Huh? It's finished already? Lin Xu was pleasantly surprised and muttered to himself, "Draw!"
Soon, the exquisite wheel he had seen for the first ti reappeared in his mind. It was filled with the nas of various noodle toppings: Fried Bean Sauce, Squash Diced Sauce, Braised Beef Brine, Garlic Shoots with Pork Sauce, Shiitake Chicken Gravy, Ground Pork with Tofu Sauce, Sauerkraut with Pork Diced Sauce, Chili with century egg noodles...
The dense array of nas dazzled Lin Xu.
If only these were all for , that would be so great. Even if the shop only sold noodles, I could still make a killing.
The wheel began to turn slowly, and a stop button appeared next to it again.
Thanks to his prayer last ti, which had resulted in him getting the most useful topping—chili oil with crushed pepper—Lin Xu prayed with even more devotion this ti.
"Please bless , Taoist Ancestor Hong Jun, the Grim Reaper Asura, the Martial God Xu Qi'an, Li Changshou the Immortal, Pirate King Luffy, Great Detective Sherlock Hols, Detective Conan, Puss in Boots, and other great ones, that I may draw the best topping! I implore you!"
After finishing his prayer, he solemnly pressed the pause button.
The wheel gradually stopped. The system's prompt sounded in his mind: "Congratulations, Host, on obtaining Perfect Level hand-pulled noodle topping—Squash Diced Sauce."
My goodness! Diced squash? Lin Xu was filled with surprise and joy.
As soone who grew up in the Central Plains, he had eaten various flavors of hand-pulled noodles since childhood, but his favorite topping was always Squash Diced Sauce.
The fragrant but not greasy pork belly, the soft and delicious diced squash, the savory and rich sauce... mixed with the firm and smooth hand-pulled noodles. That taste! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!
But now was not the ti to reminisce. Lin Xu gathered his thoughts and turned his attention back to reality.
The noodles in the pot were cooked until al dente. He grabbed a handful of washed greens, threw them into the pot, and stirred them with long chopsticks. Waiting for the water in the pot to boil again, he then took a colander and began scooping out the noodles.
The greens might seem raw at this mont, but as the noodles were served to the custors, their residual heat would continue to cook the greens. By the ti the custors ate them, the greens would be perfectly cooked—crisp, tender, and fresh, an indescribably delicious taste.
While Lin Xu was busy, Panda, dressed in a Kung Fu Panda suit, walked into the shop. The noodles from lunch still made him feel sluggish.
Seeing him co in, Lin Xu hurriedly expressed his gratitude, "Brother Panda, thank you for finding a soft drink supplier! How many bowls today? My treat."
Panda waved his hand. "No need, no need. I just made a phone call. Ou Hua is very reliable; you can trust doing business with him."
After that, Panda bypassed the people in line and took a bottle of North Pole from the beverage cooler at the cashier's counter. He opened it with the bottle opener hanging on the cooler door and gulped down half of it. Then he said to Lin Xu, "Give a small bowl of Tomato Egg Noodles with extra broth. I ate too much this morning and have no appetite at all tonight. I can only make do with so soup."
After speaking, he took out his mobile phone and paid 30 yuan by scanning the QR code on the cashier's counter. The North Pole was 5 yuan, and the small bowl of noodles was 25, adding up to exactly 30.
Lin Xu agreed and told Panda to find a seat first.
Soon, the noodles in the pot were ready. Lin Xu served the noodles into each bowl, then took a ladle and started spooning the toppings into them.
When it ca to Panda's bowl, Lin Xu intentionally added more of the liquid from the topping, ladled in half a spoonful of the noodle cooking water, and drizzled on half a tablespoon of chicken fat. He gave it a slight stir with his chopsticks, and the distinct aroma of the chicken fat imdiately wafted up.
At this mont, Panda, holding the remaining half bottle of North Pole, had just found a seat. Sitting down somberly, he asked Lin Xu listlessly, "I've had Tomato Egg Noodles for three als since yesterday. When will you introduce a new flavor, boss?"
Lin Xu ca out of the kitchen carrying the bowl of noodles. "Tomorrow," he said, "the shop will have a new noodle topping."
Panda imdiately showed interest. "at or vegetarian?"
"at."
As soon as he heard it was at, a look of delight spread across his face. "Then I'll probably have to co for three bowls tomorrow! I'm soone who can't be happy without at. After several als of Tomato Egg Noodles, it's about ti I had so at to replenish myself."
Lin Xu was speechless. Bro, with your build, do you really need to replenish? Any more and you'll actually turn into a panda!
Lin Xu handed the bowl to Panda. Panda had been daydreaming about tomorrow's lunch and hadn't paid any attention to the bowl of noodles.
But when the enticing aroma hit his nostrils, his eyes instantly fixed on the bowl. "Shouldn't the flavor be milder after adding broth? Why does it still sll so rich?"
He picked up the bowl and took a small sip of the soup. The distinctive savory taste of chicken was indeed richer; even the soup in the bowl tasted like chicken broth. "Wow, this soup is amazing, isn't it?"
Lin Xu said with a smile, "I tweaked it a little for you. Go ahead and eat; if it's not enough, there's more."
Panda thanked him, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating voraciously. His earlier listlessness completely vanished. The lunchti eating champion was back!
Lin Xu didn't disturb him and returned to the kitchen to continue working.
Soon after, Panda had devoured all the noodles and soup in his bowl. After finishing, he called out to Lin Xu, "Get another small bowl, with extra broth! Adding that broth brought my appetite right back."
As soon as he finished speaking, a curious middle-aged man waiting for his noodles at the kitchen entrance asked, "You can add more broth? Could you add so to mine too? I have a weak stomach, so I try to eat things with more liquid."
Lin Xu replied, "No problem. Anyone who wants their noodles with more broth, just let know, and I'll make it a bit soupier for you."
It was the height of a scorching sumr. While so people ate noodle soup, most still preferred mixed noodles. Many younger custors even specifically requested their noodles to be rinsed with cold water.
Lin Xu continued making noodles. To prevent the flavor from becoming too bland in the soupier versions, he added a small half-spoonful of chicken fat to each of those bowls.
Before long, the custors eating the soupy noodles began to exclaim in praise:
"Wow, this tastes so delicious!"
"It's like eating chicken soup noodles!"
"The boss's skills are truly amazing!"
"If I'd known, I would've asked for even more broth. Drinking it warm is so comforting."
"..."
Listening to everyone's comnts, Lin Xu thought about buying so chicken carcasses and old hens the next morning to make a rich chicken stock. That way, if custors wanted noodles with broth, he could add a spoonful of this chicken stock, turning them into true chicken soup noodles.
Besides chicken stock, he also needed to prepare so Pork Bone Broth. The Squash Diced Sauce recipe required stock to be added, which would make the squash softer, more tender, more flavorful, and ultimately more delicious.
He was already busy enough just preparing the noodles. Now, having to make both pork stock and chicken stock on top of that, it truly felt like he couldn't manage it all alone.
If he had so help, the shop's revenue might even double. But how can I find the right people?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a system notification suddenly sounded in Lin Xu's head: "Host has recognized shortcomings in store managent, triggering the side quest [Recruit Soldiers and Buy Horses]. Please hire at least five employees who align with Lin Ji's Food's values within one week. Completion will grant one lucky draw for a Superior quality Mixed Vegetables lucky draw."
After hearing this, a series of question marks flashed through Lin Xu's mind. What exactly are Lin Ji's Food's values? I, the boss of Lin Ji's Food, don't quite understand them myself!
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