The Gourmet Customizer

Once all the ingredients were coated in the dark sauce, he added cold water until it was level with the food.

He brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced it to medium. After the water was boiling, he laid the tofu flat on top and let it stew for twenty minutes. Finally, he added thin potato starch noodles, let them simmer for a moment, and stirred everything together.

Su Chen poured out the large pot of stew and waited expectantly for the system’s score.

[Black Pork Stew: B Level]

"Damn it!"

All that excitement for nothing!

He thought a purple-tier recipe would get an A Level even if he just threw it together, but it only came out as a B?

Su Chen took a bite.

There was nothing wrong with it. The flavor was pretty much the same as the stew served in most restaurants.

’Where did I go wrong...’

Summoning the prepared ingredients once more, Su Chen fell into deep thought.

[...]

「Meanwhile.」

「Yangzhou City. Flavor Residence.」

"Oh, for heaven’s sake, what is wrong with you? We agreed to leave the day after tomorrow, why did you suddenly change your mind?!"

Jiang Wensheng tossed a few shirts into his suitcase. "How long has it been since I’ve seen my daughter? I can’t wait any longer. Today, the day after tomorrow—it’s all the same!"

"You should have at least told Yuanyuan ahead of time!"

"No! I want to give my little girl a surprise!"

With the suitcase packed, Jiang Wensheng checked his watch. "The flight to Jingzhou takes off in three hours. Are you coming or not?"

His wife gave him a light, exasperated kick. "You’re going, so how can I not? Honestly, you’ve been acting so crazy all day."

According to the original plan, Jiang Wensheng and his wife were supposed to arrive in Jingzhou the day after tomorrow. They were going to meet their future son-in-law and his family, and if everything went well, they would finalize the engagement.

But for some reason, the old man had been acting like he’d taken the wrong medicine all morning.

He’d been completely distracted ever since he arrived at the restaurant, video-calling his daughter every so often. Then, in a fit of excitement, he went and booked two plane tickets to Jingzhou.

His wife nagged him as she packed.

"I don’t know what’s gotten into you. You already agreed to the marriage, so why are you making things difficult for the two of them?"

"Yuanyuan moved all the way to Jingzhou for work right after college, and it’s been years. If Fang Chang didn’t treat her well, do you really think she would have stayed there for so long?"

"Besides, Fang Chang’s family is well-off. They may not be on our level, but they’re considered wealthy in Jingzhou. As long as our daughter doesn’t have to worry about her meals, isn’t that enough?"

Jiang Wensheng snorted. "Don’t I know my own daughter? That backwater place, Jingzhou... all they eat are potatoes and noodles every day. What did my daughter grow up eating?"

"You think Jingzhou doesn’t have any restaurants? If she wants food from back home, she can just eat out. It’s not like they can’t afford it!"

Jiang Wensheng turned his head away. "It’s not that I’m looking down on them! But a restaurant in Jingzhou that can make authentic Huaiyang Cuisine? Hah! Even if one exists, it’s bound to be a pale imitation, just trading on the name!"

"Besides, Yuanyuan has been telling me about these ’Lion’s Head’ meatballs for days now. I’d like to see for myself if some out-of-town restaurant can make them better than my Flavor Residence."

His wife sighed. "You... When are you going to stop being so competitive about everything?"

Of course, his wife was just saying it. She knew he was just worried. They only had one daughter, and Jiang Wensheng was terrified that if she married so far away, it would be hard for them to ever see her.

Though he’d never admit it, she had caught him staring blankly at his daughter’s photo late at night more than once. Such is the heart of a parent.

They had an agreed-upon date, but the closer it got, the more antsy Jiang Wensheng became.

Every minute felt like an eternity, and he wished he could just grab the hands of the clock and spin them forward. He finally couldn’t take it anymore this morning.

"Go on and get your shoes on. I need to use the restroom."

Jiang Wensheng grumbled, "You take forever to get ready every time we go out!"

His wife went into the bathroom, locked the door, and quickly sent a message to their daughter.

[Your dad is insisting on coming to see you today. Says he wants to give you a surprise! Let Fang Chang know.]

There’s a saying that a mother-in-law grows fonder of her son-in-law the more she sees him. Yuan Suzhen certainly felt that way; she thought that young man Fang Chang was wonderful. He was honest and kind, but most importantly, he was good to her daughter!

After giving her daughter the heads-up, she finally came out of the bathroom, and they left with their luggage.

「Jingzhou City.」 In Delicious, Fang Chang was sprawled out on the second floor, lounging and chatting with Zhan Yang.

"Do you think Boss Su’s food has some kind of magic power? I’ve heard that back in the day, some places would add... *that kind of stuff* to their food to keep customers coming back!"

Zhan Yang laughed awkwardly. "The man runs a legitimate business; he’s not some desperate criminal. You can’t find that stuff anymore. Haven’t you seen the helicopters WHIR-WHIR-WHIRRING on patrol up there?"

"True." Fang Chang smacked his lips. "So how is his food so ridiculously good? By the way, what’s the deal with that friend of yours?"

Zhan Yang knew he was talking about Zhang Yi. "He’s totally henpecked! You’ll be the same way when you get married. She’ll give you, what, two hundred a month for an allowance? Haha!"

"My Yuanyuan would never be like that. Hold on, I’ve got a call."

Fang Chang took out his phone, a happy smile spreading across his face when he saw the caller. But not three seconds after he answered, the smile vanished.

"What?! Are you serious?"

"You’re not messing with me, are you...? Your dad has the worst timing, doesn’t he?"

"Boss Su isn’t ready for this! I haven’t even changed my clothes!"

Zhan Yang sat up straight. Something in Fang Chang’s tone sounded very wrong.

"Okay, honey, it’s alright. I’ll figure something out. You just act like you don’t know anything!"

After he hung up, Zhan Yang asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Damn it! My father-in-law is launching a surprise attack! He was supposed to get here the day after tomorrow, but now he’s coming today! His flight gets in at noon, he’ll be in Jingzhou by three this afternoon!"