The next day, Jiang Jiankang and Wang Xiulian got up early to open the family eatery. Originally, Jiankang's Healthy Snacks didn't serve breakfast, but under the "enormous pressure" of debt, Jiang Jiankang decided to give up sleeping in and work hard to make money, to lay a solid foundation for his grandson's future in the culinary business.
Although Jiang Feng's cooking skills were not bad, at least as a youngster, he was personally taught by the old comrade Jiang Weiguo, Jiang Jiankang still felt that his own son was not cut out to inherit his mantle just by looking at his slim build.
A thin young man might indeed be pleasant to look at in today's aesthetic standards, but certainly not a good choice for a chef.
In Jiang Jiankang's opinion, each of his three nephews had what it took to be a chef, but unfortunately, when their talents were added together, they still didn't measure up to Jiang Feng.
Feeling a slight regret that Jiang Feng, who could have improved the Jiang Family's tall and plump genes, would not become an outstanding chef, Jiang Jiankang began the day's business.
...
As Jiang Jiankang's only son, Jiang Feng had inherited his fondness for sleeping in.
At ten o'clock, the alarm clock went off punctually. Jiang Feng expertly turned it off with his eyes closed but was completely awakened by a notification sound in his mind.
"Ding, an optional side quest has appeared, please select through the player's choice."
Lying in bed and squinting, he opened the panel, and sure enough, there was a change in the side quest column.
Side Quest: (Optional)
1. [Father's Wish] While Jiang Jiankang is proud of his son's tall and thin figure, he is also worried about his son not being robust enough. Please help fulfill the father's wish by becoming a tall, thin, and strong man. [Select: YES/NO]
2. [Mother's Wish] Wang Xiulian has always hoped to have a gentle, understanding, and slim daughter-in-law. Please help fulfill the mother's wish by finding a gentle, understanding, and slim girlfriend. [Select: YES/NO]
3. [Neighbor's Wish] Chen Duxiu's daughter, Chen Xiuxiu, has recently been obsessed with dieting to lose weight. Please help fulfill the neighbor's wish by assisting Chen Xiuxiu in returning to a normal diet. [Select: YES/NO]
Jiang Feng: ...
He silently chose NO for the first task and YES for the third, relatively normal task, while keeping the second task pending. Although he didn't know why Mrs. Wang Xiulian had such strange requirements for a future daughter-in-law, it was undeniable that he needed a girlfriend.
If only girlfriends could be assigned in games.
Side Quest: (Optional)
1. [Mother's Wish] Wang Xiulian has always hoped to have a gentle, understanding, and slim daughter-in-law. Please help fulfill the mother's wish by finding a gentle, understanding, and slim girlfriend. [Select: YES/NO]
2. [Neighbor's Wish] Chen Duxiu's daughter, Chen Xiuxiu, has recently been obsessed with dieting to lose weight.
Quest Hint: Due to extreme dieting and induced vomiting, Chen Xiuxiu has begun showing signs of anorexia. Please hurry.
Quest Reward: Unknown
Chen Xiuxiu was actually showing signs of anorexia from excessive dieting. Jiang Feng frowned slightly and closed the panel.
There were two buns left in the pot, saved for his breakfast by Wang Xiulian. Sitting at the dining table, Jiang Feng quietly ate the slightly cool buns while pondering how to get Chen Xiuxiu to resume a normal diet.
In a certain sense, Chen Xiuxiu could be considered Jiang Feng's childhood friend. She was a year younger than Jiang Feng and, because she came from a single-parent family and her father was busy with work, she used to get her lunch and dinner at Jiang Feng's family eatery. Under the loving care of Mr. Jiang Jiankang, Chen Xiuxiu had grown up to be tall and plump, a typical characteristic of the Jiang Family.
Now that he thought about it, Jiang Feng realized he hadn't seen Chen Xiuxiu for over a year. For neighbors who had known each other for many years, this was certainly abnormal.
After finishing breakfast and getting dressed, the clock pointed precisely to ten-forty. Walking to the eatery at eleven o'clock was precisely when it was busy and needed extra hands and delivery staff. It was summer vacation, and cheap student labor was hard to come by, so they had to rely on free family labor.
As he pushed open the door to the eatery, the first table he saw was occupied by Chen Duxiu and a slightly plump young woman.
It was Chen Xiuxiu.
