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 36: Burn, Supreme Meal Set!
(Part 1) The System is cultivating a century-old “Chaotian” chili as an ingredient for the Supreme Chili Sauce? Setting aside whether a “Chaotian” chili can even live for a hundred years, if it really could, it would probably have become a supernatural being by now. Bai Xiaobai was truly baffled and had no idea if this text generated by the System was even reliable. Wei Hai let out a satisfied belch and said, “Boss Bai, could you pack me an extra serving of this Supreme Chili Sauce? I’ll dip my steamed buns in it for breakfast.” Wei Hai had a unique quirk: he liked to dip his steamed buns in chili sauce for breakfast. In the past, he’d always dipped them directly in Lao Gan Ma chili sauce—a habit he’d maintained for nearly five or six years. But after trying Bai Xiaobai’s Supreme Chili Sauce today, Wei Hai decisively decided to make a change. “Sorry, we don’t offer the Supreme Chili Sauce for takeout—it’s only available with the Supreme Beef Noodles.” Wei Hai: “……” It wasn’t the first time he’d been let down like this. Although Wei Hai was reluctant, he had no choice but to let it go. “By the way, Mr. Bai, aren’t you limiting the sale of tea eggs? Let me make a proposal: I’ll pay for the tea egg now, and you set one aside for me to eat at the shop tomorrow morning. Would that work?” Wei Hai asked tentatively. This didn’t violate any of the system’s rules—it was practically a no-brainer. Bai Xiaobai readily agreed, “Sure, I’ll set aside a Supreme Tea Egg for you tomorrow.” Upon hearing this, Wei Hai’s face lit up with joy, and he readily pulled out 600 coins. Bai Xiaobai calculated Wei Hai’s spending for today plus the Premium Tea Egg set aside for tomorrow—a total of 515 yuan. After Bai Xiaobai gave Wei Hai 85 yuan in change, Wei Hai took the money and didn’t linger; he had to head back to the dorm to team up with his roommates for an online game. After Wei Hai left, a side quest progress bar flashed through Bai Xiaobai’s mind. System text: Side Quest, Current Progress 1/3. Two more regular customers need to order the Premium Beef Noodles. System Reminder: 18 hours, 5 minutes, and 5 seconds remain until the side quest deadline. Host, manage your time wisely. Although time was tight, needing just two more regular customers was pretty much what Bai Xiaobai had expected. Glancing at the entrance to Chaotianmen Street, Bai Xiaobai felt a bit helpless. The rain outside had eased up a bit. But because Chaotianmen Street’s drainage system was absolutely terrible, the streets were still severely flooded. It was practically deep enough to row a boat—there wasn’t a single spot where you could stand. Although it was mealtime, the foot traffic on the street was pitifully sparse; only a handful of people were wading through the water to cross the street. Today’s business was pretty much over. Glancing at the time—it was already past 6:00 p. m. —Bai Xiaobai, starving, headed back to the glass kitchen to start preparing his own dinner. Bai Xiaobai’s technique had become even more skilled. He whipped up a bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles in five minutes. The system had just boasted that the chili used was a century-old Tianjiu Red Chao Tian chili—though Bai Xiaobai had no idea what the difference was between that and ordinary chili peppers. He measured out 5 ml of the mildly spicy Supreme Chili Sauce, stirred it into the Supreme Beef Noodles, and after mixing it in, slurped up a mouthful of noodles coated in the spicy sauce. Instantly, his lips and tongue were enveloped layer by layer by the chili’s rich, savory aroma. No wonder Wei Hai had looked so shocked earlier. This spiciness was very unique. Bai Xiaobai remembered that the Supreme Chili Sauce clearly didn’t contain Sichuan peppercorns, yet there was a slight tingling sensation in his mouth, along with a faint, fruity apple aroma. Logically speaking, a chili sauce with a fruity aroma should seem a bit out of place. But this fruity aroma was incredibly subtle—it emanated from the chili sauce itself. In other words, it was the natural aroma of the chili peppers. Bai Xiaobai recalled that when he first encountered the “Chaotian” chili peppers, he hadn’t noticed this at all. It seemed the fruity aroma could only emerge after the chili sauce had been cooked. In addition to the numbing and spicy sensation and the fruity aroma, the Supreme Chili Sauce also incorporated a faint beefy aroma, which came from the ground beef. The beefy flavor perfectly balances the chili’s pungent heat, adding a hint of beefy sweetness to the chili sauce. A subtle