Chapter 4

Xia Yu shook his head, dispelling the excess杂念, and gently tapped the [Start] option on the retinal interface. Ding! The crystal pointer of the roulette wheel began to spin rapidly, and after a few seconds, its speed suddenly decreased, becoming slower and slower.

His heart pounded uncontrollably.

Xia Yu watched as the pointer turned to the special category, where there were a few dark golden talent icons. 'Tongue of God' was a straightforward tongue pattern, 'Hand of God' was a thick arm... He stared at the gradually slowing pointer, unable to resist letting his imagination run wild. Damn, could today really be his lucky day?

Thinking of the scene in the anime "Shokugeki no Soma" where Erina Nakiri secured a position among the Ten Elite of Tootsuki with her 'Tongue of God,' Xia Yu trembled with excitement.

This is what life is all about! Cheats will help me reach the top!

But after a few seconds, Xia Yu roared in his heart:

"Stop!"

"Stop it!"

"Damn it!"

The pointer showed no signs of stopping, quickly passing the last slot in the special category. In the end, with Xia Yu's face turning ashen, the pointer stopped on a slot in the consumable category!

The draw was complete!

"System: The item has been automatically added to your inventory."

Opening the inventory, the interface seemed like an independent space. Xia Yu reached in and touched the one-time-use item he had just obtained.

A long, rhombus-shaped crystal, cool to the touch.

Item information:

"Mirror Crystal

Description: A one-time-use consumable item. When used, it allows you to recall a specific dish you ate that day and reproduce the cooking skills used to make it. You will obtain a perfect replica of the dish with the same taste, and there is a chance to learn the recipe."

Replicate?

Xia Yu's eyes were immediately drawn to the word 'replicate' in the item description. His heart pounded like a drum, the thumping sound very clear.

Now he didn't know whether he was lucky or unlucky. In his first new player roulette draw, he didn't get anything useful. Even a basic recipe would have been fine, but instead, he got a one-time-use consumable item, and this item was precisely related to his current initial task!

If I gain it, I am fortunate; if I lose it, I am doomed. Xia Yu could only console himself with this phrase to prevent his sorrow from overwhelming him.

"How do I use the item?" he wondered.

"Touch the item and silently say 'use.'" The system immediately responded.

"Use!"

The inventory interface floated in his field of vision, clearly visible only to him. Xia Yu quickly glanced at the old man standing behind him, who looked as usual, and heaved a sigh of relief. He immediately grabbed the rhombus crystal and chose to use it.

Snap.

This was the sound of the crystal breaking, audible only to Xia Yu.

His eyes became vacant, like a projector, replaying the flavors of all the food he had eaten that day, from the fried bread he hastily ate on his way to the entrance exam for Seagull High School in the morning to the bowl of beef noodles he had just finished. The flavors returned to his taste buds, and strangely, the flavors decomposed on his tongue, allowing him to precisely analyze the quantity and composition of each cooking ingredient, such as whether too much or too little salt was used, and by how much.

At the same time, the entire process of making the food was forced into his brain as a stream of information. Xia Yu clutched his head and let out a low cry, his vacant eyes returning to normal.

Looking back, the old man was still standing with his arms crossed, ignoring his low cry.

"Alright..."

Xia Yu exhaled a deep breath and fiercely waved his fist. I'll show you all the terrifying power of a foodie turned chef! You know nothing about food!

At this moment, the kettle on the gas stove began to boil. Xia Yu found a bowl the old man had used earlier to make noodles, washed it, and poured in high-gluten flour. He then added an appropriate amount of salt to the boiling water and poured it into the bowl to knead the dough.

Of course, compared to ordinary noodles, ramen requires a special ingredient during the kneading and stirring process—蓬灰 (蓬灰 is a type of alkali made from burning certain plants, which has been used for at least a hundred years. Authentic ramen cannot have a chewy texture without 蓬灰).

In the "Mirror Crystal" state, Xia Yu was like a seasoned master who had been making noodles for years. A small amount of dough changed shape in his hands, and the final softness was slightly softer than dumpling skin.

Soon, Xia Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the dough in front of him, feeling a sense of inexplicable satisfaction.

But he didn't rush to cut the dough and move on to the next step. Instead, he coated the dough with a layer of clear oil and wrapped it in a wet cloth. This process is called "resting the dough," which usually takes about thirty minutes. Scientifically, it promotes the formation of gluten and allows the proteins in the dough to absorb water fully, improving the quality of the noodles.

Putting the dough aside, Xia Yu immediately started making the broth.

Ramen is all about the broth. The quality of a bowl of ramen depends not only on the noodles but also on the rich and fragrant broth!

The broth can be considered the soul of ramen. Established ramen shops in the country have their own secret broth recipes, which can be sold for money.

"Beef shank..."

Xia Yu found the large bones the old man had used earlier to make the broth in the corner of the kitchen, grinned, and after rinsing them to remove the blood, threw them into a pressure cooker. He then found ginger, wolfberries, and a variety of other ingredients, using them without hesitation or careful measurement.

In fact, from the moment Xia Yu started kneading the dough, the old man, who had seemed like a sleeping lion, gradually opened his eyes and stared at him intently.

"Mr. Xia."

Shinohara Masahito was attracted to the kitchen by the sound of Xia Yu kneading the dough.

"Shh!"

The old man extended a finger to signal him to be quiet. Shinohara Masahito was taken aback and then noticed the figure busy at the kitchen counter.

In this world, Xia Yu was only sixteen, about to start high school after the spring break. But due to the old man's constant urging to work, he had a lean and muscular build, standing at 1.7 meters tall. His limbs, though not overly muscular, were definitely full of explosive power.

Covering the pressure cooker, Xia Yu ignored the two pairs of eyes behind him and glanced at the old antique wall clock. He found the beef slices he had prepared in the refrigerator, turned on the gas stove, and started frying.

After about fifteen minutes, the broth in the pressure cooker began to boil, and a rich aroma filled the air.

The old man and Shinohara Masahito sniffed the air, exchanged glances, and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

What a pure and rich aroma of meat broth!

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