Culinary Expert

Chapter 2: The Supreme Tea-Egg

“D-level dish? Are dishes actually ranked by difficulty?” Bai Xiaobai asked the System, completely baffled. The System displayed text: The difficulty of cooking is divided into five levels, from easiest to hardest: D, C, B, A, and S. “Can I skip straight to an S-level dish?” After seeing the tier system, Bai Xiaobai wanted to shoot for the stars and tackle the hardest one right away. Since Bai Xiaobai’s shop sold tea-eggs every day, he often couldn’t sell them all and ended up eating them himself. Besides, tea-eggs are really ordinary—many breakfast shops make them—so they offer no challenge or uniqueness. Bai Xiaobai wanted to take a shortcut—ideally, a delicacy that could instantly make his restaurant famous. However, the reality was that it was impossible for Bai Xiaobai to leap to the top overnight. [Host level insufficient. Cannot prepare this dish. Must start by learning from the simplest recipes; skipping levels is not allowed. ] The system immediately poured cold water on his hopes. “Alright, then I’ll go with the Supreme Tea-Egg.” Although Bai Xiaobai really wanted to jump straight into making high-difficulty dishes, he calmed down and thought it through—learning requires a step-by-step approach, after all, you can’t get fat in one bite. Soon, a long passage of golden text detailing how to make the Supreme Tea-Egg flew into Bai Xiaobai’s mind and was slowly absorbed. Tea-flavored eggs are one of China’s traditional snacks, found at breakfast stalls across the country. Most families can make them, though recipes vary slightly from region to region and from person to person, depending on local tastes. Over the past two years, Bai Xiaobai has been making tea-flavored eggs almost every day, so the method is second nature to him. First, place the eggs in a pot of cold water. To prevent them from cracking and the egg white from leaking out, add a small spoonful of salt to the water beforehand. Once the eggs are cooked, place them in cold water to cool. To help the flavor penetrate better, gently tap the eggs after they’ve cooled—just enough to create a slight crack on the surface. Once the eggs are ready, place them in a pot of tea that’s been simmered in advance; the tea should be seasoned with salt, star anise, dark soy sauce, and other seasonings. Of course, the specific seasonings used may vary depending on personal taste. Once the tea-based seasoning broth is ready, place the eggs in it and simmer for about ten minutes. Then turn off the heat and let them steep for over an hour—and you’re all set. The system’s preparation method is basically the same as the traditional one, but a few steps completely caught Bai Xiaobai off guard. It’s a system after all—no wonder it’s called the “Supreme Tea-Egg.” [“Supreme Tea Eggs Learning Upgrade Time: 20 Minutes”] The electronic voice sounded again. “Another 20 minutes?” Bai Xiaobai had thought he could start cooking right away, but he didn’t expect to have to wait for the upgrade. He checked the time; since he’d gotten up early, it was still quite early. Although nothing was ready for breakfast at the shop, he took advantage of the downtime to pull open the roll-up gate. Just then, the roll-up gate of the shop next door opened as well. A portly, balding middle-aged man yawned, stretched his waist, and upon seeing Bai Xiaobai, flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth and chuckled, “Hey, Boss Bai, why are you up so early today?” “Good morning, Mr. Wang,” Bai Xiaobai replied politely. “I have to get up early. We’ve barely used the gas for a little while, and it’s almost gone—now I can’t even make breakfast. Come to think of it, it’s been about a month since you changed your gas tank, hasn’t it, Mr. Bai? ” That last remark was a bit of inside lingo in the restaurant industry, implying, “Business hasn’t been great for you lately, has it?” Bai Xiaobai knew full well that Boss Wang was taking a dig at him, but he just chuckled anyway. A person mustn’t lose their composure. Boss Wang smiled again as he eyed Bai Xiaobai up and down, then whistled, hopped on his motorcycle to haul the gas tank. As the saying goes, “Competitors are enemies”—and in Bai Xiaobai’s eyes, this couldn’t be truer. Boss Wang, aka “Wang Tuzi,” from next door also ran a restaurant. He’d studied for several years at that “New Xfang Culinary School” that’s always advertised on TV, so he really did have some genuine skills. On top of that, every mealtime, Wang Tuzi would stand at the entrance of his shop and hawk his wares, luring in nearly half the customers on the street. And to be honest, Wang Tuzi’s tactics for attracting customers were pretty slick. However, he specifically targets single men. This gets a bit awkward—those in the know realize he’s luring people into his restaurant for a meal, but those who don’t might think he’s soliciting customers for “quick service.” It’s also Bai Xiaobai’s own fault for being a pushover—he can’t bring himself to swallow his pride and start soliciting customers too, so business at his shop has always been pretty dismal. Sometimes, he really doesn’t even need