Chapter 5: Virgin Cuisine
The old man unconsciously loosened his crossed arms.
Thirty minutes later, Xia Yu unwrapped the damp cloth covering the rested
dough. With a gleaming steel knife in hand, he sliced it into neat, even
strips. Then, he drizzled salad oil across the pieces, dusted the board with
starch, and—without hesitation—began to pull noodles.
Making ramen from scratch wasn't something a novice could just do,
especially pulling out perfectly thin strands. But what followed left both the
old man and Kanhara Masato wide-eyed.
In Xia Yu's hands, those strips of dough became noodles—silver threads that
danced in mid-air as he shook them loose with casual precision. They were long,
supple, uniform. Each motion was fluid, as if he had performed this a thousand
times.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three large bowls landed cleanly on the counter.
Without missing a beat, Xia Yu oiled the noodles and tossed them into a
hollow sieve. He grabbed a basin, filled it with steaming hot water, and soaked
the noodles briefly before fishing them out and placing them gently into the
waiting bowls.
Then came the broth.
With a practiced motion, he opened the pressure cooker. Fragrant steam burst
out as he ladled the soup—one spoonful per bowl. In the blink of an eye, three
steaming servings of beef ramen stood proudly on the countertop.
He topped each with freshly pan-fried beef slices and finished with a
sprinkling of green onions.
"Done." Xia Yu slipped off his apron. He didn't even glance at his
handiwork. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the glowing system notification.
System:The Mirror Crystal has been consumed. You've
learned a new recipe. Chef experience increased.
Nice.
Xia Yu pulled up his personal panel and spotted the newly unlocked recipe: Xia's
Beef Ramen.
It now sat proudly in the recipe tab—green tier.
And right below it... Magic Mapo Tofu, glowing in blue. The
reward for completing the system's initial quest.
A thought struck him.
Green... blue... Is this some kind of ranking system?
He frowned.
It made sense. Higher-quality recipes likely had more potential—but
execution still depended on the chef.
Give a world-class recipe to a kitchen amateur, and they'd still manage to
turn it into culinary horror. Good food wasn't just about the blueprint. It was
about the hands that brought it to life.
So what did recipe color really mean?
He asked the system.
System:
Green represents common-tier recipes—the highest quality the dish can
achieve is limited.
Blue represents high-quality recipes. When cooked correctly, there's a
chance for the dish to… glow.
Glowing cuisine.
Xia Yu blinked.
Of course. This world had Food Wars! and Cooking Master Boy
rules baked into its bones. Dishes that didn't shine were second-rate at best.
He suddenly realized just how deep the rabbit hole went.
Does that mean this world really follows that kind of logic?
Before he could sink further into speculation, a voice called out.
"Is this the ramen you made?"
Xia Yu turned.
Kanhara Masato had re-entered the kitchen. Xia Yu opened his mouth to
object, but paused when he saw the old man hadn't stopped him. He shrugged.
"Yep. Try it."
He brought the bowls to the front counter.
Kanhara Masato returned to his seat. Xia Yu replaced the empty bowl in front
of him with a steaming hot one, then turned around and walked back into the
kitchen without a word.
Kanhara Masato was left stunned. He had expected the young chef to wait for
feedback, to hover nervously like most newcomers would.
Unless… he was confident?
Suspicion crept into his eyes.
He leaned forward and took in the scent.
That rich aroma… it stirred something deep within.
"…Why does this feel familiar?"
He took a bite. The noodles were still hot, forcing him to chew slowly. His
eyes widened with surprise.
The elasticity… the texture… It was perfect.
Before he knew it, half the bowl had vanished.
A low voice cut in from nearby.
"You should try the soup. That's the essence of Xia's Beef Ramen."
Kanhara Masato turned. The old man stood beside him, holding his own empty
bowl—already finished, down to the last drop.
"Soup?" Kanhara blinked. In his rush to eat, he hadn't even tasted
the broth properly.
He picked up a spoon, dipped it into the clear, shimmering broth, and
brought it to his lips.
The moment it touched his tongue, it was like a wave of warmth rippled
across his skin. His pores opened. A mysterious heat flowed through his body
like a bath drawn from heaven.
"Beef bones… peppercorns… cinnamon, cardamom, dried ginger…"
He closed his eyes, murmuring each note he tasted.
"…Wait. That's beef liver. And chicken stock… and carrots? To absorb the
fat? To keep the soup clear?"
Each sip peeled back another layer.
He opened his eyes and looked down at the bowl, then slowly turned to face
the old man beside him.
"…Boss Xia, are you sure your grandson isn't a chef?"
He couldn't believe what he was tasting.
It had only been thirty minutes since he tried the first bowl—made by the
grandfather himself.
Yet somehow, this second bowl, made by a teenager, was even better.
How?
He knew the old man's culinary skill inside and out. That's what made this
even more unbelievable.
"He's not a chef," the old man replied, face unreadable. "…This was the
first time I've eaten anything he's made."
He glanced at the empty bowl on the table, his eyes flickering with hidden
emotion.
"You're lucky, Mr. Kanhara."
"…Lucky?"
"Don't you think it's lucky to have tasted such excellent virgin cuisine?"
The old man's gaze sharpened.
A chill ran down Kanhara Masato's spine. He straightened and nodded
fervently, like a chicken pecking grain.
"Lucky. Very lucky!"
Back in the kitchen, Xia Yu wasn't listening.
He was scrubbing dishes when a system prompt pinged.
Ding!
Quest Completed: Initial Mission
Reward unlocked: Recipe – Magic Mapo Tofu
"Learn."
He tapped the glowing icon.
A flood of information surged into his brain.
His eyes went glassy for a few seconds, then refocused.
"Soybeans. Broth. Tofu. Peppercorns. Chili… minced garlic…"
He recited each ingredient in his mind.
And then came the steps—every action, every motion, burned into memory like
a high-definition film.
The fire in his chest flared again.
I've got to try this.