"Brother Qiang, a new restaurant has opened."
The electronic blackboard hadn't been up for long when, from the direction of the subway station, a few sparsely-haired programmer bros approached. Today, they finally didn't have to work overtime. They were all very excited, planning to go back to their rented apartments, dig out the discounted games they'd bought on Steam, and have a good, long gaming session.
In programmer circles, having less hair meant more reverence. The less hair one had, the higher their status. Take Li Qiang, for example. Despite being close to bald, he was the team leader of the company's project group and also the leader of these friends, so everyone respectfully called him Brother Qiang.
"The decor seems high-end, and they're selling Tomato Egg Hand-Rolled Noodles... How about we go in and try it?" Li Qiang's suggestion gained everyone's agreement.
"Let's try it."
"If it's not good, we leave."
"Right, we can't delay tonight's gaming."
The group walked into the restaurant. They discovered the interior was nicely decorated. It was elegantly simple without losing style, giving off a cozy and comfortable feeling as soon as one entered. Clearly, a lot of thought had gone into the decor.
"Welcome!" Lin Xu had just put the water on to boil. Seeing customers come in, he promptly greeted them.
Li Qiang looked over. WOW! This owner is even younger than I am. Can his noodles possibly be any good?
As someone from a coal-producing province, Li Qiang had an extraordinary love for noodle dishes. What he couldn't stand most were chefs who made terrible noodles. He liked the style of this shop, but such a young chef...
Li Qiang was hesitating about whether to leave when he saw Lin Xu take out an incredibly long rolling pin from the storage room. It was over 1.6 meters long.
His eyes lit up immediately.
Goodness gracious! To dare wield such a long rolling pin, this young owner must have some serious skills. Just for this rolling pin alone, it's worth staying to try the noodles.
He immediately said to Lin Xu, "Give us four big bowls of hand-rolled noodles!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xu heard the system notification in his mind:
"Host has successfully sold four bowls of hand-rolled noodles, triggering the main quest [Grand Opening]: Please sell 1,000 bowls of hand-rolled noodles before the weekend. Completion will reward a Perfect Level Braised Snacks lottery draw."
"The Host's restaurant has successfully opened, triggering a sub-quest [Customers Galore]: Please win the favor of one hundred returning customers within two days. Completion will reward a Perfect Level Hand-Rolled Noodle Topping lottery draw."
"The Host's restaurant has successfully opened, triggering the time-limited quest [Word of Mouth]: Acquire active promotion from ten customers before closing time. Completion will reward an Excellent Level Seasoning Technique lottery draw."
TSK! Three quests at once. You really think highly of me, don't you!
Lin Xu muttered to himself, then got busy with what needed to be done. The restaurant had just opened, and he was so busy he barely touched the ground. He didn't have time to worry about any quests.
After Li Qiang had ordered, he didn't look for a place to sit. Instead, he stood outside the semi-open kitchen to watch Lin Xu make the noodles. During the Spring Festival last year, when he went back to his hometown, he had bought a similarly super-long rolling pin at a rural market. At that time, it seemed like it would be very useful. However, his mom, who was usually skillful at making hand-rolled noodles, failed several times. Only then did he realize that a longer rolling pin wasn't necessarily better. Now, seeing Lin Xu use the same type of super-long rolling pin, he was curious to see exactly how it was handled.
Lin Xu put the water on to boil and took out the rested dough. He sprinkled some dry starch on the work surface, then picked up the rolling pin and started rolling the dough. He first used the rolling pin horizontally to press the dough flat, then gently rolled it into a thick disc. Finally, he wrapped the dough around the rolling pin, gradually rolling the sheet larger and thinner.
"Damn! That technique is too professional, isn't it?" Li Qiang was astonished. The super-long rolling pin seemed as flexible as an extension of the young shop owner's arm, without any stiffness or discomfort. Without a second thought, he took out his phone, planning to film it for his mom.
