The Bai Family Kitchen

Honestly, Cui Lan's appearance wasn't exactly beautiful, but it was decent enough. Her figure, however, was quite good – curvaceous and well-proportioned, the kind that suggested she'd be fertile.

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 rise accordingly."

"Seven days later?"

Zhao Ke's heart stirred at her words. His eyebrows lifted slightly as he proactively put his arm around Cui Lan's waist. His touch felt like grasping an ice block, chillingly sharp.

Zhao Ke gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Cui Lan's forehead and asked with a smile, "Why seven days? Isn't today our wedding day?"

"If it were a wedding between living people, of course, it would be today. But for us, we have to wait seven days to be married. It's like in the living world, after the first seven days have passed."

Hearing Cui Lan's explanation, Zhao Ke finally understood. It seemed this mission would last a full seven days. In seven days, as long as he could find a way to ruin this **, the mission would be complete.

If that were the case... Zhao Ke's mind sparked with an idea. What if he killed the bride or the groom? Wouldn't that complete the mission smoothly?

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

He had personally witnessed the strength of the two postmen killed by those flower children. He believed other postmen wouldn't be any weaker. 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.

The buttons on her chest were already undone, revealing her fair skin to Zhao Ke's eyes.

She smiled charmingly, her hands instinctively beginning to caress Zhao Ke.

"Master, it's getting late."

"I'm tired today. How about another time?"

"Another time? How can that be, Master? Let's seize the day."

Cui Lan said as she snuggled into Zhao Ke's embrace, her hands starting to pull at his clothes and her head lowering to unbutton his pants.

Seeing this, Zhao Ke's brow furrowed, a flicker of impatience appearing 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 growing impatient with Cui Lan's advances, a knock sounded from outside.

Cui Lan froze, her expression turning displeased. "Who is it! Go back to your room and rest if there's nothing important."

"Um... could the steward please come out for a moment?"

Hearing that the person was looking for him, Zhao Ke's heart leaped. He immediately called out, "I'm here, I'm here! I'll be right out."

As Zhao Ke spoke, Cui Lan looked at him with a resentful expression, her hands clinging to him. Seeing this, Zhao Ke could only placate her softly, "Perhaps it's something urgent. How about this: when I get back, we can have our fun."

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

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 man looked to be in his mid-twenties, about his age, but he exuded a rogueish aura from head to toe, especially his googly eyes, which kept darting into the room.

When he saw Cui Lan inside, slowly getting dressed, the man's lewd gaze shifted to Zhao Ke, and he chuckled, "Heh heh, brother, you've got some good fortune. What's up? Any news? Let's share."

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

Zhao Ke deflected, not taking the bait, and directly asked the reason for his visit.

Even if he had 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 wall.

He couldn't see their faces clearly, but Zhao Ke could faintly smell a light perfume from a distance, possibly Chanel. He recalled seeing a woman's figure at the bow of the boat earlier, and she seemed to be among the three.

"Sorry, I think I'll wait."

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

"Oh!"

Zhao Ke nodded indifferently. His face showed a casual attitude, but he became wary inwardly. The other party seemed to know he was a newcomer, not very strong, and a rookie. If that was the case, and they still wanted him to join them, Zhao Ke didn't think they would be so enthusiastic about helping a rookie.

"Fine, then you wait."

Seeing that Zhao Ke wasn't buying it, Dongzi stopped wasting his breath. He uttered a parting threat in a sarcastic tone and returned to the corner. He said something to the other three, and Zhao Ke could feel a hint of hostility in their gazes directed at him.

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

In reality, Zhao Ke also wanted to go to the front courtyard to investigate, but he chose not to, opting for a calmer approach of waiting.

After seeing the two flower children effortlessly dispatch two formidable postmen, Zhao Ke knew this mission was far from simple.

With just these postmen, brute force wouldn't work. Only by finding a key figure like Li Xiaochang could the mission possibly be completed.

Instead of taking risks now, it was better to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.

He still had seven days, after all. There was no need to rush.

