Brush Up Your Proficiency

Regarding Wang Hao's claim of having good cooking skills, Li Qiang was somewhat skeptical. After all, he had witnessed Wang Hao's culinary abilities during their previous meals together. To put it mildly, they weren't exactly outstanding, but not terrible either.

However, achieving the feat of getting a woman to invest in opening a restaurant for him after just one meal seemed impossible. The conclusion was obvious: Haozi had landed a sugar mama!

Li Qiang believed his analysis was perfectly logical, but of course, he only thought about it in his mind and wouldn't voice it aloud.

He looked at Wang Hao with a strong sense of admiration, thinking, 'Truly a role model for our generation!'

Afterward, the two chatted about many interesting childhood memories and some things happening in Li Qiang's family.

Speaking of Li Qiang's wedding, it had cost a lot of money, and he was still paying it off. Hearing this, Wang Hao couldn't help but sigh, 'Getting married these days is just too expensive!'

Unknowingly, the topic shifted to the sensitive issue of Wang Hao's marriage. Li Qiang looked at him with a gossipy expression, his eyes full of eagerness for information.

Faced with his childhood friend's urging to get married, Wang Hao had long been accustomed to using vague and ambiguous answers to muddle through.

Seeing that Wang Hao didn't say much, Li Qiang gave him a knowing look. Wang Hao's ambiguity only confirmed his suspicions. Wang Hao didn't bother to guess what he thought he knew and quickly changed the subject.

Wang Hao and Li Qiang chatted enthusiastically, and before they knew it, it was already noon.

Wang Hao warmly invited Li Qiang to stay for lunch, but Li Qiang politely declined, saying that he had guests at home to entertain and had to rush back to take care of them.

Hearing Li Qiang say this, Wang Hao didn't insist. He saw Li Qiang out the door and watched him walk away until he completely disappeared from sight. Then, Wang Hao turned around and went back inside, diving straight into the kitchen.

Bearing a heavy responsibility, Wang Hao pondered that if he could improve his cooking skills by another level, he would be more confident.

However, the proficiency of his Advanced Cooking skill was only at 538 points, far from the 10,000-point limit!

Moreover, he was currently in the countryside and couldn't find a suitable way to quickly grind his cooking skill. The only way was to accumulate it little by little by cooking every day.

At this moment, Wang Hao began to hesitate: Should he return to the city in advance? He really couldn't bear to leave his home!

It really lived up to that saying—'The hometown cannot accommodate the body, and other places cannot accommodate the soul.'

Filled with contradictions and entanglements, Wang Hao couldn't make up his mind for a while. In the end, he decided to put the problem aside for now and concentrate on making a good lunch.

"Congratulations, your Advanced Cooking proficiency +2, current proficiency: Advanced Cooking 545/10000"

For lunch, he still made common rural dishes—noodles with mixed toppings.

However, to grind his proficiency, Wang Hao specially added three side dishes to the noodles. Each side dish provided Wang Hao with 2 points of proficiency.

"Mom, Dad, Xiaolan, it's time to eat!" Wang Hao shouted towards the courtyard.

Having tasted Wang Hao's cooking, they didn't hesitate at all and quickly put down their work, hurrying towards the kitchen.

"Wow, I knew my brother loved me! He even added so many side dishes to the noodles!" Wang Lan, the little foodie, instantly went online.

The sound of slurping noodles echoed in the small courtyard, as if carrying a magical power that made even those who hadn't tasted the deliciousness imagine how fragrant the noodles must be.

After a hearty meal, Liu Zhixin patted her stomach contentedly, then slowly got up and began to stroll slowly in the courtyard to help digest the food.

As she walked, she turned to Wang Hao and said, "Xiaohao, what are we going to do when you go back to the city? You've spoiled our palates!"

Liu Zhi's tone revealed a hint of emotion. She really couldn't have imagined that she had been eating food for most of her life, but now, in just a few days, she had been easily defeated by her son.

"Yes, Mom understands me the best!" Wang Lan nodded deeply in agreement. She was a personal 'victim'.

Yesterday, she went to the market with the young ladies in the village and ate the food there. She compared everything she ate to the food her brother made, and after the comparison, she instantly lost interest. In the end, she walked around and didn't buy anything to eat before going home. It had to be said that Wang Hao was the culprit.

"So, while you're still at home these few days, teach me how to make some home-style dishes. Otherwise, what are your dad and I going to do when you leave? Are we going to starve?" Liu Zhi continued.

Although subjectively speaking, it was somewhat embarrassing for her as a mother to ask her son for cooking skills, after all, food is the most important thing for the people, and people live for food, right? Putting down her pride for the sake of delicious food was nothing shameful. Liu Zhi comforted herself in this way.

"Don't worry, Mom, it's not a problem! Actually, cooking is very simple. I'll teach you later, and I guarantee you'll learn it as soon as you learn it!" Wang Hao replied confidently. Of course, Wang Hao couldn't be foolish enough to refuse his mother's request.

Thinking that his mother was going to be the first person he taught his cooking skills to, he couldn't help but chuckle secretly in his heart. Wang Hao felt that this matter was somehow absurd and ridiculous!

After lunch, Wang Hao took a short nap and then got up, picked up his erhu, and walked towards the back mountain.

Wang Hao thought that he might as well go around to the back of the mountain to try. This time, there shouldn't be any coincidences, right?

Because of insufficient sunlight, the trees on the north side of the mountain didn't grow as lushly as those on the front of the mountain. However, there was a unique coolness here, which made Wang Hao, who had been walking for a long time and was slightly sweaty, feel more comfortable and pleasant.

To Wang Hao's delight, this place, which he hadn't visited for many years, had somehow developed a platform on this side of the mountain.

Looking at the texture on the platform, it could be inferred that it should have been formed by the accumulation of soil washed down from the mountain. There were no traces of artificial creation, and the entire platform was full of a natural beauty.

Wang Hao immediately decided that this was the place. He found a slightly higher mound, sat down, and dialed his sister Wang Lan's phone:

"Hello, what's wrong, brother!" After a while, his sister's sleepy voice came from the phone. Just listening to the voice, he could tell that her nap wasn't over yet.

"I'm playing the erhu on the mountain, go to the courtyard and listen to see if you can hear it," Wang Hao said softly.

"Oh, oh, got it!" Wang Lan yawned and walked to the courtyard.

After receiving his sister's affirmative reply, Wang Hao took out his erhu and began to play the piece he had already prepared.