Culinary Expert

Chapter 21: Ten Eggs a Day

The cold, electronic voice sounded again. 【For the sake of the Host’s health, the System needs to scan the tea-eggs and beef noodle soup for safety. 】 Holy crap. Bai Xiaobai felt a wave of exasperation wash over him. System, are you seriously trying to pull my leg? It didn’t need to scan anything when I went out to eat a couple of days ago—what’s the deal now? Fine, scan away then. The System is just looking out for me. When it comes to food, it’s not just about nutrition—you also have to consider food safety. After all, “diseases enter through the mouth” is no joke. About three seconds later. The system displayed a friendly message: “The tea-eggs and beef noodle soup are safe and non-toxic; they contain no gutter oil or harmful substances. The host may eat them with peace of mind.” After hearing the system’s assurance, Bai Xiaobai felt a little more at ease. Having worked in the food service industry for over two years, Bai Xiaobai knew a thing or two about the business. Although not every restaurant in the country uses gutter oil, there are still a significant number of unscrupulous establishments that use this notorious substance to cut costs. Gutter oil refers to recycled cooking oil, reused frying oil, and the like. The primary source of gutter oil is the grease traps in the sewer systems of large urban restaurants. long-term consumption may lead to cancer and poses a severe health risk to the human body. Moreover, the methods used to counterfeit it have become extremely sophisticated. Gutter oil is virtually indistinguishable from ordinary cooking oil in terms of color, smell, and taste. Modern scientists haven’t yet found a reliable way to detect it, so the only solution is to tackle the problem at its source. I never expected that a problem scientists still can’t solve would be cracked by the system in just three seconds—this technology is absolutely mind-blowing. Since both the tea eggs and the beef noodle soup were safe, Bai Xiaobai felt free to dig in without hesitation. Ever since acquiring the system, Bai Xiaobai has not only honed his culinary skills but also developed senses far beyond those of ordinary people. With just a quick sniff, he knew the tea leaves used in the signature tea eggs were nothing special. The tea aroma was faint, carrying a slight bitterness and a faintly pungent, nose-stinging quality. After all, the signature tea-leaf eggs were a freebie—they certainly wouldn’t use the best ingredients. Bai Xiaobai slowly peeled the tea-leaf egg and discovered that the egg white had already cracked, exposing the yolk—a clear sign it had been simmering in the pot for a very long time. Bai Xiaobai took a bite of the tea-leaf egg and came to the following conclusions. The egg white tasted like chewing wax, and the yolk was extremely dry and gritty. Even the aroma of the tea-infused marinade couldn’t mask the egg’s natural fishy smell. Ever since trying the Supreme Tea-Egg, Bai Xiaobai’s standards for tea-eggs had unconsciously risen significantly. As for the signature tea-egg, Bai Xiaobai took just one bite and couldn’t bring himself to eat any more. In comparison, the system’s Supreme Tea-Egg was so much better. Bai Xiaobai set aside the remaining half of the tea-leaf egg and began tasting the signature beef noodle soup. The beef noodle soup looks good, but I wonder how it tastes. Bai Xiaobai slurped up a mouthful of noodles and chewed them lightly The signature beef noodle soup looked quite tempting, but the taste was only so-so. “The noodles aren’t chewy or smooth enough—they lack that springy texture.” Bai Xiaobai remarked. Bai Xiaobai took another bite of the beef brisket. The beef brisket wasn’t bad—it practically melted in your mouth—but it had been overcooked. It was too soft and mushy, and most of the beefy flavor had been lost, which was a bit of a letdown. Finally, Bai Xiaobai took a sip of the beef noodle soup and couldn’t help but furrow his brow. The broth wasn’t exactly undrinkable, but the meaty flavor was very faint. It was obvious that a large pot of broth had been simmered using just a few beef bones, so the flavor had been severely diluted. Moreover, because the flavor was so weak, a large amount of star anise had been added for seasoning. While this enhanced the broth’s overall flavor, it also ruined the rich, mellow texture that is the most important characteristic of a beef bone broth. However, reviews aside, he couldn’t waste food he’d paid for. But the noodle broth really wasn’t very good, so Bai Xiaobai didn’t take another sip after that. Eating just the noodles without drinking the broth left Bai Xiaobai feeling a bit thirsty, so he gulped down the ice water in one go. During that time, the waitress refilled Bai Xiaobai’s glass four times. Every time his glass went empty, the waitress in the white shirt seemed to sprout wings on her shoulders and immediately dashed over. After eating a large bowl of noodles and drinking five glasses of water, Bai Xiaobai left the beef noodle shop with a satisfied belch, his belly round and full. As soon as he stepped outside, a middle-aged motorcycle taxi driver dressed in simple clothes smiled and called out, “Hey, kid, where are you headed? Want a ride?” Jianghai City is a first-tier city, and the ban on motorcycles is strictly enforced, but there are always some drivers struggling to make ends meet who take risks at night to pick up passengers and earn some extra cash. Chaotianmen Street isn’t too far from here, so Bai Xiaobai didn’t plan on taking a motorcycle taxi. The motorcycle taxi driver must have been desperate for money; seeing that Bai Xiaobai wasn’t interested, he said enthusiastically, “Hey, kid, hop on my bike. I’ll take you right to your doorstep—the price is fair and reasonable.” It’s never easy making a