Translated by Prosperousfood dot com
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Unedited
The [System] voice rang out: I will only renovate the restaurant area, and will not renovate the area outside of the restaurant.
Michael reflectively used his right hand to hold on to his chin. Looking at the broken stairs and dark 2nd story and thinking about the straw bed, it will be tough to stay there tonight. After all, he should not let his daughter experience any more hardship. Tonight, he must start changing their life for the better.
And he did not feel any enmity from the [System]. The punishment should be more like a stick that encourage him to put in more effort into cooking, and become more proficient in cooking.
Since it is like this, Michael immediately thought of a solution and tried to communicate with the [System], “[System], I felt that you are wrong. I have dictated this entire building to be used as the restaurant grounds. Therefore, you must change the entire building. I am unable to accept a restaurant that does not match the building façade. As well, you know how dangerous the second story is. What if a brick fell from the second story and a killed a guest? That would be extremely bad. If the guest was hit by the brick and did not die, then it would be even worse, because the guest will take it out on me and kill me with one hit. Since I am dead, then how do I learn how to cook, or become a G.o.d of Cooking? You see the situation I am in and decide for yourself.”
The [System] turned silent, as if it is thinking. After a short while, the [System]’s voice rang out, “As the building is considered quite dangerous, the [System] decided to completely renovate the building. Please choose a decoration style.
In his heart, Michael could not help but feel delighted. As he thought, it is possible to negotiate with the [System]. If the [System] decided everything by itself and he could not negotiate anything, then it would be pointless. However, he concealed his expression well, and he did not show any expression on his face.
Michael already had a plan for the layout and décor of the second floor. He chose a design that is similar to his former home. It is a low-key, luxurious, and comfortable design. There are 3 rooms on the second floor, one toilet, and one bathroom. He chose a light pink color design for his daughter Amy. Then he confirmed the design.
The [System] voice rang out: “Renovation time is 30 seconds. Please leave the room within 1 minute. The countdown starts immediately…..”
30 seconds is all it took? Michael was momentarily dazed. But after hearing the 60 seconds countdown, he quickly made his wake to the entrance, and with great difficulty, closed the door. Standing outside of the building, this is the first time he noticed that the sky had already turned dark.
“Papa, you are here to fetch me home?” Amy’s soft voice rang out from behind Michael.
Michael turned around saw Amy. She was holding on to a large yellow pancake in each hand, and looking up at him. Her eyelashes were fluttering and her eyes seemed to s.h.i.+ne, as her small face lit up with delight and joy. In the past, her father never ever fetched her home, but this time it looks like he especially comes out of the house to fetch her home.
“Yes, I have come to fetch my dearest daughter. As well, I am going to show Amy a magic trick.” Michael laughed as he squatted down and enveloped Amy in a hug.
“Magic trick?” Amy was a bit surprised as she raised her head and looked at Michael in astonishment. But her eye quickly shone with anticipation as she asked, “Is it a spell? Papa can conjure up a lot of tasty food?”
“En. Yes. Papa will create a beautiful large house with a pretty restaurant for you to live in. In future, Papa will be able to cook a lot of tasty food for you every day.” Michael spoke in his soft and gentle voice, as he thought “Oh, a little glutton.”
“Really?” Amy's mouth was ajar as she seemed surprised. This is really unbelievable.
“Close your eyes and count down from 30.” Michael smiled as he nodded his head.
“30, 29,….” Amy obediently closed her eyes and counted down.
Michael just smiled and warmly looked at Amy as he listened to her counting down. The earth shook, and behind him, there were occasional sounds of something large dropping and landing on the ground with heavy thuds, but he did not even look back.
In a short span of time, the countdown from 30 has ended.
Amy opened her eyes, and her face was full of anticipation and excitement.
“Amy, come and take a look at our new home.” Michael took the pancakes from Amy’s hand, and held her hand as he stood up. Then with the same anticipation, he turned around and walked towards the house.
A warm light seemed to radiate from the door, and seemed to shine especially for the father and daughter figure standing at the doorstep.
“Whooo…” Amy’s mouth was wide open with astonishment and wonder. Looking at the ma.s.sive change around her, she could not believe her eyes. Under the bright lights, the room seemed to be sparkling, the light brown color giving off a golden hue. For a short time, she just stood there, astounded by the change. Then she excitedly and happily cried out, “Papa, did you create this with your magic spell? This place as beautiful as a crystal palace! And the stones can emit light! Papa is really incredible!”
“En. From now on, this will be our home, and will also be a small restaurant.” Michael nodded his head as he grinned happily. Like all parents, he really loves it when his daughter praised him.
It is still a 2-story shophouse. But this place had changed from an old and collapsing wooden 2-story home to a European style bungalow. One part of the wall is made up of glass, and from the outside you can see the crystal chandelier lights enveloping the restaurant in a warm glow, giving off a comfortable vibe. Standing outside the glass window and peering into the home was Michael and Amy.