sweetness amidst the heat—it’s absolutely magical, continuously stimulating the taste buds. It truly lives up to its name as Supreme Chili Sauce. Bai Xiaobai felt his entire being brimming with energy and vitality. With the Supreme Chili Sauce’s divine boost, the flavor of the Supreme Beef Noodles was clearly taken to a whole new level. Huff, puff Not caring if the soup was too hot for his mouth, Bai Xiaobai slurped one spoonful after another, eating with both satisfaction and delight. In the blink of an eye, the huge bowl was empty. Setting down the bowl after finishing the broth, Bai Xiaobai was covered in a warm sweat; his whole body felt much lighter, and he let out a satisfied belch. It was so delicious. The heat level of the Mild Supreme Chili Sauce was perfectly tolerable for Bai Xiaobai, though he had no idea what the Medium and Hot versions would be like. Bai Xiaobai asked the System, “System, are the three Supreme Chili Sauces the same in every way except for their heat levels?” The System displayed the text: The nutritional content of the three Supreme Chili Sauces is identical; it’s just that after being processed into a sauce using different special containers, each has a distinct level of heat. The detailed heat data for the three Supreme Chili Sauces is as follows Mild Supreme Chili Sauce: 6,666 on the Scoville scale. Suitable for beginners who are just getting into spicy food. Medium-Spicy Supreme Chili Sauce: 16,000 on the Scoville scale. Suitable for customers with an average tolerance for spice. Hot Supreme Chili Sauce: 28,000 on the Scoville scale. Suitable for customers who can’t live without spice. The system’s text actually sounds pretty professional—it even uses technical terms. Bai Xiaobai didn’t understand the Scoville scale, so she specifically looked it up on Baidu. The Scoville scale is a unit of measurement for the heat of Capsicum fruits; the higher the number, the hotter the chili. Since the system is referring to finished chili sauce—not actual chili peppers—using this scale doesn’t seem entirely accurate. However, Bai Xiaobai didn’t dwell on these details; a general understanding was enough—he just treated it as a chance to broaden his horizons. Since the system had already stated that the three Premium Chili Sauces were identical in every way except for their heat levels, Bai Xiaobai saw no need to try them one by one. After all, he could only handle mild heat; eating something extra spicy would probably turn him into a fire-breathing dragon. After clearing away his bowl and chopsticks, Bai Xiaobai quickly tidied up the shop. Just as he finished A crisp electronic voice rang out in his mind. 【The system adheres to the principle of using fresh ingredients. Therefore, the yak bone broth in the clay pot cannot be left overnight. The host may choose to drink it for free or pour it out. 】 It wasn’t until Bai Xiaobai heard the electronic voice that she realized this. She’d only sold two bowls of Supreme Beef Noodles today, so there was still quite a bit of yak bone broth left in the green double-layered clay pot. There are still so many people in the world who don’t have enough to eat; waste is shameful. Bai Xiaobai poured the remaining yak bone broth from the green double-layered clay pot into a large bowl and downed it in one gulp. The yak bone broth was indeed delicious, but it also made his stomach feel bloated. After drinking nearly half the pot of yak bone broth, Bai Xiaobai’s stomach was now as round and swollen as a frog’s. Xiao Hei kept darting back and forth between Bai Xiaobai’s legs. The little rascal’s eyes were sharp as a hawk’s; he’d already set his sights on the remaining yak bones in the clay pot. Bai Xiaobai dumped the bones onto the floor, and Xiao Hei immediately snatched one up, scampering off to a corner to gnaw on it. “I’m so stuffed,” Bai Xiaobai said, holding onto the stair railing as he shuffled step by step up to the second floor, his big belly sticking out. It’s not a good idea to take a shower right after eating too much, and besides, it had rained, so the weather had cooled down considerably. Bai Xiaobai simply dampened a towel and gave his body a thorough wipe before calling it a day. After drying off, Bai Xiaobai lay down on the bed, opened the app, and clicked on a novel he’d bookmarked. He didn’t read for long before his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Another wonderful day had come to an end. Bai Xiaobai didn’t pay much attention to the countdown for the side quest ticking away bit by bit; he continued to sleep soundly. Little did he know that a long-brewing conspiracy was silently closing in on him.