However, Zhao Ke didn't return to his room. After all, there was a paper figure in there, waiting for him like a hungry wolf. If he went back now, he might get entangled endlessly again.

Zhao Ke walked out of the courtyard instead of going to the front yard, and began 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 definitely be considered first-class wealthy.

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

Not long after walking, Zhao Ke caught a whiff of stir-fried food. As a chef by instinct, Zhao Ke analyzed the aroma: "Star anise, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, chili powder, green pepper, cloves... It's Crispy Tofu!"

This dish was considered a refined dish, but few could truly master it to achieve that crispy, delicious aroma.

Yet, smelling this aroma, it seemed the chef had reached the pinnacle of controlling the heat.

"There's a chef 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. Upon reaching a large courtyard, he saw a bustling scene. This appeared to be the Bai Family's kitchen.

"Sizzling..."

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 aroma wafted over. What piqued Zhao Ke's interest was a separate stove where golden-yellow tofu was being cooked.

The aroma he had smelled earlier was emanating from this pot of tofu. As the saying goes, one fragrance can overshadow a hundred dishes; 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 immediately intensified. Coupled with the thick sauce, the golden tofu looked even more appealing.

However, this action caused Zhao Ke to frown slightly. He shook his head and said, "That's wrong!"

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

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the other cooks stopped. The only sound in the courtyard, besides the sizzling of the pots, was the faint sound 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 answer. He immediately stopped him and said, "No, let him come in. Tell me, where did I go wrong."

Zhao Ke hadn't intended to cause trouble, but with the old man's invitation, he strode in. He might not be the best at 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, saying, "Originally, I would give this dish a 10. But you shouldn't have added sesame seeds. The aroma of the sesame seeds covered the crispy scent of the tofu's exterior. Although it's more fragrant, the dish has become inferior."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The old man's eyes widened. He strode over to Zhao Ke. Only then did Zhao Ke notice that 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.

Now, standing in front of Zhao Ke, he only reached his 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 and 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 impatient. 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 controlling the heat and the sauce. The old man skillfully started a new pot. He had made this dish no less than a thousand times; he could make it perfectly even with his eyes closed.

However, at the final step, when 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, as if it had stimulated the inherent fragrance of the tofu and the sauce.

The aroma was rich but not pungent, with a hint of garlic, making it even more appetizing than when the sesame seeds were added.

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

The old man said, throwing down his spatula, and walked up to Zhao Ke. His previous anger was gone, replaced by a smiling face. "So it was supposed to be with minced garlic. No wonder the young lady doesn't like it. Come, sit here."

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

After all, they were both chefs. It's said that rivals in the same profession are enemies, and it's even more so among chefs. Sometimes, even when someone points out their mistake, they stubbornly refuse to change, even if they know they are wrong.

The old man in front of him was able to put aside his pride, which 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 his signature dish served. As the lid was lifted, steam billowed out.

Zhao Ke sniffed and his eyes lit up. He then looked at the dish on the crimson plate: balls of Rock Sugar Sweet and Sour Pork, like golden orbs, stood on the plate. The golden sugar coating wrapped around the meat balls, looking very festive.

"Rock Sugar Sweet and Sour Pork?"

This dish was definitely an unusual one among Zhejiang cuisine. Sweet, fragrant, soft, and sticky, it was a classic dish to accompany rice.

But to make this dish look as good as this, in Zhao Ke's memory, there were only a handful of people who could achieve it.

"Try it..."

The old man eagerly offered chopsticks, urging Zhao Ke to taste 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!" As the crispy sugar coating broke, a reddish sauce squeezed out from the inside of the meat ball. However, Zhao Ke's smile suddenly froze. He looked at the steaming sweet and sour pork on the plate and thought, "It's cold!"

Sorry, my wife wasn't feeling well last night, so I accompanied her to the hospital today for various check-ups. Fortunately, there's nothing serious. I got back late tonight, so I'll only post one chapter for now. I promise to make up for it with three chapters tomorrow. My apologies again.