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

There was no severe headache as I had imagined as a side effect.

That massive stream of memories, in the blink of an eye, the muscle memory formed by millions of wok flips, the microsecond-level precision control of the heat, and the taste genes inherited from thousands of years of Sichuan cuisine, were directly recorded in Zhou Jianguo's CPU.

Zhou Jianguo slowly opened his eyes.

His once clear eyes now held less of the restlessness of youth and more of a profound, unfathomable depth.

He stood quietly in front of the stove, holding that slightly heavy kitchen knife in his hand, yet he exuded the aura of a grandmaster.

"Yes."

The tip of the knife lightly touches the cutting board.

The MCA members standing nearby felt their scalps tingle and didn't dare to even breathe.

Li Huaide froze completely.

Having spent so many years navigating the complexities of officialdom, he was extremely sensitive to this kind of aura.

The Zhou Jianguo in front of me looks nothing like a fitter anymore.

This is clearly the kind of oppressive aura that only important people have!

"Um... Brother Zhou?"

Li Huaide's Adam's apple bobbed. Suppressing his discomfort, he forced a chrysanthemum-like smile onto his chubby face and leaned forward: "Look, I can't trust those good-for-nothings like Ma Hua. How about I help you out? You know, I know the big boss's tastes, just in case there's anything he needs..."

Li Huaide's little scheme was in full swing.

This gentleman in front of me is clearly a highly skilled person who is hiding his true abilities!

Staying here would serve two purposes: firstly, I could learn a trick or two, which could become my capital for future promotions and wealth; secondly, I could keep an eye on things, so if this kid really caused any trouble, I could quickly shift the blame.

Zhou Jianguo did not reply upon hearing this.

He turned his head slightly and looked at Li Huaide quietly.

He then glanced around at the MCA members and others.

"Director Li."

Zhou Jianguo's voice carried a chill: "In our line of work, there's an unwritten rule."

Li Huaide was taken aback: "What rules?"

"A true artisan doesn't feel comfortable having living creatures breathing nearby while cooking."

Zhou Jianguo slammed the cleaver in his hand onto the cutting board.

"Thump!"

Half of the knife blade was embedded in the solid wood cutting board, and the handle vibrated with a buzzing sound.

"Besides," Zhou Jianguo slowly unbuttoned his apron, which he had only half-fastened, "I have some secret cooking methods. If the techniques are too dirty or the ingredients too cheap, watching it... might give you a sty. Director Li, are you sure you want to see it?"

The smile on Li Huaide's face disappeared.

A secret recipe?

A closely guarded secret?

These days, craftsmen value their skills more than their own lives, and the rule of "passing on skills to family members only" is an ironclad rule.

In the eyes of experts, his request was indeed a major taboo.

But... what if he leaves this kid here alone and spits into the food?

Li Huaide hesitated, cold sweat already beading on his forehead. He chuckled dryly, "Brother, what are you saying? I'm just worried about your safety. Besides, it's factory regulations, food safety..."

"Regulation?"

Zhou Jianguo chuckled, ripped off his apron, and tossed it onto the stove.

"Since Factory Director Li is so principled, then you can tie this apron, and you can hold this spatula?"

After saying that, Zhou Jianguo turned and walked towards the door without any hesitation.

"The big boss is still waiting outside. If we delay him and he gets really angry, I wonder if Director Li's job will withstand his wrath."

step.

Two steps.

Zhou Jianguo's hand was about to touch the doorknob.

This move, a strategic retreat, struck at Li Huaide's Achilles' heel.

"No, no, no! My goodness!"

Li Huaide's defenses crumbled instantly; any sliver of hope he had was insignificant in the face of the fear of losing his position.

He rushed forward like a ball of flesh, blocking Zhou Jianguo's path, his face pale.

"I'm leaving! I'm leaving, okay?!"

At this moment, whoever can make the big boss happy is the boss. Not to mention clearing the area, even if you ask Li Huaide to go to the door and bark like a dog, he'll bark perfectly!

He turned around, and the fawning smile he had given Zhou Jianguo turned into a ferocious look as if he were about to devour someone.

Pointing at Ma Hua and the group of kitchen helpers who were still standing there in a daze, he roared, "Are you all deaf?! Didn't you hear what Master Zhou said?! Get out! All of you get out!"

Ma Hua shrank back in anger after being scolded, and just as he was about to open his mouth to explain, Li Huaide kicked him in the buttocks.

"Ouch!"

