"""
The holiday time always slipped away quietly.
Three days passed in a row.
During this spring break, Xia Yu didn't spend it sleeping in. On the contrary, he lived a very disciplined life, waking up at eight every morning to clean the restaurant, occasionally cooking breakfast for himself, and then burying himself in studying recipes.
"Magic Mapo Tofu" was his current challenge.
In fact, Xia Yu was able to make a delicious plate of Magic Mapo Tofu on the first day, but the system only gave it a rating of 30.
So, the unwilling Xia Yu dove into research, working day and night, using up all the tofu ingredients every day. By this noon, he could already make Magic Mapo Tofu with a system rating of 60.
He also served it to the old man for tasting. The old man's surprised look made Xia Yu secretly pleased.
But the question was, where exactly was the glowing dish?
"There's still half of the ingredients left..."
Xia Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his mind a bit muddled. He felt it necessary to summarize the failures of the past few days. He took off his apron and chef's hat and went outside, enjoying the evening breeze while taking a look at the Tokyo sky.
"The tofu is definitely not a problem. Top-notch quality."
"Maybe there's an issue with the soy meat..."
He frowned tightly.
Recalling the plot from "Cooking Master Boy."
Soybeans are known as the meat of the field, so soy meat isn't actual meat.
According to the original storyline, "soy meat" is actually made by soaking soybeans in water, boiling them in broth, then crushing and flattening them, and re-seasoning with sauce. This step was crucial, as the meat's deliciousness depended on the sauce.
Finally, the seasoned soybean paste was fried in oil to completely concentrate the meat's flavor in the paste.
It was simple to describe, but each step was full of details, and the heat was extremely difficult to control.
At least to make the fried soy meat as crispy as in the animation, Xia Yu couldn't manage it yet.
"Traditional Mapo Tofu is a combination of spicy, fragrant, colorful, hot, and numbing, while Magic Mapo Tofu is a six-in-one dish where soy meat adds the extra element."
Xia Yu pondered deeply in his heart.
Having the recipe and knowing the steps didn't mean that what he made would definitely be delicious.
Skill level and various detail flaws kept his dish's system rating stagnant. The highest score was 60; how could it reach the glowing dish status? It seemed like it needed to be around 90 points... Just thinking about it gave Xia Yu a headache, making him wonder how long he'd have to bury himself in research.
"Host, there are four days left until the deadline for the task [creating the first glowing dish]..." the system reminded.
"Got it!" Xia Yu responded irritably.
The system had suddenly given him a second task two days before, with a seven-day time limit. This was why Xia Yu had been so unusually dedicated to improving his culinary skills.
Completing the task would reward him with special cookware.
A blue-quality cooking frying pan, with a +10% chance of making a glowing dish.
The frying pan reward made Xia Yu restless; the more he thought about it, the more agitated he became.
"Let's try again. There's still half of the ingredients left."
After blowing in the wind at the shop door for a while, listening to the distant bustling sounds of the shopping street, his restlessness gradually calmed down. Xia Yu stood up, ready to step inside when he caught a glimpse of a luxury black stretch limo of a brand he couldn't identify, slowly driving into the narrow street and eventually stopping right in front of the Chinese Restaurant.
Hmm?
Xia Yu's eyes lit up as a blonde girl in a school uniform stepped out of the driver's seat; she glanced over, her gaze filled with unhidden disdain and contempt, proud like a peacock.
"Grandfather."
The blonde girl opened the rear car door, respectfully inviting an old man to get out.
A man in a Japanese samurai robe, with wooden clogs on his feet, firmly captured Xia Yu's attention.
The old man's full head of white hair and beard resembled that of a lion, and a scar marked his right eye. Standing in front of the car, he inexplicably exuded a sense of authority and intimidation.
This duo left Xia Yu shocked, showing an undisguisable astonishment in his eyes.
This couldn't be explained as just a random occurrence anymore!
How deep exactly were the waters in this world's Japan?
Indeed.
The old man was Tiqie Xianzuowen, the leader of Japan's culinary world, and the General of Yuan Yue Academy, known as the "Food Demon King"!
And the proud peacock-like blonde girl was naturally one of the Ten Masters of Far Moon, a genius chef with the "Divine Tongue," Tiqie Helinai.
Taking a deep breath, Xia Yu forced himself to calm down.
"Is Mr. Xia Qing here?"
The clogs clicked on the ground as Tiqie Xianzuowen walked towards the small restaurant, glancing at the crooked Chinese Restaurant signboard with an almost imperceptible frown.
Xia Qing was Xia Yu's grandfather's full name, which few guests knew. Generally, patrons called him Boss Xia, like Shinohara Shigetaro did a few days ago.
Xia Yu instantly felt a sense of chaos and absurdity.
Hey, what exactly was going on in this world? Could it be that the Far Moon Commander was an old friend of the old man?
"He's resting in the backyard, follow me." In front of strangers, Xia Yu remained calm and composed, displaying a maturity and composure not common for someone his age. After speaking, he turned around.
Tiqie Xianzuowen showed a hint of approval in his eyes and nodded to the girl beside him, "Eriina, let's go inside. Mind your manners later; we're visiting a master of Chinese cuisine, whose culinary skills are world-renowned."
"Master of Chinese cuisine?"
Tiqie Helinai gave the shabby little restaurant a once-over, wondering why such a great culinary master would be nesting in this place.
Inside the restaurant.
The tables and chairs were surprisingly clean, and the furnishing gave off an ancient, elegant vibe, not at all cluttered or rundown.
"So it's a hidden treasure," Tiqie Helinai nodded slightly, putting away a trace of slight contempt, quietly following her grandfather.
They walked through the restaurant to the backyard, where an elderly man was already seated at a low table, waiting for them.
A pot of hot tea on the low table emitted a curling fragrance; Tiqie Helinai sniffed subtly, looking at the teapot in surprise.
Such aromatic tea!
"Old friend, please sit," the old man greeted in fluent Japanese.
Tiqie Xianzuowen's stern face showed a hint of a smile as he sat opposite the old man.
Xia Yu poured tea for the two before stepping aside to eavesdrop.
"I heard from Shinohara Shigetaro that you are about to leave?" Tiqie Xianzuowen sipped his tea before slowly asking.
"A traveler returning home."
"I've wandered away for over ten years; there are still matters weighing on my heart that need resolving," the old man said with a soft smile as he set the cup down.
"Then this little shop..."
Tiqie Xianzuowen paused, casting a deep glance at Xia Yu, "This is your grandson, right?"
"A useless thing," the old man's eyelids drooped, like a monk in meditation. "Leaving such a small shop to him is no problem. Old friend, there's no need to worry."
After a moment of silence, Tiqie Xianzuowen took a document from his bosom and placed it on the low table, "This is Far Moon's admission invitation. If you're willing, you could temporarily have your grandson attend Yuan Yue Academy. I'll look after him until you return."
Beside him, Tiqie Helinai's eyes widened.
"Grandfather!"
She couldn't help but whisper, her elegant eyes filled with anger and resentment, "Far Moon's entry exams are strict; not any commoner fish can get in!"
The latter half of her sentence she only dared to say in her heart.
"""