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Xiang Kun had invited Tang Baona, Yang Zhen’er, and Xia Libing over for dinner the next day, which was Tuesday evening, September 3rd.

Initially, Xiang Kun simply planned to buy some beef and make a couple of dishes following a recipe.

However, that’s just his personality. No matter what he starts off doing casually, he soon finds himself deeply immersed, spontaneously wanting to do it better.

Particularly, he had recently developed an interest in cooking.

Indeed, on the very night he promised to make them dinner, Xiang Kun was searching online for suitable recipes and instinctively began to ask them about their preferences via WeChat.

In Xiang Kun’s worldview, there isn’t a universally delicious or perfect dish.

Different people from different regions have their unique tastes, and each individual has their preferences.

Although an excellently prepared dish can typically garner approval from most

people, the level of acceptance can differ. Some might find it “extremely delicious,” others might consider it merely “delicious,” and some might think it’s “acceptable.” There may also be contradicting judgments such as too salty, too bland, too spicy, or not spicy enough.

Most people are not professional food critics with a definitive assessment system. They evaluate a dish based on their taste buds’ initial reaction and subjective judgment.

So, Xiang Kun believes, catering to different people’s tastes by adjusting the flavor of the dish would be a much more efficient approach.

To achieve perfection, he would ideally call the dinner guests to the kitchen, where he’d cook while letting them try – based on their feedback, he’d slowly adjust the flavor and cooking method.

Sure enough, Xiang Kun momentarily entertained this thought but decided it was too extravagant and quickly dismissed it.

Besides, this process might only take a couple of hours or could drag on for much longer. If they felt bothered and casually settled halfway through, the feeling of having something half-done would be even more upsetting for someone like him..

At half-past six on Tuesday evening, after Yang Zhen’er finished work, she picked up Tang Baona and Xia Libing and arrived at Xiang Kun’s house.

The anti-theft door was slightly ajar, and the three women entered directly.

Upon entering, they could already smell the aroma wafting out from the kitchen in the entrance hall.

On the dining table in the living room, aside from the four sets of bowls and chopsticks, there were three large white porcelain plates, all covered by stainless steel soup pots, keeping the dishes beneath them hidden.

Clearly, these were three cooked dishes waiting to be served.

After closing the door, all three women headed straight to the kitchen, curious about Xiang Kun’s bustling activities.

“My goodness, how many dishes are you planning to cook…?” Yang Zhen’er said in astonishment. When Xiang Kun agreed to Tang Baona’s invitation to cook for them the day before yesterday, she assumed it would be at most a couple of dishes made by him and the rest would be takeaway – considering he had just started learning to cook a few days ago and they, too, didn’t have high expectations, and only wanted to coax him into sharing a meal with them.

However, the scene in front of her didn’t quite reflect that of a beginner…

Indeed, Xiang Kun seemed proficient in the kitchen, working rapidly and smoothly, displaying no signs of confusion. His stir-frying was steady and swift, the perfect timing of seasoning, and precise gauging of when to remove from the stove and serve, all without a hint of hesitation. In no time, he was cleaning the wok and preparing the next dish. He appeared more like an experienced chef rather than a cooking novice.

“Four dishes and a soup, I’ll be ready in about 15 minutes. Please wait outside,” Xiang Kun said without turning his head.

He had bought a pile of groceries the day before yesterday and spent a whole day finishing them, tweaking the recipes he found online, adjusting the flavor and cooking process to fit their preferences.

Last night, he had already settled on the recipes for the dishes he wanted to make. Then, this morning, he went out to get fresh groceries, carefully planning the timing. After getting Yang Zhen’er’s message that they were on their way, he began to estimate the time it would take for her to pick up Tang Baona and Xia Libing and then arrive at his place.

Based on this, he planned the timing for starting the cooking.

For the four dishes and a soup, there was a specific order. Some dishes can be kept for a while after cooking to enhance the flavor, while others should be consumed as soon as they are served.

And before he started cooking, he had already organized every step in his mind. He followed through one step after another, like a set program, executing line by line of code. Although there were occasional errors, they were all within his calculations. Before he embarked on each step, he’d already rehearsed the next steps in his mind.

Hence, Xiang Kun seemed calm amidst the bustle in the kitchen, like a seasoned hand at work.

After standing at the kitchen door for a while, Yang Zhen’er couldn’t resist whispering to her friend, “Why does he look kind of handsome when he’s cooking?”

Tang Baona side-eyed her with a chuckle, “Is your ideal man a world-class chef, who’ll one day come find you with a shaved head, an apron, and a dish of braised pork in his hands? …”

Yang Zhen’er gave her a playful pinch, “Hey! Are you making fun of me? He’s your proposed suitor… ”

Xiang Kun, still busy in the kitchen, said without turning his head, “Go to the living room, don’t block the doorway!”

Tang Baona stuck out her tongue and whispered, “Gosh, he’s so mean!” But she still retreated to the living room with Yang Zhen’er.

Xia Libing, however, didn’t leave. She stuck her head into the kitchen and asked, “Can I use your computer?”

“No! Play with your phone! The WIFI password is ** *** , dinner will be ready soon!”

