Bai Family Kitchen

To be honest, Cui Lan wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was decent-looking. Her figure, however, was quite good – curvy in all the right places, the kind that looked like she could bear children.

But Zhao Ke felt absolutely no desire for her, this paper figure.

"Master!"

Seeing Zhao Ke motionless, Cui Lan assumed he was worried about their future. She smiled and whispered in his ear, "Master, don't worry about what the Bai Family steward said. In seven days, when our master officially moves into the Bai Family, our status will immediately rise."

"Seven days later?"

Zhao Ke's heart stirred upon hearing this. The corners of his eyebrows rose slightly. He proactively put his arm around Cui Lan's waist. When his hand touched her, it felt like touching a block of ice, cold enough to sting.

Zhao Ke gently lifted a stray strand of hair from Cui Lan's forehead and asked with a smile, "Why seven days from now? Is today not the wedding day?"

"If it were a wedding between living people, of course, the ceremony would be today. But for our ghost marriage, we have to wait seven days, which is what they mean in the living world by waiting until after the seventh day."

Hearing Cui Lan's words, Zhao Ke immediately understood. It seemed this mission would last a full seven days. If he could find a way to ruin this ghost marriage within seven days, he would complete the mission.

If that's the case... Zhao Ke's mind conjured an idea. Wouldn't killing the bride or groom complete the mission smoothly?

However, his intuition told him that if it were that simple, the mission would have been too easy, and they wouldn't have given him seven days. Moreover, he still had to figure out how to escape the Underworld, which was a problem that gave Zhao Ke a headache.

Zhao Ke had personally witnessed the strength of the two Postmen killed by those flower children. He believed that the strength of other Postmen would be no less. If the mission were truly that simple, it would be making a mountain out of a molehill.

Seeing Zhao Ke lost in thought, Cui Lan couldn't help but throw herself into his arms.

Her top buttons were already undone, revealing her fair skin to Zhao Ke's eyes.

She smiled charmingly, her hands instinctively beginning to grope him.

"Master, it's getting late."

"I'm tired today, maybe another time."

"Another time! How can that work? Master, let's enjoy ourselves while we can."

As Cui Lan spoke, she snuggled into Zhao Ke's embrace, her hands starting to tug at his clothes and her head lowered to unbutton his pants.

Seeing this, Zhao Ke's brow furrowed, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes. His eyes narrowed into a thin line as he stared coldly at Cui Lan's throat, a murderous intent gradually surfacing on his grim face.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Just as Zhao Ke was becoming increasingly annoyed by Cui Lan's advances, a knock sounded from outside.

Cui Lan was startled, and her expression turned displeased. "Who is it! Go back to your room and rest if you have nothing to do."

"Uh... please come out and talk, Steward."

Hearing that the person was looking for him, Zhao Ke's heart leaped with joy. He immediately called out, "I'm here, I'm here, coming out now."

As Zhao Ke spoke, he saw Cui Lan looking at him with a resentful expression, her hands still gripping him and unwilling to let go. Seeing this, Zhao Ke could only placate her in a low voice, "They might have something urgent to discuss with me. How about this, when I get back, we can have some more fun."

Zhao Ke said this as he patted Cui Lan's cold backside. Only then did Cui Lan reluctantly release her grip.

Seeing this, Zhao Ke immediately pulled himself out of Cui Lan's embrace, pushed the door open, and walked out quickly.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw a person squatting in the corner of the doorway. The person looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, around his age, but exuded a ruffian aura from head to toe. Especially his goldfish eyes, which kept darting into the room.

When he saw Cui Lan inside, calmly putting on her clothes, the man shot Zhao Ke a lewd glance and chuckled, "Heh heh, brother, you've got quite the luck. So, any news? Let's share."

"The news I have, you all know too. What do you want with me?"

Zhao Ke deflected, not answering the question directly, and instead inquired about the reason for his visit.

Even if he had any special news, Zhao Ke wouldn't be foolish enough to share it. He wasn't a soft-hearted person like Qi Liang.

"Heh heh, just call me Dongzi. So, there's a wedding happening in the front courtyard right now. We were wondering if you'd be interested in checking it out with us."

