“Mm-hmm.” Emily held the crisp cake in both hands, brought it to her mouth, opened her cherry-like lips and took a bite, making a crunchy sound. Then she happily munched away like a little hamster, eating with such sweetness and delight that she looked absolutely adorable.

“Is it really that tasty?” Alex was a bit skeptical, but seeing Emily eat made his own appetite surge. He couldn’t help but pick up a cake and take a big bite, chewing a few times—then he froze.

“Is this a baked tile? Did I just break my teeth or the cake? After biting, it cuts my mouth, and when I try to swallow, it gets stuck in my throat. Damn, you could use this to poison someone! And yet they can sell hundreds of these a day! The food culture in this world must be a wasteland! No, it’s stuck in my throat!” Alex widened his eyes, threw the sweet crisp cake onto the table, clutched his throat, and ran to the kitchen sink.

Chapter 4: A Small Promise

Turning on the tap, he gulped down several mouthfuls of water, then braced himself on the edge of the sink and exhaled. Only then did Alex feel alive again. He’d woken up parched, and that sweet crisp cake had nearly choked him to death. Even now, his throat still felt sore.

If this were his previous life, he’d have written a thousand-word denunciation to get this shop shut down. Is this stuff even edible?

“Father, are you okay?” Emily had run over at some point, tugging at his clothes with concern.

“Mm, Father’s fine, just choked a little.” Alex quickly looked down at Emily, reached out to pat her hair, and smiled again. Being cared for and relied upon like this warmed his heart, and his resentment toward the sweet crisp cake lessened a bit.

Now, he was just an ordinary father, and he had no desire to repeat the things from his previous life. He definitely didn’t want to transmigrate a second time.

“Father, you have to eat slowly. Even though the sweet crisp cake is delicious, you can’t rush. You have to take small bites, or you’ll choke.” Emily breathed a sigh of relief, seeming reassured, then put on a serious face and began to lecture Alex.

“Yes, everything 小米 says is right.” Alex looked into Little Emily’s eyes and nodded earnestly. Only then did the little one return to her seat, satisfied.

Alex didn’t rush out, but instead began to look around the kitchen.

The kitchen was long and narrow, about ten square meters, fairly spacious. There were four built-in gas stoves on the counter, a silver side-suction range hood, and a large cross-door refrigerator nearby.

It was a very professional, modern kitchen, but most of the space was still empty. Only a wide Chinese chef’s knife hung on the knife rack; there were no pots, bowls, or other utensils.

“System, did you forget to put in the appliances and cookware when you renovated? The fridge is empty too?” Alex closed the empty fridge, giving up on the idea of cooking something.

“The host does not yet have permission to use those appliances. They will be unlocked after you complete the tasks. For now, only the ingredients required for the recipes you have learned will be provided, and you must purchase them before use,” the system’s voice sounded.

“So you’re really going all out to make me learn to cook…” Alex was stunned for a moment, a bit helpless. It seemed there was no way to make anything else to eat today. And since the system said ingredients would need to be purchased in the future, did that mean the system would directly provide the necessary ingredients?

After wandering around the kitchen and confirming there was nothing to eat, he had no choice but to pour two bowls of plain water and carry them out of the kitchen. It seemed completing the task as soon as possible was necessary; otherwise, he’d have a mountain of gold with nowhere to spend it.

And after tasting that awful sweet crisp cake, he was really looking forward to Yangzhou fried rice. Whether it was to let Emily try some Earth cuisine or to conquer the world with a plate of Yangzhou fried rice, it was an exciting prospect.

Alex reviewed the memories of his predecessor. In this world, due to a thousand years of racial wars, human cuisine was somewhat like British food—cooking methods were simple and rough, mostly boiling or roasting.

No seasonings were added during cooking; people would sprinkle salt and pepper or other condiments to taste when eating. The main goal was to be full and nutritionally balanced—after all, there weren’t many luxuries during wartime.

Although a hundred years of peace had brought some development in cuisine, chefs’ thinking remained rigid. Even with efforts to improve, dishes were still simple, and there were few innovative cooking methods or dishes.

If even humans who loved to study food were like this, there was no need to mention other races. The elves’ food mostly came from nature, mainly wild fruits; dwarves were even more casual—if it was cooked, they’d eat it; as for demons and orcs, they would even eat their prey raw…