Although the Nori Egg Drop Soup was very popular with customers, after the store upgrade, relying on this dish alone wouldn’t meet demand. He needed to add new soups.
Originally, Lin Xu planned to reap some benefits from the Fishing Platform. Unexpectedly, the system gave him a reward—and it was even Perfect Level!
So, what was he waiting for?
On the screen in his mind, the prize wheel was filled with the names of various soups: Wensi Tofu, Clear Soup with White Fungus, Boiled Cabbage in Broth, Golden Soup Fish Maw, Shrimp Soup, and so on.
Lin Xu found himself drooling over them, wishing he could feature them all in his store.
Once the prize wheel started spinning, he excitedly pressed the draw button.
Soon, the system’s notification sounded in his mind:
"Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Perfect Level soup dish—Crucian Carp Tofu Soup." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novęlfire.net
Lin Xu: What in the world?!
The wheel had displayed so many famous soups. Yet, the result was such a common, home-style dish. Surely the difference between a seller’s advertisement and the actual product on an online marketplace wasn’t usually *this* stark, right?
System, I seriously suspect you of false advertising!
Actually, this soup wasn’t bad either. It was a popular item in many restaurants. It just fell a little short compared to those famous dishes he had seen before the draw.
He remembered his senior brother had previously made Milk Soup Tofu in the store, and it was incredibly delicious. Now, he had finally mastered a similar recipe. He could have a competition with his senior brother sometime to see whose dish tasted better.
While he was thinking, Dundun, perched on Lin Xu’s shoulder and gazing at the night scenery outside, let out a soft meow.
Lin Xu patted the cat as if holding a child. "Do you want to go home? We’ll leave right away."
The attendant locked the roller shutter door, handed Lin Xu the keys, and then passed him a handbag containing all of Dundun’s toys. "Do you need us to help you take it upstairs?" he asked.
"No need, I can manage. You guys should head back."
Carrying Dundun in one arm and the bag in the other, Lin Xu leisurely returned home.
「After arriving home」
Dundun immediately ran to the cat tree to sharpen his claws for a while. Then, he chose a smaller cardboard box, stuffed his chubby self into it, and began to sleep.
Lin Xu covered him with a small blanket, went to the bathroom for a shower, changed into the lounge clothes his mother-in-law had bought him, and tossed the dirty laundry into the washing machine.
After finishing these tasks, he didn’t go to bed immediately. Instead, he sat down at his computer, opened the video footage he had shot previously, selected the store-related content, and re-edited it into a commemorative video for Lin Ji’s Food.
The video’s content was quite varied. It included his photos with customers, scenes of the packed store during peak hours, bloopers from previous video shoots, and brief appearances by Shen Jiayue and others.
Once the video was finished, he immediately chose to upload it. As it entered the review stage, he shut down the computer, hung up the freshly washed clothes from the machine, then lay in bed, chatting on his phone with his Shen Baobao.
"That Zaozhuang spicy chicken was very popular. My dad’s eyes lit up when he saw the chicken kidneys. ’Let me try some,’ he said, picking them into his own bowl."
Finally having the chance to chat, Shen Jiayue couldn’t wait to start sharing her parents’ embarrassing stories.
Lin Xu was struck by this. It seemed that sometimes, his future in-laws didn’t advocate for ’spare the rod and spoil the child’ out of principle, but simply wanted an outlet for their frustration.
Who would have thought this girl would share her parents’ embarrassing stories with her boyfriend?
If this conversation continues, I’ll end up knowing all of my future in-laws’ secrets! he thought, and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. "I haven’t had time to make the Crab Buns I promised you. But I can start once I get to the Fishing Platform. My senior brother said their kitchen just received a batch of premium crabs, a seasonal delicacy. They’ll be perfect for me to practice with."
Shen Jiayue felt a little sheepish. She’d only mentioned it offhand, but days later, Lin Xu still remembered and was even explaining his plans to her. I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend!
She said with a smile, "You work so hard; honestly, it’s okay if you don’t make them."
It’s not that I’m dying to make them either, but why does everything related to you have to trigger a reward task? Lin Xu smiled helplessly.
Making the Crab Buns would reward him with an Excellent Level seafood dish. Although it was only Excellent Level, upgrading it would be quite easy once he mastered the dish. For instance, using a dish upgrade card or having his senior brother explain the recipe could trigger the dish’s upgrade mechanism.
To prevent the task from failing, he gave her an advance warning, "If they don’t taste good, you can’t dislike them, okay?"
"Of course not! As long as you make it, anything will be delicious."
Okay, with that assurance, I’m much more confident about completing the Crab Bun task.
While the two of them were chatting, the discussion thread for Lin Ji’s Food was buzzing with excitement.
The prize draw had just concluded.
The top twenty netizens with the most likes all received the promised prize money.
This made other netizens envious, and they also started looking forward to the next bounty.
Fat Guy with a Slim Waist: Are there more bounties ? My mind is overflowing with jokes about Boss Lin; they’re constantly swirling in my head!
Shuangyashan Wensheng: Me too, me too! Ah, it’s such a pity I found out too late. My ’Boss Lin Battles the Egyptian Queen’ didn’t get many likes, so I missed out on the grand prize!
Liang Mountain is So Dry: My ’Boss Lin’s Night Attack on the Ultraman Saintess’ also went unrecognized—it’s a pity people nowadays don’t appreciate true quality.
I Can’t Stand By as a Keyboard Warrior: Who can understand the pain of ranking 21st?