All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Heat oil in a wok, sauté scallions, ginger, garlic, and shredded pork until fragrant, then add green peppers. A few minutes later, a plate of shredded pork with green peppers is ready. The colorful combination is sure to whet your appetite, especially for people from Hunan who love spicy food.

A sweet, delicate voice came from inside the room.

"Honey, what smells so good?"

"Get up! Breakfast will be ready soon!"

Zhang Peng started cooking noodles again. Cooking noodles seems simple, but the heat is crucial. If the noodles are overcooked or undercooked, it won't work. He Yuzhu found that he really enjoyed the process.

When two bowls of green pepper and shredded pork noodles were placed on the small table beside the bed, Zhang Peng showed a satisfied expression. Smelling the aroma, he felt that it was completely different from the noodles he used to make.

Zhang Peng suddenly recalled a memory from his previous dream. Although it was somewhat blurry, he seemed to have been a chef, a very skilled chef. What was his name? He couldn't quite remember. He thought his surname was He.

Who cares? Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore!

"Honey, breakfast is here, go wash up!"

Looking at his girlfriend, who weighed a full 140 pounds, Zhang Peng couldn't say he liked her a lot, but he didn't dislike her either. He just felt that this was probably what life was all about!

Plain and real!

At least she won't cheat on me, at least she's quite content with her current life, at least she loves herself, Zhang Peng said with a wry smile, trying to banish the past memories from his mind!

The two sat in the cramped rented room. The chubby Chen Ling and the simple-minded Zhang Peng were eating green pepper and shredded pork noodles from large bowls. They ate with gusto, their behavior somewhat unrefined. After finishing the last sip of soup, they looked up at each other and smiled.

"Honey, come with me to the pharmacy after get off work!"

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"I think my period is three days late this month!"

"Oh!"

"What are you 'oh'ing about, honey? Do you know what I'm saying?"

Zhang Peng looked up, somewhat puzzled.

Chen Ling snorted but didn't answer. She took the initiative to clear the dishes and went to the kitchen to start washing them. Zhang Peng didn't think much of it, put away the folding table, and prepared to go to work.

He really didn't understand what Chen Ling meant. How could he know when a woman gets her period each month?

Zhang Peng's job is quite leisurely. He works as a colorist in a chemical paint store, and his salary is so-so, just over four thousand yuan, enough to support his family. The only downside is that he is always dirty when he is working.

Chen Ling works as a sewing machine operator in a garment factory. The salary is decent, sometimes as high as 10,000 yuan, but there's no lower limit. The downside is also obvious: she leaves home at 8 a.m. and doesn't get back until 11 p.m.

The two have been together for over two months, from blind date to marriage, and finally to coming to this city. It seems like things have gone quite naturally from one person to two.

Apart from the slightly uncomfortable snoring at night, having to cook for one more person, and my sleep schedule gradually becoming more regular, nothing else seems to be different.

Zhang Peng's job is nothing special; it's not particularly unusual. It requires a little technical skill, the work isn't tiring, and the salary isn't high. It's a small workshop with only three people, including the boss and his wife.

When they have nothing to do, they team up to play King of Glory. When they have something to do, the boss delivers goods, and Zhang Peng and the boss's wife mix paints. When they're lazy, they order takeout. Life is just like that, plain and uneventful.

Zhang Peng thought his life would just end like this, but after get off work that day, Chen Ling took him to a pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. Only then did Zhang Peng ask a question, still confused.

Are you pregnant?

Chen Ling snorted, turned around and left shyly. That evening, Zhang Peng saw the pregnancy test strip with one dark and one faint line, and quickly searched it on Baidu. He was immediately confused.

Am I going to be a father?

Zhang Peng felt as if countless images were flashing through his mind: himself holding a baby, looking at the silly face that looked exactly like his own, and immediately complaining.

"Why is this girl so ugly?"

That night, Zhang Peng couldn't sleep at all. The dreams he used to look forward to every night didn't seem so appealing anymore. His mind was a jumble of thoughts: his child, his father, his responsibilities, and finally, money.

