SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: The Self-Cultivation of a Bowl of Noodles
Chapter 2: The Self-Cultivation of a Bowl of Noodles
Liu Yang shook his head with a smile. It was a nice thought, but he should focus on the basics first.
The system said he needed to accumulate a hundred reward points to reach the supreme level?
Then he should start with the simplest dishes: twice-cooked pork, shredded pork with green peppers, boiled fish... Wait, it seemed he could turn all these into charcoal!
Never mind, never mind, one should eat one's meals one bite at a time, and achieve goals one by one.
First, set a small goal: accumulate ten reward points, at least enough to ensure customers don't rush to the hospital after their meal.
Once he reaches fifty, maybe he could replace the Parkinson's-stricken fan in the shop.
"Dingling—"
The wind chime rang as a delivery guy stumbled in, looking like a Tibetan Mastiff weighing two hundred pounds was chasing him.
He nearly collided with the wall; if he had, the shop would have gained a new "wall mural."
Drenched, rainwater streamed down his raincoat, pooling on the floor.
"Boss..."
His face pale, he leaned against the door frame, panting weakly:
"Could you help me get something to eat? Anything will do! I've got hypoglycemia and need to eat something."
Liu Yang looked at the heavy rain outside, then at the delivery guy's Quasimodo-like face:
"Sure, wait a moment, don't faint!"
He thought to himself that if a customer collapsed here, his business would be doomed. This dilapidated shop had enough bad luck; it couldn't withstand such a折腾.
He quickly prepared a bowl of sugar water and watched as the guy downed it in one go, retreating half a step from the gates of hell, his face regaining a bit of human color.
As Liu Yang turned to go to the kitchen, he suddenly froze as if struck by lightning: Wait a minute!
Wasn't this the first opportunity since the system arrived?
So why wait?
Make a bowl of noodles!
Although in the past, his noodles were basically "bleaching"—white noodles shining, and the soup was worryingly white.
But things were different now; he had a system on his side!
This bowl of noodles was his first step in returning from the "dark cuisine world" to the "human food world"!
The cooking knowledge imparted by the system flooded into his mind instantly, feeling like he had crammed a hundred episodes of a cooking show into his brain:
How chewy the noodles should be, how rich the soup should be, how much seasoning to add, how much heat to use...
Why not innovate? Give the noodles an artistic shape?
But then he thought better of it; it would be troublesome if he starved the delivery guy to the point of fainting.
The knowledge provided by the system was reliable, but his skills might not keep up.
Liu Yang took a deep breath: Let's do this, betting on this bowl of noodles!
As Liu Yang was about to cautiously reach for the spatula, he suddenly noticed his hand wasn't shaking anymore!
Well, whatever, with the system in hand, let's take a chance!
While boiling water over high heat, he quickly chopped green onions, his knife rising and falling in one fluid motion.
Although the chopped green onions were uneven in size, they were better than his previous attempts that looked like he was chopping bones.
He no longer needed to look around for seasonings; how much to add and when to add it were as if he had an automatic reminder in his mind.
The heat for cooking the noodles was just right, not making the noodles soft like rubber bands.
Before serving, he added some secret seasoning—skills he picked up from watching videos, which came in handy now.
In less than ten minutes, a steaming bowl of noodles was ready.
The speed surprised even himself.
This system was really impressive!
If it were before, he would have spent a long time just figuring out how much seasoning to add.
"Here's the noodles!" Liu Yang didn't know why he was so happy as he served this anticipation to the delivery guy's table.
The delivery guy, seeing how quickly the noodles were served, was skeptical: Was this instant noodle cooked too fast?
However, the appearance was surprisingly good.
He picked up his chopsticks, not caring if it was hot, and took a big bite first.
He was ready to pretend it was delicious, after all, they took him in during the heavy rain; he couldn't say it was bad...
But after one bite, he was stunned.
Liu Yang saw him suddenly motionless and his heart also tightened: Oh no, he's going to spit it out!
If the first customer was poisoned by him, he might as well rename the shop "Poison House."
"My goodness!" The delivery guy suddenly exclaimed,
"Boss, your noodles... are amazing! The taste of the soup, the chewiness of the noodles, the combination of ingredients, it's perfect!"
As he spoke, he took out his phone: "Wait a minute, I have to take a photo and check in. I've been delivering for so long, and this is the first time I've encountered such a delicious noodle shop!"
"Ding! A delicious dish has been made, and 1 reward point has been obtained!"
Liu Yang was still immersed in the guy's praise when the system prompt sounded, reminding him: Right, this was his first reward point!
The delivery guy immediately began to gobble up the noodles.
Who would have thought that his first reward point was obtained by a bowl of life-saving plain noodles?
"Boss, how much does it cost?" After finishing the noodles, the guy's face was much rosier, and he no longer looked like a ghost.
"On the house," Liu Yang waved his hand, "Consider it a perk for the first good review of our shop."
"That's not okay! Such delicious noodles must be paid for!"
The guy insisted on paying and gave the shop a five-star review on his phone,
"I tell you, boss, if you're not popular with this level of skill, there's no justice in the world!"
After seeing the delivery guy off, Liu Yang looked at the first good review on his phone, unable to close his mouth from joy.
This was the first five-star review he had received in half a year!
Previous reviews were "edible," "passable," "close to the restroom"—words that made life seem unbearable.
He looked at the system prompt:
"Current reward points: 1/100"
"99 reward points needed to reach the supreme level"
Tsk, this prompt was as glaring as looking at a bank account balance.
But there was plenty of time; as he accumulated points slowly, one day he would be able to...
"Dingling—" The wind chime at the door rang again.