As Dongzi spoke, his eyes flickered to the side. Zhao Ke followed his gaze and saw three figures standing in the shadows by the corner of the wall.

He couldn't make out their faces, but Zhao Ke could smell a faint perfume from a distance, seemingly Chanel. He remembered seeing a woman's figure at the bow of the boat earlier, and she looked to be among the three.

"Sorry, I think I'll wait."

Seeing Zhao Ke refuse, Dongzi's expression sank slightly. He glanced at the house behind Zhao Ke and said in a low voice, "Brother, you just finished your probation, right? If you don't stick together now, it'll be too late to try later."

"Oh!"

Zhao Ke nodded indifferently. His face appeared nonchalant, but he became wary inwardly. The other party seemed to know he had just finished his probation and wasn't very strong, considering him a newcomer. If that were the case, Zhao Ke didn't think they would be so enthusiastic about helping a rookie.

"Alright, then you can wait."

Seeing that Zhao Ke wasn't taking the bait, Dongzi stopped wasting words. He dropped a sarcastic parting shot and returned to the corner. Zhao Ke couldn't hear what he said to the other three, but he could feel a hint of hostility in the way they looked at him.

Since Zhao Ke wasn't cooperating, the four of them didn't linger and quickly left.

In reality, Zhao Ke also wanted to go to the front courtyard to investigate, but he didn't. Instead, he calmly chose to wait.

Ever since he saw the two flower children effortlessly take down two Postmen of considerable strength, Zhao Ke knew that this mission was far from simple.

With just the Postmen, brute force wouldn't work. Only by finding key figures like Li Xiaochang could the mission possibly be completed.

Rather than taking risks now, it was better to wait and see what happened tomorrow.

He still had seven days, so there was no need to rush.

However, Zhao Ke didn't return to his room. After all, there was still a paper figure waiting for him in there, like a tigress. If he went back now, he might be pestered endlessly.

Zhao Ke didn't go to the front yard. He walked out of the courtyard and started to wander around.

The Bai Family's estate was indeed as Cui Lan had described. If it were in the living world, or in reality, a mansion with so many courtyards would absolutely be considered a top-tier noble family.

White walls, one courtyard nested within another. If this scale were in ancient times, it would be considered audacious even for royalty.

Not far away, Zhao Ke caught the scent of stir-fried dishes. As a chef by nature, Zhao Ke quickly analyzed the aroma: "Star anise, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, chili, green pepper, cloves... It's Crispy Tofu!"

This dish was considered a refined dish, but few could truly make it well, achieving that perfectly crispy and delicious aroma.

Yet, smelling this aroma, it seemed the chef had mastered the heat control to an exceptional degree.

"There's a cook like this even in a place like this?"

Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. Since he had nothing else to do, he followed the scent to another area. Arriving at a large courtyard, he saw a bustling scene. This appeared to be the Bai Family's kitchen.

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

Several large pots were set up in the courtyard, with six or seven cooks busy at work, clearly preparing food for the front yard.

A strong, fragrant aroma wafted over. What caught Zhao Ke's interest was a single stove to the side, where golden-brown tofu was being cooked.

The scent he had smelled earlier was emanating from this pot of tofu. As the saying goes, "one fragrance can mask a hundred dishes," and this pot of tofu alone was ten times more fragrant than the meat dishes being stir-fried in the other large pots.

At this moment, Zhao Ke noticed an old man stirring the pot with a spatula, then sprinkling a pinch of sesame seeds. The aroma intensified instantly, and combined with the thick sauce, the golden-brown tofu looked even more appealing and delicious.

However, this action made Zhao Ke frown slightly. He shook his head and said, "Wrong!"

Zhao Ke's voice wasn't loud, but he didn't deliberately try to hide it. The old man, who had been deeply satisfied with his work, was taken aback. He looked up and saw Zhao Ke looking at the tofu in his pot. His face darkened, and he asked, "What did you just say!"

As soon as the old man spoke, the other cooks stopped. The only sound in the courtyard, besides the sizzling from the pots, was the faint noise of a needle dropping.

"Who are you? Is this a place you should be?" A cook stepped forward impatiently, wanting to drive Zhao Ke away.

