Bai Xiaobai is a twenty-two-year-old restaurant owner struggling to keep the small eatery left behind by his parents alive. Everything changes when a mysterious Gourmet System appears in his mind, promising to train him into a master chef. Starting with an outrageously expensive tea egg, he must complete strict missions, master increasingly difficult recipes, and learn to work with extraordinary ingredients. As word of his food spreads, his once-empty restaurant attracts devoted customers, culinary rivals, competitions, and unexpected opportunities. What begins as a desperate attempt to save a failing business gradually becomes Bai Xiaobai’s journey toward understanding food, craftsmanship, responsibility, and what it truly means to become a great chef.
Chapter 24: A First Taste
Having been promoted to “Da Bai,” and according to system rules, the host’s first taste of any new product is always free. So, without a second thought, Bai Xiaobai grabbed a pair of chopsticks and, not caring if the soup was too hot, began slurping up the noodles of the “Supreme Beef Noodles.” Slurp… slurp… Bai Xiaobai prided himself on having eaten a wide variety of noodles throughout his life, but so far, the Supreme Beef Noodles right in front of him had the best texture of all. The noodles were incredibly smooth, slippery, and springy; with every chew, his mouth was filled with the aroma of the noodles. This was practically the pinnacle of noodle texture. “System, why are these noodles so chewy?” System Text: The water used to knead the dough for the Supreme Beef Noodles is very special—it’s drawn from a natural cold spring at an altitude of 5,000 meters on Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan. This cold spring water is naturally slightly alkaline and rich in various minerals, making it ideal for kneading and proofing dough. System Text Continues: The baking ash provided by the System for kneading the dough is also very special. It is harvested from top-grade Pongpong grass in the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia and charred over an open flame to produce ash. This ash is then processed through the System’s precision equipment, undergoing layer-by-layer screening and filtration to remove 99. 999999999999999% of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic, retaining almost exclusively the essential active ingredients. No wonder the flavor is so exceptional—it turns out both the water and the fengrui are so unique. Crucially, the fengrui also removes a large amount of harmful heavy metals, making it very healthy. Although Bai Xiaobai had never run a beef noodle shop before, he knew there were two types of fengrui used on the market. One is made by burning fengrui grass, similar to the system’s method. The other is chemically formulated by food companies based on the composition of fengrui. Regardless of the type, potash inevitably contains heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. That’s why the National Health Supervision Bureau regularly and randomly inspects the potash used in beef noodle shops to prevent excessive lead and arsenic levels from harming human health. After slurping down a couple of mouthfuls of noodles, Bai Xiaobai took another sip of the yak bone broth. The moment the broth touched his tongue, a rich aroma filled his entire mouth. Making a broth with 89. 99% yak bone marrow is no joke—it preserves nearly all the collagen. Every bite is bursting with a rich, mellow flavor. “Good”—that’s all it takes to describe it; no further explanation is needed. Bai Xiaobai lifted the bowl and, not caring how hot it was, gulped down more than half of the yak bone broth in one go. After drinking the broth, Bai Xiaobai picked up a slice of grilled beef and popped it into his mouth. With just a light bite, the delicious flavor exploded in her mouth… The beef was charred on the outside yet tender on the inside, with the marinade gently seeping out. The savory, aromatic marinade lingered and swirled in her mouth. Finally, it slowly dissolved on her taste buds, evoking an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. The texture of the marbled beef is truly unparalleled—packed with rich beefy flavor that’s utterly addictive. The noodles, broth, and meat in the Supreme Beef Noodles complement each other perfectly; none overpowers the others, creating a harmonious balance. It truly lives up to its name as the undisputed king of beef noodle soups—Supreme Beef Noodles. Bai Xiaobai took a sip of broth, a bite of noodles, and a bite of beef—it was so satisfying he simply couldn’t stop. Before long, he had polished off the entire bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles, leaving nothing but an empty bowl. Full belly, high spirits! After finishing the Supreme Beef Noodles, Bai Xiaobai felt full of energy and vitality. “System, how much does this bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles cost?” A cool, electronic voice rang out in his mind. [A bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles costs 399 RMB. ] “399 RMB?” Bai Xiaobai muttered under his breath. It wasn’t that he thought the price was too high; on the contrary, he felt the system’s pricing this time was very considerate. In Taiwan, a certain exorbitantly priced beef noodle soup is sold for a whopping 2,000 RMB. Ordinary workers simply can’t afford it, and even white-collar workers would find themselves living paycheck to paycheck after just three or four meals. By comparison, the Supreme Beef Noodle Soup is incredibly reasonable. Just the potash ash used to knead the dough—which had almost completely removed lead and arsenic—was, from a health perspective, priceless. Now that the new product was complete, there was bound to be a new mission. Sure enough, the system’s cold, electronic voice soon rang out. 【Ding-dong—Host, please accept the “Try Your Hand” mission】 As soon as the electronic voice sounded, system text appeared in Bai Xiaobai’s mind. “Test Your Skills” Quest: Sell one bowl of beef noodle soup. System Rules 1. There is no time limit; simply sell one bowl of Supreme Beef Noodle Soup. Each bowl is priced at 399 RMB. As the Host’s current level is “Big White,” you may not alter the price without authorization. 2. Each customer is limited to one bowl per day and must dine in the restaurant. Complete the “Trial by Fire” mission: Receive a mysterious reward. Completing the mission doesn’t even grant a single experience point—and what on earth is this “mysterious reward”? Bai Xiaobai knew the system was playing coy again. Although he was genuinely curious, since the system had explicitly labeled it a “mysterious reward,” it naturally wouldn’t reveal it in advance. Anyway, the reward was bound to come eventually, so Bai Xiaobai wasn’t in a rush to find out right away. Sure enough, this mission was just a “Warm-Up”—there was no time limit; all she had to do was sell one bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles to complete it. So easy That was Bai Xiaobai’s first thought, but upon closer analysis, with a price tag of 399 RMB, it still wouldn’t be easy. Most salaried workers live paycheck to paycheck. Seeing a price of 399 RMB would basically scare them away on the spot. Jianghai City is a mid-tier first-tier city. The cheapest beef noodle soup in Lanzhou costs 10 RMB, and places like the upscale beef noodle restaurant Bai Xiaobai visited yesterday—where a bowl of signature beef noodle soup costs 50 RMB—are few and far between, and that price is already considered the absolute maximum. Across all of Jianghai City, “Xiaobai Restaurant” is the only place serving beef noodle soup for 399 RMB a bowl. In any case, since there’s nothing I can do to change it, I’ll just have to accept it with equanimity. When challenges arise, meet them head-on; when difficulties come, find a way through them. In business, you must never lack drive. Young people should have their own youthful vigor! Keep it up. After giving herself a little pep talk, Bai Xiaobai washed her bowl and chopsticks, then pulled open the roll-up gate and, as usual, carried the pot of tea-eggs outside to officially start the day’s business. It was already getting late. 9:15 a. m. Blinding sunlight bathed the earth. Most office workers in Jianghai City were busy handling various tasks at their desks. Zhu Yufei finished her current tasks listlessly and sat staring blankly at her computer for a moment. “Yufei, there’s an error in the data on this financial statement you prepared,” said the female finance manager, placing a report in front of Zhu Yufei’s desk. “Yufei?” Zhu Yufei finally snapped out of it, stood up, and bowed her head slightly. “Manager Cen… I’m sorry. Um, I’ll redo it.” “Yufei, are you feeling under the weather today? These numbers are way off. How did you calculate this? You just added an extra zero.” Manager Cen had nearly had a heart attack when she first saw the figures. Zhu Yufei was momentarily at a loss for words. She’d been distracted while preparing the report, daydreaming about the deliciousness of “Supreme Tea Eggs,” so she had no idea how she’d ended up typing an extra zero. Her best friend, Xiao En, was on the other side of Jianghai City, but at that moment, she was in the same state as Zhu Yufei—her mind was elsewhere. “Xiao En, could you please make two copies of these documents?” “Xiao En?” “Oh, sure.” Only then did Xiao En snap out of her daze. She took the documents from her department supervisor, walked over to the copier, and began making copies. Since Xiao En hadn’t had a “Supreme Tea Egg” that morning, she couldn’t finish even half of the breakfast she’d bought. Having eaten very little for breakfast, she was now experiencing low blood sugar and felt exhausted doing anything this morning.
