Awakening the Daily Intelligence System

Chapter 511: 196, with the wind in my favor, my horse gallops swiftly, allowing me to see all the flowers of Chang’an in one day_2

“`

“So tell me, on such an important day like today, what dish do you plan to make?”

Not to mention searching for ingredients, Lin Siyu, like Lin Mo, wasn’t even wearing an apron, standing in stark contrast to the others who were busy.

She seemed more like she was there to eat rather than cook.

“I… I…” Lin Siyu stammered, unable to articulate her thoughts. In fact, she didn’t have any special dishes to showcase.

She could manage some everyday dishes, but on such a significant occasion, it wouldn’t do to just stir-fry some tomatoes with eggs, would it?

Though that would be tasty, it was far from adequate.

At that moment, Zhang Li, standing beside her, hurriedly said with a smile, “Dad, Siyu and I plan to make a dish of hand-grabbed lamb. It’s a specialty from our area, it’s just that I haven’t made it for so long, I don’t know if I can capture the authentic flavor.”

Xu Qin added, “Li is from Longnan, I’ve visited your place when I was traveling. The hand-grabbed lamb is really good. Mom, I believe in you, no problem!”

“Do a good job, better than your dad’s so-called charcoal-roasted pigeon…”

Lin Changshui made a face and retorted, “That was roasted squab!”

The family couldn’t help but laugh again, chatting about the interesting things in life while busily preparing their various dishes.

Since they were all cooking substantial dishes, it would take several hours to finish.

The kitchen at home was spacious enough, with a variety of cooking appliances available, for both Chinese and Western cuisines, so even when the whole family was busy, it didn’t feel crowded.

Lin Mo took off his clothes, put on an apron that was hanging on the wall beside him, and stepped over to his wife, Li Jinwen’s side.

The two children were sitting in the living room doing homework, able to look up and see everything.

Lin Mo looked at the ingredients his wife was preparing, and asked with a smile, “Dear, what dish are you getting ready to make?”

“To be honest, I really don’t know what to make, how about we make a dish together.”

Li Jinwen also joined in the teasing, “That’s not okay, having a specialty dish each is the rule. It’s fine for your sister and Li to work together since they’re not experts, but you can cook, why would you need to do it with me?”

Lin Mo moved closer to his wife, cajoling, “But your cooking is delicious, you see today’s situation, Mom and Dad are using all their tricks – we can’t fall behind!”

“Come on, I can be a lot of help to you!”

Seeing Lin Mo’s demeanor, Li Jinwen’s irritation melted away, and she nodded, “Okay then, go to the fridge and get the ginger, green onions, and garlic out. We’ll make a Sichuan dish.”

“They’re all making meat dishes; we’ll make a vegetarian one. Once they get tired of eating meat, they’ll definitely find ours tastier!”

Lin Mo couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up and said with a laugh, “Wife, you’re the smart one – as expected from ‘Gao’, the ‘Gao’ in Gaojiazhuang!”

“Stop talking, I’ll go get it now!”

Lin Mo turned and walked toward the refrigerator not far away. As he passed under the teardrop-shaped surveillance camera overhead, Lin Mo casually waved his hand and flashed a mischievous smile.

…

Meanwhile, in the basement.

Chen Shanhe sat cross-legged in the cage, his eyes riveted to the images playing on the television screen.

Indeed.

He was watching the happy bustle of Lin Mo’s family.

Before him were laid out exquisite dishes, yet Chen Shanhe couldn’t bring himself to even look at them, let alone eat.

To strike at the heart!

To strike at the heart, indeed!

For someone as proud as Chen Shanhe, being tormented like this was even worse than death.

“Dad… Dad…”

Chen Kainan’s pale and feeble voice came from one of the TVs, pleading, “Please find a way to escape. I… your son… I really can’t take it anymore!”

Chen Kainan had been in a daze until now.

But whether it was a bless or a curse, ever since Chen Shanhe had also been captured today, Kainan’s spirit had gradually returned.

Perhaps in his eyes, his once-grandfather, now father, had always been an omnipotent figure.

So even in such adversity, Chen Kainan was still willing to believe that his father would find a way to save him, or at least end his misery.

Even just letting him go outside for a walk would be something.

“`

Before, it was he who imprisoned others, and he felt not a shred of remorse. Instead, whenever he shared details of his own life with them, he attained a rush fiercer than what one gets from inhaling certain illicit drugs.

But now, as divine retribution came full circle, it didn’t take long for Chen Kainan’s not-so-strong mental defenses to be completely shattered.

For three whole years, he had tried numerous ways to kill himself, but to no avail. Every time he was about to make a move, Du Nanxue would stop him.

Even more ironic was that the methods Du Nanxue used to prevent him were all once his own.

No one knew better than he did what it meant to be unable to live or die as one wished.

Chen Shanhe looked at Lin Mo’s family’s blissful scene and heard the howling barks of his sonless dog, feeling incredibly agitated.

He was well aware that Lin Mo would never let him off the hook, and the methods he had tried to commit suicide had undoubtedly been attempted by others before.

Chen Shanhe racked his brains to think of a way to break the predicament.

If not one day, then a week. If not a week, then a month. If not a month, then a year.

After all, for him now, nothing was in short supply but time itself.

…

On the other end.

After several hours of ceaseless toil, the dining table was filled with delicacies meticulously prepared by the family.

Before, they were all ordinary people who might have only seen these expensive dishes in short videos, with no chance of actually eating them.

Perhaps only Li Jinshan, who had spent his entire life within the system, had tasted a few good things.

Not to mention anything else,

just this table of dishes, if brought to market, would be worth at least a few thousand yuan, and since this is America, that price would skyrocket by two to three times.

Lin Changshui couldn’t help but exclaim, “My in-law, can you imagine how much it would cost to order this table of dishes in our restaurant?”

After doing the math, Li Jinshan said earnestly, “Around 2000 US dollars, more than ten thousand yuan. That really is a lot of money!”

Hearing about the ten thousand yuan, Lin Changshui and Xu Qin also couldn’t help but marvel.

Lin Changshui used to be a modest contractor, able to lead villagers to find work. Even so, a year of back-breaking labor would only net him a little over a hundred thousand yuan.

A tenth of that would be gone with a single meal.

However, thanks to the years of experience, they were no longer easily astonished by money.

It was just that the frugality ingrained in them for a lifetime would still occasionally rear its head.

“Alright, let’s not talk about money anymore, we won’t be able to spend it all anyway!”

Lin Mo said with a smile, “Instead of worrying about the time, why don’t we all try each other’s dishes and see whose cooking is the most delicious today!”

“And let’s celebrate, we’ve finally dealt with our biggest problem, Chen Shanhe!”

After speaking, he was the first to lift his glass and said with a smile, “Today, whether you can drink or not, everyone should have a little. Any objections?”

Li Jinwen and the others shook their heads.

Aside from alcohol allergies, practically everyone could drink; they just felt there was no need to drink with outsiders before.

Now that everyone present was family, there naturally weren’t as many inhibitions.

“Cheers!”

“Here’s to our family getting better and better!”

“Cheers!”

“Let Chen Shanhe go to hell!”

“Haha… Here’s to my niece and nephew growing up strong and healthy!”

“And may my brother have a third child soon!”

“Oh come on, spare your brother. You better hurry up and think about having your first child!”

“Exactly, it’s been so long and still no news!”

“Drink up, drink up!”

Under the glow of a full moon outside the window, with Chen Shanhe and Chen Kainan watching with gritted teeth and eyes filled with hatred, the family’s faces beamed with happiness as they gently clinked their glasses together.