Chapter 48

At the dining table.

Jiang Tiantian tore open the final dish—two beggar’s chickens—in front of everyone.

Immediately, the rich aroma of tea leaves mixed with lotus leaf fragrance and savory meat wafted through the air.

“Ta-da~” Jiang Tiantian spread her hands. “Tea-infused Beggar’s Chicken is served! Time to eat~”

Ezhu reacted swiftly, snatching a big chicken leg and stuffing it into his mouth without a care for the heat.

He chewed, wincing at the heat.

“Holy crap!” Erzhu’s eyes lit up, and he gave a big thumbs-up. “Sis-in-law, you’re a food genius!”

Jiang Tiantian grinned. “Is it good?”

Erzhu, his mouth full, mumbled, “Delicious! The chicken skin is golden, glossy, and flavorful. The meat is firm and chewy, and after swallowing, there’s a lingering tea fragrance.”

“It’s truly a delicacy!”

Jiang Tiantian understood and shot him a knowing look. “Ah, you’re a real foodie.”

After finishing the chicken leg, Erzhu tried the other dishes. “This is the first time I’ve seen someone use tea leaves and lotus in cooking. How did you come up with this?”

Jiang Tiantian smirked mysteriously. “Do you know what the highest level of being a foodie is?”

“What is it?” Erzhu was dumbfounded.

From the side, Cha Jiuzhang muttered, “Isn’t it just ‘eating’?”

Jiang Tiantian heard that and put down her chopsticks, wagging a finger. “Brother, you’ve got it wrong!”

Then, taking on the demeanor of an old scholar, she declared, “The ultimate level of a foodie is seeing everything as food! To a true foodie, there’s only one distinction in the world—can it be eaten, or not?”

Plop~

A fry slipped out of Erzhu’s mouth and landed in his bowl. He turned stiffly to look at Jiang Tiantian, his expression blank.

The others at the table also froze, staring at her with complicated expressions. To be this obsessed with food… what a peculiar person.

In the corner, Mop, the dog, was gnawing on its nutritious dinner when it suddenly shuddered.

It lifted its head in confusion—why did it just feel a wave of killing intent…?

Erzhu suddenly slapped the table and stood up. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”

Dazhu immediately covered his eyes—this was going to be bad!

Erzhu turned excitedly, grabbed Jiang Tiantian’s hands over Cha Jiuzhang, and cried, “Sis-in-law, you’re my soulmate! Why didn’t I meet you sooner—”

Smack!

Cha Jiuzhang struck Erzhu’s hand with his chopsticks. “Let go!”

What’s with the hand-holding? Did he think he was invisible?

Erzhu ignored the red mark on his hand and excitedly declared, “Sis-in-law, I’ve decided! I want to become your apprentice and spread the glory of foodies far and wide!”

Jiang Tiantian blinked in confusion and turned to Cha Jiuzhang, her eye twitching. What is this guy on?

She couldn’t understand at all!

“Pfft—”

Zuo Mingyan couldn’t hold back anymore. She dropped her chopsticks and leaned against Cha Chengye’s shoulder, laughing uncontrollably.

Cha Chengye, also amused, patted her back gently, worried she’d laugh herself breathless.

Cha Jizu swallowed his chicken and calmly said, “Erzhu, let go of your sister-in-law. That’s not appropriate.”

“If you really want to become an apprentice, fine. After dinner, I’ll prepare a cup of tea, and you can formally pay your respects.”

Erzhu’s eyes sparkled, and he nodded vigorously. “Third Granduncle is right! This is a serious matter—it mustn’t be rushed. Sis-in-law, I’ll go call my parents and Third Sis to witness this sacred moment!”

With that, he happily released Jiang Tiantian’s hands and sat back down, continuing to eat.

Jiang Tiantian stared at her hands in a daze.

What just happened?

Cha Jiuzhang sighed and patted her. “Eat first. We’ll deal with it later.”

Dinner continued in a strangely cheerful yet baffling atmosphere.

After the meal—

Erzhu said to Jiang Tiantian, “Sis-in-law, wait for me! I’ll be right back!”

And then he ran off.

Dazhu looked troubled and awkwardly said, “Sis-in-law, don’t take it to heart. I’ll go talk to him.”

Then he ran off too.

Jiang Tiantian was still in shock.

When did I ever say I was taking an apprentice?

Sitting in the courtyard, Cha Jizu leisurely fanned himself and explained,

“That boy Erzhu… he has no major flaws; except he’s been obsessed with food since he was little and is a bit single-minded.”

“Ever since he learned to crawl and walk, he’s been putting everything into his mouth. If it tasted good, he swallowed it; if not, he spat it out. Because of that, he got beaten up a lot as a child.”

“As he grew older, he realized that habit wasn’t socially acceptable and tried to restrain himself. But his passion for cooking never faded—he often experiments with all sorts of strange recipes at home.”

Zuo Mingyan laughed, “We always joke that Erzhu’s mind only revolves around three things—what to eat for breakfast, what to eat for lunch, and what to eat for dinner.”

Cha Jiuzhang added, “He’s been incredibly curious about the bread kiln you’re building.”

“And yesterday, when you talked about all those unheard-of dishes on the way back, he was even more fascinated. Today, he came here specifically to ask about what you’ve been cooking.”

