"Is this the place?"
"Lin—Ji—Fine—Foods, yes, this is the one, exactly the same as the name they posted online."
"Then let's go in and try it out."
"Try it out? You make it sound so mysterious; I've got to see how good it really is."
「After Li Qiang and the others left.」
More customers came into the store, one after another. Most of them came specifically to try the food after seeing the promotions on social media. As soon as they walked in, a rich and savory aroma immediately invaded their nostrils.
"Wow, it sure smells delicious."
"It seems really good; just the smell is enough to make me drool."
Every customer in the store was holding a bowl and eating noodles. The new customers suddenly felt hungry at the sight.
"Boss, give us three large bowls of Tomato Egg hand-rolled noodles!"
"We'll have one large and one small."
"We need two large and two small."
The restaurant's menu was very friendly to those with choice paralysis because there was only one option. There was no need to make any decisions; you just had to order the size of the bowl according to your appetite. After placing their orders, some sat down to play with their phones, while others went to the kitchen to take pictures and videos of Lin Xu rolling out dough. Since they came to check the place out, they naturally wanted to take photos and videos to share online. If it was delicious, it meant they had an eye for discovering hidden gem restaurants. If not, they would trick their friends into coming. They couldn't be the only ones fooled.
「At six in the evening.」
The number of customers in the store kept growing until almost no seats were left. With more customers came more requests.
"Boss, do you have any chili?"
"Eating noodles without some spice feels like something's missing."
"Boss, give us two heads of garlic. Eating noodles without garlic cuts the flavor in half."
"Get some vinegar, boss. How can you eat noodles without vinegar?"
Vinegar and garlic were readily available in the kitchen, so these requests were easy to satisfy. But chili...
Lin Xu apologized to everyone, saying, "Today was too rushed; I didn't manage to prepare chili. Tomorrow, I'll make Chili Oil first thing in the morning. It will taste absolutely good, I promise it will leave you wanting more!"
He had already acquired the Excellent Level technique for pouring spicy Chili Oil. If only he had a complete stock of ingredients in the restaurant, Lin Xu would have made it half an hour ago.
「At seven in the evening.」
The restaurant had officially sold out of both noodles and toppings.
"You can't be serious, boss? I was planning to get another small bowl."
"Me too, one large bowl just isn't enough."
"I was thinking of bringing friends over to eat tomorrow, boss; you'll have to prepare more."
"I'm coming tomorrow too!"
"And me, I'll take the day off if I have to!"
Lin Xu had prepped for sixty bowls that afternoon, thinking he might not sell a single one. He hadn't expected the overwhelming popularity. After sending off all the customers, he checked his payment account. He discovered that the day's turnover had reached 1,678 yuan.
Ha! It broke a thousand!
I need to prepare more for tomorrow, aiming to break ten thousand in turnover soon.
Lin Xu set a small goal for himself, then started cleaning up the kitchen. After washing and neatly arranging the pots and pans, he locked up the shop. Carrying his sweat-soaked chef's uniform, he took the subway back to the Finance University dorm to rest.
It was almost July, and most graduates had already moved out of the dorms. Only those cramming for graduate entrance exams and those who hadn't found jobs were still clinging to their dorm spots, unwilling to move out. After all, dormitory accommodation at the university was cheap; every extra day they stayed was a day's rent saved.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, Lin Xu opened the door to Room 504. His roommates had moved out half a month ago. He was the only one left in the entire dormitory. But that was quite alright. At least no one was there to disturb his rest anymore. Lin Xu washed the chef's uniform he brought and hung it on the balcony to dry, took a bath, and then lay on his bed, starting to drift off to sleep.
As a restaurant owner, getting up at three or four in the morning to buy groceries is basic discipline. Even though Lin Xu's restaurant only had one main dish, and it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't get up early, he knew that the menu would certainly expand in the future. The ingredients he'd need to purchase would also increase. He felt it was better to get used to getting up at dawn sooner rather than later to avoid discomfort when early rising became necessary.
「At 4:30 in the morning.」
The sky had just started to brighten. The air was cool with the freshness of dew. Full of energy, Lin Xu rode a shared bike along the empty streets to Yingchun Street. Arriving at the Spring Breeze Market at the end of Yingchun Street, he began to purchase the ingredients needed for the day.
"How much for the tomatoes?"
"Two yuan thirty."
"Can I pick them myself?"
"Pick whatever you like, just don't bruise them by handling them too much."
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
Lin Xu, holding a large plastic bag, began selecting the tomatoes he needed for the day. The Cooking Technique that came with the system's reward included experience in selecting ingredients. Otherwise, Lin Xu really wouldn't know how to choose. In his eyes, all the ingredients at every stall looked pretty much the same. But after the enhancement from the system, the quality of various ingredients became clear.
Take tomatoes, for example. You should choose those that are round, evenly colored, and slightly concave at the top. These tomatoes are known as "female tomatoes" and are naturally ripened. While those with a mix of green and red, not quite round, and with a bulging top, are known as "male tomatoes." Most of these tomatoes are ripened with ripening agents. They have a sour taste and poor flavor compared to the fully ripened, sandy-textured tomatoes.
After selecting over eleven pounds of tomatoes, Lin Xu also chose a basket of fresh Chai Chicken Eggs and some seasonings like scallion, ginger, and garlic, as well as other ingredients. Then he moved on to the dried goods stall and began to select ingredients for making Chili Oil.
"Boss, do you have Northwest thread chilies?"
Excellent Level Chili Oil requires three kinds of dried chili. One is the Northwest thread chili, also known as Qin chili powder; another is the Sichuan Chili from the Chongqing region; and finally, the Central Plains' new generation chili. Thread chilies are fragrant, Chili are spicy, and the new generation chilies are red. Only when each of these chilies showcases its unique power can one create a bowl of Chili Oil with an enticing spicy fragrance and a bright red allure.
After Lin Xu selected the three kinds of dried chili, he asked the shop owner to process them into Chili Powder. The thread chilies should be ground into a coarse powder, so the chili seeds remain largely intact and the fragrance is stronger. The Chili should be ground into a medium powder, which helps the spice seep out better. And the new generation chili needs to be ground into a fine powder so that the capsaicin is better released, making the Chili Oil look more enticingly bright and red.
Once the Chili Powder was ready, Lin Xu saw a small shop selling pork lard nearby and picked out a jar. If you want Chili Oil to be fragrant, rapeseed oil alone won't do; you need to add some pork lard. That's how you get a more intense and lasting fragrance. But too much lard will solidify, so you only need to use a quarter to a fifth of the amount of rapeseed oil.
After purchasing all the ingredients, Lin Xu hired a tricycle and had all the ingredients delivered to his shop. Then he threw himself into the hectic preparations.
「By eleven in the morning.」
The dough had already been properly rested, and the Chili Oil and Tomato Egg topping were also ready. Lin Xu placed the electronic blackboard displaying the menu prices at the doorway, and the day's business officially began!