Chapter 9

At this moment, Su Wan'er took a bite of the smashed cucumber and then gave a thumbs up with a radiant smile, "Brother-in-law, this is really good, the smashed cucumber is very refreshing, the saltiness is just right, it's simply top-notch."

"Flatterer." Xu Jianxing gave her a disapproving look. This smashed cucumber, as long as one has a bit of foundation, how could the taste be bad?

Deciding to ignore Su Wan'er, Xu Jianxing started preparing the next dish, which he chose to be stir-fried pork with fermented black beans.

After setting everything up, he quickly started stir-frying over a high flame. Seeing his skilled stir-frying technique and his strong ability to handle the wok, Su Wan'er reaffirmed her thoughts, "It seems Brother-in-law really comes from a family of chefs; otherwise, it would be impossible for someone so young to have such a high level of culinary skills."

She said, "Brother-in-law, if you plan to become a chef, let me know. I think it wouldn't be a problem for me to find you a chef job with a monthly salary of around ten thousand."

"Alright, I'll definitely let you know if I decide to," Xu Jianxing replied with a smile, then asked in confusion, "A chef can earn more than ten thousand? From what I see online, it's usually only three or four thousand."

"Um." Su Wan'er was slightly taken aback and gave him a strange look. Could it be that Brother-in-law doesn't come from a family of chefs? Otherwise, how could he not know the current market for chefs in big cities, or perhaps he has never been out in the world.

After thinking for a moment, Su Wan'er didn't want to think about it anymore and said with a look of disdain, "Brother-in-law, you really lack knowledge. Generally, chefs in ordinary restaurants earn that much. In top-tier hotels, a regular stir-fry chef can earn over 100,000 a year. A head chef or executive chef can earn 400,000 to a million, or even more. The most extreme cases are the executive chefs who, in addition to their basic salary, also participate in the hotel's profit-sharing, with some even earning over ten million a year. Isn't that impressive?"

"It is impressive," Xu Jianxing said, a bit speechless. He never thought that being a chef could earn so much, but no matter how much one earns, he didn't have the heart to think about it now. He needed to figure out what had happened to him first.

Then, Xu Jianxing asked curiously, "By the way, how do you know all this?"

"Because our company owns a hotel, mainly to cater to clients from other places. Of course, we also use the hotel to build relationships and so on."

"Oh, I see." Xu Jianxing smiled and then focused on cooking. When the dish of stir-fried pork with fermented black beans was done, a warm current rose spontaneously in his dantian and then spread throughout his body.

Feeling this change, Xu Jianxing was momentarily stunned. After a moment of thought, he understood that the cause of this change was most likely due to cooking. This time, the warm current was clearly more than the last time, which he could tell from the duration.

To confirm this idea, Xu Jianxing suppressed his excitement and started on the next dish. He was so focused that even when Su Wan'er spoke to him, he didn't hear clearly, only responding with "uh-huh."

When the braised eggplant was done, the warm current appeared again, and the amount was more than the smashed cucumber but less than the stir-fried pork with fermented black beans.

The cold mixed bitter melon was on par with the smashed cucumber...

The fish-flavored shredded pork was roughly the same as the braised eggplant...

At this point, when Xu Jianxing was about to do something else, Su Wan'er hurriedly stopped him, "Brother-in-law, that's enough, enough. You've made so much, plus the last dish of braised carp, it's enough for us to eat. Any more would be a waste."

"Ah, enough." Xu Jianxing came to his senses and said a bit reluctantly, "How about I make a bit more and do the dinner dishes as well?"

"Are you crazy!" Su Wan'er gave him a disapproving look, "Why would you want to eat leftovers for dinner when you can have fresh dishes? Are you crazy?"

"You're right!" Xu Jianxing laughed a bit awkwardly. Although he wanted Su Wan'er to invite some friends over so he could make more dishes, he felt that doing so would be a bit silly, so he gave up.

However, from the few dishes he had made, Xu Jianxing was completely certain of one thing: cooking indeed caused a warm current to rise in his body. With the generation of these currents, his physical condition had improved somewhat compared to before. How much, he couldn't quantify.

With this realization, Xu Jianxing was overjoyed. The only slight drawback was that he might really have to become a chef in the future, at least to achieve his dream of becoming a superhuman, he would need to be a professional chef.

However, he also felt a kind of indescribable fatigue in his mind, as if he had been engaged in a lot of mental activity. Although his body was filled with energy due to the warm currents, he truly felt a bit tired, even a bit sleepy, despite having just woken up.

He was now a bit puzzled by this issue.

"Never mind, let's think about it after we eat." Xu Jianxing cleared his mind and quickly finished the last dish, braised carp. His spirit was a bit more tired, but the warm current appeared as expected.

Ignoring these feelings, he quickly served the dishes to the table, and Su Wan'er brought out two bowls of steamed rice.

Sitting down, Xu Jianxing smiled and said, "Try my cooking and give me some feedback!"

"What to try? I already ate a lot when you were cooking." Su Wan'er rolled her eyes and then said seriously, "Brother-in-law, since you asked for my evaluation, and we are family, I'll be honest. First, your dishes taste very good. Although they are not as good as the top-tier meals I've had, they are better than the average star chef's. At least, in my opinion, they are better than the chefs in the hotel of my subordinate company who earn ten thousand. Second, after eating your food, I feel a bit more energetic, as if I just came out of a hot spring, which is quite magical. I don't know if it's my imagination or if you have some unique skills."

"Um." Xu Jianxing was slightly taken aback and then laughed, "Eating a dish isn't that magical. I think it's your imagination, or maybe you're excited to see Brother-in-law and have some ulterior motives."

"Brother-in-law, you're dead. I'm being serious, and you're joking with me." Su Wan'er gave him a fierce look.

Xu Jianxing chuckled, "Alright, let's eat. After this, I need to rest; I feel a bit tired."

"Oh, it seems Brother-in-law's body is a bit weak. You're already tired after doing nothing today. Should I make some nourishing soup for you tonight to prevent you from being weak later?" Su Wan'er looked at Xu Jianxing with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Go away, I'm telling you, my body is strong. I can take down ten or eight young men easily."

"You're just boasting." Su Wan'er gave him a disdainful look.

Xu Jianxing, of course, wouldn't be foolish enough to prove anything and picked up his chopsticks, putting a piece of stir-fried pork with fermented black beans in his mouth. As the taste buds unfolded, Xu Jianxing clearly knew that his cooking skills had indeed improved dramatically. If he hadn't been proficient before, now he was not only proficient but had reached a certain level.

As the meat went down, Xu Jianxing, after a careful feeling, sensitively discovered the difference in the meat. Specifically, it gave his body a sense of pleasure, a feeling like the relaxation after a hot spring, as Su Wan'er had said.

To confirm this, Xu Jianxing ate much faster. By the end of the lunch, he was completely certain that his dishes could indeed alleviate physical fatigue, but had no significant effect on mental fatigue.

"It seems this is another point that needs attention," Xu Jianxing thought to himself. After washing the dishes, he and Su Wan'er sat on the sofa in the living room.

Xu Jianxing was about to say he wanted to rest, but Su Wan'er spoke first, "Brother-in-law, do you want to know about Sister's real-life situation?"

Xu Jianxing was slightly taken aback. He wanted to say no, but the words wouldn't come out. He sighed and said, "Um, tell me what you can."

"Um." Su Wan'er nodded and said, "Sister's name is Lu Qian. She is thirty-one years old and has a six-year-old daughter named Lu Tingting, who follows her mother's surname. Sister's father passed away a few years ago, and her mother died when she was young. Not long after Sister got married, her husband died in a car accident. So, Sister has had a rather pitiful life. By now, you should understand that Sister is very wealthy. I'll tell you, Sister is not just wealthy, but extremely rich."

"She is now the chairman and general manager of Hongguang Pharmaceutical Group in Yunhai City. She also owns a four-star hotel and a travel company, which are not very large but mainly serve the clients of the pharmaceutical group. Even so, Sister's personal assets, according to my estimate, are over 4 billion, making her a truly wealthy woman."

"Indeed, a very wealthy woman," Xu Jianxing said with a bitter smile. Although he was a bit surprised, he wasn't overly shocked by the number. After all, the money wasn't his, and he had never thought of gaining anything from Lu Qian. Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until now. If he had been a bit more shameless, he might not have ended up in this situation.

Thinking of this, a figure involuntarily appeared in Xu Jianxing's mind, and he thought to himself, "Are you doing well now?"