Huh?
It's done already?
Lin Xu couldn't help but mutter in surprise:
"Lottery!"
Very soon.
The same exquisite spinning wheel from before appeared in his mind.
All sorts of noodle topping names were written on it:
Fried Bean Sauce, Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce, Braised Beef Brine, Garlic Sprout Meat Sauce, Shiitake Chicken Gravy, Minced Pork with Tofu Sauce, Pickled Vegetable and Pork Sauce, Chili with Century Egg Noodles...
The densely packed names left Lin Xu staring in awe.
If only I could have them all.
Even if the shop only sold noodles, it would make a killing.
The wheel slowly began to spin.
The stop button appeared on the side again.
Thanks to praying last time, he managed to get the super useful chili oil.
So this time Lin Xu prayed extra earnestly.
"Please, Taoist Ancestor Hong Jun, Death God Asura, Martial God Xu Qi'an, Sneaky Saint Li Changshou, Pirate King Luffy, Great Detective Sherlock Holmes, Detective Conan, Puss in Boots, and all the other big shots, bless me with the best topping, I'm counting on you!"
After the prayer.
He solemnly pressed the stop button.
The wheel gradually slowed down and stopped.
A notification sounded in his mind:
"Congratulations, Host, you have obtained Perfect Level hand-pulled noodle topping—Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce."
Oh my god!
Braised Eggplant?
Lin Xu was full of delight.
Growing up in the Central Plains, he'd eaten all kinds of hand-pulled noodles since he was a kid, but his favorite topping was always Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce.
Fragrant and rich pork belly, soft and tender eggplant cubes, thick and savory sauce.
Mixed together with chewy, smooth hand-pulled noodles.
That taste!
Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
But now wasn't the time for nostalgia.
Lin Xu pulled himself together.
Brought his attention back to reality.
The noodles in the pot were already about seventy percent cooked.
He grabbed a handful of rinsed greens and tossed them in the pot.
Gave them a stir with his long chopsticks.
Waited for the water to come to a boil again.
Then grabbed the strainer, ready to fish the noodles out.
Don't be fooled by how raw the greens looked right now.
But in the process of serving it to the customer—
The residual heat of the noodles would continue heating up the vegetables.
By the time the customer dug in,
the veggies would be just barely cooked through.
Bite in, and they'd be crisp and fresh, with a burst of bright green flavor—so delicious it was hard to describe.
While he was busy,
Panda, dressed up in his full Kung Fu Panda getup, walked in.
The lunch noodles had filled him up so much, he was still feeling listless.
When he came in,
Lin Xu quickly thanked him:
"Panda bro, thanks for helping me find a cold drink supplier. How many bowls are you having today? It's on me."
Panda waved him off:
"No need, no need, it was just a phone call. Ou Hua's a reliable guy, you can work with him without worry."
He finished talking and squeezed past the people in line,
pulled a North Pole soda from the drinks fridge by the register,
opened it with the bottle opener hanging from the fridge handle, and gulped down half the bottle in one go.
Only then did he turn to Lin Xu and say,
"Just give me a small bowl of Tomato Egg Noodles, with some broth. Ate too much this morning, can't stomach much tonight, so I'll settle for some soup."
After saying that,
he pulled out his phone,
scanned the payment code on the register, and paid thirty yuan.
North Pole, five yuan; small bowl of noodles, twenty-five—it came to exactly thirty.
Lin Xu acknowledged it,
told Panda to sit wherever he liked.
Soon after,
the noodles were cooked.
Lin Xu portioned them into bowls, then started adding the toppings with a ladle.
When he got to Panda's bowl, he made sure to add extra broth from the topping, scooped in half a ladle of noodle-cooking water, and drizzled in half a spoon of chicken oil.
Gave it a gentle stir with chopsticks.
The unique aroma of chicken oil instantly burst forth.
At that moment,
Panda, holding the rest of his North Pole bottle, had just found a seat.
Sitting down weakly,
he listlessly called out to Lin Xu,
"Since yesterday, I've had Tomato Egg for three meals in a row. When's the new flavor coming, boss?"
Lin Xu carried out the noodles from the kitchen:
"Tomorrow, tomorrow we'll have a new noodle topping on the menu."
Panda immediately perked up:
"Meat or veggie?"
"Meat."
As soon as he heard "meat",
Panda's face lit up with excitement:
"Guess I'll be back for three more bowls tomorrow! I can't live without meat—been eating Tomato Egg for a few meals, it's time for a proper meaty meal."
Lin Xu: "..."
Bro, with your size, do you really need more meat?
Any more and you'll really become a Panda.
He handed the bowl over to Panda.
Panda had been daydreaming about lunch tomorrow, not even paying attention to the noodles in front of him.
But once that enticing aroma hit his nose...
his eyes instantly went wide:
"Isn't it supposed to be blander after adding more soup? Why is the smell still so rich and savory?"
He picked up the bowl, took a sip of the soup.
The chicken's savory aroma was even more pronounced now.
The broth itself tasted almost like chicken soup.
"Holy crap, this soup is amazing!"
Lin Xu grinned and said,
"I gave it a little extra touch for you. Eat as much as you want—there's more if you need it."
Panda thanked him,
then dove in with his chopsticks, devouring huge mouthfuls.
That glum look from before had totally vanished.
The Rice King of lunchtime
was back.
Lin Xu let him eat in peace,
turned around and headed back to the kitchen to get busy.
Soon enough,
Panda had finished both the noodles and the soup.
After polishing off his bowl, he called out to Lin Xu,
"Do me another small bowl, with extra soup. You've really revived my appetite with this."
He had just finished speaking
when a middle-aged man by the kitchen door, waiting for his noodles, asked curiously,
"You can get extra soup? Could I have some soup too? My digestion's not great, so I need to eat more soupy things."
Lin Xu said,
"No problem—if anyone wants extra soup, just say so. I'll add more soup when serving up."
It was the peak of summer just now.
There were some who liked soupy noodles,
but most people still wanted their noodles strained and dry.
Some young folks even specifically asked for them to be rinsed in cold water.
Lin Xu kept on making noodles.
To prevent the flavor from getting diluted,
he added a small half-spoon of chicken oil to every bowl.
Not long after,
the customers eating soup noodles started praising him:
"Wow, the flavor is incredible."
"Feels like eating real chicken soup noodles."
"Boss, your skills are unbeatable."
"If I'd known, I would've asked for extra soup too. Drinking it hot like this is so comforting."
"..."
Listening to everyone,
Lin Xu figured he could pick up some chicken frames and stewing hens tomorrow to cook up some rich chicken broth.
That way, customers can get a ladle of real chicken soup with their noodles—making true chicken soup noodles.
Besides the chicken broth,
he'd also need to make some pork bone broth.
Because making Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce required adding pork bone stock.
That's the only way the eggplant comes out extra soft, tender, and flavorful, making the whole thing even more delicious.
Just prepping the noodles had him busy enough already.
If he had to make extra stock and chicken broth too,
one person alone really couldn't handle it all.
If he had a few helpers, maybe the shop's sales could double.
"But how can I find the right people?"
Just as he thought that, a system notification rang out in Lin Xu's mind:
"Host has identified a management shortfall—side quest [Recruitment Drive] unlocked: please hire more than five employees who fit Lin Ji's Food values within one week. Reward: one Superior Level cold dish lottery."
After hearing this,
Lin Xu had a string of question marks pop up in his head.
What does 'Lin Ji's Food values' even mean?
As the boss of Lin Ji, even I don't get it!