Chapter 8

After a while.

Su Wan'er stopped laughing, sighed, and said, "Forget it, brother-in-law, if you don't want to play, that's fine. By the way, what are your plans for the future? Have you found a job yet?"

"Not yet, no rush for now. Let's see how things go after a few days," Xu Jianxing said with a calm smile. He wasn't really in a hurry about work right now, after all, he still hadn't figured out the changes in his body. He thought it was better to wait until he had a full understanding before thinking about work.

"That's fine too, taking a few days off is good," Su Wan'er said, her expression changing as she added with a playful smile, "Of course, if brother-in-law doesn't mind, your little sister-in-law can support you. I can't provide much, but I can cover your food and drink. I can even allow you to order takeout."

"Go to hell!" Xu Jianxing rolled his eyes, not in a good mood. He had read many stories about the relationship between a brother-in-law and a little sister-in-law in novels, but he didn't have any improper thoughts about this little sister-in-law.

Firstly, after a year in the game, he had developed a feeling for this straightforward girl, almost like a younger sister.

Secondly, this little sister-in-law's thoughts and actions were completely different from other women. Not only did she pursue men in the game, but she also often used terms like "JJ" and "MM." She was very independent and had a unique personality, sharp like a top-notch man.

Therefore, Xu Jianxing was a bit reluctant, but he still admired this "little sister-in-law" for her character. At least, she was very independent and self-reliant, never trying to benefit from others. Everything she did was on her own. Even though she had married four times in the game, she never benefited from these "players." Instead, she spent a lot of money, even buying the wedding rings herself. She would happily say, "I've brought another husband home, I wonder if it will be enough."

She was sharp, extremely sharp. This was not just Xu Jianxing's evaluation, but the opinion of everyone who knew her.

Amidst their playful banter, Xu Jianxing suddenly saw a notification envelope on his online trading platform account. He glanced at it and said with a smile, "Great, the account and game currency have been sold. I'll go buy some groceries and cook lunch for you!"

Xu Jianxing wasn't surprised that the account and game currency sold so quickly. Many people played the game, and there were also many merchants on the platform who bought low and sold high. With his game account and game currency, he believed he could sell for around 3000 yuan without much effort, though it would take some time.

Hearing that the account had been sold, Su Wan'er couldn't help but think, "Could it be that my sister bought it?" She knew very well how much Lu Qian had invested emotionally in the game. However, when she heard Xu Jianxing say he would cook, she stopped thinking about it and said in disbelief, "Brother-in-law, you can cook?"

"What, don't believe me? I'll tell you, my cooking is very good," Xu Jianxing said with a hint of pride. His cooking used to be average, but with the knowledge in his mind, he was confident that his cooking skills had greatly improved.

Su Wan'er's eyes lit up, "I hope you're not just boasting. I'm a real foodie and very knowledgeable about food."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're satisfied," Xu Jianxing said eagerly, "By the way, where's the market? Since we have nothing to do now, can you take me to buy some ingredients? It will also help digest our food."

"Sure, follow me!" Su Wan'er got up and made a half-bowing gesture.

"You're always like a child who hasn't grown up," Xu Jianxing said with a smile.

"Growing up brings more troubles..."

The two of them chatted as they walked, quickly arriving at a large market nearby.

It was around ten in the morning, and because it was the weekend, the market was still bustling with people buying various ingredients.

Xu Jianxing stopped at a cucumber stall, glanced at the cucumbers, and without hesitation, picked out a few smaller ones and put them on the electronic scale.

Su Wan'er, seeing this, asked in surprise, "Brother-in-law, why do you pick the smaller ones? The bigger ones look fresher, don't they?"

"Foodie, what do you know?" Xu Jianxing gave her a look of disdain, "I'll tell you, for vegetables like cucumbers, bitter melons, and eggplants, the bigger ones are older and have a worse texture. Moreover, most vegetables are sprayed with pesticides, and the bigger ones are more affected. If you go to the countryside, you'll see that cucumbers that haven't been sprayed are much smaller, but they are the best ingredients, crisp and refreshing."