"Get out! From now on, anyone who dares to glance into the kitchen again, I'll make them clean the toilets!"

The kitchen helpers were terrified by Deputy Factory Director Li's cannibalistic demeanor and scrambled out of the kitchen, fearing that if they were too slow, they would be used as an example and sacrificed to the heavens.

In less than half a minute, the huge kitchen was emptied, leaving not even a fly behind.

Li Huaide finally retreated to the doorway, bowing and scraping obsequiously at Zhou Jianguo: "Um...brother, look how peaceful it is now, this..."

"Close the door." Zhou Jianguo picked up his apron again, not even turning his head, giving him only a cold, indifferent back view. "Put up a sign: No unauthorized personnel allowed. If anyone dares to come in within half an hour, I'll smash this food right in their face."

"Yes, yes, yes! You're busy, you're busy!"

Li Huaide felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly retreated, closing the heavy spring door with a "click".

You can still faintly hear him shouting at the guards outside the door.

With the gates tightly shut, the noise from the outside world was completely shut out.

He didn't rush to make a move.

Instead, he first walked to the window, checked the latch, and then glanced at the blind spot of the ventilation window to make sure it was a secret room before turning around and walking to the deepest part of the food preparation area.

"system."

Zhou Jianguo's mind stirred slightly.

In my mind, that highly technological blue interface came to mind.

The "ether hamster" was happily devouring a piece of pork that had just been fed to it, its cheeks puffed out like balloons.

Extracted from premium tender tofu.

Extraction: Aged Pixian Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste).

Extraction: Primary spiritual spring water.

As the command was given, space distorted slightly.

Without making a sound, several items appeared out of nowhere on the food preparation table.

First, there's a piece of tofu.

It lay quietly in an antique wooden tray.

Unlike ordinary tofu commonly found in this era, this [Special Premium Tender Tofu] is as white as solidified cream, crystal clear, and feels like it would crumble at the slightest touch.

Upon closer inspection, a rich aroma of soybeans wafts out, without any raw bean smell.

These are the top-quality ingredients you should have for making Mapo Tofu.

Next up was a tightly sealed ceramic jar.

Break open the mud seal, and the aroma of soy sauce explodes in the small space!

The red oil is glossy and has a bright red color.

This [Pixian Doubanjiang] is the soul of Sichuan cuisine.

Finally, Zhou Jianguo had a small, exquisite glass bottle in his hand.

The bottle contains approximately 300 milliliters of liquid.

Under the dim light bulb, the liquid subtly refracted a clear, diamond-like shimmer.

[Primary Spirit Spring Water: Sourced from the system's spirit field spring, it is sweet and refreshing. It can greatly enhance the original flavor of ingredients, increase the freshness of dishes by 200%, and has remarkable effects on regulating the stomach and intestines, repairing mucous membranes, and soothing the mind.]

This is today's trump card.

Who is the top leader?

Those were old revolutionaries who crawled out of piles of corpses.

When I was young, I ate everything from tree bark to grass roots, which ruined my digestive system. Now, if I eat anything greasy or spicy, my stomach feels like it's on fire.

That idiot He Yuzhu actually dared to talk to him about the grand and authentic Sichuan cuisine. Feeding an elderly person with damaged gastric mucosa heavy oil and spice is not cooking, it's murder!

Zhou Jianguo's eyes were cold, and his movements were swift.

He grabbed the bowl of sour, low-quality tofu that had been prepared on the cutting board and poured it into the swill bucket without hesitation.

"Splash!"

Next came the basin of murky tap water with a pungent bleach smell.

"Splash!"

Throw it all away.

Instead, the system-produced premium tofu is cut into uniform cubes with a smooth, mirror-like finish.

This is the precision of a fitter, combined with the blessing of god-like culinary skills.

Then, he unscrewed the bottle of spiritual spring water and slowly poured it into the purple clay soup pot that had already been washed next to the stove.

After doing all this, Zhou Jianguo stretched out his little finger, gently scooped a little red oil from the mouth of the fermented soybean paste jar, and put it in his mouth.

"hiss--"

Absolutely.

Zhou Jianguo nodded in satisfaction.

Everything is ready.

He picked up the iron spoon that belonged to Sha Zhu and gently tapped the edge of the pot.

"Smack."

The stove fire was lit.

The pale blue flames licked the bottom of the pot, illuminating Zhou Jianguo's young face.

He watched the spiritual spring water gradually boil in the pot.

This meal today is not just a last resort.