Chapter 4: God of Cooking System

Chapter 4: The God of Cookery System

Jiang Ning’s smile stiffened. By the time she truly couldn't keep smiling anymore, they had reached the foot of Qingfeng Mountain. There were very few people heading into the mountains early in the morning, and she was in such a great mood that everything she saw looked like a treasure.

What shocked her most was that there were *gualou* (trichosanthes) everywhere, covering the mountains and plains. Some were still green and firm, while others were already overripe and rotting; a gust of wind would blow, and a faint, foul odor would drift by.

Jiang Ning ran over excitedly, grabbing a handful in one go.

A mechanical voice rang out in her mind: "Trichosanthes, medicinal and edible; the seeds can be roasted into melon seeds."

Jiang Ning was overjoyed. She hadn't expected her God of Cookery system to have followed her here. Her consciousness immediately entered the system, and she discovered that all the ingredients she had stored before transmigrating were still there.

Spices such as various types of chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, cumin, cloves, star anise, bay leaves, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, and more—there were nearly twenty or thirty catties of each. Some were even from different regions, which she had prepared specifically because different dishes required different flavor profiles. As for cooking essentials, she had plenty: lard, soybean oil, sesame oil, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, savory soy sauce, rice vinegar, aged vinegar, yellow wine, white wine, beer, MSG, chicken essence, brown sugar, white sugar, rock sugar, and honey.

Beyond these, there were also dried goods like longans, red dates, dried figs, dried cordyceps, white fungus, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, red mushrooms, bamboo fungus, abalone, squid, dried scallops, shrimp, sea cucumber, bird's nest, deer antler, and so on—all essential ingredients for making soups.

Additionally, there were two large bags of medium-gluten flour for making pastries, a small amount of cornmeal, and a small amount of assorted grains.

After seeing all these items, Jiang Ning wept with joy. Although the food wasn't enough to last forever, it could at least serve as an emergency supply. However, she couldn't explain the origin of these things yet, so she couldn't take them out at all.

Yang Santie saw his mother crying and laughing while clutching a handful of *gualou* seeds, and his brows furrowed tightly. "Mother, that stuff stinks to high heaven. Nobody picks it; it’s not a treasure."

Jiang Ning snapped back to reality and hurriedly explained, "This is good stuff that can be sold for money. Come over and help me."

Yang Santie curled his lip, not taking Jiang Ning’s words seriously at all. He turned his head and squatted on the ground to pick wild vegetables. "I still have to find food. You play by yourself, Mother!"

Jiang Ning glanced over and saw Yang Santie focused on digging up wild vegetables she didn't recognize, ignoring the large patches of plantain and dandelion right next to him. Her mouth twitched violently, and she called for Yang Sizhuang to come and pick them instead.

Yang Sizhuang wasn't as rebellious as Yang Santie, and he feared the original owner. As soon as Jiang Ning shouted, he immediately squatted down to work. It was just picking wild vegetables—what was the big deal? As long as his mother didn't start scolding him or chasing him around like a rabbit, he was fine.

Jiang Ning watched for a moment, and seeing that both children were working diligently, she also focused on picking the *gualou*.

They were everywhere, and she couldn't possibly pick them all by herself. Soon, her basket was full, and she hurriedly said, "I’ll take these back first and then come back for you two. Remember, don't wander off!"

Yang Santie looked as if he had seen a ghost. He stood up and watched Jiang Ning leave, then kicked Yang Sizhuang. "Do you think Mother hit her head? She actually reminded us?"

This was truly the sun rising from the west; it was the first time he had seen such a thing in his life!

Yang Sizhuang wiped his runny nose and said, "Isn't that a good thing? As long as Mother doesn't beat me, it's fine!"

Yang Santie nodded in agreement and continued to squat down to work. Although he really wanted to play, the current situation at home forced him to suppress those thoughts.

On her way back, Jiang Ning passed by the field ridges and saw even more people working. Their reactions were surprisingly consistent: not to mention greeting her, they couldn't even be bothered to glance at her.