Xiang Kun was right when he said it would be around 15 minutes.

After the last dish, a soup, was prepared, he didn’t serve it in the living room immediately. Instead, he divided it into two smaller plates and soup bowls. He then asked Xia Libing to open the door for him and, carrying a tray in one hand and a bowl in the other, he stepped out.

“Where is he going?” Yang Zhen Er and Tang Baona curiously followed him.

They then saw Xiang Kun heading to unit 706, where an eager, chubby little girl was waiting for him at the door, and she enthusiastically welcomed him inside.

“What’s going on? Has he opened a second front…” Yang Zhen Er looked back at her friend, blinking in disbelief.

“You’re asking me, but who should I ask?” Tang Baona shrugged.

However, within a few seconds, Xiang Kun came out of 706 with the plate and bowl nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was carrying the inner part of a rice cooker.

Tang Baona and Yang Zhen Er immediately realized that he had swapped a dish for a pot of rice. Judging from the reaction of the girl in 706, they guessed Xiang Kun must have arranged this with her beforehand.

“Let’s eat!” As Xiang Kun entered the room holding a pot of rice, he announced this to the three ladies.

He served the dish and soup from the kitchen and removed the stainless steel lids from the three dishes on the table. The spread of four dishes and a soup was now displayed for the three ladies.

Tang Baona was a little stunned and murmured, “It’s all meat…”

All four dishes were meat-based, even the soup was beef soup.

However, all four dishes were beautifully presented, aromatic, and tasty; just looking at them was enough to whet the appetite.

Xiang Kun served each of them a bowl of rice and put a little beef soup in each soup bowl. He then fetched some beverages from the fridge for everyone. Of course, in front of him was just a cup of water – though he wasn’t going to drink it anyway.

Xia Libing didn’t stand on ceremony, and quickly picked up a piece of crispy pork trotter with her chopsticks and started eating.

It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweet without being greasy. The taste was definitely on par with dishes served in restaurants. Could a beginner really cook this well?

Had Xiang Kun lied about being a beginner cook?

Xia Libing looked at Xiang Kun suspiciously.

However, she noticed that Xiang Kun was also watching her, and when their eyes met, he asked, “How does it taste?”

Before she could answer, Tang Baona, who had already tasted the curry beef and stir-fried chicken cubes, couldn’t help but ask, “Xiang Kun, did you really make this yourself? It didn’t come from a restaurant, did it?”

Xiang Kun adjusted his glasses with the knuckle of his right finger and said with a satisfied smile, “It seems I do have some talent in cooking. I might have to consider moving back home and opening a small restaurant someday. I’d open when I’m in a good mood and go fishing on the mountain when I’m not.”

Yang Zhen Er also chimed in, “Xiang Kun, fess up. Are you actually a cook from the Shaolin Temple who ran away to become a programmer… Is it really like they say, that a programmer who doesn’t know kung fu isn’t a good cook? Oh wait, what kind of meat is this? At first I thought it was chicken, but it doesn’t taste like it.

While she was speaking, something suddenly occurred to her. Her eyes widened as she looked towards the kitchen, murmuring, “Xiang Kun, where’s your rabbit?”

Xiang Kun pointed to the balcony, “It’s over there.”

“Phew,” Yang Zhen Er let out a sigh of relief, “Then what meat is this? Duck?”

“It’s rabbit meat,” said Xiang Kun. “I thought one would be enough since we have so many other dishes. Don’t worry, I just killed it today, so it’s definitely fresh.” He sighed inwardly. This was the first time he had killed a rabbit not for its blood. He had struggled with his conscience this morning when he was processing the rabbit meat and had almost given in to his desire for blood.

Yang Zhen Er’s mouth fell open. She glanced at the balcony, then looked at the rabbit dish on the table. After hesitating for a few seconds, she didn’t say anything.

Tang Baona, who was watching from the side, almost burst out laughing. She couldn’t help but ask, “Zhen’er, is the rabbit meat tasty?

Yang Zhen Er shot her a look but didn’t reply. After a moment’s thought, she picked up another piece of rabbit meat from the plate in front of her. She hadn’t expected rabbit meat to be so delicious. She had thought that knowing she was eating rabbit meat would deter her from eating it, but it seemed she had underestimated her own stomach.

Watching the three of them eating happily, Xiang Kun felt a sense of satisfaction. It reminded him of his middle school days when he coded a fortune-telling application using VB and his classmates had a blast playing with it.

He also picked up a piece of rabbit meat and put it into his mouth, only pretending to chew before swallowing the entire piece whole.

He had made up an excuse not to eat rice, but with so many dishes on the table, it would be strange if he didn’t eat anything at all.

He had already tested beforehand that as long as he swallowed that small stone first, if he subsequently ate solid food in one piece and its total weight was around 200g, it wouldn’t affect his sensation of the stone. This feeling could help him stop vomiting.

He had secretly swallowed the stone before carrying out the last two dishes.

As long as he didn’t drink water or soup, a few pieces of meat swallowed whole wouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, the process was still very uncomfortable and painful; it felt like a war was raging in his stomach, or as if he were being tortured.

However, if he was to cook for his parents when he got home in the future, he might as well rehearse this situation now..