living in a big city! Bai Xiaobai casually asked, “How much from here to the end of Chaotianmen Street?” “To the end of Chaotianmen Street, three yuan.” This motorcycle taxi driver turned out to be an honest guy. Bai Xiaobai had been living in Jianghai City for several years and had ridden motorcycle taxis quite a few times. In Jianghai City, motorcycle taxis always jack up the price on the spot; no matter how short the trip, the minimum starting fare is five yuan. Anyway, Bai Xiaobai had just finished eating beef noodle soup and was covered in sweat; riding a motorcycle and catching a breeze would be nice. Bai Xiaobai got on the motorcycle. With a customer coming his way, Guo Zhaohui was naturally overjoyed. He’d been laid off from the factory not long ago and hadn’t been able to find a suitable job yet; he was short on cash. Seeing how much money others were making by giving motorcycle rides, he decided to try his hand at it too. This line of work may seem simple, but not everyone can make money at it—it all comes down to how perceptive you are. Experienced drivers are great at reading people and can make several hundred yuan a day. But some greenhorns might not earn a single fen all day. Guo Zhaohui clearly fell into the latter category. It was his first day on the job; with no experience and no knack for the trade, he hadn’t picked up a single passenger from morning until now. Bai Xiaobai was the first passenger he’d ever picked up on his motorcycle—a good start. So even though the ride was short, Guo Zhaohui made a point of slowing down a bit and driving more smoothly, all to make his passenger more comfortable. The ride was very smooth, and Bai Xiaobai felt quite at ease as the wind blew past him. Before he even had a chance to get comfortable, they arrived at Chaotianmen Street in the blink of an eye. Bai Xiaobai didn’t have any change in his wallet, so he pulled out a five-yuan bill to pay. Guo Zhaohui opened his fanny pack to look for change, but after searching for a while, he found he only had one yuan in change. Guo Zhaohui pulled over and said awkwardly, “I’m one yuan short. I’ll go to that supermarket over there to get some change.” After taking the one-yuan note, Bai Xiaobai said generously, “You don’t need to give me change for the one yuan. This is my restaurant—come by sometime.” Seeing how generous the Restaurant owner was, Guo Zhaohui didn’t hesitate. He was eating lunch out anyway, so he figured he’d stop by “Xiaobai Restaurant” whenever he had time in the future. Bai Xiaobai paid the fare, opened the shop door, and headed straight upstairs. After a quick shower, he opened his slightly worn laptop to watch a TV series. Bai Xiaobai wasn’t really watching the show—he was just feeling a bit lonely on his own, so he’d turned it on purely to pass the time. Today had been the busiest day since he’d opened his shop. With the sound of the TV in the background, Bai Xiaobai’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep. “Honey, it’s morning. Get up.” A sweet, coquettish voice calling him from bed reached Bai Xiaobai’s ears. It was as if a beautiful woman were sleeping right beside him. Bai Xiaobai reached out, following the sound. It was rounded and soft—it felt pretty good to the touch. Bai Xiaobai kept touching it. “Don’t move!” a rough, deep male voice suddenly bellowed. Bai Xiaobai pulled his hand back and snapped his eyes open. Holy crap. Since he hadn’t set a sleep timer, the TV show on his computer was still playing—that sweet moan he’d heard moments ago was just the dialogue. As for the bumpy, soft thing he’d just been touching—it turned out to be a little plush silicone doll on top of his computer speakers. Bai Xiaobai wiped his sleepy face, cleared his head, and glanced at the alarm clock. It was three minutes before six o’clock sharp. The hourglass in her mind was still ticking—there was still a little sand left. She estimated she had about twenty minutes before the Supreme Beef Noodles would be fully upgraded. A new day! A fresh start! Today she’d have to prepare the Supreme Tea Eggs again and launch the new Supreme Beef Noodles, so she’d have her hands full. Bai Xiaobai wasn’t one to sleep in. After getting up, brushing her teeth, and washing her face, she grabbed a carton of whole milk and headed downstairs while drinking it. Experts say drinking milk on an empty stomach isn’t good for you, but Bai Xiaobai has developed this bad habit over the years. Xiao Hei was already awake, gnawing on a bone in the stairwell to practice his biting skills. As soon as he saw Bai Xiaobai coming down the stairs, Xiao Hei immediately came over, raising both paws and resting them on Bai Xiaobai’s calf to beg for breakfast. After Bai Xiaobai fed Xiao Hei some dog food, she went into the kitchen, opened the cabinet, and took out a basket full of eggs. She decided to use this spare time to make today’s batch of Supreme Tea Eggs for sale. Over the past couple of days, sales of Supreme Tea Eggs have been quite good, so Bai Xiaobai didn’t hesitate and planned to make twenty right away. Based on the store’s foot traffic over the past two days, she was selling at least twenty to thirty Supreme Tea Eggs daily. If sales continued to rise—especially after the upgrade, which would increase her commission By working hard and honestly, relying solely on the Supreme Tea Eggs, earning tens of thousands a month wasn’t a pipe dream. Of course, that didn’t even include the new products she planned to launch later. However, Bai Xiaobai’s joy lasted less than 30 seconds before a cold, electronic voice rang out in his mind. [Host, starting today, you are limited to selling ten Supreme Tea Eggs per day. You cannot sell more. ] “ten eggs a day???” The system’s electronic voice struck like a bolt of lightning from the sky, leaving Bai Xiaobai utterly stunned.