Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 11

Zhao Xiaojing immediately stopped humming and anxiously answered the phone.

“Hello, Third Aunt.”

“What are you doing? I called so many times, and you didn’t answer. Are your wings growing?”

“No, I was just busy and didn’t hear it.”

“What are you busy with that you can’t use your phone? Then why do you even have one?!”

“What’s up, Third Aunt?”

“Come over for dinner! There’s something I need to talk to you about in person.”

“Third Aunt, I—”

Beep… Before Zhao Xiaojing could finish, the call was abruptly ended.

After ending the call, her phone displayed 12 missed calls, all from Dong Mei.

Always like this, yet again!

The familiar oppressive feeling of authority washed over her, bringing back suppressed emotions. Zhao Xiaojing powerlessly tossed her phone onto the bed, staring at the ceiling with a heavy heart, as if filled with cement.

She took several deep breaths, paced around the room, and finally picked up her phone again. After contemplating for a while, she bit her lip and called Dong Mei back.

“What now?”

“Third Aunt, I have things to do tonight, so I won’t be coming over for dinner. If there’s anything, please tell me over the phone.”

“So now you can’t even come for a meal when I call? What’s wrong with you? I said come over and I’ll tell you then. What’s so important that you can’t come?!”

“Third Aunt, I told you before, I’m working hard to earn money to pay you back. I’m busy working.”

“Do I look like I need your money? Am I forcing you to pay back? Are you out of your mind? When I say come, you come! I’ve invited Zhang Guodong and his mother tonight, so you better behave!”

Another abrupt hang-up followed by a busy tone.

Zhao Xiaojing’s anger flared up too. Though in her past life, she often suppressed this anger and endured it, this time, from the moment she was reborn, she resolved not to tolerate it anymore.

Wiping away tears that had accidentally fallen, she redialed once more.

“Are you done yet?!”

“Third Aunt, I already said I won’t marry him. If you want to eat with him, go ahead, but I won’t be there!”

With that, Zhao Xiaojing quickly hung up and switched her phone to airplane mode.

In her previous life, she and Zhang Guodong were forcibly matched by Dong Mei and Zhang Guodong’s mother, Wen Juying.

Zhang Guodong didn’t particularly like her; it was just that Wen Juying worked at the same place as Dong Mei, who was a senior employee with a title and some leadership role. Wen Juying relied on Dong Mei for certain job conveniences due to their friendship and familiarity. She wanted an obedient daughter-in-law, and Zhao Xiaojing seemed perfect—pretty and seemingly indecisive.

Thus, Wen Juying was eager to establish the marriage bond, and Dong Mei was satisfied with Zhang Guodong’s family conditions. The two parents were in agreement.

Under strong persuasion and matchmaking, Zhang Guodong, who had never dared to oppose his domineering mother, quickly relented, transferring all the pressure onto Zhao Xiaojing. Feeling indebted and afraid of Dong Mei, Zhao Xiaojing barely resisted. Eventually, the two unsuitable strangers were forced into marriage.

During the divorce, Wen Juying was very assertive, constantly pressuring Zhang Guodong and Zhao Xiaojing not to separate or form a new family with his mistress. But every mountain has its peak, and the domineering mother-in-law feared even more dominant daughters-in-law.

When the other woman caused a scene, brandishing a pregnancy report and bringing people to Wen Juying’s workplace for several days, Wen Juying’s blood pressure soared. Dong Mei heard of this scandal too.

Having only a few years left until retirement, Wen Juying received severe warnings from her workplace. Faced with threats of further disruptions at Zhang Guodong’s workplace, with everything potentially falling apart, Wen Juying finally conceded.

Dong Mei tried convincing Zhang Guodong with scolding and persuasion. Zhang Guodong remained silent, seeking Wen Juying’s help, but she deflected responsibility onto the other woman. Relations between them soured completely.

As for Zhang Guodong’s father, he was just like his son—without any stance, he feared whoever was stronger and obeyed whoever was fiercer.

Throughout it all, Zhao Xiaojing was completely ignored. It was her marriage, yet no one asked her opinion. The mistress’s disruption affected Wen Juying, who dragged Zhang Guodong along to apologize to Dong Mei. Dong Mei pitied the child who lost a father so soon after birth.

Memories of her past overwhelmed Zhao Xiaojing like a mountain. Even after two lifetimes, the oppressive feeling never truly left—it only took a minor trigger to resurface.

[Ding~ System Reward Task Triggered]

[Limited-Time Reward Task: Make a Soothing and Lung-Clearing Dessert for Yourself]

[Qingbuliang recipe transmitted]

[Task ingredients sent to backpack page]

[This task is limited to one hour; system rewards will be given upon completion]

Familiar warmth spread as Zhao Xiaojing’s mind filled with the Qingbuliang¹ recipe.

This time, the system didn’t give her a choice to accept the task; it was directly issued.

The system… Zhao Xiaojing felt grateful beyond words. In such despairing moments, the system provided a glimmer of warmth.

Sniffling hard, Zhao Xiaojing switched to the backpack page, retrieving the system-provided ingredients for Qingbuliang.

A long-haired old coconut, a green shell coconut, a coconut peeling knife, a blender, cheesecloth, a small jar of white sugar, a mini ice cream maker, and several small ingredient packets.

“System, you’re too kind; I don’t even have to make the small ingredients myself. All these materials, even machines…” Zhao Xiaojing couldn’t help tearing up again.

[All materials provided for this Qingbuliang preparation will be reclaimed by the system after completion.]

“Okay.” Zhao Xiaojing instantly held back her tears.

No one would refuse rewards. Habitually, Zhao Xiaojing spent two hours practicing in the virtual space before deftly picking up the knife.

Removing the hard shell of the old coconut, she peeled off the black skin, opened the coconut meat to extract juice into a bowl, and cut the meat into small pieces.

Placing the flesh into the blender with water, she broke open the green coconut to add its juice. Blending it thoroughly, she filtered it through cheesecloth.

Adding sugar to the filtered mixture, she poured it into the ice cream maker to create shaved ice.

She then took a bowl to add her favorite Qingbuliang toppings.

The system-provided toppings were varied despite being small portions.

There were herbal jelly, red beans, mung beans, rice balls, barley, white jelly, pandan jelly, macaroni, sago pearls, mango, cantaloupe, agar cubes, hawthorn bits…

Having never tasted Qingbuliang in either life, Zhao Xiaojing eagerly prepared to add a bit of everything.

Just as she raised her hand to scoop toppings, Zhao Xiaojing paused. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over her…

—

Footnote ¹: Qingbuliang (清补凉, qīng bǔ liáng)

Qingbuliang is a traditional dessert from Hainan, China. It is a refreshing and sweet soup made with various ingredients such as mung beans, red beans, lotus seeds, white fungus, barley, coconut milk, and fruits like watermelon or longan. Served chilled, it offers a delightful mix of textures and flavors, making it a popular choice to enjoy during hot weather. Known for its cooling properties, Qingbuliang is often consumed for its potential health benefits, believed to help clear heat and nourish the body.