At the start, I tricked the school beauty, and ended up with twins?

"Mr. Dai, would you like to come along?" Lin Xinyue extended the invitation to Dai Zhengguo.

After all, they had already agreed to have lunch together.

If they were to ditch Mr. Dai, that would be rude.

"Haha, would it be convenient for me to join?"

Dai Zhengguo laughed heartily.

"Of course it's convenient! You are Gu Yu's teacher, there's nothing inconvenient about eating food cooked by Gu Yu."

Lin Xinyue clung tightly to Gu Yu's hand.

She was absolutely not going to let Gu Yu get away today, even though this guy obviously hadn't done anything.

But she just wanted to punish him a little,

"No, I can't cook!"

Gu Yu quickly shook his head. He was okay with cooking for himself, but cooking for others left him clueless.

He could cook, but only simple home-cooked dishes.

After all, being poor as a child, mealtime was about making do with what you had, not about making anything fancy.

When you're starving, what is there to think about eating?

"I don't believe that! You've even helped me cook before! Your knife skills clearly indicate you are no novice!"

Lin Xinyue looked up and glared at Gu Yu.

This guy just didn't want to make the effort!

"I know of a wood stove restaurant where customers can cook their own food," Dai Zhengguo said, his interest piqued by anything related to Gu Yu, though he normally wasn't picky about food.

"... Old Dai, you're just causing a ruckus with Xinyue!"

Gu Yu was out of options.

Both the young and the old had spoken, so there was no way he could back out today.

"Let's set off!" Dai Zhengguo swept his hand, tucking away the documents on the table into a drawer and locking it up.

Then he led the two out of Haidong Hospital.

Gu Yu drove, while Dai Zhengguo navigated, quickly arriving at a wood stove restaurant on Affiliated Hospital East Road.

It was the peak dining hour, and Gu Yu had to wait several minutes to find a parking spot.

"This place is really popular, isn't it?"

Gu Yu walked with Lin Xinyue to the entrance of the so-called wood stove restaurant, where a steady flow of people was coming and going.

He had thought it would be a small farmhouse-style eatery, but it was actually a large three-story building, decorated in an ancient style on the outside, exuding an aura of elegance.

Fuyuan Wood Stove Restaurant.

Just the name was a bit unsophisticated.

"This is the place. This restaurant's wood stove is very unique, and the food tastes great, so it's quite popular with customers," Dai Zhengguo said, stepping up to the entrance as Lin Xinyue held onto Gu Yu's hand and followed.

"Welcome, guests! The stove is hot, and the dishes are ripe, please come in and have a seat~"

"How do we arrange for a stove fire?"

A greeter dressed like an ancient servant immediately welcomed them with a beaming smile.

"We'd like a private room with a wood stove, we'll cook ourselves," Dai Zhengguo stated plainly.

"Got it! A private room with a specialty wood stove self-cook setup for three~"

The greeter tossed a towel over his shoulder and called out into the main hall of the restaurant.

Soon, calls came back in response.

"Self-cook wood stove for three!"

"This way please~"

Gu Yu looked into the lobby, where greeters dressed like servants were directing guests, working like announcers to filter the flow of people.

Guests walked to their reserved tables and rooms with smiles on their faces, following the calls of the greeters.

"There's quite a sense of ceremony here," Gu Yu said with a smile to Lin Xinyue.

The three followed the sound of the greeters into the corridor on the left, which housed all the private rooms with self-cook wood stoves.

But they weren't completely separated; each room was divided by walls made of glass and red bricks.

Standing up, you could see what was happening in the adjacent rooms, but sitting down afforded some privacy.

The room was adorned with festive decorations, and the atmosphere was steeped in traditional charm.

Next to the stove, firewood was carefully stacked and tied up with red string.

It looked stylish, but Gu Yu knew this was just a setup designed for wealthy people.

A real wood stove wouldn't have all these frills.

You'd get a big pot, choose your own ingredients, and then whatever you stir-fried was up to you.

Above this wood stove, there was a large vent hood that looked quite out of place.

But after all, this wasn't the countryside, and the people coming here were wealthy folks looking to experience life; it wasn't about replicating the rural setup exactly.

The neighboring two rooms were already steaming, and the exhaust fans weren't turned up too high—it seemed that both rooms were filled with a smoky haze.

