Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The First Customer Arrives, and for Now, We Only Sell Yangchun Noodles

After another battle, he successfully killed a few more ladybugs.

Before he could rest, new ladybugs charged at him.

The battle began anew.

Kill!

"Item Drop: 100 pounds of Chicken Frames (Quality: Superior)."

"Item Drop: 200 pounds of Pork Rinds (Quality: Superior)."

"Item Drop: 50 pounds of Lard (Quality: Superior)."

"..."

Each time such a notification sounded, Li You grew a little more excited.

It was really dropping more of the ingredients needed to make the broth for Yangchun Noodles.

This way, he really wouldn’t have to go buy any ingredients.

If he had to buy them himself, not only would it cost money, but he also wouldn’t be able to find any of such high quality.

Li You grew more and more pumped up as he fought.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before he heard a new notification.

"Successfully killed twenty 28-spotted potato ladybugs."

"Congratulations, Host, on completing this game instance. Mission Completion Reward: 500 pounds of Flour (Quality: Superior)."

"You will exit the game instance in one minute."

’It’s already over? I haven’t had my fill of killing yet.’

Li You felt a little unsatisfied.

He checked his Qi and Blood, which was still at 74 points.

’Not bad.’

’Completing a game instance of this difficulty is still a piece of cake.’

Now he had flour, as well as ingredients like pork bones, chicken frames, and pork rinds.

He didn’t have to buy any ingredients himself.

’These game instances are awesome!’

A minute later, Li You returned to the real world.

He was still next to that patch of eggplants.

The gear on his body was gone.

The gear could only be used inside the game instance and couldn’t be brought into the real world.

However, the mission rewards and dropped items could be brought into the real world.

Li You opened his personal info panel. Inside the Storage Pavilion, all the ingredients—flour, pork bones, chicken frames, pork rinds, etc.—were listed and could be retrieved at any time.

’Oh, right, the time.’

Li You suddenly thought of an important question.

He had just been in the game instance for at least half an hour.

’I wonder how much time passed in the real world?’

"One second. No matter what kind of game instance the Host enters, and no matter how much time the Host spends in the game instance, only one second will pass in the real world."

’Only one second passed?’

’This is too amazing!’

In that case, he wouldn’t have to worry about what time or place he chose to enter a game instance.

Li You felt a surge of joy.

Then he squatted down and carefully inspected the few pest-infested eggplant plants. He couldn’t see any more ladybugs.

’It seems that killing the ladybugs in the game instance also gets rid of the pests in the real world.’

’How magical.’

After that, Li You continued walking home.

After entering the village, he greeted the familiar villagers along the way.

When he got home, his parents asked about the restaurant he was opening in Jiulong Gorge.

Li You said, "The preparations are almost done. I can officially open for business in a couple of days."

His dad nodded and said, "It’s fine if you want to try opening a restaurant there. But if it doesn’t work out, you still have to go out and find a job."

His parents didn’t think a restaurant in Jiulong Gorge could survive.

Although people from the city would sometimes visit Jiulong Gorge for fun and might eat at his place.

But that small number of customers alone could never keep a restaurant in business.

Logically speaking, that was, of course, the truth.

However, Li You had his gourmet system, so logic didn’t apply.

Li You nodded and said, "I just want to give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll definitely go look for a job again."

His parents both breathed a long sigh of relief.

That put their minds at ease.

...

「The next morning.」

Li You left home and went to the Jiulong Gorge Restaurant.

This time, he didn’t take the shortcut but rode his motorcycle on the main road.

Li You had a motorcycle license.

The main road was longer, a journey of about five kilometers.

He rode his motorcycle because he considered that he might need to go into town to buy some things.

He had all the food ingredients, but what if there was something else he needed to buy?

He opened the restaurant’s doors.

Li You planned to start making the noodles and simmering the broth.

If everything went smoothly, he could officially open for business by noon today.

Since he’d decided to open the restaurant here, he might as well start as early as possible.

First, he would simmer the broth.

From his Storage Pavilion, he took out pork bones, chicken frames, pork rinds, lard, scallions, ginger, salt, and other ingredients.

