"Hello, welcome!"
Shen Jiayue had just walked into Lin Ji's Food. The boy standing at the kitchen entrance greeted her proactively.
"Hello, I'd like a bowl of…"
Shen Jiayue had just started to speak when Lin Xu, who was cooking noodles, looked up curiously.
"Shen Jiayue?"
After all, she was an old classmate he had known for four years. As soon as Shen Jiayue spoke, Lin Xu recognized her voice.
Last night, their classmates had messaged asking about the restaurant, including Shen Jiayue. At that time, this classmate had enthusiastically congratulated Lin Xu on becoming a boss. Lin Xu had also told her to come by for a meal when she had time. That was just a polite remark, and he'd never expected Shen Jiayue to actually show up.
Lin Xu asked her, "Tell me what you'd like to eat, my treat."
Shen Jiayue smiled brightly. "You ate so many of my snacks during class; you definitely owe me a meal."
Upon seeing Lin Xu, Shen Jiayue couldn't help but recall the updates she saw last night under the Lin Ji's Food topic. Those customers actually described this guy as the Demon King.
Hmph! Is there such a handsome Demon King?
But looking at the customers' reviews, she saw another side of Lin Xu. Back in school, Lin Xu had been like an easygoing boy next door, fond of playing basketball, video games, and liked to play on his phone or sleep in the back row during class. But Lin Xu, the restaurant owner, was focused, passionate, and dedicated to his customers.
What girl wouldn't like a guy like that?
Watching the two of them chatting and laughing, Panda nudged the boy gently. "What are you spacing out for? Get her a drink."
It's obvious this beauty is quite familiar with Boss Lin. Maybe she'll even become the lady boss of Lin Ji's Food in the future. As an employee, if you don't start currying favor now, you're really unperceptive, aren't you?
The boy hurried over and asked, "What would you like to drink? I'll get it for you."
Shen Jiayue said, "Just some mineral water will do." Then she turned to Lin Xu and asked, "Which noodles here are the tastiest? I want to try them all, but I can't eat much… I probably can't even finish a small bowl…"
Want to try them all?
Lin Xu pondered for a moment, then told her, "Then sit tight for a bit. I'll make you a bowl of 'Three-in-One' Hand-pulled Noodles." He then called to the boy, "Get Jiayue a few Chicken Feet to try."
'Three-in-One' Hand-pulled Noodles?
Panda and Old Gao, who were eating noodles, both perked up their ears. They were very curious about how these 'Three-in-One' Hand-pulled Noodles were combined.
I really want to try it, but alas, I'm not a beauty… Panda sighed and continued eating his noodles with the Chicken Feet.
The guy who had just complained about the price was now only focused on eating his noodles, having even forgotten to play with his phone. As for the five Chicken Feet per person, he had long since gobbled them all up. He'd barely spat out any bones. While eating, his gaze kept darting to Panda's plate of Chicken Feet, clearly not having had enough.
Panda smiled gently. Not so expensive now, huh?
With Boss Lin's culinary skills, it would be hard to find a match in all of Beijing.
「Meanwhile」
After Shen Jiayue sat down, she was about to tell Lin Xu she didn't eat braised dishes when the boy brought the Chicken Feet over.
When she saw the Tiger Skin Chicken Feet on the plate, Shen Jiayue's eyes widened. How can these Chicken Feet be so big? They're almost the size of goose feet, right?
To be polite, she tried a small bite, then got hooked. A mild spiciness mingled with a rich savory aroma, and each bite released a burst of delicious juices in her mouth.
It's marvelous! No wonder these customers are enjoying their food so much. My old classmate's culinary skills are truly amazing!
"SIZZLE…"
Lin Xu ladled half a spoonful of hot oil over the chili powder sprinkled on the noodles, and a fragrant, spicy aroma instantly rose. He then ladled a small half-spoonful of the tomato and egg topping and another of the Squash Diced Sauce into the bowl. The so-called 'Three-in-One' Hand-pulled Noodles were thus complete.
When he brought the noodles over to Shen Jiayue, this beautiful classmate was, at that moment, completely forgetting her composure, clutching a chicken foot and nibbling away with gusto.
Lin Xu remembered this classmate who had suddenly visited. She was beautiful, with a good figure. She liked to carry various snacks in her bag but didn't eat much herself, as she was the captain of the school's aerobics team and had to strictly maintain her figure. Back then, Lin Xu, because he often played basketball, was always hungry in class. And Shen Jiayue would magically produce various snacks to share: imported blueberries, premium preserved fruits, French cookies, and other snacks with packaging covered in English—she was just like Doraemon.
After eating so many of her snacks, it's finally time to repay the favor.
Lin Xu sighed softly, placing the bowl in front of Shen Jiayue.
Just as he was about to speak, a dozen or so customers bustled into the shop.
"Still didn't guess right! It's actually Tiger Skin Chicken Feet."
"I didn't guess right either. I saw Panda's post about the betting pool; it seemed like no one guessed correctly."
"Sigh, who would have thought it'd be Tiger Skin Chicken Feet?"
"Boss, we'll have four Chicken Feet each, a bottle of beer, and a big bowl of Oil-poured Noodles."
"Finally, some food to go with our drinks! We've got to have a couple of glasses at least."
"…"
Lin Xu acknowledged them, said, "Enjoy your meal," and turned to enter the kitchen.
Shen Jiayue, who was gnawing on a chicken foot: "…"
AHHH, my image is completely ruined! Why did I eat them with my bare hands? And now both my hands are greasy. He must have seen everything. And I was just focused on wrestling with these Chicken Feet, completely oblivious!
Shen Jiayue was internally screaming, extremely annoyed at her behavior.
Shen Jiayue, oh Shen Jiayue, you're 22 years old, how could you… Hm? What's that delicious smell?
She looked down. There was a bowl placed before her. On the left was the tomato and egg topping, full of fresh savory aroma; on the right, the richly fragrant Squash Diced Sauce; and in the middle, the intensely spicy oil-poured chili.
Is this… the 'Three-in-One' Hand-pulled Noodles?
Shen Jiayue forgot about her self-reflection and irritation for a moment. She absentmindedly licked the chicken bone in her hand, then threw away the bone, roughly wiped her hands with a napkin, and grabbed the chopsticks that were on the table.
Following the tutorial under the Lin Ji's Food topic: stir it first. Mix the noodles thoroughly with the toppings and sauce. Coat the noodles thoroughly before eating. That way, they'll taste even better.
These noodles are indeed…
She resisted the temptation, mixed the noodles well, and then took a bite. Instantly, she was immersed in the aroma of the noodles. The well-mixed noodles were coated in the savory tomato and egg topping, the rich Squash Diced Sauce, and the fragrant, spicy oil-poured chili. The three flavors blended together, combined with the springy texture of the noodles.
It's absolutely amazing!
Last night, browsing through the posts under the Lin Ji's Food topic, she had thought some of them were exaggerated and unbelievable. After all, Lin Xu just made noodles. Was it really necessary to shower it with such flowery praise?
But now, after tasting Lin Xu's hand-pulled noodles, she not only wanted to shower his cooking with praise, she wanted to shout it from the rooftops!
AHHH, it's so delicious! It gets tastier with every bite!
Lin Xu treated me to such delicious 'Three-in-One' Hand-pulled Noodles and Chicken Feet. How should I repay him?
While eating, Shen Jiayue's mind was filled with thoughts. Suddenly, she remembered her cousin had recently opened an MCN company and was planning to venture into the world of live streaming.
Why not… ask my cousin to get a few internet celebrities to do some live-streamed store reviews at the shop?