"That big face, that large head... it’s definitely a British Shorthair Blue Pig."
"Its little eyes look so confused, haha, I wanna pet him!"
Dundun’s big face suddenly filled the entire screen, and the viewers watching the video instantly started sending bullet comments.
Especially after seeing Dundun’s puzzled expression, they couldn’t help but chuckle.
However, not long after the little guy appeared, the proprietress, Shen Jiayue, suddenly showed up in the video and swooped in to carry away the curious Dundun.
"Wow! The proprietress made a flash appearance!"
"Just for the proprietress showing up, I’m definitely throwing in my Coins!"
"When she picked up the kitty, for a moment I didn’t know who to be more envious of."
"Having such a beautiful girlfriend and such a well-behaved cat, what kind of life-winner script does Lin Ji have?"
"As expected of Huangfu Ergou, my lifelong rival. Truly terrifying!"
In the video, Lin Xu continued to explain the shaping techniques of Shakima.
Just when everyone thought they wouldn’t see the cat named Dundun again, a dark shadow flashed by, and the adorable little creature reappeared on screen.
The octopus tripod was quite low, and Dundun, being a full-grown British Blue, was relatively large.
That’s why this time Dundun appeared in the video from a low-angle shot. As he slowly approached the camera, he looked like a giant black panther walking towards the screen.
"Oh my gosh! Is this a mouse’s-eye view?"
"No wonder mice are afraid of cats. From this angle, cats really do seem oppressive."
"Mommy, a kitty is showing its claws at me!"
"Help! It wants to kill me!"
However, just as his paws were raised, the little guy was snatched up by Shen Jiayue again. That forlorn little expression instantly amused the viewers.
"Oh my god, this cat is hilarious."
"I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts!"
"Liked, shared, and followed! Hoping for more kitty appearances later on."
"Liked, shared, and followed! All for Dundun!"
And so, viewers began sharing the video before even finishing it. Surely, more people deserved to see such an adorable cat?
Towards the end of the video, Dundun appeared for a third time.
When they saw him obediently nestled in Lin Xu’s arms, many viewers felt a surge of jealousy, as if they’d eaten a truckload of lemons.
"Sob, sob... My cat never lets me hold it!"
"Mine too! It always looks at me as if I’m an idiot."
"When Boss Lin picked him up, he actually rubbed his face against him!!!"
"I wish I had such a well-behaved little kitty."
Normally, there wouldn’t be any vacant seats after 11:30 AM, but today, it was packed by 11:15 AM.
Many new customers became fans of Lin Ji’s Food before they even finished their meals.
"Wow, these noodles are genuinely authentic!"
"They really are! Chewy and smooth, and the topping is fragrant."
"A few bites of noodles followed by a piece of Lotus Root—it’s so refreshing and appetizing."
"You have to try these Chicken Feet; they’re absolutely superb!"
The first few elderly men and women had originally come just to see the cat, not particularly minding what they ate.
But once the noodles were served, they discovered, much to their surprise, how delicious the restaurant’s food was.
Not only were the noodles tasty, but the Lotus Root and Tiger Skin Chicken Feet were also exceptionally delicious.
"Old Liang, since the kids aren’t coming home and it’s so hot today, how about we eat here for lunch and dinner from now on? I think these hand-pulled noodles are as good as the ones you used to make when you were young," said Uncle Zhou softly. He was wearing a baseball cap and even added a compliment for his wife.
Grandma Liang wasn’t swayed. "We can eat here, but you mustn’t overdo it. The doctor said you need to eat small, frequent meals and cut down on meat, especially. It’s hard to digest, so you really should eat less of it."
Sitting across from them, Professor Xu, who had retired several years ago, chuckled and said, "Old Zhou, you’re still such a smooth talker, even in your old age."
Mrs. Xu, by his side, grumbled, "You and Old Zhou have been friends your whole lives, and I’ve never heard you say anything that sweet to me."
"I’m a scholar, you see. I have to be rigorous. Glibness doesn’t get you far in academia. Old Zhou, on the other hand, went into management, where you can’t get by without being diplomatic."
Professor Xu was about to expound on the relationship between career paths and personality when his attention was caught by several couriers bringing in boxes of food containers and outer packaging.
Of course, that wasn’t the important part. What mattered were the four calligraphic characters for "Lin Ji’s Food" on the packaging.
He composed himself and nudged Mrs. Xu with his elbow. "Old Xue, you’ve worked at the art gallery your whole life. Take a quick look—isn’t that Mr. Lishan’s handwriting?"
Upon hearing Mr. Lishan’s name, Old Zhou and his wife, sitting across the table, also turned their heads curiously.
They happened to see Lin Xu by the kitchen doorway, fiddling with the packaging bags.
The four characters for "Lin Ji’s Food" were particularly distinct.
"It really is Mr. Lishan’s handwriting! That hook, that sweep... they all carry his unique style," Auntie Xue said with conviction after putting on her glasses and examining the characters carefully.
"*Hiss*... Isn’t Mr. Lishan’s calligraphy said to be priceless? What kind of connections does this young man have to get Mr. Lishan to write an inscription for him?"
"Indeed, his work is incredibly rare. Ever since he was so angered by ’ugly calligraphy’ that he withdrew from the Calligraphers’ Association, very little of his ink has surfaced."
"It seems we’ll have to frequent this little shop. Maybe we’ll even run into Mr. Lishan himself one day."
"Exactly! We must come often!"
Lin Xu, busy inspecting the new cutlery and the packaging for takeout meals, was oblivious to the fact that several elderly patrons were already planning to make his shop their regular canteen.
The takeout containers and utensils were of superb quality.
The palace-wall red design of the takeout containers was particularly striking, looking both traditionally elegant and modernly appealing, a perfect fit for Lin Ji’s Food.
Lin Xu immediately messaged the manufacturer to start mass production.
He ordered an initial run of ten thousand units each for the takeout containers, bags, and disposable cutlery, while the restaurant’s reusable cutlery would start with five hundred sets.
After finalizing the details, he paid the deposit as stipulated in the electronic contract and then returned to the kitchen to get back to work.
「Two o’clock in the afternoon.」
The lunch rush at the shop finally died down.
Lin Xu took off his chef’s hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was about to check the time on his phone when he realized his follower count on the short-video platform had surpassed ten thousand.
The platform had even sent him a content creation incentive contract.
He remembered his account only having two or three thousand followers, most of whom had come over from Wu Kexin’s fanbase.
He hadn’t expected his follower count to break ten thousand in the time it took for the lunch service to end.
This growth rate is way too fast, isn’t it?
He opened the short-video platform and saw that the video he’d uploaded at noon had already surpassed fifty thousand views, with countless likes and Coins.
The comment section was filled with posts about Dundun.
Everyone unanimously requested more screen time for the cat.
Besides comments about Dundun, most others were suggestions, like preparing scripts in advance or improving his editing skills—areas where Lin Xu knew his videos were lacking.
Lin Xu knew his production skills weren’t up to par.
But how could he gain more experience in making short videos?
As he was pondering this, a system prompt sounded in his mind:
"The host desires to acquire Life Skills. Sideline quest ’Skill Expansion’ triggered: Please secure a catering order for a group of no fewer than 200 people within one week. Upon completion, the Life Skills section in the Points Shop will be unlocked. The host can then use points to exchange for various Life Skills."
Is it trying to make me an all-around chef?
First Chapter of the day! Brothers, please vote with your Monthly Tickets!