Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

Zhou Jianguo pushed open the mottled wooden door, casually shutting out the howling north wind.

"Clang!"

The dented aluminum lunchbox was slammed heavily onto the table, kicking up a layer of dust.

A few withered yellow vegetable leaves, frozen along the way, had a layer of pale, unevenly distributed grease spots on them, which made one's stomach churn just looking at them.

Zhou Jianguo sat down with an air of authority, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his cotton-padded jacket, staring coldly at the box of masterpieces.

My stomach let out a disapproving growl.

"Gurgle..."

Hunger struck, but the soup did not whet his appetite at all. Instead, the faint, sour smell aroused a wave of nausea.

This isn't soup.

That was clearly spit from Sha Zhu on his face.

Just as Zhou Jianguo was thinking of getting some dry food from the system space to tide him over, a rapid electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Squeak! Squeak squeak!"

Zhou Jianguo raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

He tapped the edge of the lunchbox with one finger, mentally communicating with the system: "What? You're hungry too? This is a special treat from Chef He. Although this thing is most likely a biological weapon, it's still a token of his appreciation, it would be a shame to waste it."

As he spoke, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

If I can't eat it in real life, then I'll feed it to that picky little devil in the system.

Within the virtual space.

A translucent hamster, its body a pale purple, was lying limply on its wheel when it suddenly smelled something, and its two little ears perked up instantly.

As Zhou Jianguo operated, a mass of liquid exuding a grayish-black aura appeared out of thin air.

The hamster approached and its pink little nose twitched twice.

next second.

"squeak--!!!"

The little thing's fur bristled, and it sprang away as if it had been electrocuted. Its black bean eyes were wide open, and its face seemed to say: "Don't touch me!"

Immediately afterwards, a line of scarlet pop-up windows shot out directly in front of Zhou Jianguo's eyes:

[Warning! High concentration of negative emotional residue detected!]

[Ingredient Analysis: Jealousy 30%, Arrogance 40%, Extremely Malicious Petty Success 30%]

[Judgment: This substance has strong psychoactive properties; even dogs wouldn't eat it!]

Zhou Jianguo looked at the words and sneered.

Even the rats in the system find it disgusting, so how dirty must this silly pillar's mind be?

However, the system notification sound didn't stop; instead, it suddenly became excited, as if it had discovered a new continent:

However, under certain conditions, this substance is an excellent "aggressive catalyst" for ether hamsters! Should it be converted?

Conversion success rate: 100%

"Transformation." Zhou Jianguo uttered the two words in his mind, crisp and decisive.

Since it's poison, let's fight poison with poison.

In the virtual space, the hamster, which was still bristling, suddenly opened its mouth, revealing a set of small fangs that gleamed coldly, and sucked hard at the grayish-black soup.

"Slurp—"

The black aura that represented Sha Zhu's malicious intentions was completely swallowed up.

In an instant, a blinding red light burst forth from the hamster's body, and its size increased dramatically as if it were being inflated like a balloon. Its originally adorable eyes turned fierce and menacing, making it look exactly like a miniature Godzilla.

【Ding! 】

With a crisp sound, the gold coin fell to the ground.

[Congratulations, host! The Etherhamster has consumed high-purity malice, triggering the "Revenge Critical Strike" mechanism!]

[Environment Assessment: The host is currently suffering from both "professional privileges" and "survival resources" bullying.]

[The Counterattack Quest Chain - "The Cook's Nightmare" is now active!]

A pale blue panel unfolded before Zhou Jianguo's eyes.

[Task Name: The Cook's Nightmare]

[Core logic: He Yuzhu monopolized the steel rolling mill's power with just a spatula, and used this as leverage to commit personal insults. To destroy him, don't break his legs, but break his spatula.]

[Mission Objective: At the highest-level banquet held at the steel rolling mill three days later (an inspection by a high-ranking leader from the Ministry of Metallurgy), utterly destroy He Yuzhu's reputation as the "Imperial Chef," turning his prized culinary skills into a gravedigger for him.]

[Task Reward: One permanently acquired skill (random quality).]

[New Player Support: Given that the host's current cooking skills are zero, the system has granted a special "advance reward"!]

Zhou Jianguo's breath hitched when he saw the words "advance bonus".

This is called external account access.

[Congratulations, host, on receiving the advance gift pack!]

[1. Master Sichuan Cuisine Experience Card (24 hours) x1]

[Note: This is a one-time consumable item. Upon use, you will instantly gain all sixty years of experience, techniques, and muscle memory of a master of state banquets.]

【2. Passive Talent - Absolute Taste Buds (Permanent)】

[Note: No need to activate, it works automatically. You can accurately analyze the ingredients, cooking time, and defects of any dish. Even a bowl of plain water, you can taste whether it's well water or river water.]

Zhou Jianguo stared at the [experience card], his eyes flickering slightly.

Only 24 hours.

Right now, he's just an ordinary person who can't do anything except cook instant noodles. Using this card today would be great, but what about the banquet three days later?

