"I heard the clothing store sold for a pretty penny, but it’s still not enough to fill the hole their kid dug. Raising such a child is more troublesome than having a cat, I tell you."
Yu, the head of the Yingchun Street Information Station, had finished his bean juice and arrived at the shop. As he played with Dundun using a cat teaser, he shared the latest intelligence gathered by the station.
Online gambling and borrowing are things one should never touch. But now, with consumerism reigning supreme and many people harboring get-rich-quick dreams, such incidents are increasingly rampant. Lin Xu could only heave a sigh at this. He too had once fantasized about striking it rich overnight. But after opening the restaurant and being busy all day to the point of not having a moment to rest, he no longer had time to entertain such idle thoughts. Even his bad habits like staying up late, sleeping in, gaming, and idly browsing his phone had all improved. So, as they say, keeping busy solves a myriad of problems.
"Will there be a new dish at noon today?" After sharing his report, Yu began to think about food. The stir-fried beef he had tried the day before yesterday was his favorite. He’d never expected beef could be made so tender. It led him, a devoted noodle-eater, to unprecedentedly consume two bowls of rice for the first time.
Lin Xu said, "Today I need to go to the Fishing Platform, and I won’t have time to cook. But don’t forget to come for lunch, because several chefs from the Fishing Platform will be here to help with the cooking."
What? Chefs from the Fishing Platform are going to cook here?
Having had Xie Baomin’s cuisine, Yu knew about the standard of chefs at the Fishing Platform State Guesthouse. So upon hearing Lin Xu’s words, he quickly phoned his daughter who taught at the high school and his son who was a police officer, instructing them both to make sure they came to eat at the supermarket during lunchtime. Indeed, his first thought upon encountering good food was always his children. Yu was truly a considerate elder.
"Lin, have your parents send over more wild mushrooms through express delivery sometime. I’ve been craving them ever since I tasted them last time."
Chen Meijuan had made wild mushroom noodle soup that day, and Yu was fortunate enough to have a bowl. He was then completely won over by the delicious flavor of the wild mushrooms. He had been waiting for the shop to make it again, but the mushrooms were given away—some to his father-in-law, some to Tan Yajun, and some to Xie Baomin—until they were all gone.
"You have to wait a few more days. Right now, the mushrooms are fresh and need to be dried before they can be sent by mail, otherwise they would just rot during transport."
Wild mushrooms are delicate. They need to be dehydrated within a few hours of picking. Once turned into dried products, they can then be mailed or transported.
As they were talking, a business vehicle with a Fishing Platform State Guesthouse pass slowly stopped at the door. The door slid open, and several people in their thirties, dressed in chef’s uniforms, stepped out of the vehicle.
Xie Baomin got out from the passenger side and said to the chefs, "Let’s go, this is my junior brother’s store. You’ll be cooking the dishes exactly as they are on the menu today."
Seeing the relaxed expressions on everyone’s faces, he reminded them, "This place serves over five hundred bowls of rice and two to three hundred bowls of hand-pulled noodles every meal. The workload is enormous, so prepare yourselves mentally. Don’t let the Fishing Platform down."
The customer flow here was far greater than at the Fishing Platform. The first time Xie Baomin helped at Lin Ji, he too was caught off guard by the sheer volume of work in the kitchen.
The group pushed the doors open and entered.
"Junior brother, I’ve brought the people. Give them their instructions and organize the division of labor, so that Niu Chuan and the others can also coordinate well."
Lin Xu nodded, walked into the kitchen, and began to assign tasks to the visiting chefs. Niu Chuan and the others were very cooperative. After all, they were excited to work with these industry experts from the Fishing Platform, hoping to learn a thing or two from them.
「Half an hour later.」
Lin Xu, holding Dundun and accompanied by Shen Jiayue who had taken time off to come, got into the business vehicle parked at the entrance.
After closing the doors, Xie Baomin, sitting in the passenger seat, smiled and said, "Junior brother, today’s competition will be live-streamed, and not just by one broadcaster. While you’re competing, you also need to watch your manners, so you don’t end up as a meme by the netizens."
Live-streaming? The Fishing Platform is really going all out for promotion. But the trouble with their occupancy and seating rates being low is the high barrier to entry, not a lack of fame. When it comes to recognition, what other restaurant in the country could compare with the Fishing Platform?
Lin Xu said, "I’ll be careful... Is Master also going today?"
"Yes, he’ll go. He is the special advisor for cuisine at the Fishing Platform, and he must attend such a significant event."
Master hasn’t shown up for several days. I wonder how his romantic endeavors are progressing and how his relationships with Lucy and the others are faring... I’m so eager for some gossip!
The car headed toward the Fishing Platform. Dundun straightened his plump body in Lin Xu’s arms, paws against the car window, staring blankly outside. It seemed this was the first time he’d attentively watched the scenery pass by. He had ridden in Shen Jiayue’s car when he was first adopted, but at that time, he was in a cat carrier and couldn’t see anything.
When they passed by the high school where Geng Lele studied, Lin Xu caught sight of the mushroom-headed figure standing by the roadside. He asked the driver to pull over.
Before the car fully stopped, Shen Jiayue rolled down the window and shouted to Geng Lele at the school gate, "Lele, you’re skipping school again!"
"I’m not! I have a leave slip sanctioned by the head teacher!"
PFFT! Everyone knows by now that the leave slips from your head teacher are forged by you.
Geng Lele bounced over, and upon seeing Dundun also peering out the car window, she got even more excited: