Chapter 8

The time during the holiday always quietly slips away.

Three days passed in a row.

This time, Xiaoyu did not spend his spring break sleeping in. On the contrary, his life became very regular. He got up at eight o'clock every morning, cleaned and managed the small restaurant, occasionally cooked breakfast for himself, and then buried himself in studying recipes.

"The Magic Mapo Tofu" was being intensively researched.

Actually, on the first day, Xiaoyu could already make a delicious plate of Magic Mapo Tofu, but the system's evaluation of the dish was only 30 points.

Thus, Xiaoyu, not willing to admit defeat, studied intensively from morning till night, using up the tofu ingredients every day. By noon today, he could already make a Magic Mapo Tofu that the system rated at 60 points.

He also served a plate to the old man for a taste test. The old man's look of surprise made Xiaoyu secretly pleased.

But the problem was, where was the glowing dish?

"Half of the ingredients are still left..."

Xiaoyu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his thoughts a bit muddled. He felt he needed to summarize the failures of the past few days. He took off his apron and chef's hat, went outside the shop to enjoy the cool evening breeze, and took the opportunity to look at the sky of Tokyo.

"The tofu is definitely fine. Top quality."

"It might be the soy mince that's the problem..."

He frowned deeply.

Recalling the plot of "Chinese Chef."

Soybeans are often referred to as the "meat of the fields," so soy mince is not real meat.

According to the original plot, "soy mince" is actually made by soaking soybeans in water, cooking them in broth, then crushing and flattening them, and adding seasonings to re-flavor them. This step is very important, as the deliciousness of the meat broth is replaced by the seasonings.

Finally, these seasoned bean patties are fried in oil, allowing the deliciousness of the meat broth to be thoroughly condensed in the bean patties.

It sounds simple, but each step is full of details, and the heat control is very difficult.

Xiaoyu currently cannot achieve the crispy soy mince seen in the anime.

"Traditional Mapo Tofu has five elements: spicy, fragrant, colorful, hot, and numbing. But Magic Mapo Tofu has six elements, with soy mince being the extra one."

Xiaoyu thought back and forth.

Having a recipe and knowing the steps does not mean the dish will definitely be delicious.

His lack of proficiency and various minor defects kept his dishes from scoring high in the system. The highest score was 60, and a glowing dish would require at least 90 points. Just thinking about it made Xiaoyu's head ache. How long would he have to study?

"Host, there are four days left until the deadline for the [Make the First Glowing Dish] task..." the system reminded.

"Got it!" Xiaoyu responded irritably.

Two days ago, the system suddenly gave him a second task with a seven-day deadline, which was why Xiaoyu had been working hard to improve his culinary skills.

Completing the task would reward him with a special kitchen tool.

A blue-quality frying pan, increasing the probability of making a glowing dish by 10%.

The frying pan reward made Xiaoyu restless and increasingly frustrated.

"Let's try again, there's still half the ingredients left."

After a while of enjoying the breeze and listening to the bustling sounds of the nearby shopping street, his irritation gradually subsided. Xiaoyu stood up, about to step inside, when his peripheral vision caught a luxurious, extended black car slowly driving into the narrow street and stopping right in front of the Chinese restaurant.

Huh?

Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. A blonde girl in a school uniform got out of the driver's seat, giving him a glance filled with undisguised disdain and contempt, proud like a peacock.

"Grandpa."

The blonde girl opened the back door and respectfully helped an old man out of the car.

An old man dressed in Japanese samurai attire, wearing wooden sandals, caught Xiaoyu's attention.

The old man's white hair and beard made him look like a lion, with a scar over his right eye. He stood in front of the car, exuding an inexplicable aura of authority and fear.

This combination made Xiaoyu's whole body tremble, his eyes revealing unhidden shock.

This can't be explained by a random appearance!

How deep is the water in this world's Japan?

That's right.

The old man was Sōma Senjūrō, the leader of the Japanese culinary world, the headmaster of Tōtsuki Academy, known as the "King of Cuisine"!

And the proud blonde girl, naturally, was one of the Tōtsuki Ten, the genius chef with the "God's Tongue," Sōma Erina.

Xiaoyu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Is Mr. Xia Qing here?"

The sound of wooden sandals clacking on the ground, Sōma Senjūrō walked towards the small shop, glancing at the crooked sign of the Chinese restaurant, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Xia Qing was Xiaoyu's grandfather's full name, rarely known by customers. Most diners just called him Mr. Xia, like the Shinyama Masahito a few days ago.

Xiaoyu instantly felt a sense of chaos and absurdity.

Hey, what's going on in this world? Could the headmaster of Tōtsuki be the old man's close friend?

"Grandpa is resting in the back yard, follow me." Xiaoyu remained composed in front of strangers, displaying a maturity and calmness that his peers lacked. He turned around and led the way.

Sōma Senjūrō's eyes showed a hint of approval, nodding to the girl beside him, "Erina, let's go in. Pay attention to your manners; we are visiting a Chinese culinary master whose skills are renowned internationally."

"A Chinese culinary master?"

Sōma Erina sized up the shabby-looking shop, unable to help but wonder why a great chef would live in such a place.

Entering the shop.

The tables and chairs were surprisingly clean, and the decor gave a sense of ancient elegance, not messy or dilapidated.

"Indeed, it's a hidden gem." Sōma Erina nodded inwardly, putting away her slight disdain and following her grandfather with a tight-lipped expression.

Crossing the shop to the back yard, an old man was already sitting at a low table waiting for them.

A pot of hot tea on the low table emitted a fragrant aroma. Sōma Erina sniffed quietly, her eyes filled with surprise.

What a strong aroma!

"Old friend, please sit." The old man greeted them in fluent Japanese.

Sōma Senjūrō's stern face showed a hint of a smile as he sat opposite the old man.

Xiaoyu poured tea for both of them and then stepped aside, listening intently.

"I heard from Shinyama Masahito that you are about to leave?" Sōma Senjūrō asked after taking a sip of tea.

"Returning home."

"I've been wandering for over a decade, and there are some matters in my heart that need to be resolved." The old man put down his teacup and smiled faintly.

"Then what about this shop..."

Sōma Senjūrō glanced deeply at Xiaoyu, "Is this your grandson?"

"A good-for-nothing." The old man lowered his eyelids, like a meditating monk, "Leaving this small shop to him is no problem. Old friend, you don't need to worry."

After a moment of silence, Sōma Senjūrō took out a document from his pocket and placed it on the low table, "This is an admission invitation to Tōtsuki. If you don't mind, you can temporarily send your grandson to Tōtsuki Academy. I will take care of him until you return."

Beside him, Sōma Erina's eyes widened.

"Grandpa!"

She couldn't help but whisper, her beautiful eyes filled with anger and unwillingness, "The Tōtsuki entrance exam is very strict, not just any commoner can get in!"

She only dared to say the last part in her mind.