Good steel should be used where it's most needed.

Zhou Jianguo resisted the urge to click "Use" directly and carefully put the experience card, which was radiating golden light, into the system warehouse.

But that doesn't stop him from wanting to go back now.

"Activate [Absolute Taste Buds]".

hum-

There was no sharp pain, only a cool sensation flowing over the tip of my tongue.

He looked again at the box of "dishwashing water" on the table.

This time, there was no need to taste it; just one glance was enough to generate a report in my mind.

"The edges of the cabbage leaves are excessively oxidized, indicating that the vegetables have been prepared for at least four hours; they're garbage."

"The soup base has a strong burnt smell. It's not because the heat was too high, but because the pot wasn't washed. The bitter, burnt taste of the previous batch of caramelized sugar has mixed in; it's a disaster."

"The oil is unevenly distributed, it's recycled oil, the acid value is too high, and it's already rancid."

Zhou Jianguo scoffed, his eyes full of contempt: "Is this He Yuzhu's skill? Is this the capital that allows him to act so arrogantly in the steel rolling mill?"

In the eyes of true experts, the thing that Sha Zhu made is something fit for pigs to eat; even pigs would have to carry it away by train overnight—it's a hellish thing.

Zhou Jianguo leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to rapidly imagine the scene three days from now in his mind.

The top leader is from Sichuan, and he really enjoys authentic Sichuan cuisine.

As for Sha Zhu? He has a background in Tan family cuisine, but his Sichuan cuisine skills are only half-baked. He relies on the fact that people are short of oil and salt these days to get by with heavy oil and salt.

But compared to the true standards of a master, Sha Zhu is just a amateur who plays in the mud.

"A hundred dishes, a hundred flavors; each dish, a unique style," Zhou Jianguo muttered to himself, his fingers lightly tapping on the table. "He Yuzhu, you haven't even scratched the surface of Sichuan cuisine, yet you dare call yourself a master chef?"

Trying to turn my life around by cooking? Trying to crush me by currying favor with the big boss?

Row.

Zhou Jianguo opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with the cold light of a hunter watching his prey fall into the net.

Since you want to play, then I'll utterly slap you in the face in the area where you're most confident and proud.

He bent down and pulled half a steamed bun from under the bed.

In the past, he would have definitely swallowed it with a frown.

But now, even though he's chewing coarse cornmeal, he's already starting to analyze the recipe for this cornbread in his mind—80% cornmeal, 20% soybean flour, and insufficient fermentation time resulting in a stale texture.

He ate his cornbread while looking out the window towards the courtyard.

That place belongs to the Jia family, and also to Yi Zhonghai.

The lights were dim, and laughter could be faintly heard.

Perhaps Sha Zhu is boasting about how he tricked Zhou Jianguo, or perhaps Qin Huairu is scheming about those few lunchboxes.

"Laugh," Zhou Jianguo swallowed the bitterness in his mouth, but his eyes looked as if he were looking at a group of dead people. "Laugh a little longer, after all, these good days don't last much longer."

……

The next morning.

As dawn broke, the steel rolling mill's loudspeakers shattered the silence.

"Buzz... Hello! Attention all employees!" The announcer's voice was eight octaves louder than usual. "To welcome the inspection of higher-level leaders, the factory has decided to hold a skills competition! The kitchen is recruiting culinary experts from across the factory. Anyone with a skill is welcome to apply..."

The news was like a bomb, instantly shattering the tranquility of the steel rolling mill.

The kitchen of the canteen.

Sha Zhu sat with his legs crossed, holding a chipped teacup, listening to the radio broadcast with a look of disdain.

"Tch, what a waste of time." He took a sip of tea and glanced at Ma Hua, who was chopping at the chopping board next to him. "Listen to this, a self-proclaimed master of cooking? Besides your master, who in this factory dares to say they can cook? This Deputy Factory Director Li is just bored; he wants to bring any Tom, Dick, or Harry into the kitchen."

Ma Hua quickly smiled apologetically: "Master, that's right! You are the successor of the Tan family cuisine, who in Beijing doesn't know that? Even those people who come here are destined to be your servants."

Sha Zhu snorted smugly, his arrogance practically radiating from his eyebrows.

Meanwhile, at the registration desk in front of the administration building.

The wind was biting cold, and there weren't many people in line; most were just there to join the fun and try to get the subsidies.

Zhou Jianguo walked to the registration table and gently slapped a completed application form on it with his long, strong hand.

The clerk, a new young woman, looked up at the cold, aloof man in front of her, and paused, then asked, "Which workshop are you from? Signing up for the culinary skills?"

These days, all the good cooks are in the cafeteria; factory workers are only good at cooking noodles.

Zhou Jianguo didn't waste any words; his tone was calm, yet every word was as firm as iron.

"Zhou Jianguo, sign up."

The clerk was so intimidated by this aura that she shrank back and instinctively picked up her pen to register.

Zhou Jianguo turned and left, his gaze sweeping over the smoke rising from the canteen in the distance.

Just wait, He Yuzhu.