“So simple?” Alex was completely stunned. He had originally thought the system would make things difficult for him, but unexpectedly, it gave him such a huge surprise right away. It was as if he had inherited the legacy of a Yangzhou fried rice master. He felt that as long as he followed the method in his mind, he could immediately make a bowl of top-quality Yangzhou fried rice with perfect color, aroma, and taste, turning him from a complete novice into a seasoned cook in an instant—it was practically cheating.

After organizing the information in his mind, Alex confidently walked to the fridge. Opening it, he saw all kinds of ingredients neatly categorized inside: rice, tree mushrooms, ham, winter bamboo shoots, large shrimp, green peas, eggs, and scallions—everything he needed was there.

“First cook the rice, then prepare the ingredients, and finally fry the rice.” The steps in Alex’s mind were crystal clear. Looking at the ingredients in the fridge, his eyes lit up.

He reached out and grabbed a handful of rice. It felt smooth and delicate, with a bluish-white color and plump grains. Under the light, it looked crystal clear, far superior in quality to the Thai jasmine rice he usually ate, and a fresh fragrance wafted over.

Looking at the large shrimp in the sink, their semi-transparent bodies had faint purple markings rarely seen, swimming about energetically, full of vitality and wildness.

There was still a bit of black soil clinging to the winter bamboo shoots, salt frost on the ham that hadn’t been removed, the gray mushrooms were probably some kind of tree mushroom, the eggs were noticeably larger than regular ones and had a yellowish tint, and the tender green scallions still had some dew on them.

As someone who had eaten at almost every Michelin-starred restaurant, Alex had a discerning eye. These ingredients were definitely top-notch, but just how good they were, he couldn’t quite say. Still, since they were for him to practice with, he wasn’t going to be polite and started rinsing the rice and cooking it.

With such a comprehensive set of experience, Alex had thought making Yangzhou fried rice wouldn’t be difficult. But when he actually started preparing the ingredients, he realized it wasn’t as simple as he’d imagined.

Even though he knew exactly how to use the knife in his mind, when he actually held the ingredients and started cutting, he found that his hands simply couldn’t meet the requirements and standards he envisioned.

To make the fried rice more delicate in texture, every ingredient had to be cut to the same size as the rice grains, which required extremely high knife skills. For Alex, this was a serious challenge. He couldn’t even manage to slice evenly and could only repeat the process over and over.

Looking at the bamboo shoot slices, thick on one end and thin on the other, Alex sighed and picked up another to continue.

Chapter 6: Hello, Mr. Miller

“Looks a bit more even now.” After slicing the twentieth winter bamboo shoot, Alex picked up two slices and carefully compared them in front of his eyes, nodding in satisfaction.

Glancing at the pile of bamboo shoot slices already filling a basin, he couldn’t help but sigh, “So it’s really not easy to become a chef. I already have the most standard knife skills in my mind, but after practicing for so long, this is all I can manage. Those who start from scratch probably have to practice for many years.”

Thinking of the reviews he’d written criticizing other chefs, he felt a bit embarrassed for the first time. Now those reviews had become the standards he had to meet to complete his task—he was reaping what he’d sown.

“System, at this rate, just practicing knife skills will take me several weeks. There’s no way I can finish the task in three days, right?” Alex paused and asked in his mind.

“In the God of Cookery’s trial field, the time ratio to the outside world is 365:1. If the host spends a year in the trial field, only one day passes outside. Moreover, the host does not need to sleep or rest in the God of Cookery’s space, the body will not feel fatigue, and ingredients are supplied infinitely. We hope the host will have a determined heart of a God of Cookery, complete the task as soon as possible, and leave the trial field.” The system’s voice sounded.

“There’s even something like this?” Alex was a bit surprised. Even the time ratio could be adjusted—this God of Cookery’s trial field was truly something else. But being locked in this enclosed kitchen, with even the feeling of fatigue gone, forced to cook over and over—anyone without strong willpower would probably go crazy quickly.

“No, I have to get out before Emily wakes up tomorrow morning and make her the most perfect Yangzhou fried rice for breakfast.” Alex suppressed his anxiety. This was his promise to Emily, and he had to fulfill it. He glanced at the calendar beside him, gripped the kitchen knife, and continued slicing bamboo shoots.

He now had four months of sleepless, uninterrupted time, which would be a year’s worth of normal eight-hour workdays, all to learn how to make Yangzhou fried rice. And with a perfect set of experience already in his mind, the time was definitely enough.

Alex had already lost track of time. Under his hands, the bamboo shoots went from chunks to even thin slices, then to uniform fine shreds, and finally to tiny pieces the size of rice grains. He became more and more skilled, more and more at ease.

From bamboo shoots to tree mushrooms, then to ham and shrimp, Alex chose ingredients from easy to difficult. As his proficiency increased, his knife skills improved rapidly. With the experience in his mind as a reference, his progress was astonishing. Even the lively shrimp were easily peeled and cut into rice-grain-sized pieces in his hands.