“Then at dinner, you dropped that line about foodies seeing everything as food… and well, that was it. You spoke directly to his soul.”

Oh my god.

Jiang Tiantian covered her face.

What was this?

A foodie finally finding their tribe?

Cha Jizu chuckled. “Tiantian, I’ve noticed these past few days—you may be young, but you have real talent in cooking. Erzhu has potential, but his experience is too limited.”

“If you’re willing, teach him. I don’t see him excelling at anything else besides food.”

Jiang Tiantian nodded. “Grandpa, if he truly wants to learn, I have plenty to teach. But… is the formal apprenticeship necessary?”

“‘A master for a day, a father for life.’ Cooking is a trade that provides stability—it values tradition. Calling you ‘Master’ is only proper.”

“Alright then,” Jiang Tiantian agreed. Although she and Erzhu were the same age physically, mentally, she was more than qualified to be his master.

Soon, Erzhu’s family arrived.

His mother, Fifth Aunt, was ready to beat him up.

“Third Uncle, look at this foolish boy! He just decides things on a whim! Tiantian is his sister-in-law, and now he wants to be her disciple—doesn’t that mess up the family hierarchy?”

Cha Jizu waved a hand. “It’s fine. One is family, the other is apprenticeship—they don’t conflict. If he wants to learn cooking, he should properly acknowledge a master.”

Fifth Aunt had already realized Tiantian was skilled. Learning from her wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Besides, which parent can win against their stubborn child?

Especially this foolish son of hers!

Feeling a little embarrassed, she turned to Jiang Tiantian. “Tiantian, what do you think?”

Jiang Tiantian smiled. “Fifth Aunt, how about this?”

“Today, I’ll formally accept Erzhu as my disciple, but from now on, he can just call me ‘Sis-in-law.’ I’ll still teach him as I would a true apprentice.”

Fifth Aunt smiled gratefully, then smacked Erzhu. “Hurry up and thank your sister-in-law!”

“Thank you, Sis-in-law!”

Erzhu sincerely held a bowl of tea in his hands, standing in front of Jiang Tiantian. “Master, please accept this disciple, Shen Liangqing’s, formal bow!”

After speaking, Erzhu raised the tea and was about to kneel.

Jiang Tiantian quickly reached out and stopped him before his knees could touch the ground. With a firm pull, she helped him back up.

She took the tea, sipped it, and said, “Alright, I’ve accepted the apprenticeship tea.”

“Erzhu, there’s something I want to say upfront. Since you are sincere about learning, I won’t lower my standards. Mastering any craft takes time; only a ‘diligent cook’ can truly grasp the essence of culinary skills. You must build a solid foundation.”

“Moreover, cooking is a profound subject. It’s not just about different regional cuisines; you also need to study nutrition, medicinal cuisine, food aesthetics, banquet design, and restaurant management…”

“In the future, if you want to go far on this path, you must never stop learning. You will have to endure countless trials and refinements…”

“A top-tier chef is someone who commands the admiration of others!”

“Erzhu, do you have the confidence to achieve that?”

Erzhu responded, “Yes!”

“Louder!”

Erzhu tilted his head back and shouted, “YES!”

“Very good!” Jiang Tiantian smiled mischievously and pulled out a stack of thick books from behind her. “Take these home and read them. If you don’t understand something, come ask me.”

She had just asked Xiao Qi to search for a comprehensive set of ‘The Ultimate Chef’s Training Manual’ from the platform, which had cost her 100,000 gold coins.

It had taken her quite some time to persuade Xiao Qi to give the books an aged appearance.

Ah, she truly was a genius—this not only saved her a lot of teaching effort but also provided a solid source for her exceptional cooking skills.

After all, no one had ever opened the bag of books left by the original owner. If she said she got them from there, who would doubt her?

“Sister-in-law, isn’t this… a bit too much?” Erzhu held the stack of books, looking as if he was about to cry.

Sanya chimed in teasingly, “Tiantian-sister-in-law, you don’t know this, but my second brother absolutely hates reading.”

Erzhu casually flipped through a few pages and was immediately captivated by the colorful illustrations and engaging content.

He quickly covered the pages and said to Sanya with a serious face, “Nonsense! Your second brother has always loved reading.”

Then, he turned to Jiang Tiantian, his face beaming with excitement. “Sister-in-law, are all these books really for me?”

“Yes, they’re all yours. Take your time reading them. But I will conduct random quizzes, so don’t slack off.”

“If I catch you slacking, believe me, you won’t want to experience the consequences…”

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry! I definitely won’t slack off. Trust me.” Erzhu hugged the books tightly, grinning foolishly with sheer happiness.

His expression—showing all teeth but no eyes—was almost unbearable to look at.

Jiang Tiantian thought to herself, One should never despise a pure-hearted foodie, because they are the simplest kind of people. They only think about food all day and have no time to scheme against others.

—-

Meanwhile, Cha Jizu, who had been observing from the side, noticed that despite her young age, this girl handled matters smoothly and had her own set of principles.

She had the air of someone from a prestigious family!

He couldn’t help but wonder—how had the Jiang family raised her?

Well, whatever the case, his own Cha family was benefiting from it now.