Sometimes when speaking loudly, if Cao Guixiang hears him, she'll give him a sideways glance and quietly scold, "Eat your stir-fried yam."

Qin Huai has no thoughts about Zhang Chu's obvious behavior of pulling him down, people only feel hurt when they can be compared. In Qin Huai's view, Cao Guixiang's stir-fried yam and Jiang Chengde's locust flower buns are about the same, only Jiang Chengde's locust flower buns are basically incomprehensible, whereas Cao Guixiang's stir-fried yam is something Cao Guixiang tries to make what he should understand clear to him.

That night, in his dream, Qin Huai stir-fried yam all night long.

This time in the dream, the rabbits ruling the Earth especially love eating yam, and have to eat stir-fried yam with very high demands; each slice of yam must be cut with consistent thickness, with perfect fire control and proper thickening.

Previously, in the dream, Qin Huai only needed to cut radishes, but this time he had to practice from cutting to stir-frying to thickening. Those picky rabbits mouths said the fire control wasn't right one minute, and the thickening wasn't right the next, even worse some said the yam wasn't cut well enough so they didn't want to eat it at all.

Making Qin Huai sweat profusely while stir-frying yam in the dream, and waking up with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Before dressing and cleaning up after leaving the room, he forgot to tidy his hair, leaving with a bedhead.

When Qin Huai got up, Cao Guixiang and Zhang Chu were already awake, and breakfast had already been served. There's not one less of the Three Meat Buns, Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns, and Four Happiness glutinous rice snack trio, plus three fried eggs and the soy milk Cao Guixiang cooked.

Cao Guixiang saw the way Qin Huai looked and asked with a smile, "Seems like you stir-fried yam all night in your dream again last night."

Qin Huai was startled: "Did I talk in my sleep again?"

Today he woke up tired from stir-frying yam, not from yelling.

"Not at all." Cao Guixiang gestured with her eyes for Qin Huai to quickly come to the living room for breakfast after freshening up, "Guessed it from the way you look."

Zhang Chu explained while munching on a bun, "It's normal, when I was an apprentice I went through it like this. When I first learned carpentry from my master, I was working even in my dreams, and every time I woke up more tired than before I slept."

"Your Master Cao... is more exaggerated, she dreamed every night that her master was scolding her when she was learning cooking, even though her master never scolded anyone. All the tears she didn't shed during the day were shed in the dream, waking up crying every day."

"Back then the neighbors were all gossiping that her master looked kind, but was actually fierce, scolding the young girl making her cry secretly at home every night, with swollen eyes the next morning."

Qin Huai knew Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang were comforting him, and he had to admit their comfort was really effective; the experiences shared by those who have been through it are far better than just theories.

After freshening up, Qin Huai sat at the dining table: "I know, Master, is it still stir-fried yam today?"

"Of course, I originally planned for you to practice thickening for two days, knife skills for three days, now it seems there's no need to practice separately, you can practice together."

"Once you cut the yam well, you can move to the second stage of knife skills. If you're interested, after going back, you can continue cutting yam, or even carrot slices. Once you can see through the carrot slices, then come back to learn the next stage."

Cao Guixiang kindly reminded: "But this practice method lacks specificity and might take more than five days to complete."

Qin Huai confidently replied, "Don't worry Master, I'll give my best effort to complete within five days. If I return any later, my sister Luoluo will cry."

Last month's exam results came out for Qin Luo, and there was progress. During his holiday break, Qin Huai promised Qin Luo that if she improved in her exams, he'd make her something delicious, presumably she's really looking forward to that gourmet treat these days.

If Qin Huai returns home any later, Qin Luo's world would collapse again.

As for what delicious treat to make, Qin Huai has decided – he'll have Cao Guixiang help chop the meat filling, and make Qin Luo a plus version of Four Happiness glutinous rice.

So, Qin Huai stir-fried yam for a full 5 days.

He feels it's always like this whenever he comes to Cao Guixiang's house for training, first having a big meal to taste some treats, then starting practice. At first, the practice intensity isn't high, but the second day begins the devil training mode, where each day as soon as you wake up it's practice, day and night, returning to the days of senior year in high school, the hundred-day sprint to prepare for the college entrance exam.

Of course, during practice, it's not that there's no time for rest, cooking time is Qin Huai's break.

Resting, yet not entirely resting, because Qin Huai stands by observing how Cao Guixiang cooks.

During devil training, Cao Guixiang doesn't have time to cook a full table of meals daily, usually just one main dish paired with three homemade dishes.

Learning to cook is standard physical labor, whether cutting or cooking consumes much energy. Stir-frying yam all day is, in a sense, not much different from lugging bricks all day, so when it's mealtime Qin Huai's appetite is wide open, wishing he could eat eight bowls of rice.

And every time at these moments, Cao Guixiang would cheerfully watch and occasionally help Qin Huai serve dishes.

Five days passed in a flash.

Qin Huai stir-fried yam so much he almost lost track of what year it was today, he didn't remember the date nor the weekday. He only knew whether at that time he should be stir-frying, watching cooking, or eating.

As for feelings...

The sensation guild master felt that sensations are no longer important; when practice reaches a certain amount, people stop feeling anything.

By the fifth day of stir-frying, when Dong Shi shared the breaking news that Wang Jun was so dazed that he didn't sneak out during lunchtime to meet his girlfriend, suspected of a breakup, Qin Huai didn't check it first.

Only after seeing it did he reply with a single word 'tragic', showing his indifference.

Too tired, he's completely worn out, tired to the point where he has no energy for gossip anymore.

Whenever he thought about meat Chefs having to lay such a foundation for several years, Qin Huai was genuinely impressed with meat Chefs. What kind of life is this, compared to this, waking up at 2 AM every day to make breakfast seems like nothing at all.

Of course, Qin Huai can't wake up daily at 2 AM to make breakfast – He really can't do it.

"Let's call it a day for today, tomorrow we'll rest for half a day. Old Shi is coming over for dinner, Xiao Qin, you should meet him. The seafood from his side is fairly priced, if you're interested in buying, I can introduce you."

On the 5th day of stir-frying yam, at 11:20 PM, Cao Guixiang stopped Qin Huai's training for the day.

The already dizzy and dazed from stir-frying yam for 5 days straight Qin Huai didn't immediately recall who Old Shi was, just confusedly asking:

"Huh? No practice tomorrow?"

Cao Guixiang was amused by Qin Huai's question: "Seems like you still want to practice. What? Found the groove? How about frying 20 more slices today and rest after?"

Qin Huai shook his already very sore arms, thought seriously, and nodded.

He really wanted to fry a bit more, even though he hasn't opened the game panel for two or three days, his instinct told him that his Fire Control is about to level up.

His Fire Control skill level has never been rising so rapidly like these days.

Previously at Huang Ji, even stir-frying greens for an entire afternoon wouldn't necessarily raise skill levels much. But these five days, Qin Huai felt his Fire Control was improving daily, clearly he was practicing Knife Skills and Thickening, but it was Fire Control that showed the most notable improvement.

It's bizarre, Qin Huai doesn't know why, it always happens.

He tries to grind Fire Control skill level and ends up with Filling, tries to grind Filling skill level and ends up with Knife Skills, tries to grind Knife Skills skill level and ends up with Fire Control.

Qin Huai doesn't know whether the problem lies with him or the game system.

Following this logic, when he wants to grind Finger Skill level, he shouldn't practice Finger Skill, but practice yeast.

Thinking this, Qin Huai silently told himself.

I want to practice Thickening!

Fire Control, do you understand? I want to practice Thickening!

Qin Huai picked up the kitchen knife and started cutting yam.

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