"Okay!"

How could I, Shen Jiayue, miss out on a chance to show off?

She walked over, mimed a gesture for effect, and then snapped her fingers; the flower buds in the clear soup immediately blossomed at the sound.

These relatives had watched the video online more than once. But their faces were still filled with shock when they saw it in person.

Old Mrs. Lin couldn't focus on eating. She patted the reserved seat next to her and said, "My dear grandson must be exhausted. Come and sit down to eat. Don't bother with the remaining dishes; we can't finish them anyway."

Lin Xu said, "There are only two dishes left. I'll bring them out, and then we can start eating."

He returned to the kitchen.

He took out a large fish head and eel from the steamer cabinet.

After the fish head was drizzled with hot lard, Uncle Shi Wenming carried it upstairs.

As for the remaining eel dish, it required a bit more work.

Lin Xu used chopsticks to pick out the Scallion and Ginger, then poured out the steamed juice. This juice was too fishy and not suitable for eating.

Next, he drizzled a bit of Steamed Fish Sauce over it and added finely shredded scallion, ginger, and red pepper strips. He heated some lard and poured it over the dish to sizzle. With that, this eel version of 'Coiling Dragon Eel in Soy Sauce' was ready.

When he brought it to the table, the relatives were full of praise:

"I didn't know you could prepare eel like this; I'll have to try it myself."

"You'll have to share the recipe, Lin Xu. Otherwise, our eel will definitely turn out fishy."

"Exactly, exactly. Teach us later, Lin Xu!"

"Wenming, you should learn it. Once you master it, we can put it on the restaurant's menu, and it'll be a great way to make money."

"I'll learn, definitely! Lately, I've basically become Lin Xu's apprentice. I follow him and learn every dish he makes. Once I've learned it, we can sell it in the restaurant."

"..."

Lin Xu sat beside Old Mrs. Lin and put a piece of eel into his mouth.

Mmm, the fish skin is smooth, the eel flesh delicious, with a subtle soy sauce flavor. Moreover, since the spine has been cut, it's very easy to eat. Just a gentle pull and the meat comes right off. This dish is good. If I get a chance to level it up, it can be a new addition to the restaurant's menu. However, this is ultimately an eel dish. I'll have to find a way to go to the Fishing Platform's Building 6 and learn more eel recipes from Chef Qiu. I've heard that Jiangsu cuisine chefs can make one hundred and eight different dishes with eel. That's truly enviable. And Guo Xinghai is always studying Cantonese cuisine. Apparently, an Excellent Level Cantonese chef can make one hundred and eight unique dishes from chicken. In comparison, my own school is quite straightforward. We only manage to offend one hundred and eight different peers...

When they had almost finished eating, Lin Xu went to the kitchen to cook a small bowl of hand-pulled noodles for his grandmother. For a birthday celebration, noodles were a must.

After Old Mrs. Lin ate them happily, his eldest uncle Lin Hongjun and his father Lin Hongqi brought in a large, three-tiered cake.

It was time for cake. This was the kids' favorite part.

Meanwhile, the adults continued to drink and chat, occasionally complimenting Lin Xu's cooking skills.

"My dear grandson, I'm full. Your cooking is really good. I've lived for seventy years, and this is the happiest birthday I've ever had. It's all thanks to my dear grandson's hard work."

"This is what I should do. Wait a moment, Grandma. There are still some snacks. I'll bring them over for you."

There's more?

A flicker of concern passed through Old Mrs. Lin's eyes. That boy has been busy in the kitchen all morning. Just how much food did he prepare? If I'd known, I wouldn't have let him go to so much trouble. Steaming some buns and stewing a big pot of vegetables would have been fine. Back then, it was because of a meal like this that those two boys from the Chen Family agreed to let Meijuan marry in.

He went to the kitchen and brought out a mold from the fridge.

Its temperature had dropped completely. It even felt cool to the touch, perfect for an after-meal dessert.

He opened the lid and inverted the mold onto the cutting board. Gently tapping it twice, he then slowly lifted the mold away.