"Young man, you're quite knowledgeable," an old lady passing by said with a nod, "Nowadays, cucumbers are bigger, but they don't taste as good. They're like chewing wax. In my time, cucumbers had a much better flavor."

"You're right, ma'am," Xu Jianxing replied with a smile, paid for the cucumbers, and picked them up. He could say these things because he had read them in cookbooks and easily remembered them.

Su Wan'er looked at him in amazement, "Brother-in-law, it seems you're quite skilled at cooking."

"Of course," Xu Jianxing said without modesty.

As they continued to pick out ingredients, Su Wan'er learned many tips from Xu Jianxing, such as choosing thinner-skinned peppers for a spicier taste, and buying pink tomatoes for raw consumption and red tomatoes for cooking.

Soon, they had picked out all the ingredients and headed back home.

Since they had just eaten, they couldn't start cooking immediately. The two of them watched TV and chatted, and time passed quickly.

An hour later, Xu Jianxing couldn't wait to test his cooking skills. He told Su Wan'er and went into the kitchen. He turned on the stove, put some cold water in the pot, added a few slices of ginger, and then threw in a piece of pork belly. He was going to make stir-fried pork belly, and this was the first step.

After that, he started preparing a two-pound carp he had bought. He put the fish in the sink, picked up a small knife from the shelf, and made a beautiful knife pattern. Then, using the back of the knife, he quickly and skillfully removed the scales from the fish.

"Brother-in-law, are you having a spasm in your hand?" Su Wan'er, who had entered the kitchen, watched Xu Jianxing's actions in shock. Although this method was fast, it was more likely to damage the fish skin, which would affect the taste of the cooked fish. The fish skin was one of the best parts of the fish.

"Is brother-in-law just a theoretical expert?" Su Wan'er couldn't help but think.

Xu Jianxing just smiled and didn't say much. He started cleaning the other side of the fish, and in less than a minute, he stopped, turned on the tap, and rinsed the fish under the water while looking at Su Wan'er.

As the water washed over the fish, Su Wan'er's mouth opened wider and wider. She saw that the fish had no wounds, the flesh was fresh and white, and there wasn't a single scale left.

"Wow, no way!" Su Wan'er exclaimed in surprise. She felt that even top chefs would find it hard to clean a fish as quickly and thoroughly as Xu Jianxing.

Indeed, Xu Jianxing's eyesight, reaction time, and speed had doubled, and he was supported by a mysterious force, making the process of cleaning the fish very easy.

Xu Jianxing smiled and didn't say much. He quickly cleaned the fish, removed the innards, cut the fish at the head and tail to remove the fishy line, and placed it on the cutting board.

After finishing with the fish, Xu Jianxing quickly washed the other ingredients. Su Wan'er, on the other hand, picked up the fish and said in admiration, "Brother-in-law, I didn't know you were so fast and thorough. I'm starting to suspect you come from a family of chefs."

"Hehe," Xu Jianxing laughed, "If you think so, then so be it!"

"What do you mean 'so be it'? I feel like you are. It would take at least ten years to develop such knife skills," Su Wan'er grumbled, then asked with interest, "Brother-in-law, are you planning to find a job at a big restaurant in Yunhai? If you are, I can help."

"Let's see how things go," Xu Jianxing smiled. At this point, he was sure that after being struck by lightning, he had gained some bizarre cooking ability. "What a joke."

After preparing all the ingredients, Xu Jianxing picked up three cucumbers and decided to start with a simple dish: smashed cucumbers.

He peeled the cucumbers, smashed them with the back of a knife, and then quickly sliced them. Although his speed and knife skills amazed Su Wan'er, she wasn't too surprised because she had already imagined him as someone from a family of chefs.

In just over a minute, Xu Jianxing mixed the cucumbers with minced garlic, vinegar, chili oil, and sesame oil. The dish was complete.

At that moment, something strange happened again. Xu Jianxing felt a warm current in his body, though it was much smaller than the one he had felt underwater.

This made Xu Jianxing pause, but with his previous experience, he quickly regained his composure.

"What's going on? Is there a connection between cooking and diving...?"

He thought for a moment but couldn't figure out the connection. He shook his head with a bitter smile, deciding not to think about it. After all, things would become clear eventually.