Culinary Expert

Chapter 11: Making Friends Through Food

“What else could it be? And what is this ‘mystery gift pack’?” Bai Xiaobai asked the system impatiently. 【Host Level: Da Bai. You cannot know in advance. Please work hard to level up. 】 The system was playing word games again. Bai Xiaobai felt frustrated, as if someone had told him, “You’re definitely going to win a prize someday,” but he didn’t know when it would happen or what the prize would be. It wasn’t the first time the System had played these guessing games. After feeling a little frustrated, Bai Xiaobai didn’t care anymore—after all, he sold Supreme Tea Eggs every day, so it was only a matter of time before the third possibility appeared. Bai Xiaobai quickly put Grandpa Mao away and walked out of the kitchen. The trio—the burly guy, the chubby guy, and the skinny guy—had already polished off every single tea egg; all that remained on the table was a pile of eggshells. “Boss, do you have any napkins?” The chubby guy had eaten so hastily that his mouth was smeared with sauce. “Sorry, we don’t provide napkins here,” Bai Xiaobai said solemnly. What ordinary restaurant wouldn’t have napkins on hand? Of course, Bai Xiaobai’s shop used to have napkins. However, according to the exact wording of the Scam Ratio System, since the host’s level is low, he cannot provide anything other than what the system provides—including water, napkins, and the like. To put it simply, the system doesn’t allow him to provide anything for free. So Bai Xiaobai had hidden the napkin box long ago. Delicious food always makes people overlook a lot of things—for example, when the Fat Guy heard there were no paper towels, he didn’t make a fuss and just reached in with his hand. Little did Bai Xiaobai know that the Fat Guy’s attitude toward him had undergone a complete 180-degree turnaround; his previous contempt had been completely swept away, and now all that remained was nothing but deep admiration. Even now, the Fat Guy was still savoring the wonderful flavor of the tea-eggs. The silky-smooth egg yolk was still slowly melting on his tongue, continuously releasing the rich aroma of egg. The rich aroma of black tea spread from his mouth to his nose, and the olfactory cells in his nose felt as if they’d been reborn. With every inhale and exhale, his whole body felt at ease, and he was completely enveloped in the scent of tea. The Fat Guy has eaten his fair share of delicacies, but he’d never before tasted a culinary masterpiece quite like this. This was, in his opinion, the best tea-flavored egg he’d ever eaten. No! It was the best thing he’d ever eaten in his entire life. The fat guy wiped the corners of his mouth and said, “Boss, seriously, your cooking skills are absolutely top-notch. How on earth did you make this tea-eggs so delicious? You’ve really got some serious skills. I’ve eaten my fair share of food, but I’ve never had tea-eggs this good. Fifty-one out of fifty—I’m truly impressed from the bottom of my heart.” The skinny guy sitting next to him also gave a thumbs-up, exclaiming in awe, “Young boss, usually when you eat tea eggs, your breath ends up smelling a bit fishy from the eggs. But after eating yours, my whole mouth is filled with the aroma of tea—it’s like I’ve rinsed with black tea mouthwash. I wouldn’t even mind kissing my girlfriend right now.” The skinny guy was quite the joker; after saying that, half-jokingly, he went in for a big smacker on the fat guy next to him. The Fat Guy was totally against it; he gently pushed the Skinny Guy away and teased with a laugh, “Get lost, … I’m not into guys. You stinky-mouthed jerk—if it weren’t for the Little Boss’s tea eggs, you’d definitely have a bad breath right now.” “Damn it, the smell coming out of your mouth is way worse than mine. I bet you’d have to eat a few more of these tea eggs to get rid of it.” The chubby guy and the skinny guy kept trading jabs like this, all the while making sure to shower Bai Xiaobai with compliments. Although Bai Xiaobai was rolling his eyes, deep down he was flattered by the praise. Bai Xiaobai had always been convinced that food could be a tool for making money. However, bringing joy and happiness to people through food—while making money—was a higher level of achievement. This was the ideal that Bai Xiaobai’s parents had always pursued during their lifetimes. Bai Xiaobai remembered this very clearly. When he was a child, his parents were excellent cooks, and since their dishes were reasonably priced and affordable, the restaurant was often packed to capacity, with not a single empty seat, and they had many repeat customers. Every customer who left the restaurant had a look of pure happiness on their face. It was from that time on that Bai Xiaobai resolved to carry on his parents’ culinary skills and take over the restaurant. However, before he had a chance to learn his parents’ culinary skills, they were involved in an accident. Because business was booming, the restaurant went through a huge amount of ingredients every day. To restock with the freshest and cheapest ingredients, Bai Xiaobai’s parents would pedal their