Chapter 39: Prisoner of Gourmet (Please keep reading)

In the narrow, dimly lit stairwell.

Carrying a gas cylinder in one hand, Fang Cheng climbed the steps with agile strides.

Zhou Xiumei followed behind him, her hands clasped in front of her, eyes cast downward as she carried two bags.

Inside were the clothes Fang Cheng had changed out of, along with warm buns and soy milk.

When the two reached the landing at the turn of the 5th floor.

Fang Cheng set the gas cylinder on the ground, then switched to his left hand to pick it up again.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiumei hurried forward and spoke up

"Brother Cheng, why don't you take a rest first? Don't overexert yourself."

Fang Cheng let out a soft breath and shook his head.

With 12 Strength and 20 Constitution.

Carrying a gas cylinder up to the 9th floor was a relatively easy task.

The physical exertion was far less than doing a hundred consecutive push-ups; there was no need to rest.

However, thinking back to a month ago, he used to have to shoulder it up the stairs, needing to rest for half a minute every floor.

He had undoubtedly made immense progress.

Perhaps sensing the silence between them, Zhou Xiumei muttered to herself as if in a monologue

"That man just now was truly greedy, asking for twice the usual price. Even though there was profit to be made, he didn't take it..."

Fang Cheng glanced back at her and smiled.

"Business is always that shrewd. He knew you wouldn't be able to carry it up yourself."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei gave a slight smile, but instinctively averted her gaze.

Ever since that night, when she had helped apply medicinal ointment to the wound on Fang Cheng's back.

Whenever they met, Zhou Xiumei felt somewhat awkward.

Soon, they reached the 9th floor.

Zhou Xiumei pushed open the half-open iron gate with force.

A hoarse, weak voice drifted from inside the house.

"Xiumei, did the gas arrive?"

"Brother Cheng helped bring it up."

Zhou Xiumei entered first, quickly crouching down to hand a pair of slippers to Fang Cheng.

"Grandma Zhou."

Fang Cheng followed her in, greeting her while changing his shoes.

Old Lady Zhou had a kind face and nodded with a smile, though her hearing seemed a bit poor.

There was no one else in the house; Uncle Zhou was likely working a case at the police station, and it seemed Auntie He and Zhou Xiumei's younger brother had gone out for something.

Fang Cheng didn't ask further. Carrying the gas cylinder, he walked into the kitchen.

It took him a minute or two to reconnect the pipe and tighten the valve.

"Brother Cheng, have some water. I added honey; it's sweet and good for your health..."

Zhou Xiumei walked over, carefully holding a cup of hot water with both hands.

"No need. I have pork rib soup cooking at my place; I need to go back and check on it immediately."

Fang Cheng waved her off and then asked, "By the way, where are my bags?"

Zhou Xiumei's cheeks flushed, and she responded in a soft voice

"I've already soaked your clothes in water..."

Fang Cheng couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

"Anyway... I was just about to do laundry, so I just did yours at the same time."

She bit her lip and added an explanation.

Fang Cheng had no choice but to take the bag containing the breakfast.

"Then... thank you."

Zhou Xiumei gave a low "Mm" with her head bowed.

A shy blush slowly spread across her cheeks, turning even the tips of her ears bright red.

Seeing the atmosphere turn slightly awkward, Fang Cheng changed the subject and invited her politely

"I've prepared a lot of food at my place. Why don't you and Grandma skip cooking lunch and come over to eat with us?"

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei hurriedly shook her head.

Fang Cheng gave a slight, knowing smile.

*You don't believe in my cooking, do you?*

Returning home, he took out his keys and opened the door.

Suddenly, a slightly pungent, burnt aroma wafted out.

Fang Cheng sniffed the air, and his expression changed instantly

"Crap, I cooked it for too long!"

………………………………

In the kitchen, wisps of cooking smoke rose.

The gas stove emitted faint blue flames, licking the bottom of the pan at a moderate oil temperature.

*Chop, chop, chop, chop—*

The sliced garlic sprouts and chicken breast were poured into the pan, instantly producing a sizzling sound.

