bush? I don’t remember ever doing anyone a favor. The way you’re talking, you’ve got me all confused.”

“Well, it’s that…” Hong Yuelian suddenly didn’t know how to bring it up.

She was usually straightforward, but with her son-in-law present, she found it hard to bring up Yu Shi’s sordid affairs.

Seeing this, Qian Xuecheng had a pretty good idea who it was, so he laughed and said, “Xia-ger, I’ll be straight with you—don’t get angry. That Mrs. You hasn’t been heartless and rotten to the core for the first time. Back when she saw a handsome ger and her husband had a crush on him, she made up a story that the ger was seducing her husband. Didn’t she have two sons at the time? Those two little rascals even testified for her, saying they saw the ger taking off his clothes. The ger was so enraged he ended up hanging himself.”

As soon as Ji Rongxia heard this, he stopped munching on his sunflower seeds, furrowed his brow, and said, “There’s more to this story? No one ever told me about it. If I’d known, I definitely wouldn’t have let them off so easily!”

Originally, Pei Laofulang and the others had already sold their shop and left—out of sight, out of mind—so Ji Rongxia had considered the matter settled. He never expected this man to have spoken such slander more than once!

“How is that ger doing?” Gu Tangjin asked. Judging by Fulang’s tone, the ger must still be alive.

Qian Xuecheng sighed. “He was rescued, but he doesn’t like to see anyone. He’s shut himself away—sometimes confused, sometimes lucid. His parents were both angry and worried, and since they were getting on in years, they passed away not long after.”

“Fortunately, the four children in that family are kind and loyal. The youngest refused to marry and has been taking care of her third older brother all this time. The two who are married often send them financial support, and they even left their parents’ old house for the two of them to live in.”

“They figured that if things didn’t work out, they’d just let them live like that. In the future, they’d adopt a child for them. As long as they had this house to fall back on, even if that child turned out to be unfilial, they wouldn’t have to worry about no one taking care of them in their old age or seeing them off when they passed.”

Hearing this, Ji Rongxia grew even angrier, his face flushing red: “What kind of nonsense is this? Why is it that the innocent ones are the ones who’ve fallen ill, while they’re still living it up just fine!”

Gu Tangjin soothed Ji Rongxia, saying, “It’s precisely because they’re heartless and don’t care about others that they don’t get angry or harm their own health.”

“It really is true that good people don’t live long, while scoundrels live for a thousand years,” Ji Rongxia muttered, taking a deep breath.

Hong Yuelian quickly smiled and said, “Xia-ger, don’t get so worked up. That Mrs. You offended the county magistrate. Even though the magistrate didn’t press charges, you know full well how many people are eager to curry favor with him. There are plenty of people willing to do the magistrate’s bidding. Before long after the news spread, no one dared to hire Young Master You for any work. He was so furious that he went home and beat Mrs. You. Now they’re constantly fighting—it’s been a huge commotion. It wasn’t until the neighbors beat them up that things calmed down a bit. Now they don’t even dare show their faces in public.”

Ji Rongxia’s anger instantly subsided: “That’s more like it.”

Forget all that talk about retribution after death—it’s much more satisfying to see retribution while one is still alive. In any case, Ji Rongxia didn’t see anything wrong with it at all.

“With the You family in this state, Zhen’er is doing much better—he’s no longer confused, and now he can even go out for a walk from time to time. You don’t know that Zhen’er is a skilled weaver; these past few years, whenever he’s been lucid, he’s been weaving. Shen Siniang isn’t very skilled, but she’s hardworking and quick on her feet, so she’s taken on some work washing people’s clothes and bedding—otherwise, we wouldn’t have made it through all these years.”

“Cao-ger and Xiao He, you know I’ve also taken on weaving jobs from the fabric shop for them, right? Yesterday, when I took Cao-ger to deliver the goods, we ran into them. Zhen-ger even taught Cao-ger some weaving techniques. At first I wondered, ‘Who could be so kind?’ But then I realized—I’d seen these two before. They were among the crowd that came to our house the other day trying to make connections. They’d been here, but they just bought a comb and left without saying a word.”

Hong Yuelian asked, “I think Shen Siniang is quite good—she’s hardworking, doesn’t talk much, and knows her place. What do you think, Xia-ger and Tangjin?”

“I think she’s great!” Ji Rongxia thought to himself that since Zhen’er has excellent weaving skills, he probably wouldn’t be willing to come work here as an employee; he was even considering hiring him as well.

He looked at Gu Tangjin, who said, “It sounds good, but we still need to meet her in person.”

Hong Yuelian quickly interjected, “If you think she’s a good fit, I’ll let them know and have her drop by the restaurant when she has a chance. You can see if she’s a good match.”

Ji Rongxia smiled and said, “Thank you for your help, Mother.”

With that settled, Ji Rongxia returned home with Gu Tangjin.

After making pot-roasted pork and sweet-and-sour carp today, they were left with a large pot of oil.

Ji Rongxia suddenly remembered he hadn’t tried making fried dough sticks yet.

However, seeing so much leftover oil, Ji Rongxia decided to wait a little longer—until the matter with the scented soap was settled and he could give the oil to Diao Kaipeng. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough space to store it all.

Diao Kaipeng had been coming by frequently these past few days to discuss the scented soap business with Gu Tangjin. He’d even had the molds made in advance—they were the kind with upper and lower halves that could open and close, so there was no need to split the mold open to remove the soap, and the molds could be reused.

There were two sets of these molds: one featuring various flower shapes, and the other featuring various pastry shapes.

As soon as the molds were opened, the scented soap would take the shape of various flowers and pastries.

Not only that, but Diao Kaipeng had also researched some coloring materials, planning to make the scented soap even more attractive himself when the time came. He had already purchased various types of flower petals in advance and arranged with a goat-raising family to supply goat’s milk, intending to boil it and add it to the scented soap to see how it turned out.

Seeing how dedicated Diao Kaipeng was, Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin both felt a little embarrassed; taking a 50 percent cut while doing nothing was really too easy for them.

On the eve of the scented soap’s final drying, Ji Rongxia’s task was finally complete!

Over the past few days, he had prepared Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Boiled Cabbage, Stir-Fried Pork with Mushrooms, Kung Pao Chicken, and Four Joy Meatballs—all quite challenging dishes—and it took him a full six days to finish them all!

Ji Rongxia listened to the system’s notification sound with a hint of satisfaction.

【Ding. Upon inspection, the seasoning of the Four Joy Meatballs is 97% complete. Since it exceeds 95%, a special reward has been triggered.】

【Ding! Special Reward: The detailed recipe for the Four Joy Meatballs seasoned by the Host himself, as well as the recipe for the Perfect Four Joy Meatballs.】

【Ding! The Basic Skills Module’s Beginner Seasoning Task has been completed.】

【Seasoning pass rate exceeds 97%.】

【Mission Reward: Ten spins on the Seasoning Wheel.】

【Seasoning pass rate exceeds 97%, triggering a special mission reward: 10 spins on the Sauce Wheel.】

Ji Rongxia:“?!”

“Does that mean I can spin the sauce wheel too?” Ji Rongxia asked excitedly.

What a pleasant surprise!

Cooking God System: “Yes, Host, you can spin the wheel now!”

The Cooking God System emphasized, “And you can spin the wheel twenty times!”