Michael held Amy’s hand as he pushed the door and led her in. “Let’s go home. Later I will explain these changes to you.”
“En, Papa is the greatest!” Amy rubbed her head against her father’s big hand, and she happily skipped into the home.
Michael turned off the lights outside the restaurant. As they walked into the building, a dwarf with a long beard emerged from the house next door, as he drunkenly looked left and right, all the while shouting, “Which idiotic giant is dancing in the middle of the night. damned giants! They are so inconsiderate and do not let others sleep!” Seeing that there are no threats in the neighborhood and that the shaking had stopped, the dwarf grumpily stomped back into his abode and slammed the door shut.
“Papa…. This is really our house?” Amy was stupefied as she looked at the glistening restaurant area. She was dazed and could not believe her eyes as looked up and asked Michael.
She had never seen such a beautiful room before. The even shiny wooden floor, the beautiful and sparkling crystal chandelier, brand new wooden tables and chairs, a box of utensils on each table, a long and tall marble counter that is taller than herself etc. She could see that behind the counter is a room, but she could not see what lays beyond.
“Of course.” Michael nodded his head as he smiled. He waved his hands, “This is our new home. The first floor is a restaurant. The second floor is where we live in…..”
“That’s great!” Michael had not even finished speaking, but Amy had already run around the place in glee, waving her hands and dancing. Finally, she sat down on the innermost table, and waved toward Michael, “Papa, let’s sit here and eat the pancakes. I am hungry.”
“Ok.” Michael smiled. To a glutton, of course, food is the most important.
“Completed the task [To have a restaurant of one’s own]. Because of the request to renovate the area outside of the restaurant, the reward for this task has been withdrawn. New task: [Learn how to cook Yang Zhou Fried Rice]. You have 3 days to complete this task. Once you are ready, you may enter the Kitchen Good training grounds to practice. Successful completion of this task will increase your body constitution by 0.5. Failure to complete this task will weaken your constitution by 0.5.” The [System] voice rang out again.
Caught without warning about the task, Michael froze. In his mind, a door suddenly seemed to appear. On top of the door is a wooden signboard engrave with 4 words [Yang Zhou Fried Rice]. This should be the door to the Kitchen G.o.d training grounds.
Of course, what really attracted Michael’s attention is the reward that the [System] offered. Right now, he could not wait to change his body constitution and recover his strength. In his current state, he could not gripe a knife properly, let alone cook. He did not antic.i.p.ate that the [System] will a.s.sign him a task that gave him an opportunity to heal, and could not help but to be excited and motivated.
Although he did not know how much better he would be with a 0.5 increase in his fitness level, the [System] should not be out to hurt him. After all, it is just a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. How hard could making a bowl of fried rice be?
During his time in Yang Zhou, he had tried several restaurants that claimed their version of fried rice to be the authenticate Yang Zhou Fried rice. However, he dimly recalled that these restaurants got a scalding review from him. Frankly speaking, most of the fried rice is pretty good. It is just that as a food critic, it is his job to criticise the food. If he could not find any fault with the dish, he would feel uncomfortable. With his nitpicking skills, he would never fail to find fault with all the food he tried. It is rumored that there are some prestigious restaurants that temporarily closed down after his critique. But these cases are dime a dozen, and he did not pay much attention to these closures.”Papa?” Amy was puzzled as she looked at Michael who was standing in a stupor.
“Coming!” Michael immediately resisted the impulse to open the door, and sat down next to Amy. He handed out one of the pancakes to Amy, and smile as he said, “Come, let’s try the pancakes that Amy loves the most.”
Michael looked down at the pancake. It is as big as the hand of a grown man, and about 1cm thick. It should be made of flour, and may contain corn, green beans, potatoes etc, and an assortment of rubbish combined with flour and baked in a hot oven. Holding it in his hands, it felt a piece of tile.
“En.” Amy eagerly grasped the pancake with both her hands as she opened her mouth and took a bit. There was a sound like ‘Ka Cha’, and then she quickly slurped up the broken pieces, like that of a squirrel. She looked very happy as she ate, and was very adorable.
“Is it really that good?” Michael has his own suspicions. But looking the way Amy was enjoying her food really whets one’s appetite, and Michael could not help but try the pancake. He bit down hard, and try to swallow the broken bits, then he sat there, bewildered.
His habit of being a food critic flared up again. “This is a roasted tile? Did I just bite apart my teeth or the pancake? After biting the pieces, it cut into the tongue. If you try to swallow it, it will choke your throat. The only thing this food is good for is to use it to poison others to death! And to think that each day it can sell a few hundred! This world has a very crazy view of what is food! Urghh…. it is stuck in my throat!” Michael rolled his eyes as he left the pancake on the table, as rushed towards the tap in the kitchen, all the while clutching his throat.
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