Fang Cheng used his wrist strength to toss the pan, letting the meat and vegetables roll rapidly in the hot oil to ensure they were evenly stir-fried.

Soon, a dish of tender and delicious garlic sprout stir-fried chicken breast was ready.

As he plated it, a prompt appeared on his interface.

【You skillfully tossed the pan, completing a qualified stir-fry. Cooking Experience +1】

The corners of Fang Cheng's mouth curled up; he was quite appreciative of his own skills.

"Tossing the pan" could be considered the most basic and important technique for a Chinese chef, testing the flexibility and stability of the wrist extremely.

With just this move, if he went out to apply for a chef job and claimed to be an outstanding graduate of Lanxiang, it shouldn't be an exaggeration, right?

【Cooking Lv.0 (96/100)】

Looking at the progress bar on the panel, Fang Cheng nodded slightly.

This was a life-skill type ability, and it was unexpectedly close to leveling up.

Since he had accidentally unlocked "Cooking" while making food, he hadn't specifically studied any recipes or practiced knife skills.

In the beginning, just making fried rice or frying an egg caused his daily experience to soar.

With every bit of experience gained, his stir-frying and chopping skills became more proficient, and his sense of controlling the heat became increasingly precise.

However, once the progress bar passed 50 points, much like other skills, the rate of experience growth gradually slowed down.

The panel would provide a review and score for every dish he completed.

The score ranged from 0 to 1.

This meticulously prepared feast before him had only granted 1 point of experience.

Fang Cheng looked at it.

Three dishes and one soup, with both meat and vegetables; the presentation was actually quite good.

Except for that "soup," which had turned into several pieces of somewhat charred ribs, everything was at least edible.

"It's fine."

Fang Cheng shook his head with a slight smile; he had a very good mindset now.

Since he had to cook for himself every day anyway, leveling up the skill was a natural progression.

Holding the stir-fried chicken breast and scooping a large bowl of rice, Fang Cheng sat at the dining table.

He then turned on the television and began to feast heartily amidst the background noise of the midday news.

Despite being in a fitness period, he still preferred the "smoky" flavor of stir-fried dishes.

Especially since his training volume had increased recently, his appetite had grown significantly, nearly four or five times what it was before he started working out.

If he only ate bland, watery food, his body might endure it, but his stomach wouldn't.

Fang Cheng was pursuing muscle gain, not weight loss.

At the very least, he had to ensure a daily intake of oil and salt through a stir-fried meal.

"This station reports: Through the joint efforts of all city departments and the National Security Department in organizing rescue operations, the Xishan fire has been completely extinguished. The explosion hazard was eliminated in time, and relevant personnel have been effectively rescued..."

"Starting from 18:00 today, the alert status in the Xiguan District will be gradually lifted. Only certain areas of Xishan will remain under long-term lockdown. For safety reasons, citizens are advised to..."

The news anchor's melodious voice echoed in the room.

Fang Cheng looked up, his mouth chewing on bits of meat.

He looked at the screen, which showed scenes of Xishan appearing to have returned to tranquility.

After staring for a while and getting the gist of the news, he helped himself to a second bowl of rice and swept up the remaining chicken breast and other dishes.

By the time he reached his fourth bowl, there was almost nothing left of the three dishes.

Fang Cheng looked at the remaining "pork rib soup."

After thinking it over, deciding not to waste food, he picked out a piece of rib that looked decent and put it in his mouth.

Although the rib soup had been cooked into something resembling fried ribs.

It seemed to have a unique flavor of its own.

Fang Cheng savored it slowly, finally managing to gnaw a rib clean.

Suddenly, the panel before his eyes lit up.

Several lines of prompt information actually emerged.

【Through diligent practice of your craft, you have reached a level where you can endure food that ordinary people cannot. You have realized that every ingredient has its own value.】

【Skill Unlocked: Gourmet Lv.0 (0/100)】

"What does this mean?"

Fang Cheng's mouth, still full of rice, couldn't help but hang slightly open, failing to close for a long time.

(End of Chapter)