Thinking about money made Zhang Peng feel uneasy. He felt like he was living off Alipay every month. How could he possibly support his child with that meager salary?

Zhang Peng's mind was in a mess, and he drifted off to sleep in bed.

Perhaps because he wasn't so looking forward to his dreams, Zhang Peng opened his eyes the next day and was once again awakened by the song "Above the Moon." Chen Ling beside him was still snoring. A new day began, repeating itself once more.

Washing up, having breakfast, going to work, getting off work, going to sleep—it was as if Zhang Peng could already guess what would happen that night from the morning. His heart was tense all day long.

When a man finds out he is pregnant, he will only have two reactions: happiness mixed with unease, or selectively shirking responsibility.

Zhang Peng was naturally looking forward to the arrival of this child. He was over thirty years old, and although he knew he was not capable of providing a good life for the child, the moment he learned that he was going to have a child, his sense of responsibility suddenly turned into a sense of mission.

Another day dawned, but Zhang Peng chose to take a day off. He had spent the last two days reflecting on whether he truly had the ability to provide his child with a better future.

After thinking for a long time, he finally came to a guess: perhaps he really could change the status quo. His cooking skills, which were not originally his own, made him vaguely guess that he might have a superpower, namely the ability to turn dreams into reality.

Although the memories of the dream gradually faded after waking up, Zhang Peng thought for a long time before he vaguely remembered that in his previous dream, he seemed to be a very skilled chef.

Last night, he specially bought groceries after get off work and cooked three dishes and a soup. The taste and quality of the dishes not only surprised Chen Ling, but even Zhang Peng himself felt like he was dreaming, as if he had that culinary skill in his bones.

Finally, Zhang Peng took a day off today. He is preparing to change jobs. He specifically checked and found that a good restaurant chef can earn tens of thousands of yuan a month, and even have an end-of-year bonus. The benefits are more than ten times better than his current job.

Despite feeling a little apprehensive, Zhang Peng still wanted to give it a try, hoping that the culinary skills he had acquired in his dreams could truly become a reality.

Chapter 133: He's just a teenager!

In the past, Zhang Peng rarely ventured into unfamiliar territory. Perhaps most people feel the same way, always thinking that the outside world is not suitable for them.

The first restaurant was a grand-looking establishment with a sign at the entrance advertising for waiters, dishwashers, chefs, and kitchen helpers.

Zhang Peng mustered his courage and walked into the restaurant. When the waiter saw Zhang Peng come in, he quickly said, "Welcome!"

Zhang Peng quickly waved his hand and said.

"Hello, do you hire a chef here?"

The waiter glanced at Zhang Peng, his previous respectful attitude gone, and replied casually.

"Why don't you go ask at the front desk?"

Zhang Peng quickly said thank you and went to the front desk. The front desk sized Zhang Peng up before notifying the manager, a fat man in his forties.

The fat man glanced at Zhang Peng and asked in confusion.

"How long have you been a cook?"

Zhang Peng was somewhat speechless at the question, but after thinking for a moment, he still answered.

"I've never done this before, but I should be able to cook all eight major cuisines!"

Upon hearing Zhang Peng's words, the fat man's expression changed, and he said irritably.

"Young man, this is Qinglong Restaurant, not a roadside stall. If you want to find a job, you should go ask at a roadside stall!"

After saying that, he ignored Zhang Peng and turned to leave. The two waiters next to him burst out laughing and covered their mouths.

Zhang Peng was a little puzzled. Had he said something wrong?

I think I can cook all eight major cuisines of China, but I'm not entirely sure about some of them.

"If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will," Zhang Peng thought without giving it much thought, and then turned and left.

This street is a well-known restaurant street in the area, mostly mid-to-high-end restaurants. Most of them advertise fresh seafood, so they don't look cheap. There are quite a few restaurants around that are hiring chefs, so Zhang Peng is not in a hurry for the time being.

But he was soon dealt a blow when the second company he visited said they were already full.

