Chapter 35: Who Is It For?
Lu Yunxi was counting her coins with a miserable expression.
Shen San noticed the subtle shift in her features and immediately guessed her predicament. He spoke up sympathetically, “Master, I have some silver on hand. Let me cover this for you first!” Without waiting for an answer, he headed over to the doctor to settle the bill.
She let out a secret sigh of relief. Thank goodness she had Shen San to help; otherwise, she would have been truly stranded.
However, the incident served as a stark reminder. Even though she had been reincarnated into the world of a holographic online game, she still had a life to lead—and she couldn’t afford to live it without a financial safety net.
Moving carefully to avoid aggravating her wound, Lu Yunxi slowly put on her shoes. As she straightened up, her gaze fell upon a bookshelf.
A bookshelf in a clinic? It was a strange arrangement. The shelf was tucked away in a remote, recessed corner; she wouldn’t even have noticed it if she hadn’t been forced to linger.
Driven by curiosity, she pulled out a volume titled Basic Herbs. She turned a page to find detailed illustrations accompanied by meticulous descriptions of each plant’s usage, harvesting methods, habitats, and preparation techniques.
To her astonishment, her pharmaceutical skill—which had remained stagnant for ages—suddenly ticked upward. Her heart began to pound with excitement. It turned out that reading books in these shops could actually grant proficiency and experience points!
She suspected that other stores might have similar books, but she simply hadn’t noticed them during her previous visits.
“Doctor, how much for this book?” she asked, raising the volume and waving it toward the counter.
The doctor looked her up and down, his eyes clearly asking, You? Can you actually afford this? He replied in a flat, chilly tone, “Books on the first shelf are ten silver coins each. The second shelf is one silver, and the third shelf is five hundred copper.”
Lu Yunxi felt a wave of depression. The meager funds she had left were only enough for a book from the bottom shelf. She flipped through several of the cheaper volumes and realized they only contained basic knowledge her mother had taught her years ago. They were useless.
It seemed she would have to wait until she had more money to afford the higher-tier knowledge on the top two shelves.
By the time they stepped out of the clinic, night had fallen. The streets were quiet. Lu Yunxi and Shen San bid each other goodnight and headed to their respective homes.
The next morning.
Lu Yunxi rose exceptionally early. When she arrived at the restaurant, even Shen San hadn’t shown up yet. She tracked down the shopkeeper to discuss a few things.
After a bit of deliberation, the shopkeeper agreed to her terms. “Fine. I’ll send the extra help over to you in a few days. You can let him use the kitchen equipment then.”
When she returned to the kitchen, Shen San was already there. He looked surprised to see her so early. “Master? Why are you here already?” Usually, he arrived first to handle the heavy cleaning, and she would follow once the kitchen was ready.
Lu Yunxi offered a faint smile. “Haven’t you always wanted to learn to cook? From today on, you’ll be practicing right by my side.”
Shen San was stunned, then practically radiated joy. “Really? That’s fantastic! Master, thank you!” He suspected it was a reward for helping her at the clinic, but he wasn’t about to turn down such an opportunity. He had people searching for her information, but they were still coming up empty; he was glad to have made progress elsewhere.
After a brief pause, he seemed to remember something important. He quickly poured a cup of tea, knelt down, and kowtowed three times respectfully, completing the traditional ceremony of formal apprenticeship.
Lu Yunxi was taken aback by the gesture.
Others might not realize it, but she knew the truth: Shen San was a player. If a local NPC had performed such a ritual, she wouldn’t have been surprised, but for a player to go to such lengths was unusual. They usually bypassed traditional formalities. Is cooking really that important to him? she wondered. Maybe it’s his dream to be a chef?
She looked at her new apprentice with a complicated expression before accepting the tea and taking a sip.
“Very well. Work hard from now on and strive to become a master chef as soon as possible,” she encouraged him. She reached into her sleeve and handed him the red envelope she had prepared.
Since she was low on funds, the envelope didn’t contain money. Instead, she had gifted him a piece of equipment she had crafted herself. Though it was only of “Blue” quality, it was the best she could make, and it was far superior to the novice gear most players were still wearing.
Shen San, however, didn’t seem to care about the contents of the envelope. He tucked it into his inventory immediately without looking, his focus entirely on her cooking.
Amused by his dedication, Lu Yunxi began explaining the basics her mother had taught her. “In a professional kitchen, we divide work into the ‘White Case’ and the ‘Red Case.’ The White Case focuses on noodles and dim sum, while the Red Case handles hot dishes and meats. Different regions have different palates. What kind of flavors do you prefer? We should start with what you like to eat.”
Shen San blinked, looking genuinely lost. He had never heard of these terms before. “Well… I’m not really picky. Any flavor is fine. Noodles, vegetables—I want to learn it all! Is that okay?”
“Of course.” She nodded, feeling a twinge of sympathy. This poor child must have a difficult life in the real world, she thought. He doesn’t even know his own favorite foods.
“By the way,” she asked casually while prepping the ingredients, “who are you planning to cook for once you learn the craft?”
“…Well,” he hesitated, deciding to tell a half-truth so the food would be appropriate for his needs. “My grandfather is ill. I want to make something special for him.”
Lu Yunxi’s hands paused for a moment. She looked up at him, a realization dawning. No wonder he was so desperate to learn.
“Your grandfather… did the doctor give you specific dietary guidelines? We need to know what will nourish him and what he needs to avoid. You must find out so we can plan the right dishes.”
“Ah?” Shen San was caught off guard. His grandfather’s doctors hadn’t mentioned restrictions; they had simply begged them to get the old man to eat more “natural foods.” The more, the better.
The trouble was that the old man found natural food revolting. Even dishes from the finest interstellar hotels barely warranted more than a bite or two.
This was exactly why Shen San was so desperate to find a master in the game. His master’s cooking was already far superior to any chef in the Interstellar Union, but he still wasn’t entirely sure if these virtual flavors could truly be replicated in the real world.
