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After breakfast, Xia Yu sent the two compatriot sisters to continue cleaning before returning to the kitchen with the empty steamer basket.
"I'm back..."
Sen Tian Makoto was panting heavily as she dragged a box from her family's cake house.
She opened the box outside the kitchen, revealing an array of pastry tools and materials.
"The challenge is still eggs."
"Using eggs as the main ingredient, make me a dish. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it can fill the stomach," Xia Yu said with his back to her as he washed the steamer basket.
This time, Sen Tian Makoto took a little longer and still used the oven.
"Egg tart, huh."
Seeing the pastry that Sen Tian Makoto brought over, Xia Yu was slightly surprised. After tasting it, he still shook his head, "Average. It's still some distance from meeting the standards of Far Moon High School."
Sen Tian Makoto bit her lower lip.
Had it been before tasting Xia Yu's dumplings, Sen Tian Makoto might have doubted and been unwilling to accept it.
However, the shocked Sen Tian Makoto had now adjusted her mindset. No longer seeing herself as an ex-girlfriend, but like a student listening to her mentor's teachings, she looked earnest.
"Egg pudding? Just a bit off."
When Sen Tian Makoto presented her third attempt, Xia Yu sighed.
The fourth time, egg cookies, Xia Yu met Sen Tian Makoto's expectant eyes and still shook his head.
"These are all ordinary recipes, right? Even if the details are perfected, you can't break through the ceiling?"
After tasting several pastries, Xia Yu had a clearer picture in his mind.
It wasn't that Sen Tian Makoto wasn't doing well; she was doing too well. She was meticulous, paying attention to every aspect, showcasing the delicate thoughts of a female chef to perfection.
Yet, in overly pursuing details, she lost innovation.
To put it simply, it's like a conservative ruler diligently managing their small territory, trapping themselves in a small circle.
Take 'egg' as a dish. In the Far Moon transfer student assessment, Xingping Chuangzhen used creativity to make a very special "transformed" raw egg rice bowl.
The surprise of that dish was the chicken wing meat jelly.
The refreshing taste and saltiness of the meat jelly complemented the softness and sweetness of the egg, instantly elevating an ordinary dish, allowing the Divine Tongue to step into an unprecedented taste world.
Thus, that transformed raw egg rice bowl was named after Xingping. It was an original dish, shining with the brilliance of wisdom.
Xia Yu identified Sen Tian Makoto's shortcoming.
This was her cooking style: detailed, conservative, especially the 'conservative' aspect, which was in stark contrast to her bold, love-confessing personality.
Fortunately, Xia Yu had a solution.
Recipes not working, right?
There's no need to break through the ceiling of existing recipes and create original dishes—that requires a solid foundation and a flash of inspiration.
To save effort, use ready-made advanced recipes to crush the competition!
"System, filter blue recipes with eggs as the main ingredient for me."
"There are 1,131 recipes that meet the criteria. Would you like to view them?"
"Wait..." Xia Yu was startled by the number, "Add one more filter condition: sort by price!"
So the system listed the recipes:
"'Golden Fried Rice' (Blue), price 500 Fame Points."
"'Egg Flower Beef Noodle' (Blue), price 500 Fame Points."
"'Furong Crab Meat Egg' (Blue), price 550 Fame Points."
...
Browsing through, Xia Yu also saw some pastry recipes, but he ultimately decided to purchase 'Furong Crab Meat Egg'!
"Purchase successful."
"Lost 550 Fame Points; remaining Fame Points: 790."
"Use!"
The blue recipe in the inventory turned into a stream of information stuffed into Xia Yu's brain. He nodded silently.
'Furong Crab Meat Egg' seemed like the most ordinary one among those recipes because it was so common that any chef could make it. However, Xia Yu didn't care about the difficulty of the recipe; he valued the change and creativity!
Exactly!
Furong Crab Meat Egg, in its final culinary form, was ever-changing.
It could be made into an egg pancake wrapped crab meat roll.
It could be made into scrambled eggs.
However, the most authentic method was to make a Furong-style omelet with the crab meat mixed in.
Xia Yu pondered the information in his mind, and inspiration kept bubbling up, making him itch to try it.
After four failures, Sen Tian Makoto didn't rush to make a fifth attempt but stood in front of the cooking station, slightly lowering her head in thought. Xia Yu could see the seriousness on her delicate profile.
Tidying up the recipe he remembered by heart, Xia Yu grabbed pen and paper, wrote down the recipe, and then patted Sen Tian Makoto on the shoulder, "Take it!"
"Hmm?"
Sen Tian Makoto took the piece of paper filled with words blankly and, after briefly glancing through it, covered her mouth in surprise, "Is this a recipe?"
"Yes!"
"Furong Crab Meat Egg."
"It's an intriguing recipe; you can make it your own. Be sure to leverage your strengths." After saying that, Xia Yu waved his hand, "That's it for today. Go back, study the recipe, and come back when you have results."
Xia Yu turned and went upstairs.
Watching his figure disappear up the stairs, Sen Tian Makoto carefully reviewed the recipe from start to finish, gently inhaling a breath of cool air, her eyes showing a hint of emotion mixed with excitement.
This recipe... was truly fascinating!
Unconsciously, Sen Tian Makoto called out in her heart.
Inspiration seemed to find an outlet, turning into a torrent. Sen Tian Makoto hurriedly packed up her tools and materials, dragging her heavy suitcase out of Xia's shop. Looking back at the window of the upstairs bedroom from the street outside, she murmured softly to herself, "…Thank you, I will try my best!" Yu!"
Xia Yu didn't spend the leisurely daytime in the God of Cooking Space. As the restaurant gained fame in the ACG community, from ten in the morning, young patrons continuously came by to inquire. Most left disappointed, knowing it only opened at six in the evening, while the remaining patrons sat in the shop, eagerly waiting for Xia Yu to serve tea.
Tea needed dessert to accompany it, or drinking tea on an empty stomach would harm the guests' stomachs and health. Xia Yu didn't have the leisure to make pastries, so he straightforwardly went to the nearby Sen Tian's Cake House to buy some freshly baked pastries, pairing them with his own brewed green tea. Each set cost 1,000 yen.
This price wasn't exorbitant but not cheap either.
Thus, from morning until six in the evening, Xia's cuisine shop resembled more of a teahouse. In March's still cool weather, a group of young Otaku patrons happily chatted inside, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
The next morning, the system's business data refreshed.
Due to the addition of tea and desserts, the shop's revenue significantly increased from just over 200,000 yen on the first day to over 400,000 yen on the second day, achieving a doubling growth.
On the third day, perhaps because the shop had initially built a reputation in the ACG community, the 'Divine Tongue' Eriina heard the news and couldn't sit still. By evening, she had Niho Fuyuka drive her to the old shopping street.
"The road is blocked ahead..."
The car could only stop outside the district. Sitting in the back seat, Tiqie Helinai irritably swapped her crossed legs and frowned, "Hizaki, go see what's going on!"
Niho Fuyuka obediently got out of the car and soon returned, running back with an incredulous expression.
"E-Eriina-sama, there's a line in front, and it seems they're all customers of Xia's Chinese Restaurant!"
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