Culinary Expert

Chapter 39: The Allure of Supreme Beef Noodles (Part 2)

Seeing the man in the suit eating with such relish, Wei Hai casually suggested, “Hey, buddy, if you add some Supreme Chili Sauce to these noodles, that’s when you’ll experience the absolute pinnacle of flavor.” The man in the suit was genuinely surprised to hear Wei Hai say this. In fact, the beef noodles he was eating right then were already incredibly delicious. Just how good would that “ultimate taste” have to be? Because he’d been working in sales for years, the man in the suit was often busy and ate irregularly, so he’d developed a stomach condition at a young age. His attending physician advised him to avoid spicy food. But the man in the suit was born in Shuchuan Province and had loved spicy food since childhood—back in elementary school, he’d even bring a string of dried chili peppers to school as a snack. How could he possibly bear to give up spicy food? You can’t ignore a doctor’s advice, but you don’t have to follow it to the letter either. “ “Boss, give me a serving of chili sauce, too.” The man in the suit decided to take the plunge—he was simply too curious to know what the ultimate flavor was like. “Supreme Chili Sauce comes in mild, medium, and hot—all priced at 66 yuan. Which one would you like?” Bai Xiaobai gave a brief introduction. The man in the suit had originally wanted the hot version, but thinking of his stomach, he finally changed his mind and said, “I’ll take the mild one, then. ” “Sure. Just a moment.” Bai Xiaobai nimbly dashed into the kitchen, quickly measured out 5 ml of Supreme Chili Sauce, poured it onto a small white plate, then stepped out of the kitchen and deftly handed it to the man in the suit. The man in the suit spooned all the chili sauce onto his beef noodle soup, stirred it lightly, and slurped another mouthful. Having gone without spicy food for so long, this first bite was incredibly satisfying. The Supreme Beef Noodles, enhanced with Supreme Chili Sauce, truly took the flavor to the next level. Set against the spicy and aromatic backdrop of the chili sauce, the rich flavor of the noodles stood out even more. This chili sauce was spicy and aromatic, with a subtle beefy note and a faint, almost imperceptible fruity aroma—perhaps from a small amount of fruit juice blended in—making it absolutely exquisite. The man in the suit has almost exacting standards when it comes to chili sauce; he’s always felt that chili sauces from other regions just don’t measure up to the aromatic heat of his hometown, Shuchuan Province. But the flavor of the chili sauce in his mouth right now is an exception—it’s nearly perfect. Even if he were nitpicking, he couldn’t find a single flaw. Most importantly, when he swallowed this chili sauce, it didn’t leave that burning, stinging sensation—instead, it was very mild, leaving his stomach feeling warm and incredibly comfortable. It’s honestly way better than those “Monkey Mushroom Cookies” and “Monkey Mushroom Rice Porridge” they’re always advertising on TV. Slurp, slurp Ignoring the hungry stares of those around him, the man in the suit devoured the food, taking one big bite after another. Wei Hai, sitting nearby, was eating even more voraciously; his cheeks were bulging, yet he kept shoveling noodles into his mouth with his chopsticks. Wei Hai and the man in the suit looked like they were in a noodle-eating contest, and the sounds they made were unusually loud—almost as if they were doing it on purpose. It made the customers around them unconsciously swallow hard. The “Supreme Tea Eggs” they’d eaten earlier were barely enough to fill their teeth; they weren’t full at all, so how could they possibly resist this temptation? “Do you guys really have to eat with such gusto? is it really that good?” The short-haired young man was already dying of envy just watching without being able to eat any himself. After hesitating repeatedly, he gritted his teeth and said, “Mr. Bai, give me a bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles, too.” “Sure, just a moment,” Bai Xiaobai thought to himself, overjoyed. This was the third regular customer to order the Supreme Beef Noodles, which meant the side quest was as good as complete. Just as Bai Xiaobai was about to head to the kitchen to prepare the Supreme Beef Noodles, the thrifty old man sitting nearby seemed to have been inspired as well, forgetting all about his pitifully meager nest