The third manager glanced at him, asked no questions, and left.

He visited the fourth, the fifth, and so on, until he had visited all seven or eight restaurants on the street that were hiring chefs, but still none of them talked to him. In the end, when Zhang Peng said he could give it a try, they just turned him away.

Zhang Peng couldn't understand it at all. Did they really consider appearance when hiring chefs these days?

Looking at the time, it was already 11:30. Zhang Peng felt hungry and swallowed hard as he looked at the restaurants on both sides of the street. He couldn't afford to eat there!

Just as he was about to go back, two words on the street corner made him stop in his tracks.

"fast food!"

Upon seeing those two words, Zhang Peng instinctively strode toward the street corner. He was surprised to find fast food available near this street of mid-to-high-end restaurants.

Upon arriving at the location, Zhang Peng's brows furrowed immediately. It was indeed fast food, but the prices were not cheap, starting at 20 yuan. A young man was sitting at the entrance of the store, leaning on a chair, holding a mobile phone and frantically tapping away.

At the entrance of the small shop, which is less than five square meters, there is a pushcart with ten dishes in steel basins. The dishes look black and yellow, and their color makes them look unappetizing. Inside the shop, there is a large plate of rice, with several rice flies swarming around it.

In the past, Zhang Peng might have thought that he could just make do with a meal, but now, he lost his appetite the moment he saw those dishes.

Zhang Peng looked around at the flow of people in the vicinity. The restaurant street was in a good location, with many upscale residential communities nearby. The fast food restaurant on the street corner was in an even better location, right across from the subway exit. In theory, the foot traffic here should be quite good, but judging from the fast food restaurant, it was obviously not doing much business. Plus, with such high prices, it was clearly a case of ripping off whoever was available.

Zhang Peng sighed inwardly and was about to turn back when he suddenly saw a piece of paper pasted on the fast food cart. It read, "Hiring a stir-fry chef, salary 8,000 yuan, contact information: come to the store for an interview."

After hesitating for two seconds, Zhang Peng finally decided to go into the store. As he entered, the young man playing games glanced at Zhang Peng and said casually.

"Have a seat, I'll be right there after I finish this game. Go get your food first, I'll be right there!"

After saying that, she ignored Zhang Peng and started typing furiously on her phone. Diao Chan's sweet voice came from the phone, indicating that she was about to unleash her ultimate move. Zhang Peng glanced at the screen and saw that she had 1 kill, 7 assists, and 14 deaths.

Good guy!

Zhang Peng ignored him and carefully examined the small storefront. The building seemed to be an old coal shed that had been converted. There appeared to be a back door inside, which he wasn't sure if it was for the kitchen. The walls were mottled and the description of the place as dirty and messy was inadequate.

There are mid-to-high-end restaurants not far away. It's ironic that there's such a dirty and messy fast food restaurant here. How can it survive with such an environment and such food quality?

"Damn it, jungler, do you even know how to play? You stole my blue buff and then my red buff. I'm going to feed, let's see how you win!"

The young man quickly finished his game, stood up, and saw Zhang Peng sitting there without having gotten any food. He asked Zhang Peng with some suspicion.

"Which kind do you want? The 20-yuan one has two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, and the 25-yuan one has three meat dishes and one vegetable dish!"

Zhang Peng smiled and asked casually.

"I see you're hiring a stir-fry chef."

"You cook it"

Zhang Peng nodded.

"Dude, are you sure you're really a chef?"

Zhang Peng nodded in confusion and said.

Do people still look at a chef's appearance when hiring?

The young man pointed speechlessly at Zhang Peng's clothes and said...

"Dude, you used to work in chemical engineering, and now you've suddenly switched to being a cook? I'm worried about you!"

Zhang Peng looked down and saw that he had put on his work clothes, which had large logos of a chemical company and some black and yellow stains on his shoulders. He looked like a veteran in the chemical industry.

Zhang Peng quickly explained with a smile that he hadn't noticed, but that his cooking skills were definitely up to par.