Chen Xiuxiu, who used to be mistaken for Jiang Feng's cousin when playing with him and his three elder brothers, now had transformed so drastically that the phrase "shedding skin and flesh" wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her.
On the table were four dishes, all specialties of Mr. Jiang Jiankang.
Seeing Jiang Feng walk in, Chen Xiuxiu nodded slightly toward him, still with an unsmiling face.
[A plate full of color, aroma, and flavor – Kung Pao Chicken]
[A plate of roasted green chilies with perfect fire control]
[A plate of slightly salty Nine Turns Intestine]
[A plate of refreshing stir-fried diced lotus root]
Mr. Jiang Jiankang could only make Nine Turns Intestines a few times a year, so some imperfections were normal.
"Xiuxiu, this intestine dish was specially made by your Uncle Jiang just for you. Just try one bite, just one," urged Chen Duxiu.
"I don't want to eat!" Chen Xiuxiu said in a lowered voice, her face filled with impatience, "I told you I'm on a diet, and you still bring me to Mr. Chen's restaurant and order so much food! Are you trying to make me fat to death?"
"Every day you drink plain porridge at home and practice yoga. How can your body take it? You were perfectly fine, and ever since you started university, you've been talking about dieting. You're already thin enough; you don't need to diet!" Chen Duxiu continued to urge her with a kind voice.
"It's so hot these days, it's normal not to want to eat greasy food." Seeing that a father-daughter conflict was about to erupt, Jiang Feng stepped in to smooth things over, "Have some diced lotus root; I'll go smash some cucumbers for you."
Since she was little, Chen Xiuxiu's dinner always began with a smashed cucumber.
They were the only table of customers in the restaurant, so Jiang Feng didn't need to attend to anything else and walked straight into the kitchen where he was greeted by a blast of heat.
Mrs. Wang Xiulian was washing vegetables and tried to shoo him out when she saw him.
"What are you doing here? It's so hot. Isn't Xiuxiu outside? You should go and talk some sense into her dad. It's normal for a young girl to want to be beautiful and to diet. Who forces someone to eat? Also, have you seen the dishes your dad cooked? They're so oily and greasy; I can't even eat them."
The overperforming Mr. Jiang Jiankang: ...
"I think Xiuxiu looked good before, even if she was a bit chubby, she appeared much more robust," Jiang Jiankang muttered softly, expressing his nostalgia for the once larger Chen Xiuxiu.
Jiang Feng skillfully took a cucumber washed by Mrs. Wang Xiulian, peeled it, cut it, and then smashed it with the back of the knife.
"I'm smashing a cucumber for her," Jiang Feng explained.
He dressed it with vinegar and then added Mr. Jiang Jiankang's special chili oil, carrying the polished and clean plate out of the kitchen.
[A neat plate of smashed cucumber]
Placing the smashed cucumber in front of Chen Xiuxiu, she continued to sulk with her dad and stubbornly refused to pick up her chopsticks.
"Child, didn't you love smashed cucumber when you were little?" Chen Duxiu started to get anxious when he saw Chen Xiuxiu still refusing to eat.
Chen Xiuxiu lowered her head and wouldn't look at him.
The stalemate between father and daughter continued for a bit, and the restaurant began to fill up with customers. Jiang Feng started waiting on them, continuously taking menus to the kitchen.
"Ding, you've gained 3 experience points." Hearing the notification, Jiang Feng instinctively looked at Chen Xiuxiu.
She was eating the smashed cucumber.
"Feng, could you please pack this up for us?" Chen Duxiu asked helplessly.
Jiang Feng went to get the takeout boxes and saw Chen Xiuxiu picking up another chopstick full of smashed cucumber.
"Ding, you've gained 3 experience points."
One would gain experience points when others ate the food he made.
Jiang Feng came to a conclusion in his heart.
Chen Duxiu had to leave for something, leaving only Chen Xiuxiu sitting in her place, helping Jiang Feng pack the dishes into boxes.
"It's not that I look down on Uncle Jiang's cooking," Chen Xiuxiu asked in a muffled voice, "I'm just afraid if I start eating, I won't be able to control myself anymore."
"Dieting by starving yourself is bad for your health," Jiang Feng said, "And making yourself vomit is even worse."
Chen Xiuxiu didn't say anything, just picked up the takeout box and left.