egg. “Young chef, I’ll have a bowl of that too. I want to try your Supreme Beef Noodles.” “Sure. Any other customers who’d like some?” There were still a few customers in the shop, so Bai Xiaobai decided to ask them all at once to save himself the trouble of going back and forth. “Mr. Bai, I’ll have a bowl too,” said the middle-aged man who’d eaten his tea egg the fastest. In the end, he couldn’t resist the alluring aroma of the noodles. “Sure.” The remaining customers in the shop were on the fence, glancing at one another in silence. Bai Xiaobai already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. To him, who knew the inside story, the 399-yuan Supreme Beef Noodles were quite a bargain—both in terms of ingredient selection and nutritional value—but to be honest, that price was still pretty steep. After all, not everyone is Wei Hai, who has money to burn and can order whatever he wants. Take that down-to-earth guy with no money in his pocket, for example. After looking at the Supreme Beef Noodles, he could only sigh and walk away. He wanted to eat it, but he simply couldn’t afford it. He was a working-class guy living on a minimum wage. After deducting monthly expenses for food, rent, utilities, and the allowance he sent back home to his elderly parents, he had barely any pocket money left. Just to eat a “Supreme” tea-eggs, he’d already dipped into the savings he’d set aside for his wedding. Of course, aside from customers like this down-to-earth guy who want to eat but can’t afford it, there are also those who feel the “Supreme Beef Noodles” are all show and no substance—a gimmick designed to attract attention—and simply not worth 399 yuan. No matter which type of customer it was, Bai Xiaobai had absolutely no intention of trying to keep them. After all, you can’t force a cow to drink water—there’s no point in forcing someone against their will. Business is all about mutual satisfaction. Those willing to spend will do so on their own without prompting; those unwilling to spend won’t be swayed no matter how much you try to talk them into it. As for Zhu Yufei, she fell silent for a moment. She was extremely eager to try the Supreme Beef Noodles. But it was already nearly 8:00 a. m. , and if she ate now, she’d likely be late for work. After weighing her options carefully, Zhu Yufei asked, “Boss, there’s no limit on how many Supreme Beef Noodles you sell, right? Can I come back for lunch?” “Sure. There’s no limit. I’m open for lunch too.” Bai Xiaobai was very patient with potential customers. After receiving a positive answer, Zhu Yufei beamed with a radiant smile, clacked her high heels, and hurried off to work. The customers who hadn’t ordered the Supreme Beef Noodles had gradually dispersed. Except for Wei Hai and the man in the suit, who were still competing to see who could finish their noodles faster. The rest—the young man with short hair, the middle-aged man, and the elderly gentleman—who had ordered the Supreme Beef Noodles were all sitting at their tables chatting. As for Bai Xiaobai, he returned to the kitchen and got back to work. He had not only completed the side quest well ahead of schedule but had even exceeded expectations. Thinking of this, Bai Xiaobai felt as energized as if he’d been injected with adrenaline, and pulling the noodles came with remarkable ease. Snap… snap… Strands of noodles, as white and slender as dragons, emerged from his hands. After the noodles were boiled in the rolling water, he scooped them into large bowls already filled with yak bone broth. Sizzle… sizzle… The freshly grilled beef was sliced with a butcher’s knife and arranged on the beef noodle soup like a peacock spreading its tail. The blanched Chinese mustard greens were arranged as a garnish around the edges of the grilled beef noodle soup. All done! Bai Xiaobai loaded three bowls of Supreme Beef Noodle Soup onto a large tray and served them to the young man with short hair, the middle-aged man, and the elderly gentleman. Wei Hai and the man in the suit had already finished eating. Both bowls were completely empty, not a single drop of broth left. “Mr. Bai, your Supreme Beef Noodles are seriously impressive—I’m blown away.” The man in the suit wiped his mouth after finishing and generously pulled out his money to pay. Although it’s pricey, it truly lives up to the saying “you get what you pay for”—it’s so much better than those ordinary beef noodle soups you find out there.