The other colleagues were also dumbfounded:
"Smooth and decisive movements, looks so cool."
"This isn't just rolling out dough; damn it, this is straight-up performance art!"
"Film it, film it! It's so hard to find a bowl of authentic hand-rolled noodles in Beijing these days."
"Right, let's help the boss promote it."
"..."
They all took out their smartphones. As if possessed by the spirits of great directors, they began to use their limited filming skills to capture Lin Xu rolling dough. After shooting a clip, they did a bit of editing and posted it on their respective social media timelines.
"Stumbled upon a newly opened restaurant specializing in hand-rolled noodles. We seem to be the first customers! [smug][smug][smug]"
"Discovering for the first time that rolling noodles can be so artistic [facepalm][facepalm][facepalm]"
"How many bowls of such hand-rolled noodles do you think I can eat? [energetic][energetic]"
Before long, likes and comments exploded beneath their social media updates.
"The movements are so crisp; the noodles look delicious."
"Damn! Give us the address!"
"Where is this? Give the address, I'm coming fast!"
"The guy rolling the dough is so handsome. Can you get his WeChat for me? [shy]"
"Love this kind of guy! Where can I claim one? [heart hands]"
"..."
Normally, with so many people giving likes and comments, they'd normally engage with them right away. But today, the programmer bros didn't feel like interacting. After uniformly replying with the address for Lin Ji's Food in their timelines, they put away their phones and focused their attention on Lin Xu, who was busy in the kitchen.
Before long, four large bowls of Tomato Egg Hand-Rolled Noodles were ready. As soon as Lin Xu brought the noodles over, Li Qiang and the others eagerly picked up their chopsticks. They gave the noodles a few stirs in their bowls and, without waiting for them to mix properly with the topping, took a big bite.
"WOW! This is insanely delicious!"
"So smooth yet chewy! I'm going for three big bowls today!"
"The topping is also fragrant. This umami taste even has a hint of chicken. Incredible!"
"No way, I'm coming to this place every day from now on!"
"..."
The programmer bros kept praising as they wolfed down their noodles non-stop. The weather was hot, and they worked a lot of overtime, causing their bodies to be in a sub-healthy state for a long time. They had no appetite for anything. But now they finally experienced the joy of eating heartily again. The chewy and smooth noodles, the golden and tender eggs, the tangy and appetizing diced tomatoes, and the broth rich with the savory flavor of chicken—all of it made them utterly addicted. They had never thought that such ordinary noodles could be this delicious. It was so tasty it could kill!
As they were enjoying their meal, the door was pushed open once again.
"Brother Qiang, you guys are quick, already eating!"
"I was wondering why you didn't reply to my messages. How does it taste?"
"I'm drooling just watching them eat..."
Those coming in were Li Qiang's colleagues. They commuted together by subway after work today. Their rental apartments were also in the same neighborhood. So, seeing the address Li Qiang replied with, they immediately hurried over.
"Hurry up and order, the flavor is really fantastic! I'm gonna have another bowl later!" Li Qiang couldn't stop raving about the noodles, urging his colleagues to order quickly.
"I'll have a large bowl!"
"Same for me, a large bowl!"
"I'm so tempted, I want a large bowl too!"
His colleagues hadn't felt very hungry at first. But after seeing Li Qiang and his group's voracious eating, they suddenly craved it. They were eager to taste just how delicious the noodles were.
In the kitchen, Lin Xu had just picked up the rolling pin to start rolling out the dough. These people eagerly went over to film. After filming, they began sending the footage everywhere.
Very soon, Lin Xu, who was busy cooking the noodles, heard the system's prompt:
"System: Ten customers have now voluntarily promoted the Host's restaurant. Time-limited quest [Word of Mouth] completed! Reward: One Excellent Level Seasoning Technique lottery draw. Draw now?"
This... I haven't even looked at the quest details. How did I complete one already?