tricycle to the far outskirts of the city to pick up supplies after a long, busy day. Year after year, through the changing seasons, this went on for several years. Until one day three years ago, the couple did not return from restocking as they usually did. It was only later that Bai Xiaobai learned his parents had been killed in a serious accident while transporting goods. He was only nineteen that year. After his parents passed away, his uncle, Bai Yuanshan, had planned to bring him into the antique business, but Bai Xiaobai insisted on running a restaurant on his own. He’s been running it for three years now, and business has been pretty dismal all this time—he’s been spending more than he’s making. Sometimes, a day’s revenue wasn’t even enough to cover his daily food expenses. On several occasions, the restaurant nearly went under, but Bai Xiaobai didn’t hesitate to dip into his savings and gritted his teeth to keep it afloat. Not only because this restaurant was the fruit of his parents’ labor, but also because Bai Xiaobai had always loved cooking. “Boss, here’s the money.” Wei Hai’s deep voice pulled Bai Xiaobai out of his memories and back to reality. Seeing Wei Hai pay, the Fat Guy hurriedly said, “Young Master Wei, treating us to just one tea egg? That’s a bit stingy, don’t you think?” The Skinny Guy chimed in, “You should at least treat us to five.” Wei Hai laughed, “Money isn’t an issue for me. If you guys can get the boss to sell more, I’d be happy to treat you to ten.” “What’s going on? Sell more?” The chubby guy was a step behind. He was completely confused. “Could it be they’re limiting sales?” The skinny guy, on the other hand, caught on immediately. He asked Bai Xiaobai in disbelief, “Boss, are you limiting sales of the tea eggs here?” “Yes, each person can only buy one ‘Supreme’ tea egg per day,” Bai Xiaobai replied politely while making change. Once the Fat Guy confirmed the purchase limit, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Boss, why turn down money? Why set a limit?” In all his years as a foodie, the Fat Guy had never encountered a Restaurant that limited purchases. Bai Xiaobai gathered his composure and casually made up an excuse. “It’s a rule passed down from our ancestors.” The Fat Guy rubbed his shriveled, bloated belly in frustration and said, “Boss, whatever this ‘ancestral rule’ is, it sure seems to have it in for money. Can’t I have a few more? My belly still isn’t full.” “Man, Fat Guy, you’re such a shameless guy. The young boss already said it’s an ancestral rule,” the Skinny Guy teased him. “Skinny, you’ve got some nerve calling me out—you were eating even faster than me just now, like a starving ghost reincarnated.” Skinny laughed, “That’s only because the young boss is such a great cook—it’s delicious. I could easily eat ten of these; the best part is, they even get rid of bad breath.” Whenever Bai Xiaobai heard customers praise his food, a hint of pride would always flicker across his face. After a few days of business, although revenue was still low, Bai Xiaobai was growing increasingly confident in his “Supreme Tea Eggs.” Not only are the “Supreme Tea Eggs” made with high-quality ingredients and have a great taste, but they also help sober you up and freshen your breath. These two benefits alone are hard to find anywhere else—so fifty-one really is a bargain, a steal. After Wei Hai paid, he suggested, “Boss, you can’t just sell tea eggs here. You should start selling fried rice, noodles, and things like that—that’s what really fills you up.” ” “Soon—the new menu items will be ready in a little while, though the exact timing isn’t set yet.” Bai Xiaobai had already realized that while Supreme Tea Eggs were delicious, they weren’t filling enough—a major issue. But for now, there was no other choice; he had to finish Qian Duoduo’s task quickly and launch the new menu items as soon as possible. Fatso chimed in, “Boss, with your amazing cooking skills, I’ll definitely be there to support the new dishes.” Fatso wasn’t just paying lip service—he’d never been able to resist good food. His weight was the result of his complete lack of restraint when it came to eating. Since Bai Xiaobai, Wei Hai, Fatso, and Skinny were all around the same age, they found they had a lot in common. They chatted back and forth, discussing some news topics that interested them, and the four of them got to know each other a little better. No matter how delicious the tea-eggs were, they weren’t enough to fill them up. Wei Hai and the others were still hungry, so they had no choice but to go elsewhere for lunch. As Wei Hai left the restaurant, he waved to Bai Xiaobai. “Boss, we’ll be back next time.” The Fat Guy also said sincerely, “Boss, I’m looking forward to your new dishes.” The skinny guy, beaming from ear to ear, also waved at Bai Xiaobai. These were the first friends he’d made through food. Bai Xiaobai walked them to the door and gave a sincere smile. “Take care, and please come back anytime.” After watching Wei Hai and the other two leave, Bai Xiaobai returned to the shop, and the electronic voice in his head sounded.