[DING! The Wealth Mall has been unlocked!]

Having just pumped himself up, Zhou Yan closed his eyes, then snapped them open a second later.

This was cause for celebration—the Wealth Mall was open!

The panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Player: Zhou Yan]

[Profession: Chef]

[Wealth Value: 1363.12]

[Professional Skills]: Omitted

[Mastered Dishes]:

Garlic Sprout Twice-Cooked Pork (Advanced): 99999/100000

...

Cold Dishes Series:

Braised Pork Series: (Advanced): 99999/100000

Braised Beef: (Intermediate): 5333/10000

Cold-Tossed Chicken: (Intermediate): 6666/10000

Shredded Cucumber (Intermediate): 1871/10000

...

Special Skills: Food Identification (Grandmaster): 999999/1000000 (Not upgradeable)

[Main Quest: Dominator Textile Factory: Progress: 998/1000]

[Side Quests: The Legacy of Zhang’s Braised Shop! Progress: 0]

[Wealth Mall]: Unlocked!

Zhou Yan gave it a quick scan. The ratings for his braised dishes had been updated. The Braised Pork Series was obtained from the system, rated as Advanced, and its proficiency was already maxed out.

He had learned the Braised Beef and Cold-Tossed Chicken from Mrs. Xiang today. He hadn’t expected them to start directly at the Intermediate level instead of climbing up from zero.

This made sense, though. As someone who had mastered the Braised Pork Series, Zhou Yan was already one step away from being a grandmaster of braised dishes. Plus, he had received personal guidance from a Grandmaster like Mrs. Xiang.

The guests had praised his first attempt at Braised Beef and Cold-Tossed Chicken endlessly. It would have been ridiculous for the system to rate them at Beginner and make him start from scratch.

However, this also meant there was still significant room for improvement with these two dishes.

He thought about how his Identification was missing the word "quite." Even if the chicken was cooked in the same pot with the same seasonings, there was still a gap between his and a Grandmaster’s level. The difference must be in the technique.

Of course, this gap would gradually close as he made the dishes more often and continued to learn from experience.

The system had already laid out the stats for him. All he had to do was grind.

The Wealth Mall icon in the bottom right corner had changed from gray to gold.

With a thought from Zhou Yan, the page opened:

[One Hundred Ways to Cut a Cucumber] — 800

[Ten Smart Tips for Seasoning a Wok] — 800

[Ten Little Tricks for Haggling at the Market] — 1000

[Cookware Maintenance Methods and Techniques] — 1200

[Ten Secret Recipes for Advanced Hot Pot Dipping Sauces] — 2000

[Quickly Capture the Rich Lady’s Heart: 100 Practical Tips] — 8888

...

[Mall items refresh randomly each day. Please check back often.]

Zhou Yan stared at the glittering skill packs, speechless for a long moment.

’This is the Wealth Mall?’

’It looks more like a "life hacks" mall!’

’This can’t be right, can it?’

He had thought this hidden shop would have special items like super strength pills or eternal-vigor potions. Or maybe it would be a Dongzi-style mall with refrigerators, color TVs, and washing machines.

But this place seemed to be... filled with all sorts of bizarre skill packs?

Zhou Yan studied the list and was immediately drawn to [Quickly Capture the Rich Lady’s Heart: 100 Practical Tips].

’Living off a rich woman... Who wouldn’t want a piece of that action?’

Unfortunately, his wallet was feeling shy. With only 1363.12 Wealth Value, he really couldn’t afford it.

His gaze swept back and forth over the four skill packs he could afford, and he finally chose [Cookware Maintenance Methods and Techniques].

Cookware maintenance was a required course for any chef, but Comrade Zhou’s culinary training had been too brief. After only two and a half years of practice, he still hadn’t mastered a sufficient range of skills.

He was even a hack when it came to sharpening knives.

The Wealth Value he had worked so hard to accumulate was drained. The skill pack flashed with a golden light, and new information flooded his mind.

A minute later, clarity returned to Zhou Yan’s eyes, and a look of delight spread across his face.

From the daily maintenance and sharpening of knives, to sterilizing wooden cutting boards, to the upkeep and cleaning techniques for woks and pots...

The content was rich, covering almost every piece of equipment in the kitchen. And it wasn’t just vague theory; it was knowledge and experience that had been downloaded directly into his brain.

Zhou Yan felt like he was now an experienced knife-sharpening master. He was tempted to get up right then and there to find a couple of knives and test his new skills.

’The Wealth Mall is the real deal!’

Setting aside everything else, just by mastering this knife-sharpening technique, he could at worst carry a pole and go through the streets shouting, "Sharpening knives! Get your knives sharpened!"

Putting food on the table would definitely not be a problem.

Zhou Yan closed his eyes, feeling pleased. This Wealth Value was like an income. He could save up whatever he earned and then come to the system to exchange it for skills.

They might be minor skills, but they were incredibly practical!

Take the [Ten Secret Recipes for Advanced Hot Pot Dipping Sauces], for example. Once he learned that, wouldn’t it be great to have hot pot at home?

Or if he wanted to open a hot pot restaurant in the future, having excellent dipping sauces would be a core competitive advantage.

Of course, once he had a surplus of Wealth Value in the future, he still wanted to see what was actually written in [Quickly Capture the Rich Lady’s Heart: 100 Practical Tips].

He was admittedly a bit lacking in that area of knowledge.

’It’s all about shoring up my weaknesses. Whether she’s a rich lady or not isn’t important. I just love to learn.’

Filled with yearning for a better life, he soon drifted off to sleep.

...

In the next room, Zhou Miao carefully moved the blanket-wrapped Zhou Momo into the larger quilt. The little one had played herself out during the day and had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the bed.

Zhao Tieying stood at the door, carefully wiping two new pairs of leather shoes with a small towel. She said with a broad smile, "Everyone was saying how nice my shoes are today. Zhou Yan has good taste."

"They were asking me where I bought my shoes, too, saying they wanted to get a pair for the New Year," Zhou Miao replied with a laugh. "When they heard Zhou Yan bought them, they were all so envious. They said that after their own sons got married, every penny went to their wives. They can’t even get money for a pack of cigarettes, let alone get bought leather shoes."

Zhao Tieying placed the shoes on the shoe rack by the door, closed it, and climbed into bed, snuggling into Zhou Miao’s arms. She smiled blissfully. "We used to have to earn our own prestige, but these past two days, Zhou Yan has earned us so much of it. Everyone says I’m so lucky to have such a filial son."