to change the gas cylinder for an entire month. In reality, it was fair competition—to put it bluntly, he just wasn’t as skilled as the other guy—so Bai Xiaobai was actually willing to concede defeat. But every evening, when he heard Wang Tuzi smugly bragging to him about how much money he’d made that day, Bai Xiaobai genuinely found it annoying. Now that he had the system, Bai Xiaobai really wanted to learn some real skills and put that Wang Tuzi next door in his place. After waiting for quite a while, the system’s electronic voice finally sounded again. [Ding-dong—Upgrade complete. Ingredients have been prepared for the Host. You may now begin preparing the D-level dish, “Supreme Tea-Egg.” ] “The ingredients shouldn’t cost anything, right?” Bai Xiaobai recalled the System’s “black technology” and still felt a chill down his spine after it had just deducted his renovation fees. [All ingredients consumed while the Host is learning a recipe are provided free of charge by the System. Ingredients for dishes sold are billed separately. ] “What does ‘charged separately’ mean?” Bai Xiaobai didn’t want to get taken advantage of again. 【The system will inform the host later; please start preparing the Supreme Tea-Egg first】 “……” Since the system had gone this far, Bai Xiaobai didn’t press the issue any further. Upon returning to the glass kitchen, he found that many ingredients had appeared on the countertop. It was unclear how the system had conjured these out of thin air. The most eye-catching ingredients were the eggs in the enamel bowl. The eggs were all light coffee-colored and very clean, with each one almost exactly the same size—it was a mystery how the system had selected them. Could it be that the system had measured the “waist circumference” of each egg with a tape measure? In addition to the enamel bowl holding the eggs, a small, unlabeled can of tea leaves sat next to the countertop. Bai Xiaobai unscrewed the lid of the tea can, and a natural, fragrant aroma of tea wafted toward him. It smells this good even before brewing! What kind of tea is this, exactly? They say the art of tea tasting goes like this: “One cup is for appreciation; two cups is just a silly way to quench your thirst; three cups is like a cow or a mule guzzling water.” In that case, Bai Xiaobai falls into the “two-cup” category—for him, drinking tea is simply about quenching his thirst. So he only has a general understanding of tea; he hasn’t yet studied the differences between black tea, green tea, and oolong tea. However, with such a rich tea aroma, these leaves must be something special. Aside from the eggs and tea leaves, the kitchen shelves were lined with all kinds of spices and seasonings. With all the ingredients ready, Bai Xiaobai began to show off his skills, following the system’s method. He placed the raw eggs in a special container to pre-cook them, then transferred them to cold water to soak for two minutes before lightly cracking the shells on the surface and setting them aside. Next came the preparation of the crucial sauce—the tea broth. Typically, breakfast shops would just grab a handful of tea leaves, toss them into a pot of boiling water, and then add seasonings. It’s very simple and hassle-free. But the system’s method was a bit different: just like brewing tea, the tea leaves were removed, and only the tea broth was used to cook the eggs. This is to prevent the tea leaves from steeping in water for too long—which can produce a slight bitterness—and to preserve the tea’s natural fresh, sweet, and mellow flavor as much as possible. Of course, the method of brewing tea is also quite meticulous. Whether it’s “Oolong Entering the Palace” or “High Mountains and Flowing Water”—not a single step can be skipped. Bai Xiaobai seriously suspected she was now practicing the tea ceremony rather than simply boiling tea eggs. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water; it felt as if a culinary god had possessed her, making everything seem effortless. Although she didn’t know the specific variety of tea provided by the system, the brewed tea was a deep reddish-brown, with an incredibly fresh aroma—it must be high-quality tea. Bai Xiaobai was so captivated by the tea’s fragrance that, in her eagerness to drink it, she almost forgot she was supposed to be making tea-flavored eggs. Once the tea broth was ready, she added salt, dark soy sauce, and various other seasonings, then placed the boiled eggs into the seasoned tea broth. With everything prepared, she could cover the rice cooker and let it simmer. Beep… It hadn’t even been twenty seconds since she started simmering when the lid automatically popped open. In the past, when Bai Xiaobai made tea eggs, they had to simmer in the pot for at least twenty minutes to absorb the flavor, but this smart rice cooker got the job done in less than a minute—it’s truly unbeatable. It really lives up to its reputation as “cutting-edge technology.” As soon as the lid opened, the entire room was filled with a wonderful aroma. The fresh scent of tea mixed with the savory aroma of the sauce created an incomparably exquisite sensation. Just