Though it was a bitter and unbelievable pill to swallow, there was one thing to be thankful for.

The restaurant was located here, not in the county seat, and more importantly, not next to their own place.

Otherwise, their restaurant would be driven out of business in minutes.

Speaking of which, with skills like that, why wouldn’t the boss open a shop in the county seat? Why here?

It was just as baffling.

But this was a good thing. ’He’d better never open a shop in the county seat,’ he thought.

Jiang Caidong tentatively asked Li You, "Boss, these noodles are delicious. Have you considered opening a shop in the county seat?"

Li You said, "I have no plans to, at least for now. And I probably won’t in the future, either."

Jiang Caidong was overjoyed to hear this. ’It would be best if he never planned on it,’ he thought.

On the surface, however, he remained composed and said, "Well, that’s a shame."

At this point, Liang Heng spoke up. "Boss, if I may ask, how do you make these Yangchun Noodles?"

Li You replied, "It’s mainly about putting in the effort with the noodles and the broth. The rest is just experience and feel."

He’d said something, but it was as good as saying nothing at all.

Liang Heng wanted to press for more details about the noodles and broth, but he ultimately held his tongue.

As a pastry chef himself, he knew it would be rude to probe any further.

The two men continued eating their noodles.

In truth, deep down, they were also pleasantly surprised.

Anyone would be surprised to eat noodles this good.

After slowly finishing their meal, they paid and left.

In the car.

Jiang Caidong said, "Master Liang, with skills like that, the boss should be a famous figure in the world of pastry chefs, or even the culinary world at large! Have you ever heard of him?"

Liang Heng shook his head. "Not at all. And it’s not because I’m ill-informed. I honestly can’t figure out how someone his age can make such incredible Yangchun Noodles. His noodles might very well represent the pinnacle of what Yangchun Noodles can be. Even a Special-Level Pastry Chef might not be able to replicate this flavor."

A jolt went through Jiang Caidong. He asked, "Could he be a Special-Level Pastry Chef?"

Liang Heng replied, "No. There are only a handful of Special-Level Pastry Chefs in the entire country. A young man like him is definitely not among them. However, when it comes to the art of Yangchun Noodles alone, he might even be superior to a Special-Level Pastry Chef."

Jiang Caidong sighed with emotion. "Isn’t this a case of a crouching tiger, a hidden dragon? Who would have thought that here in Jiulong Gorge, we’d find someone whose skill surpasses that of a Special-Level Pastry Chef."

Liang Heng said, "We can only speak for his skill with Yangchun Noodles. It’s hard to say how he fares with other pastries. But his overall comprehensive skill is definitely still far from that of a Special-Level Pastry Chef."

Jiang Caidong said, "That’s still incredibly impressive. By the way, Master Liang, after eating his Yangchun Noodles, did you figure anything out?"

Liang Heng nodded. "I have some theories. If I go back and run a few experiments, I should be able to make some improvements to our noodles and broth. Of course, I can’t possibly reach his level, but improving a bit on my current standard shouldn’t be a problem."

Jiang Caidong’s eyes lit up. That was great news.

This was the caliber a truly excellent pastry chef should possess.

...

Not long after the two customers left, Xia Xiaoyue and her friends returned.

They were also heading back to school.

"We’re leaving, Boss," the girls said, waving goodbye to Li You.

Li You said, "Drive slow and be safe."

"Okay, thanks, Boss."

It was now four-thirty in the afternoon.

There was still some time before dark.

Li You decided to clear a patch of wasteland next to the restaurant.

He wanted to remove the rocks and weeds to turn it into a plot of land.

Then he could plant some vegetables there.

For one, it would be convenient to have his own home-grown ingredients.

For another, it could also serve as an attraction for the restaurant.

In the future, kids from the city who came to eat would probably be fascinated and delighted to see all the different vegetables growing in the ground.

No sooner said than done.

But first, he needed some tools.

Things like a hand sledge, a chisel, and a hoe.

Some of the rocks were too big to be moved by hand.

That’s where the hand sledge and chisel came in—to break the rocks into smaller pieces.

The chisel was made of fine steel, either long and cylindrical or long and flat. They were typically 20 to 40 centimeters in length.

The diameter was about 1 centimeter, with a pointed tip.

A hand sledge and chisel were essential tools for breaking rocks purely by hand.

He would go to the town market to buy the tools.

Li You set off on his motorcycle.

He soon arrived at the town market. He picked out a hand sledge, five chisels of varying lengths, a hoe, and a sickle.

He returned to the restaurant.

Time to get to work.

First, he had to break up all the large rocks.

Li You wasn’t a professional stonemason. But breaking rocks didn’t require much skill; he just needed to be careful not to smash his left hand, which held the chisel, with the sledgehammer in his right.

He stood before the first large rock. He positioned the chisel, and with a CLANG, the first blow landed.

"Side quest triggered due to host’s decision to clear wasteland.

Quest Name: The First Vegetable Patch.

Construct a vegetable patch no smaller than one-tenth of a mu.

Quest Reward: 100 jin of Flour (Quality: Superior) (Can be used for Yangchun Noodles), one packet of Vegetable Seeds (Random assortment).

Special Reward: Body Fortification.

Description: Upon completion of this quest, the host’s physical attributes will be automatically enhanced, resulting in a stronger physique."

The system’s voice sent a jolt of excitement through Li You.

’Who knew clearing some land would lead to such a pleasant surprise?’

’So there are side quests, too.’

Another reward of 100 jin of flour and vegetable seeds—that was awesome.

But what surprised Li You the most was the special reward.

A healthy body and a strong physique were what mattered most.

With this reward, making noodles next time should feel much easier.

’This is something to look forward to!’

One-tenth of a mu was about 67 square meters.

Building a plot of land no smaller than one-tenth of a mu was already part of Li You’s plan.

Instantly, Li You felt even more motivated.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...

After a few dozen swings, he successfully broke the first large rock into many smaller pieces.

He moved on to the next large rock.

An hour later, all the large rocks within an area roughly the size of one-tenth of a mu had been broken into small pieces.

He began to clear them away.

After clearing the rocks, he used the hoe to clear the weeds.

The sky gradually darkened.

Time to call it a day. He’d continue tomorrow.

...

「The next day.」

In the morning, after breakfast, he got back to work.

After clearing out all the weeds, he leveled the ground and tilled the soil.

As noon approached, the plot of land finally began to look like a proper patch of earth.

"Congratulations, Host. Side quest ’The First Vegetable Patch’ has been completed.

All quest rewards have been distributed."

Li You was thrilled. The quest rewards were finally his.

’Has my physical fitness really improved?’ he wondered.

He took a moment to feel it.

It seemed there was indeed a noticeable change.

His body felt lighter and more agile than before.

Li You was certain he could now jump higher, leap farther, and run faster.

Also, his strength seemed to have increased significantly.

His whole body was brimming with power.

It felt a bit like when he had entered the game instance last time and put on the equipment.

Just not as pronounced.

Making noodles now would probably be much easier.

Li You was excited.

He checked the other rewards.

Li You was already very familiar with the flour.

He was mainly interested in the packet of vegetable seeds.

It said the types were random. He wondered which vegetable—or vegetables—he would get.

He found the seeds in the Storage Pavilion.

He opened the packet.

It turned out there were four types.

They were: tomatoes, cucumbers, loofahs, and bitter melons.

All were in-season vegetables.

Li You’s eyes lit up. He quite liked eating all four of these vegetables.

...