Chapter 372: Huge Progress
In the afternoon, the girls still didn’t want to go to school. After filling their bellies, they were too lazy to return to their rooms for more gaming, so they settled in the living room to watch movies. They had already gone through all the sixth-grade courses anyway, so it was high time for some relaxation!
Naturally, Jiang Kekai couldn’t be bothered to lecture them. In a rare turn of events, she decided to join in the fun, ditching work for a movie marathon, snuggling with Xia Yu.
But like all good things, their fun time flew by too quickly. As the school bell rang, Xia Yu was once again sent off to learn her craft from Master Chen. There was no way she could skip this class… and she certainly didn’t dare to!
Entering the kitchen, Xia Yu quickly found Master Chen, who was surprisingly in a good mood today—much better than yesterday. After a moment’s hesitation, she bravely approached, asking, “Master Chen, what’s my task for today?”
Master Chen, engrossed in an old notebook with yellowed pages, looked up when he saw Xia Yu. Without a second thought, he handed the notebook to her, saying, “This is from your senior brother. Take it home, memorize it, and don’t let us down.”
Xia Yu: “……”
Is it really that serious? I’m just trying to learn to cook for myself and Sister Little Ning, not trying to win a championship or prove anything! Xia Yu felt her mentor and senior brother were being a tad dramatic.
But… it was their good intentions, after all.
So, she took the notebook and said earnestly, “Thank you, Master. Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Flipping it open, she discovered it was indeed a cookbook, detailing every step of each recipe—a priceless treasure for anyone wanting to learn cooking.
But… it’s such a waste for me to have this! Xia Yu knew her place.
Since she didn’t have any grand ambitions—those were better left to Sister Little Ning, who could handle all the serious stuff while she slacked off—she decided to take it.
Noticing Xia Yu’s attitude, Master Chen wasn’t bothered by her lack of ambition. “Since you’ve chosen to be my apprentice, I’ll share my secrets. How far you go in your skills is your own business; who you’re doing it for is also up to you. Now, try making the dishes in this book and let me taste the results.”
“Wait? I get to cook again?”
Xia Yu still remembered her first cooking attempt, where Master Chen had spit out her dish without hesitation and berated her in front of everyone until she nearly quit!
“Exactly. Keep going and make all the dishes in it. If you can’t finish today, finish up tomorrow, but I want to taste it as soon as it’s done.”
Xia Yu: “……”
He’s so ruthless! If I have to make the dishes, then I suppose I will. Taking a deep breath, Xia Yu flipped to the first page. The chefs here have skills that put mine to shame! I can’t boss them around; they have their own tasks. So, she sourced her ingredients, washed them, and chopped them herself.
After days of training, Xia Yu’s kn*fe skills had improved significantly, though still nowhere near the level of professional chefs. But hey, any progress in this short time is pretty impressive.
Lights on—
With some frantic cooking, Xia Yu produced her first dish in half an hour.
Though the chefs were busy with their own tasks, Xia Yu was using Master Chen’s cookbook to whip up a storm! Any little tricks she could pick up would be a win.
Unbeknownst to her, many pairs of eyes were watching as she worked, but Master Chen let them be. If all it took was watching to make good food, he’d be impressed!
“Master, the first dish—spicy boiled beef—is ready! You… give it a taste.”
Once she called Master Chen over, Xia Yu even handed him the chopsticks, standing by with bated breath, bracing for criticism. After all, she’d been scolded before, so she was ready for it.
Master Chen took the chopsticks, nabbed a slice of beef, and to everyone’s surprise, instead of launching into his usual critique, turned to the other chefs: “You all come over and try this. It’s Xia Yu’s work—let her hear your opinions.”
Ooh, tasty! The chefs had been itching to try Xia Yu’s spicy beef, and with it looking so delicious, they wasted no time grabbing their chopsticks, fearful that if they were slow, they wouldn’t get any!
With over twenty chefs, those chopsticks would vanish in no time.
It was one thing for just Master Chen to critique, but now he was passing judgment from the others too, and they could be unabashed about it.
This made Xia Yu feel she might just embarrass herself.
A total disaster! Let’s hope they go easy on me now.
“Mm, the taste is pretty good; the beef is cut evenly and cooked just right.”
“Spicy, numbing, fresh, fragrant—all the flavors are there; Xia Yu is making great progress! You’ve got this old crew a little scared now!”
“Yeah, same here! I thought Xia Yu would flop again, but here we are with a delicious dish!
……
Listening to their praises, Xia Yu gradually regained her confidence. Could it really be that good? Must be the cookbook working its magic, she thought. Xia Yu didn’t notice that Master Chen beside her was beaming with pride. His apprentice is progressing so fast; what more could a teacher ask for?
Nope, all this was just Master Chen wanting to show off, bragging about his good apprentice!
After a good laugh, Master Chen’s still Master Chen—not letting Xia Yu get too carried away: “Well done, but you’ve got to speed up. It took you half an hour to make one dish; keep that in mind for next time.”
Xia Yu: “….. Yeah, I’ll pay attention moving forward.”
“Alright, onto the next dish! Focus and do it well.”
“Yes, sir.”
……
Meanwhile, Summer Ling, unable to contain her curiosity, pinned Jiang Hanhang on the couch, grinning mischievously as she probed, “So, who is that person?”
“Nope, not telling, not telling!”
The more Summer Ling pressed, the more Jiang Hanhang resisted, shaking her head and struggling beneath.
Jiang Hanhang had never seen Summer Ling like this—not obsessing over someone so much that she resorted to force! Good thing Sister Little Ning and Xia Yu weren’t home.
Creak—
The front door swung open, and in came Xia Le, fresh from school, holding an adorable purebred Golden Retriever. Awkward!