But the old man seemed determined to get an explanation. He immediately stopped him, "No, let him in. Tell me, where did I go wrong."

Zhao Ke hadn't wanted to cause trouble, but with the old man's invitation, he strode in. He might not be confident in many things, but when it came to cooking, Zhao Ke truly feared no one.

Looking at the Crispy Tofu that had already taken shape in the pot, Zhao Ke frowned and pointed at the tofu, "Originally, I'd give this dish a 10 out of 10, but you shouldn't have added sesame seeds. The sesame's aroma masked the crispy, burnt flavor of the tofu's skin. Although it's more fragrant, the dish itself has become inferior."

"You're spouting nonsense!"

The old man's eyes widened. He strode up to Zhao Ke. It was then that Zhao Ke noticed the old man was only about 1.2 meters tall. He had been standing on a stool to be almost as tall as Zhao Ke earlier.

Now, standing in front of Zhao Ke, he only reached Zhao Ke's chest.

Seemingly feeling insulted, he pointed at Zhao Ke's nose, so angry he looked like he wanted to jump.

"If you don't believe me, try making it again, but replace the sesame seeds with minced garlic. If you still think you're right after that, then say whatever you want."

"Fine! Wait."

The old man was also quick-tempered. Hearing this, he quickly walked back and started a new pot, preparing to remake the dish.

The ingredients for this dish were not complicated; the difficulty lay in mastering the heat and the sauce. The old man skillfully started a new pot and began to remake the dish. He had made this dish no less than a thousand times, and he could make it perfectly even with his eyes closed.

However, at the final step, after the old man replaced the sesame seeds with minced garlic, his expression turned grim. The golden tofu, paired with the minced garlic, produced a fresh aroma that seemed to bring out the inherent flavors of the tofu and the sauce.

The fragrance was rich but not pungent, with a hint of garlic, making it even more appetizing than when it had sesame seeds.

Seeing this, the old man's expression changed. He looked up at Zhao Ke, then at the tofu in the pot, and suddenly grinned, "Hahaha, so I was wrong after all."

As the old man spoke, he threw down his spatula and walked up to Zhao Ke. His previous anger was gone, replaced by a smiling face. "So it was supposed to have minced garlic. No wonder Miss doesn't like it. Come, come, sit here."

Zhao Ke observed that although the old man had a short temper, he was quite straightforward, admitting his mistake immediately. Zhao Ke actually felt a sense of goodwill towards him.

After all, they were both chefs. It was said that rivals in the same profession were often enemies, and it was even more so among chefs. Sometimes, even when someone pointed out their mistake, they would grit their teeth and refuse to change, even if they knew they were wrong.

The fact that the old man in front of him could set aside his pride made Zhao Ke look at him with new respect.

"Young man, try my dish again."

The old man clearly didn't want to admit defeat. After pulling Zhao Ke to sit down, he immediately had someone bring out the dishes he had already prepared. The lid was lifted, and steam rose.

Zhao Ke sniffed the air, and his eyes lit up. He then looked at the crimson plate, where balls of crispy pork, like golden orbs, were arranged. The golden sugar glaze coated the meat balls, exuding a festive aura.

"Rock Sugar Sweet and Sour Pork?"

This dish was definitely an anomaly among Zhejiang cuisine. Sweet, fragrant, soft, and glutinous, it was a classic dish to go with rice.

However, to be able to prepare this dish to such a standard, in Zhao Ke's memory, there were only a handful of chefs who could achieve it.

"Try it..."

The old man eagerly offered Zhao Ke chopsticks, urging him to try his signature dish.

Zhao Ke didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and put it in his mouth. Crack! With the sound of the crispy sugar glaze breaking, rich, red sauce squeezed out from the inside of the meatball. However, Zhao Ke's smile suddenly froze. He looked at the steaming sweet and sour pork on the plate and thought to himself, "It's cold!"

Sorry, my wife wasn't feeling well last night, so I accompanied her to the hospital today. After various examinations, thankfully, there was nothing serious. I got back late tonight, so I'm only posting one chapter for now. I promise to make up for it with three chapters tomorrow. My apologies again.