Chapter 7

Every morning, after completing the routine cleaning, Xia Yu carried the wooden basin back to the kitchen. However, he suddenly stopped at the kitchen's back door, his nose twitching as he sniffed the enticing aroma wafting from the kitchen.

His stomach growled.

After all, breakfast on the first day of spring break was still unresolved.

Xia Yu put the wooden basin down and slipped into the kitchen. As expected, the old man was preparing two bowls of breakfast on the countertop, and it seemed he was in the final stages.

A sweet aroma rose from the pot. The old man lifted the pot and poured the well-prepared brown sugar water into two large bowls. Then he sprinkled fried peanuts, crushed walnuts, and finally, a bit of chopped green onions into the bowls.

Xia Yu couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He stared intently at the two bowls of breakfast on the countertop and murmured, "Sorry, today I'll be a sweet lover."

The old man was making tofu pudding.

A very common snack in the mainland, but since mysteriously arriving in this parallel world, Xia Yu had never seen this familiar hometown delicacy in Tokyo. For some reason, his nose felt a bit sore, and he just wanted to eat it.

After washing his hands, Xia Yu walked over, "One bowl for me?"

The old man nodded.

Xia Yu was not at all polite, picked up the bowl, and went to the shop to find a seat. He casually sat down and used the white porcelain spoon to scoop out a spoonful of tofu pudding from the bowl.

His eyes widened slightly.

This bowl of tofu pudding was different from the snack he remembered. The main difference was that the tofu pudding was too crystal clear, almost like jelly, and it still jiggled when scooped with a spoon.

"Can tofu pudding be this good... a work of art?" Xia Yu opened his mouth wide.

It was beyond common sense.

Had he ever seen tofu pudding as white as jade? In the past, Xia Yu would have absolutely not believed it. He sniffed carefully, inhaling the fragrant aroma of soy milk, and his doubts vanished.

"Let's try it first."

After making a bowl of ramen last night, the old man's attitude had clearly changed. This breakfast seemed to have a bit of a show-off flavor to Xia Yu.

He felt a bit nervous, as if eating this art-like delicacy would be a waste. Xia Yu took a deep breath, steadied his slightly trembling hand, and brought the spoon close to his mouth.

As soon as it entered his mouth, the fragrance of the tofu pudding spread on his tongue. The flavors of the green onions, fried peanuts, and walnuts did not ruin the soy aroma but instead enhanced the texture and taste. Moreover, the tofu pudding was as smooth as condensed milk, melting in his mouth. Xia Yu only chewed lightly a few times before swallowing it, which turned into a liquid food.

The feeling was like eating soy milk, with a mouth full of fragrance. At this moment, Xia Yu's mind was filled with golden soybeans, and he felt as if he was lying on a sea of harvested soybeans, drifting and enjoying himself.

Unconsciously, the bowl of tofu pudding was completely finished.

Clang...

The spoon hit the bottom of the bowl with a pleasant sound, and Xia Yu suddenly came to his senses. Glancing at the empty bowl, he couldn't help but shrug, "That's it?"

He smacked his lips, savoring the lingering fragrance, and then took the empty bowl back to the kitchen.

"What kind of tofu pudding is this?" he asked the old man.

"Very ordinary vegetarian tofu pudding..." The old man put the empty bowl in the sink without turning his head, "Tofu pudding is the main ingredient, the other ingredients are not important."

Xia Yu immediately understood the old man's meaning.

Was he hinting that the tofu pudding was extraordinary?

Tofu pudding is an intermediate product of making tofu. Without a doubt, the old man must have made the tofu pudding from the leftover soy milk while making tofu.

In essence, there was no difference in the components of tofu and tofu pudding. The quality of the tofu pudding also represented the quality of the tofu.

Without asking more, Xia Yu patiently waited for the tofu to form.

An hour later.

In the kitchen, Xia Yu lifted the cloth covering the wooden tray, and a whole tray of fresh tofu appeared before his eyes.

His pupils slightly contracted.

Just by looking at the snow-white and delicate color of the tofu, one could tell it was of exceptional quality. Xia Yu hesitated for a moment, tentatively extending his index finger and gently poking the surface of the tofu. It bounced back, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

At this moment, very unfamiliar information popped up in front of him:

"【Soft Tofu】, of excellent quality, a main ingredient for various dishes. The system recommends the host to use this high-quality ingredient to cook 【Magical Mapo Tofu】, increasing the probability of a glowing dish appearing..."

Identify ingredients?

Xia Yu was stunned. The culinary god system had this function?

He couldn't help but slap his head and asked, "System, what level is my culinary skill now?"

"Level 3."

"Yesterday, you completed the initial task, your level increased by one, and you gained 1 unused talent point." The system answered diligently.

"Right, with my current culinary level, where can I use the talent points?"

"Knife skills, fire control, these are two basic talents. Of course, the host can also allocate 2 talent points to the 'ingredient identification' option to enhance the system's inspection function." The system said, "Note, the host's current culinary level is too low, reaching level 10 is required to unlock advanced talents."

Xia Yu thought for a moment and decided, "Then 1 point for knife skills, 1 point for fire control. Let's allocate it this way."

"Request accepted."

Instantly, his body felt a change. Xia Yu relaxed his shoulders but couldn't pinpoint the source of the change.

Looking at the cutting board and a kitchen knife, Xia Yu reached out and picked up the knife, staring at the silver blade that reflected his face, his eyes filled with a hard-to-describe joy.

Among the basic qualities of culinary skills, his knife skills were definitely the best. The reason was simple: over the years, he had handled various ingredients for the old man every day and night, and his knife skills had been honed.

However, this time, the feeling of holding the knife was noticeably different.

How to describe it? It was like a seasoned knife user suddenly gaining enlightenment, forming a mental connection with the knife he carried for years, achieving a state of oneness with the knife.

This description might be a bit exaggerated, but Xia Yu couldn't find any other way to describe it.

His gaze focused, and he glanced at the freshly made white jade tofu on the wooden tray. The knife flashed, and Xia Yu casually picked up a piece of still wet tofu and placed it on the cutting board. His right hand, holding the sharp kitchen knife, tapped the cutting board, cutting through the tofu completely each time, with smooth and natural movements, subtly resembling the demeanor of a seasoned chef in a hotel.

Soon, the cutting board was covered with tofu slices, as thin as paper, with each slice's size and thickness indistinguishable to the naked eye.

"Phew..."

Through the sudden improvement in his knife skills while cutting tofu, Xia Yu let out a light sigh, his eyes filled with excitement and a hint of astonishment.

Just by allocating 1 talent point, his knife skills improved so significantly. If he maxed out his knife skills talent points, wouldn't he reach the level of a culinary god in knife skills?

Suddenly, he realized there was someone else in the kitchen.

Xia Yu "Uh" and put down the kitchen knife, glancing over. Sure enough, the old man was staring at the tofu slices on the cutting board, a bit stunned.

The old man must have seen the entire process of him cutting the tofu.

"Your knife skills..."

The old man wanted to ask but shook his head and left the kitchen with his hands behind his back.