"A lifetime of food you can't finish??"
Exaggerated, definitely exaggerated!
If it were half an hour ago, Amber certainly wouldn't believe it.
But now, his unwavering belief that the Romantic Country's cuisine is the world's best has slowly developed a crack.
Just the fact that pork belly has a tastier preparation than bacon alone shocked him.
Jade is even more so, for women everywhere have a common love.
Enjoying delicious food.
The Great Xia's meat sandwich today has opened a new world for her, and now hearing Lucas say there are thousands of such delicacies, each city having its own unique dishes.
Although she couldn't imagine the scene, her mouth was uncontrollably watering.
Her gaze fell on the smartphone held horizontally by Lucas, which was playing a tourism promotional video.
Coupled with his previous behavior, she curiously asked, "What did you show those young people? Was it a promotional video of Great Xia? Can I take a look? I really know nothing about Great Xia."
"Of course you can."
Although today's meal voucher flew away, it's okay; there's always a next time.
Knowing the Great Xia Restaurant owner's habits, as long as you can get familiar, you might get discounts, free dishes, or even a free meal credited.
Bringing in customers can't stop; start with close friends.
He raised the phone, specifically choosing a tourism promotional video from Chang'an City, the origin of the meat sandwich, along with a food blogger's eating broadcast for them to watch.
Meat sandwich, lamb soup, lamb in water basin, cold noodles, three-in-one biangbiang noodles, pulled noodles, saozi noodles, steamed cake, marinated jelly noodles, spicy soup...
An endless array of exotic foods flashed before their eyes.
"Splat."
Jade suddenly felt her shoe was wet, looked down, and fiercely slapped her boyfriend's face.
"Oh my god, Amber! Look at what you've done, how could you drool on my high heels!!"
Amber hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, not even angry, grabbing Lucas's hand.
"No way, my dear brother, you've been eating this well every day in Great Xia? That's outrageous, you didn't even mention a word!"
"Does this surprise you?"
Lucas shook his head, "This is just daily food, nothing special, we Old Xia people eat rough, not refined, emphasizing large portions for hunger, come come, let me show you what real good stuff is."
Mysteriously opening several more videos, Old Kyoto copper pot meat, Cantonese border fire, Chaoshan beef hotpot, porridge seafood hotpot, Zao Bo vinegar hotpot, Cantonese breakfast, dessert soups, various barbecues...
"Enough, enough!!"
Amber hurriedly reached out to cover the phone screen, afraid he might have nightmares if he watched more.
Looking at the time, gosh, it had unknowingly become past one in the morning!
There were no passersby, even those few food carts had packed up and left, leaving the three of them standing alone on the street, along with the last bus from the still occupied cinema, and lively bars.
"Forget it forget it, it's too late now, let's meet again tomorrow, we'll settle accounts then!"
Watching Amber pull his girlfriend to flee, Lucas's lips curved into a triumphant smile.
Comparing sushi with Great Xia food, how dare they?
Country bumpkins!
If he's a brother, he must be properly taught a lesson! Let him know, the ultimate culinary paradise is Great Xia!
Lin Chen had just arrived home, quickly washed up, and lay on the bed to count his earnings for the night.
"Thirty... fifty... seventy... over six hundred euros? My goodness."
The wage level across Northern Europe is roughly similar, minimum wage per hour is less than 12 euros, amounting to about 1800 a month, most people earning in this range.
For someone like him who's been in the field for years and can cook, the pay is relatively higher, but not by much, just over 2500.
After taxes, he ends up with around two thousand.
For a pay raise, he'd need to keep advancing, putting in years won't help much.
A mere hour of setting up, after deducting ingredient costs, net income exceeded 400 euros, comparable to nearly a week's salary.
Isn't this better than working?
Shaking his head, he brushed away the thought of quitting.
His dream is to become a head chef at a grand restaurant, he needs to gather experience in a professional kitchen to gradually climb up, and it's nice when his mom chats with hospital patients or relatives.
Can't say her son is just a street vendor abroad, being a head chef at a grand restaurant has much more prestige.
[Ding, all sold foods have been settled, total positive reviews: 127]
[Street vending task complete, 5000 euros reward credited, first-time vendor and sold out within an hour, superior performance, extra recipe reward: biangbiang noodles]
[Achievement unlocked: Vendor shutting down immediately, stamina potion reward: one bottle]
The continuous rewards nearly knocked him out, especially the stamina potion, which appeared out of nowhere, landing directly in his hand.
A light blue translucent glass bottle, inside a blue liquid shimmering with stars, looking quite impressive.
[Stamina Potion: Consumed over twelve hours, enhances slow fiber endurance, and boosts glycogen storage and utilization capacity]
In simple terms, it boosts stamina.
Without hesitation, he drank it, sweet, reminiscent of the blue bottled drink from childhood.
[Task released, at next street vending, obtain 150 positive reviews before midnight, reward self-selected recipe coupon *1]
Thoroughly reviewing the biangbiang noodle recipe imprinted in his mind, planning out the prep steps, he then felt assured enough to sleep.
Next morning, after nine.
Timing it for when the bank opens, he transferred the 5000 euros from last night, along with over ten thousand amassed in his account to his home country, leaving just enough of a couple hundred euros.
He's hardly worried, the cost for making biangbiang noodles is much lower than the meat sandwich, enough for tonight's vending.
"Hello? Dr. Luo, I just sent over fifteen thousand euros, about one hundred twenty thousand, thanks for your help!"
Hearing this substantial sum, the man on the phone sighed in relief.
"No trouble at all, we know your family is struggling, you're working hard alone abroad, with this money, I can report upwards, lasting two or three months easily, up to half a year, I'll do my best."
"No!"
Lin Chen's eyes sparkled with determination, "There's no need to delay, I've performed well this year, just got a raise, my boss promised to issue bonuses in advance, please ensure my mom receives the best medications and treatments! I'll handle the financial side!"
Hanging up, he looked up at the azure sky, took a deep breath, and hastily headed towards his workplace's restaurant.
Abroad there's no overtime culture, you can clock off when it's time, for their service sector it's a bit unique.
If they can't handle it during peak hours, employees might be asked to stay late, but at least double the pay, holidays are triple, no need to worry about being short-changed.
This is why he's willing to remain abroad learning the craft and working, compared to domestic bottom-tier chef wages, he still earns more overseas.