Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

Every morning after doing his routine cleaning, Xia Yu carried a wooden basin back to the kitchen. But as he reached the back door, he suddenly stopped, his nose twitching as he caught the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.

His stomach grumbled.

Speaking of which, he hadn't settled on breakfast yet for the first day of spring break.

Xia Yu set the basin down and ducked into the kitchen. Sure enough, the old man was cooking two bowls of breakfast on the counter, seemingly at the final steps.

The sweet scent emerged from the pot as the old man poured a concoction of boiled brown sugar water into two large bowls, then sprinkled in fried peanuts, crushed walnuts, and finally a bit of chopped green onion.

Unable to resist swallowing, Xia Yu fixed his gaze on the two bowls of breakfast on the counter, muttering, "Sorry, but today I'm joining the sweet side."

The old man was making tofu pudding.

A common snack back in his hometown in mainland China, yet since his inexplicable arrival in this parallel world, it was Xia Yu's first time seeing a familiar hometown delicacy in Tokyo. He didn't know why, but his nose tingled, and he just wanted to eat it.

After washing his hands, Xia Yu approached, "One bowl for me?"

The old man nodded.

Without any hesitation, Xia Yu grabbed a bowl and sat down somewhere in the shop. He scooped up a spoonful of tofu pudding with a white porcelain spoon.

His eyes widened slightly.

This bowl of tofu pudding differed from the snack he remembered, primarily in the tofu pudding itself. It was so crystal clear, like jelly, wobbling as the spoon scooped it up.

"Tofu pudding can reach such levels... a masterpiece?" Xia Yu's mouth hung open.

This went beyond common knowledge.

Had he ever seen tofu pudding like white jade before? In the past, Xia Yu would absolutely not believe it. He sniffed carefully, inhaling the fresh fragrance of soy milk, and felt no more doubts.

"Let's try it first."

After making a bowl of ramen last night, the old man's attitude distinctly shifted. For instance, this breakfast seemed a bit show-offish to Xia Yu.

He felt inexplicably nervous, as if he might ruin such an artistic dish with his crude appetite. Xia Yu took a deep breath, steadied his slightly trembling hand, and brought the spoon to his mouth.

As soon as it entered, the fresh fragrance of tofu pudding spread across his tongue. The flavors of green onion, fried peanuts, and walnuts didn't spoil the aroma; instead, they enhanced the taste and texture. The tofu pudding, like condensed milk, melted in his mouth. After a few gentle chews, swallowing turned it into a fluid.

The feeling was as if he were drinking soy milk, his mouth filled with fragrance. At that moment, Xia Yu's mind was filled with images of golden soybeans, and he felt as though he were lying in a sea of ripe soybeans, swimming, at ease.

Before he knew it, he had polished off the bowl of tofu pudding.

Clang...

The pleasing clash of spoon and bowl bottom woke Xia Yu, and he glanced at the empty bowl, shrugging his shoulders, "That's all?"

As he smacked his lips, savoring the lingering taste, Xia Yu picked up the empty bowl and returned to the kitchen.

"What kind of tofu pudding is this?" he asked the old man.

"A very ordinary vegetarian tofu pudding..." The old man also put his empty bowl into the sink without looking back, "Tofu pudding is the main ingredient; the other ingredients aren't important."

Xia Yu immediately understood the old man's implication.

Hinting that the tofu pudding was extraordinary?

Tofu jelly and tofu pudding were both intermediate products of making tofu. Needless to say, the old man must have used the leftover soy milk from making tofu to make tofu pudding.

In essence, the quality of tofu pudding also represented the quality of the tofu.

Without asking further, Xia Yu patiently awaited the formation of the tofu.

An hour later.

Uncovering the cloth on the wooden tray in the kitchen, a whole large tray of fresh tofu appeared before Xia Yu's eyes.

His pupils slightly contracted.

Just by looking at the snow-white and delicate color of the tofu, he knew it was of extraordinary quality. Xia Yu hesitated for a moment, tentatively reaching out his index finger to gently poke the tofu surface. The bounceback surprised him, a spark of amazement flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, unfamiliar information popped up in front of Xia Yu:

"[Water Tofu], of impeccable quality, serves as the main ingredient for various dishes. The system recommends the host use this high-quality ingredient to cook 'Magical Mapo Tofu,' increasing the probability of producing glowing cuisine..."

Appraising ingredients?

Xia Yu was stunned. The Chef God System had this function?

He couldn't help but smack his forehead, asking, "System, what's my current cooking level?"

"Lv3."

"Yesterday, you completed the initial task, your level increased by one, and you earned 1 unused Talent Point," the system dutifully replied.

"By the way, with my current cooking level, which aspects can the Talent Points be used for?"

"Knife skills, temperature control, these are the two basic talents. Of course, the host can also allocate 2 Talent Points to the 'Ingredient Identification' option to enhance the system's appraisal function," the system said. "Note, currently the host's cooking level is too low, reaching Lv10 unlocks advanced talents."

After some contemplation, Xia Yu decided, "Then 1 point for knife skills, 1 point for temperature control. Let's distribute them like this for now."

"Request accepted."

In an instant, there was some change in his body. Xia Yu loosened his shoulders but couldn't find the source of the change.

Staring at the cutting board and a kitchen knife, Xia Yu picked up the kitchen knife, gazing at his face reflected in the silvery blade, his eyes filled with indescribable joy.

Out of the basic qualities of cooking, his knife skills certainly were the best. The reason being, after so many years, he dealt with various ingredients for the old man day and night. His knife skills had long been honed.

However, this time, the feeling of holding the knife was markedly different.

How to describe it? It was like a swordsman who had practiced for years suddenly having an epiphany, forming a mental connection with the sword he carried for years; man and sword became one.

This description might be exaggerated, but Xia Yu couldn't find other words to express it.

His eyes slightly narrowed, glancing at the freshly made white jade water tofu on the wooden tray beside him. The blade of the knife flashed, and Xia Yu casually picked up a piece of still-wet water tofu, placed it on the cutting board, and swiftly, the sharp kitchen knife repeatedly hit the board with a crisp sound. Each cut went all the way through, his movements smooth and natural, faintly possessing the aura of a veteran hotel chef.

Soon, tofu slices covered the cutting board like paper, and their size and thickness were so uniform that the human eye could hardly discern any subtle differences.

"Ah..."

Through the upgraded knife skills elevated by one Talent Point, Xia Yu exhaled, a mix of excitement and slight shock in his eyes.

This was just allocating one Talent Point, and the knife skills had improved so noticeably. If he maxed out the knife skills with all the Talent Points, would he not reach the level of Chef God in knife skills alone?

He suddenly noticed others in the kitchen.

Xia Yu uttered an "uh," put down the kitchen knife, glanced over, and sure enough, saw the old man staring in amazement at the tofu slices on the cutting board.

No doubt, the old man must have observed his procedure of cutting tofu.

"Your knife skills..."

The old man wanted to ask but shook his head, hands behind his back, as he left the kitchen.