In the afternoon, Lin Xu had originally planned to carve out some time to look for a house. But there were too many preparations, and he was so busy he couldn't find any time at all. So, he simply wrote his request on the electronic blackboard. After all, most of the restaurant's customers were residents from nearby, and the foot traffic was also significant. Maybe he could find a suitable house for himself.
"Holy cow! They really added Oil-poured Noodles to the menu!"
Li Qiang and his colleagues had just gotten out of a taxi when they saw the electronic blackboard at the shop's entrance. They hadn't worked overtime the previous two days, so they could go home to play games and relax after a satisfying meal. But today, they weren't so lucky. After dinner, they still had to take a taxi back to the company to continue working overtime. So, their faces lacked the ease they had enjoyed the past few days.
Upon entering the restaurant, Li Qiang frowned, his face full of indecision, "One is lively and spicy, the other plump and enchanting. Both are my favorites. How should I choose?"
Lin Xu asked curiously, "Brother Qiang, on a roll with romance?"
The last person I heard saying he loved two at once was He Shuhuan. I didn't expect Brother Qiang to be on that level too. You have my utmost respect, bro!
Li Qiang waved his hand, "No, I'm just struggling with whether to eat Oil-poured Noodles or Tomato Cubes Noodles first."
Lin Xu: "..."
Do you have to be so flamboyant about it?
Finally, Li Qiang followed his heart, choosing the "plump and enchanting." "Give me a large bowl of Tomato Cubes Noodles first. I haven't eaten much meat lately and need to replenish."
He set the example, and the others also chose Tomato Cubes Noodles.
Lin Xu went into the kitchen. He picked up the rolling pin and began to make the noodles.
Li Qiang's arrival kicked off the dinner rush.
Before long, the good-natured and stout Panda, the sleepy-eyed Yue Liyue, and the mushroom-haired genius girl Geng Lele, among others, also arrived one after another.
"Boss, are you looking to rent a house?"
The rental request on the electronic blackboard at the entrance had caught their attention.
Lin Xu said, "Next week, our school is requiring graduates to move out, so I need to quickly rent a house. Living too far from the shop is inconvenient, so I thought of finding a place nearby."
If it were close enough, he could even go back for a nap after the lunch rush. For someone in the food service industry suffering from severe sleep deprivation, that was an absolutely irresistible prospect.
"I'll ask around for you, see if there's a suitable house."
Although Panda's e-commerce studio was nearby, he didn't live in this area and wasn't very familiar with it. As for the others, they were either homebound gamers or still high school students, so they couldn't be of much help.
"Boss Lin, do you have any specific requirements for the house?"
An elderly man eating noodles in a corner suddenly asked. Lin Xu knew this elderly man. His surname was Gao, and everyone called him Elder Gao. Elder Gao always ordered a small bowl of noodles for every meal. He would eat quietly, drink a bowl of noodle soup, and then leave.
Seeing Elder Gao ask this, Lin Xu thought seriously, "Not much, really. I just need it to be quiet. When I get home, I need to wash up and go to sleep right away. I have to get up at four in the morning to buy groceries. If it's too noisy, it will affect my sleep."
His words struck a chord with everyone else.
"We only see Boss Lin's business thriving; who would have thought he has to get up at four in the morning?"
"Exactly. Busy all day, no time to even look at your phone at night, and then you have to get up when you're sound asleep in the early morning. This restaurant business is really tough."
"Boss Lin, you have to take care of your health."
"Yes, don't overwork yourself. You're already doing great."
"..."
Elder Gao said, "I have an apartment in the residential complex behind us. It's on the top floor, so it's quite quiet. The only thing is, it gets a bit hot in the summer, so you'll need to run the air conditioner often. If you don't mind, you can move in. The furniture and appliances have just been replaced, and I was actually planning to look for a tenant these days."
This place sounds good. Quiet enough, and it's close by. Lin Xu was somewhat tempted. However, he didn't have time to look at it right then, so he could only say, "Can I come to see it tomorrow, Elder Gao? If it works out, I'll rent it."
Elder Gao smiled, "Sure, I'll come find you tomorrow morning."
As the evening peak approached, the number of customers in the shop began to increase. But unlike before, today, many customers in the shop were struck with indecision.
"I want to eat Tomato Cubes Noodles, but I also want to try the Oil-poured Noodles. How should I choose?"
"Exactly, it's so tough. I wish I had a bigger appetite so I could eat both."
"I want to eat all three; the Tomato Egg Noodles are delicious too!"
"Choosing is so painful!"
"Why am I not a big eater? If I were, would I be in such agony?"
Lin Xu had never thought a bowl of noodles could mesmerize customers like this.
He now cooked ten bowls at a time. Once cooked, he would either add the toppings or ladle on a spoonful of the mixed noodle sauce, then sprinkle it with chili powder mixed with Five-Spice Powder, and finally pour scalding hot oil over it. This batch-cooking method for the noodles was actually quite efficient and not as tiresome as he had imagined. The only drawback was that it still couldn't keep up with customer demand.
The reputation of Lin Ji's Food was growing. More and more customers were traveling from afar to try it. Hiring employees had become urgent. Lin Xu planned to check recruitment sites when he got back. If he found any suitable candidates, he could try contacting them and see how it went. He'd need to communicate with them properly. Since he had decided to exchange true feelings for true feelings, he would look for suitable employees based on this principle.
As long as he hired employees, he would be able to participate in the lottery draw for a Superior-level cold dish recipe. By then, it would probably trigger another buying frenzy.
As night fell, the business at Lin Ji's Food just got better and better. Customers flocked from all directions, having heard the rumors, eager to taste just how delicious the legendary noodles were. After tasting them, most people would exclaim that their trip had been well worth it, and subsequently become loyal fans of Lin Ji's Food.
At seven o'clock in the evening, while busy, Lin Xu suddenly heard the system's notification tone, "Host has successfully sold one thousand bowls of hand-pulled noodles, completing the main mission [Grand Opening]. Reward: One Perfect-Level Braised Snack Lottery Draw. Draw now?"
What? Completed? Lin Xu was surprised. He hadn't kept count of how many bowls he'd sold today. He'd thought it would take until tomorrow to reach the thousand-bowl target for the mission. He hadn't expected to complete it already.
"Draw the lottery!"
Since he had earned the lottery draw, Lin Xu didn't want to wait even a second longer. He immediately made the decision to proceed. Now, not only were the customers looking forward to which braised snacks would be available in the shop, Lin Xu was also full of anticipation.
Once again, an exquisite spinning wheel flashed in his mind. It displayed the names of various braised snacks: Braised Pork Trotters, Braised Duck Neck, Braised Duck Wings, Braised Chicken Feet, Braised Chicken Gizzard, Braised Egg, Braised Pig Tail, Braised Pig Head, Braised Pig Ear, Spicy Chicken Feet, Spicy Duck Head...
The densely packed names of braised dishes made Lin Xu's eyes swim. As the wheel began to turn slowly, he hadn't even managed to read half of the names. The wheel spun faster and faster. After a silent prayer, Lin Xu pressed the stop button.
Soon, the wheel gradually came to a halt.
The system notification sounded in his mind, "Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Perfect-Level braised snack: Tiger Skin Chicken Feet."