A whole Horse Hoof Cake, like a frozen rainbow, appeared before his eyes.

Holy cow! This is so beautiful! I knew it would be pretty, but I didn't expect it to be this stunning.

The seven colors were even, all the same thickness. Each color was separated by white, making it look both neat and high-class.

With a gentle pat, it wobbled. It's like a big blob of jelly sitting here.

After marveling at it, Lin Xu took a kitchen knife and evenly cut the large Horse Hoof Cake into more presentable and visually striking diamond shapes.

Once cut, he arranged them on a plate. Then, he carried it upstairs to the dining room.

As he entered, everyone—whether it was the children fighting over cake or the adults drinking and chatting—unconsciously looked towards the door. More precisely, they were looking at the plate in Lin Xu's hands.

The evenly cut, diamond-shaped pieces displayed seven vibrant colors, each layer separated by a milky white. The presentation was simply stunning.

After setting it down on the table, Lin Xu smiled and said, "Grandma, this is the Seven-colored Water Chestnut Cake I made for you. Please try it."

Although she knew her dear grandson would surprise her again, Old Mrs. Lin was still captivated by the beautiful Horse Hoof Cake.

Beautiful! Simply too beautiful!

"No wonder my dear grandson was hired as a culinary consultant for the Fishing Platform. I can hardly bear to eat it."

Picking up a trembling piece of the Water Chestnut Cake, Old Mrs. Lin admired it as if it were a fine piece of porcelain in a museum. Only when the relatives urged her did she gently bite into it.

"Mmm, delicious! It seems like each layer has a different flavor. It's so delicious!"

Hearing the old lady's praise, the others also gathered around. Each took a piece, but before tasting, they held up their phones to snap pictures. After the photo session, they finally began to slowly savor it. All the while, they praised Lin Xu's culinary skills.

Seeing that the relatives had started eating, Lin Xu handed a piece to Shen Baobao, who was still taking pictures. "Remember I promised to make you Horse Hoof Cake on the day of the Fishing Platform competition? Today, I finally kept my promise... Go on, try it. See if you like the taste."

I love it! I love it so much!

With so many people around, Shen Baobao was too shy to throw herself into Lin Xu's arms. But her heart was already pounding with excitement, longing for nightfall when she could hug her Xu Treasure tightly and kiss him fiercely. Phew... Calm down.

Shen Baobao took a deep breath, pushing aside the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind. Only then did she take the Horse Hoof Cake he handed her and try a bite.

Her eyes immediately widened. "Grandma's right! Each layer has a different flavor. It's so delicious!"

The moment she finished speaking, a notification from the system rang in Lin Xu's mind:

"Host has boldly practiced and completed the reward task [Horse Hoof Cake], earning one Excellent Level stew dish lottery draw."

"Due to the Host's creativity in making the exceptionally beautiful Seven-colored Water Chestnut Cake, the Excellent Level stew dish lottery draw reward has been upgraded to a Superior lottery draw reward. Congratulations to the Host!"

What? There are perks like this?

Lin Xu was overjoyed. He'd never imagined a reward task could be upgraded. It seems I'll have to go all out for tasks like this in the future!

He looked around and saw everyone praising the Water Chestnut Cake's appearance and taste, except for Dundun, who was listlessly lying by his cat bowl, waiting for meat.

Oh dear, my son is starving.

He quickly placed a piece of eel into Dundun's cat bowl. The little guy sniffed it and then nuzzled Lin Xu with his big head before lowering it to eat seriously.

Lin Xu crouched beside him. Once Dundun had eaten most of it, he added some lamb to the bowl.

Dundun began to eat heartily again. While eating, he even hummed contentedly. Clearly, he was enjoying today's meat very much.

When the little fellow had eaten his fill, Lin Xu picked him up. After playing with him for a while, he muttered in his mind:

Draw!

The lottery wheel materialized in his mind. The draw began.

Before long, the system's voice announced in his mind:

"Congratulations to the Host for acquiring the Superior Level stew dish: Tomato Stew Beef Brisket!"

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