This time, Chen Mo handled every move with the utmost caution, as if walking on thin ice.
At this moment, he was not just concerned about whether these five servings of fried rice were delicious; he was shouldering the innocence of a middle-aged man!
Old Zhao looked at Chen Mo, tears nearly streaming down his face, unsure if it was from the pain of having his ear pulled or from the tension.
The chopped ham and squid were placed in two large bowls, with small plates of onion pieces and chili powder on the side.
Start the wok, ignite the fire!
The intense flames burst from the stove like a fire dragon, only to be subdued by the wok before they could soar!
This time, Chen Mo chose lard instead of peanut oil.
The reason for not using lard before was simple; there wasn't much left...
The white pork quickly melted under the fierce flames. Leveraging the experience he recently acquired and the progress bar in front of him, Chen Mo seized the moment when the oil was at seventy percent heat, holding two eggs in each hand.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The rapid movements were dizzying, leaving Old Liu and Brother Squid stunned.
And you say you're not a culinary god?
Four servings of fried rice, eight eggs, all went into the wok. With the display of [perfect×8] before his eyes, Chen Mo smiled in satisfaction.
The spatula rapidly stirred the eggs, each motion causing the egg mixture to solidify at a visibly quick pace, only to be broken again by the spatula.
Once the egg mixture was almost entirely solidified, Chen Mo intently watched the progress bar in front of him, precisely adding the onion pieces the moment the glowing orb hit the blinking point.
Sizzle~
The lard that hadn't been absorbed by the eggs met the onions with a loud sizzle, accompanied by a rich wok aroma.
[perfect×9!]
Chen Mo maintained his movements, starting to perform the less familiar action of tossing the wok with his left hand.
The golden rice grains and nearly translucent onion pieces danced in the air, releasing a rich aroma as they fell back into the wok.
Next, the ham cubes and squid pieces were added, blending together then separating, looking distinct but with flavors already perfectly interwoven.
[perfect×11!]
When Chen Mo poured all five servings of rice into the wok, his left hand clearly struggled with the tossing, but having timed it well, the system still awarded a perfect rating.
The top layer was freshly cooked, but the rice was actually leftover, repeatedly pressed and stirred in the wok by Chen Mo. As the temperature slightly rose, the grains became distinct, with no visible clumps even upon close inspection!
The brother-in-law watching nearby was already dumbfounded.
Not because the aroma was overwhelming, but because...
The brother-in-law staggered back two steps, coming up to Old Zhao, "Why does the young boss keep twitching while cooking?"
Old Zhao thought to himself, I just got here today and was dragged to the foot spa; how would I know?
But now in a disadvantaged position, he didn't dare to be too bold, "Maybe it's a habit of experts, you know, some experts always have habits different from ordinary people."
The brother-in-law nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered his motive today, feigning a threatening look, "If the fried rice isn't good, don't blame me for not calling you brother-in-law anymore!"
Old Zhao felt bitter.
His fate, resting on a bowl of fried rice, wasn't that ridiculous?
Old Zhao gazed at Chen Mo with hopeful eyes, silently praying: this fried rice must be supremely delicious!
Wielding the spatula vigorously, beads of sweat appeared on Chen Mo's forehead. With the increasing counts of [perfect], his tension grew, muscles in both arms taut.
The progress bar in front of him flashed again.
[Soy sauce: perfect×15!]
The timing for adding soy sauce was impeccable. Once the soy sauce perfectly blended with all ingredients in the wok.
[Chili powder: perfect×18!]
The soy sauce colored the rice a pleasant light brown, and with the addition of chili powder, the rice acquired an even more enticing hue.
[Freestyle Mixed Fried Rice: perfect×19!]
As the final progress bar appeared, Chen Mo swiftly turned off the heat and removed the wok from the stove. A massive batch of perfect level mixed fried rice was born!
"So, this fried rice is actually made with ham and squid pieces?" The brother-in-law couldn't hold back any longer, "Will it taste better this way?"
Having watched it all, the brother-in-law almost forgot why he came today.
"It should taste a bit better, I suppose. Oh, right." Chen Mo apologized, "One serving is 20, here are five servings."
Just as the brother-in-law was about to scan the code, Guo Aiping stepped in and pressed his phone down, "Let me do it."
100 Yuan, received!
With only 260 Yuan remaining to fill the experience bar, Chen Mo clenched his fists.
A lot of people had come with the middle-aged woman to watch the fun, most of them female technicians from Shanshui Hall.
"Anyone else interested in eating?" Chen Mo glanced at the time, just fifteen minutes until 2 AM!
The family seemed to forget their purpose for being there, except for Guo Aiping.
The brother-in-law and his group of four held their rice, ready to eat, while Guo Aiping looked pale, staring at Old Zhao, "Forget it, you'd rather concoct such a lie than be honest with me, it's so pointless."
Old Zhao couldn't tell if he was more upset or heartbroken for his wife, baffled by the wrongful accusations, "I'm telling the truth, I simply thought the food here was good, wanted to queue but couldn't, and the foot massage place lined up ahead; to eat, you have to go to the foot spa!"
Guo Aiping shed two lines of tears, turning away from Old Zhao.
Old Zhao grew more anxious, running up to Chen Mo, "Boss, boss, say something on my behalf, isn't this how it is? You must prove it for me!"
Chen Mo thought for a moment; in this situation, whether he spoke or not to prove anything didn't matter.
In any workplace, when the boss thinks you're wrong, more explanations only make the boss dislike you more.
Therefore, Chen Mo pondered briefly, shaking his head, "Anyone asking you a question with an answer in mind isn't after an answer; they're after leverage."
Old Zhao was initially stunned, then fell into deep thought.
Why did those words make so much sense?
Uncle Liu sipped his potent drink, "I told you Brother Jiaozi's business is doing well, hehe."
Brother Squid, dissatisfied, asked, "And how do you know why? Then tell me."
"Anyone who can say something like that, started at a college level. It's a student entrepreneurship project. You're just making a living; how is it the same?"
Brother Squid was left speechless by Old Liu, wondering if running a stall really required knowledge these days.
Among the crowd.
Part-time cashier LuLu watched Chen Mo, muttering to herself.
"Not after an answer, but leverage? Haha, what an interesting young boss."
Old Zhao chewed over those words multiple times, finding more logic, and turned to speak to the brother-in-law about today's situation.
Only to see...
"Holy crap, you're actually eating?"