smelling this fragrance was enough to make one’s mouth water. The surface of the tea eggs had taken on a purple-clay-like hue from simmering in the tea and sauce mixture, making them a delight to the eye. Bai Xiaobai hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, and the aroma of the tea eggs had already whetted his appetite. Not caring that it was hot to the touch, Bai Xiaobai peeled the Supreme Tea Eggs right away. Once the shell was completely peeled away, the “Supreme Tea-Egg” revealed the yellowish-brown patterns of its egg white. Bai Xiaobai swallowed hard and took a bite right away. Just one bite. Bai Xiaobai could hardly believe this tea-egg was one she’d made herself. Although its appearance wasn’t much different from the tea-eggs she’d made before, the taste was worlds apart. Compared to this “Supreme Tea-Egg,” the ones he’d made before were practically inedible. The outer layer of egg white was salty and savory, with the flavor of the marinade perfectly preserved on its surface. The yolk inside was soft, chewy, and creamy—the more he chewed, the more flavorful it became. The delicate fragrance of tea mingled with the savory aroma of the marinade, lingering slowly between her teeth and refusing to fade, making it impossible to stop eating. In just two bites, Bai Xiaobai had polished off an entire tea egg. [Fifty yuan. Thank you for your business, Host. ] A cool, electronic voice rang out. Bai Xiaobai had the tea egg right at the back of his throat—he hadn’t quite swallowed it yet—and when he heard the system blurt out that price, he nearly choked to death. After patting his chest several times, Bai Xiaobai caught his breath a little. “Holy crap, System, you’ve got to be kidding me. Fifty for a single tea egg? I might as well just grab a knife, wait outside a bank, and rob people as they come out to withdraw cash. ” These words came straight from Bai Xiaobai’s heart. No matter how delicious the “Supreme Tea-Egg” might be, it couldn’t possibly be this outrageously expensive—more than twenty times the market price. Isn’t this just outright robbery? [Money deducted from bank card. Thank you for your business, Host. ] Bai Xiaobai felt like crying but had no tears left. Fifty for a tea-flavored egg? Did a swan lay this egg? Wait, swan eggs are several times bigger than chicken eggs. 【Host, there’s a reason for the high price. You get what you pay for—the System only uses the very finest ingredients. 】 Bai Xiaobai wasn’t convinced. After all, he’d worked in the food service industry for two years and knew how to do the math. “It’s just an egg and some tea leaves. The cost can’t even be one yuan. System, go ahead and explain exactly what makes this ‘top-tier’ enough to charge fifty yuan.” 【The hens selected by the system are free-range near Tianchi Lake on Changbai Mountain, fed a diet of rare, precious wild herbs, and drink natural mineral water from Changbai Mountain. The eggs laid by these hens are called “Imperial Yellow Tribute Eggs,” which were considered the finest mountain delicacies offered as tribute to emperors and monarchs in ancient times. 】 They’re actually Imperial Yellow Tribute Eggs! Hearing this, Bai Xiaobai felt a little better. He’d actually heard of these eggs—not only are they rich in nutrients, but their cholesterol content is only one-tenth that of ordinary eggs. Buying just one of these eggs on the open market costs nearly 10 yuan, and they’re practically impossible to find—ordinary people can’t get their hands on them; they’re special-supply items reserved for high-ranking officials. “What about the tea?” Bai Xiaobai asked the System after his mood had improved slightly. 【The tea used by the system is state-gift-grade Qimen black tea. 】 Holy moly!! Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaobai nearly clapped his tongue in amazement. No wonder the tea brewed with that tea earlier was so fragrant—its aroma filled the entire room. It turns out they used Qimen black tea, known as the “Queen of Black Teas.” Although Bai Xiaobai didn’t know much about tea, he’d heard of state-gift-grade Qimen black tea. Tea of this caliber was directly gifted by xxx to the British Queen xxxxx for making milk tea—it could be steeped ten times and still retain its vibrant red color. Ordinary people might never even see it in their entire lives, let alone drink it. The system is truly something else—it actually used this grade of black tea to boil eggs. If a tea connoisseur heard about this, they’d probably beat their chest in despair and curse it as a waste of a precious resource. Top-tier Qimen black tea, fit for a state gift! Top-tier free-range local eggs from Changbai Mountain! Top-tier natural ingredients! Top-tier system equipment! Plus the culinary skills of a top-tier chef! (Added by Bai Xiaobai himself) The tea-infused eggs produced are truly the undisputed king of tea-infused eggs. Bai Xiaobai’s current feelings toward the Supreme Tea-Egg are as follows. One word: impressed Two words: very impressed Three words: extremely impressed. Whether it’s the appearance, taste, or price of the Supreme Tea-Egg, Bai Xiaobai is thoroughly impressed.