This time, she learned her lesson and quickly crossed the ridges, carrying her load home.

Seeing Jiang Ning walk away, Yang Dazhuang chatted with Yang Liuzi nearby, "Was that the tough-lived woman from Yang Hu’s house? What do you think she was doing in the mountains early in the morning? She had a whole basket!"

Yang Liuzi didn't even lift his head, his tone full of disgust. "Why bother with her? As long as she doesn't try to swindle us, that's enough!"

The Jiang woman would even snatch candy from his son; what kind of decent thing could she possibly be doing?

Yang Dazhuang thought that made sense and continued to work with his head down.

By the time Jiang Ning carried the *gualou* back, she was drenched in sweat, and her shoulders were aching terribly. The original owner really was exceptionally lazy. She had lived through hardships before transmigrating, and in that era of material abundance, she could still carry forty or fifty catties of goods for a long distance. These *gualou* weighed less than forty catties, yet this body couldn't handle it.

She shook her head while placing the *gualou* in a corner of the kitchen, then set off for the foot of Qingfeng Mountain again.

She went back and forth about six or seven times before stopping. By then, it was dusk. Yang Datou and Liu Ye returned from the fields and were stunned to see the kitchen full of *gualou*.

"Mother, did you pick all of these?" Yang Datou blurted out subconsciously.

Yang Santie immediately distanced himself. "Big Brother, I told Mother not to pick them, but she wouldn't listen and insisted on playing. It has nothing to do with me; I was busy picking wild vegetables properly."

Yang Datou looked down at Yang Santie’s harvest and finally felt a bit of relief. His gaze fell on Yang Sizhuang’s basket, and his expression instantly cracked. "Fourth, what kind of stuff did you pick?"

Yang Sizhuang pointed at Jiang Ning with an innocent look. "Mother told me to pick them."

Yang Datou took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "Since Mother told you to pick them, then so be it."

Jiang Ning said, "Those are plantain and dandelion; they are edible."

Yang Datou helplessly rubbed his forehead. "Mother, I know those are plantain and dandelion. The village doctor said they can be boiled in water if you have a headache or fever, but people don't usually eat them."

Although Rongshu Village was poor, it backed onto the mountains and had streams and lakes, so nature’s gifts were plentiful. Previously, some people had tried eating new things, but they either tasted terrible or resulted in poisoning, with some even losing their lives.

Since then, everyone had a tacit understanding to only pick common wild vegetables and fruits. No one dared to try things they hadn't seen or eaten before. Even if one or two people tried them and were fine, no one would follow suit on a large scale.

Jiang Ning knew it would be hard to convince them, so she said to Liu Ye, "Make some plantain and dandelion for me separately. I’ll eat those."

"Mother..." Liu Ye frowned, wanting to persuade her, but seeing Jiang Ning’s determined look, she had to agree.

Watching Liu Ye go to cook, Jiang Ning asked, "Where are Erdan and Xiaoya? Why aren't they back yet, it's so late?"

"I'll go look for them." Yang Datou headed out without a word, and Yang Santie immediately chased after him.

Jiang Ning didn't think much of it and turned to the kitchen to organize the *gualou*.

The rotting *gualou* gave off a foul stench, making them impossible to process for sale. However, the seeds could be cleaned out and roasted. Since the kitchen had just been used for a fire, the floor was covered in wood ash, which was perfect for scrubbing the rotting *gualou*.

She was busy working inside when Liu Ye peeked in a few times out of curiosity, only to be driven away by the stench and quickly turned back to her own chores.

Jiang Ning worked until she heard Yang Datou’s voice outside before she finally left the kitchen. Seeing them dragging a pile of bamboo back, she hurried over to help.

But as soon as she got close, the children all frowned in unison.

Jiang Ning didn't say anything. Once she finished cleaning the *gualou*, she’d see if they still looked at her with such disdain!

These are all the ingredients I can think of for the system for now; there might be updates later! O(∩_∩)O Haha~

(End of chapter)