It had to be said, there was a bit of the atmosphere of everyday life here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here's the ingredient list; it basically has everything you could want,"

a waitress dressed in a red cheongsam passed the menu over.

Gu Yu opened the menu.

And this menu was indeed a menu!

It was filled with various vegetables—cabbage, radishes, fish, beef, and mutton—it really had it all.

Gu Yu even found abalone, ginseng, and tuna listed on the last few pages.

Seeing this, he was slightly taken aback.

What kind of wood stove could handle all these delicacies!

"So, have you finally decided what you want to make for me?"

Lin Xinyue stood with her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face as she watched Gu Yu.

"It depends on what you want to eat. As long as it's on this menu, you can pick anything,"

Having a good idea of what was on the menu, Gu Yu nonchalantly handed it to Lin Xinyue.

Hearing him say that, Lin Xinyue's eyebrows rose slightly: "Eh, didn't you say you couldn't cook? Liar! You look so confident, as if you can make anything!"

"Since that's the case, I won't hold back!"

"I want to eat crab meat lion's head, soft-shelled turtle soup, dry-fried shredded tofu, triple-layered duck... and also, and also..."

Lin Xinyue rattled off seven or eight dish names in one breath.

Not only was Gu Yu dumbfounded, so was Dai Zhengguo standing beside them.

"Alright! The dishes you've mentioned are all authentic Huaiyang cuisine!"

Dai Zhengguo, who had lived a long life and tasted numerous dishes, immediately recognized the cuisine from the names Lin Xinyue listed.

"Right! I've been craving Huaiyang cuisine! How about it, can our Chef Gu make it?"

Lin Xinyue's face broke into a mischievous smile.

These were signature Huaiyang dishes she had seen on Dou Ying; she didn't believe that Gu Yu could make them!

Gu Yu was only momentarily stunned, but soon his face regained composure.

He spoke with an air of inevitability, "Of course, there's nothing difficult about it."

"Watch me make a table full of authentic Huaiyang dishes for you today!"

Gu Yu was fearless.

[Ding! A thousand Check-in Points have been deducted, Huaiyang cuisine advanced chef skills have been exchanged!]

It just hurt a bit.

Chef skills originally had five levels, but the lowest exchangeable in the system store was advanced chef skills.

It was supposed to be five hundred Check-in Points, but because Gu Yu specified the cuisine, an extra five hundred Check-in Points were added.
Your next chapter is on empire

Luckily, he had stored up a good number of Check-in Points recently.

Otherwise, he would have really lost face today.

Although he still had five hundred thousand Check-in Points left, that was his reserve that Gu Yu would never touch.

"Wife! Start the fire!"

"Old Dai! I'm leaving the plating to you!"

Gu Yu grandly assigned tasks to the two people.

"Are you really that good? You even know how to make Huaiyang cuisine?" Lin Xinyue still couldn't believe that Gu Yu could really make the dishes she mentioned.

But seeing Gu Yu acting as if it were a piece of cake made her somewhat believe him.

"Hey, start the fire first!"

"When Chef Gu takes action, you'll know if it's a hit or a miss!"

Gu Yu pushed her.

"Alright then! I'll watch your performance!" Lin Xinyue pouted, and obediently went to light the wood stove.

Soon, all the required vegetables and seasonings were brought over.

Gu Yu picked up the kitchen knife and took a deep breath, feeling as if the spirit of a chef had possessed him.

The knife in his hand seemed to lighten.

Picking up a piece of lean meat, he quickly began to process it.

The chopping sounds filled the room.

Lin Xinyue, her face blackened with smoke, curiously watched Gu Yu.

How had his knife skills improved again in just a few days!?

Watching the lean meat being swiftly shredded into strips and then diced into small cubes by Gu Yu's hands, Lin Xinyue completely forgot she was supposed to be lighting a fire.

It's not that she didn't want to start a fire, but no matter what she did, the wood just wouldn't light!

The technique to light a wood stove was beyond her understanding!

"Young lady, let me do it,"

Idle Dai Zhengguo, seeing her dilemma, guessed the reason.

"Hehe, thanks, Mr. Dai!"

Lin Xinyue gladly gave up the fire pit to Dai Zhengguo.

Holding the firewood, although many years had passed, Dai Zhengguo still clearly remembered the steps.