The Gourmet Customizer

"Boss Su, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?"

Liu Ahbao couldn’t bear the thought of such a fine kitchen being used to make a dish like that.

"No need to reconsider. We’re serving this dish in three days. I’ll write you a list in a bit. Take someone with you to the market and buy a few things."

Seeing how resolute Su Chen was, Ah Bao couldn’t say anything more. He could only pray that Boss Su had a milder palate and wasn’t one of those ’the stinkier, the tastier’ types.

Afterward, Su Chen and Ah Bao worked together to make a simple breakfast. At ten in the morning, as the employees began to trickle in, Ah Bao took Bai Xiaobo to the market to get the supplies.

Meanwhile, Su Chen started prepping for lunch.

After this past week of torment, Wang Xiaoyi didn’t even trigger a single critical hit during breakfast, and she no longer hunched over her plate as she ate.

’Looks like it’s having an effect. I’ll just have to see what happens to the mission after I make the stinky dish.’

Under Ah Bao’s lead, the two quickly returned to the company.

They brought back a wooden bucket and ten live mandarin fish, each weighing around a pound, which was on the smaller side.

Su Chen’s skill at cleaning fish was absolutely top-notch. He had all ten fish prepared in just a few minutes, which left Zhang Li stunned. She even started to wonder if the boss had done this for a living before.

"Boss Su, are we having squirrel fish for lunch?" Zhang Li leaned in close to Su Chen. She recognized the fish.

’It’s the same kind of fish he made when Brother Fang Chang visited!’

"Nope." Su Chen began rubbing salt onto the cleaned fish.

"Then what are you making?"

’What a curious cat.’

Su Chen was intentionally vague. "You’ll find out in a couple of days."

This only made Zhang Li more curious. She’d always had an exploratory spirit when it came to food. She stood up and tugged on Liu Ahbao’s arm. "Brother Bao, what in the world is the boss making?"

Liu Ahbao shook his head. "You’ll find out in a couple of days."

Fine... "Little Short-Legs" was left speechless.

You have to use a wooden bucket to marinate mandarin fish; it’s the only way to get that pure, mellow funk. Basically, any chef worth their salt knew this.

As he did this prep work, Su Chen even activated his Skill: White Jade Hand!

’This amount of salt is just right.’

’It would be even better if I could arrange the fish neatly and minimize the gaps.’

Guided by a stream of automatic thoughts and the innate sensory perception of his White Jade Hand, Su Chen executed this step with perfect precision.

After salting all ten fish and arranging them in the wooden bucket, Su Chen picked it up and began to wander around the company.

"Little Short-Legs" followed cheerfully behind him. "What are you looking for, Boss Su?"

Liu Ahbao pulled her back. "You should get back to your work. Don’t bother the boss."

Ah Bao knew Su Chen was searching for a spot with the right temperature.

For this type of cured fish, the keys to developing the funk are temperature and salinity.

In a spot with the right temperature, the fish could be cured in two or three days. In a cooler spot, however, it would take a week.

But controlling the amount of salt was even more critical to its success.

Too little salt, and the flesh would spoil.

Too much salt, and the flesh would lose too much moisture.

However, a moderate amount of salt would prolong the curing time. Therefore, to cure the fish in the shortest time possible, the salinity had to be pushed to the absolute critical point, just shy of where the flesh would begin to spoil.

This was the main reason Ah Bao was so worried.

If he didn’t get it just right...

Just imagine it: two days from now, everyone gathers around, excitedly opening that wooden bucket.

Inside are dead fish that have been fermenting in the heat for two days, the flesh completely rotted into a slimy mush. And that smell...

Ugh!

The mere thought sent a phantom smell rushing straight to the top of his skull!

After searching high and low, Su Chen finally chose a spot near a window.

As soon as he reached the spot, a new thought popped into his head.

’29.8 degrees Celsius. This temperature is perfect for curing.’

’But I’ll need to find a new place this afternoon.’

The indoor temperature would shift as the sun moved across the sky, and an ordinary person would find it difficult to perceive the slight temperature variations between different spots.

After setting down the wooden bucket, Su Chen grabbed three thermometers from the kitchen and headed back to the 19th floor.

He needed to hang them up in advance. After all, his White Jade Hand only had a duration of one hour.

At lunch and dinner, Wang Xiaoyi continued to provide only a trickle of experience points. This gave Su Chen a strong intuition.

If the stinky dish could also help her overcome her sensitivity, then he might actually be able to complete this hidden mission!

The emergence of Peak of Flavor had left Su Chen on edge lately. He was so distracted he hadn’t even been properly practicing the Lu and Huaiyang Cuisines he was supposed to be learning. He’d only pop into the practice room occasionally, focusing on getting most of his dishes to A Level.

「Two anxious days passed.」

Early this morning, Su Chen activated his White Jade Hand and went to the 19th-floor kitchen to check on the wooden bucket.

’It needs another forty minutes of curing in a 28-degree Celsius environment.’

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Su Chen carried the bucket, wandering all over the floor. Where was he supposed to find a place that hot so early in the morning?

Finally, with no other option, Su Chen carried the wooden bucket down to the 2nd floor.

Liu Ahbao wasn’t even up yet.

He turned on a kitchen burner and placed a large pot full of water on it. Then, he set the wooden bucket next to the stove. He didn’t leave the kitchen until the temperature around the stovetop held steady at 29 degrees Celsius.

He set an alarm for forty minutes later and went back to bed, satisfied.