Two notification sounds rang in Lin Xu's mind one after another.
It caught him by surprise.
He was just using a leftover dough ball, taking a shot in the dark.
He never expected to trigger a hidden task.
And he even got the Perfect Level oil-poured hand-rolled noodle technique.
What a pleasant surprise!
He could knead extra dough in the afternoon now.
Even if there weren't any toppings.
He could keep selling oil-poured noodles.
After all, everything was Perfect Level.
The taste would be impeccable.
"Damn, this spicy aroma is just irresistible!"
"Boss Lin actually made oil-poured noodles."
"I haven't even touched my Tomato Egg Noodles, anyone wanna trade with me?"
"Boss, if there's any extra, save me a bowl, okay?"
The customers nearby eating noodles couldn't sit still anymore.
At first, they'd felt lucky to have gotten the last few bowls by being up front in line.
They didn't expect there'd be oil-poured noodles afterwards.
Everyone wanted a taste.
On social media—
The comments under the Lin Ji's Food topic were even more fired up:
"Holy crap, there's really oil-poured noodles now!"
"I haven't even had enough of the Noodles with Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce, and now oil-poured noodles? Boss Lin is out here going wild today."
"With Boss Lin around, who the hell can diet!"
"Ahhhhhh! Boss Lin is seriously my Demon King on the road to losing weight."
"Did you guys forget about the braised snack specials tomorrow and the day after?"
"Enough talk, see you all at five this evening!"
"See you there!"
"..."
Lin Xu made a total of eight bowls of oil-poured noodles.
He'd wanted to save a bowl to taste for himself.
Didn't expect the customers to snatch them up in a second, not even leaving a bite.
And even more customers didn't get any at all.
"We'll have oil-poured noodles at the shop this afternoon, everyone look forward to it."
Since he'd mastered the technique,
there was no need to keep it to himself.
Might as well bring it out and make some money.
Only with money could he afford to live in a comfortable big house.
And let his parents have the funds to mess around in the scenic area.
Lin Xu tidied up the kitchen.
Then took a drink from the cold beverage fridge.
Sipping as he opened up his phone.
It was only then that he noticed—
His mom had actually transferred him 20,000 yuan.
"Tsk, we already had a video chat, does she still worry I'm in some pyramid scheme den?"
Lin Xu smiled helplessly.
But now that he had this 20k,
he could start planning on renting a place.
Running back and forth every day really wasn't sustainable.
It'd be better to rent an apartment nearby as soon as possible.
Clicking open the short video social media app—
The Lin Ji's Food hashtag had passed 500 followers.
Lin Xu scrolled through it.
Aside from some customers checking in and discussing,
he actually saw posts from employees of other restaurants.
For example, a user called Northeast Little Sweetie said with envy:
"So jealous of customers and bosses like you guys. Our boss just tries every way to rip off customers, even wants to charge for the public parking spots by the door."
Another user named Che Zai also complained:
"Our boss is even more disgusting—cheats customers and doesn't spare the employees. I got promoted to assistant cook in April but I'm still getting apprentice pay. So frustrating!"
Reading these complaints,
Lin Xu pretty much understood what values Lin Ji's Food represented.
It was about trading true feelings for true hearts.
He'd always treated his customers sincerely.
And the customers had always had his back.
If he were one of those shady bosses,
people like Panda wouldn't be so united.
After resting for a bit,
Lin Xu started organizing the kitchen.
Then set up the wok.
Getting ready to brew up a batch of universal mixed noodle sauce.
In commercial oil-poured noodle recipes, you don't add salt and seasonings to each bowl by hand—because that's not just inefficient but invites mistakes.
Plus, if the customer doesn't mix the noodles thoroughly,
they could bite into clumps of salt.
That would ruin the taste and appetite.
To improve efficiency, the commercial practice is to use a mixed noodle sauce.
This so-called mixed noodle sauce is a broth of all the seasonings simmered together, so when needed you just ladle out a scoop.
The flavor's consistent.
Convenient and fast.
Perfect for high-volume restaurant cooking.
Heat oil in the wok.
Before the oil gets hot, Lin Xu adds in the scallion segments, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, tsaoko, dried chilies, and other seasonings and spices.
After tossing them in—
He stir-fries them on low heat.
Drawing out the aroma from the spices.
Then he pours in a jug of aged Chen Vinegar.
With a sizzle,
a mouthwatering sour aroma rises from the pot.
This step is called chili vinegar—
By "chili-ing" the vinegar, you get rid of its harsh and acrid notes and make its fragrance milder and longer-lasting.
And after going through the hot oil,
the vinegar undergoes esterification, creating aromatic esters that make the scent even richer.
Some dishes even call for a ladle of vinegar along the rim during cooking—the idea is to use this esterification to boost aroma.
"Wow! That smells amazing."
"What's Boss Lin planning to cook now?"
"Not even taking a lunch break?"
Most of the diners had left in small groups.
But some slow eaters were still lingering.
Smelling the sour fragrance wafting from the kitchen,
they were instantly drawn in.
Lin Xu said:
"I'm making some mixed noodle sauce for the oil-poured noodles. This stuff needs to cool before you can use it, so it's got to be prepped ahead."
As soon as they heard it was for oil-poured noodles,
the customers couldn't wait for dinner.
"Just for that vinegar aroma, I gotta grab a bowl tonight no matter what."
"Yeah, didn't get any earlier—gotta try it tonight for sure."
Soon after,
the Chen Vinegar in the pot came to a boil.
Lin Xu pours in an equal amount of bone broth and the same amount of chicken stock, then adds a big spoonful each of salt and light soy sauce, plus half a spoon of dark soy sauce.
Mixes it all well.
And continues to simmer.
The bone stock boosts the savoriness of the sauce,
while chicken stock brings out the umami.
Together, they give the sauce a richer, more tempting flavor.
After simmering for three to five minutes,
Lin Xu throws in two small spoons of sugar.
In Chinese cuisine,
sugar doesn't just add sweetness—it's a harmonizer for all the flavors.
Nearly every complex flavor profile calls for sugar to balance things out.
Once the sugar's added,
Lin Xu stirs the pot a few times,
then switches off the heat.
Pours the sauce into a big bowl to cool naturally.
The scallion, ginger, and all the spices stay in for the moment.
Because the sauce is still very hot,
and those spices are still infusing flavor.
Once fully cooled,
then the spices can be filtered out.
Once the last customers had left,
Lin Xu tidied up the shop,
called Ou Hua to ask him to drop off some supplies whenever he had time.
The drinks fridge was down to the last bottles,
and there wasn't a single North Pole soda left.
After the call,
he locked up the store—
and biked over to Chunfeng Market.
Bought some more baby greens from Uncle Shen.
Now that oil-poured noodles were on the menu, the shop's usual stock of greens just wasn't enough.
Had to restock.
At five p.m.,
Lin Xu set up the digital blackboard by the entrance again.
With tonight's featured dishes written on it:
[Signature Noodles with Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce: Large 30 / Small 27]
[Tomato Egg Noodles: Large 28 / Small 25]
[Oil-poured Hand-rolled Noodles: Large 28 / Small 25]
[Also: Looking to rent a nearby apartment—two bedrooms and one living room preferred, no roommates. Please contact me if you have leads. Big reward!]