By studying the Yangchun Noodles recipe, Li You had mastered the best method for simmering the broth, allowing him to create the finest Yangchun Noodles broth in the world.

He walked into the kitchen.

The stove, pots, pans, bowls, and other kitchen utensils were all there.

There was also electricity, drinking water, a gas stove, and gas.

He began to cook.

If he were using ordinary pork bones and chicken frames, he would first need to soak them in clean water.

This was done to draw out the blood from the pork bones and chicken frames.

The soaking time would be about an hour, and the water needed to be changed partway through.

However, Li You’s current pork bones and chicken frames were system drops, and both were of superior quality, so the soaking step was unnecessary.

So, Li You filled a pot with water.

Then, while the water was still cold, he added the pork bones, chicken frames, and pork rinds.

It was crucial to add them while the water was cold.

Afterward, he turned on the heat.

After the water came to a boil, he skimmed off the scum, blanched the ingredients, and added slices of ginger and lengths of scallion.

After boiling on high heat for a few minutes, he turned it down to a low simmer.

It needed to simmer for about three hours.

Taking advantage of this time, he started making the noodles.

From selecting the flour to the subsequent series of steps—kneading the dough, letting it rest, stretching it, and finally hand-pulling—every part of the process was incredibly meticulous.

Only by executing each step perfectly could he produce high-quality noodles.

The flour rewarded by the system was the most suitable type for making Yangchun Noodles, so Li You didn’t need to worry about selecting the flour.

He could start directly with kneading the dough.

Kneading the dough was the foundation of noodle making, and also the key.

There were many subtleties involved.

First, the water temperature was very important. Generally, one should use warm water in winter and cool water in other seasons.

Second, one had to add the right amount of water and alkali to improve the formation and quality of the gluten in the dough. The old saying goes: "Three additions of water, three additions of alkali, and eighty-one kneads."

It was a task that required both skill and physical strength.

Li You worked continuously. After kneading the dough, he began to let it rest, then stretched it, and finally pulled the noodles...

Finally, feeling somewhat exhausted, he completed his first batch of noodles.

’This is really tiring. It’d be so much easier to just buy ready-made noodles. But for the ultimate quality of the Yangchun Noodles, I have to make them by hand.’

...

Time slowly passed until noon, and the broth was finally ready.

Li You tasted a spoonful. It was fragrant, mellow, and savory, incredibly refreshing.

’Great broth!’

He had the noodles, and he had the broth. He also had the other ingredients like lard, scallions, and soy sauce.

He could finally make proper Yangchun Noodles.

First, he’d make a bowl for himself to try. It would serve as his lunch.

He put another pot of water on to boil.

Once the water was boiling, he added the noodles...

After a bit of work, a bowl of Yangchun Noodles was ready.

The broth shimmered with a light sheen of oil, dotted with bits of green scallion. A gentle sniff revealed a fragrant and mellow aroma.

It was a simple bowl of noodles, yet it looked incredibly appetizing.

He had to try it.

First, a sip of the broth.

Instantly, a fragrant and mellow savoriness exploded in his mouth.

It was delicious!

Next, he took a bite of the noodles. They were incredibly smooth and refreshing—absolutely delicious.

’This must be the best-tasting Yangchun Noodles in the world.’

Li You was thrilled. With Yangchun Noodles that tasted this good, he wouldn’t have to worry about not having business.

He could officially open for business now.

Li You went to the front of the restaurant and wrote on the "Today’s Specials" plaque:

"Yangchun Noodles:

Large Bowl: 12 yuan.

Small Bowl: 9 yuan."

And with that, he was officially open for business.

For now, he was only selling Yangchun Noodles.

Afterward, Li You went back inside to continue eating his noodles.

He quickly finished the entire large bowl of noodles, drinking every last drop of the broth.

He felt completely satisfied.

These noodles were truly delicious. Li You was now full of confidence.

’Now, when will the first customer show up?’

Li You stepped outside the restaurant. He gazed out at the beautiful scenery, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

This was, of course, perfectly normal.

Li You had already prepared himself for this, so he wasn’t disappointed.

’Anyway, this isn’t something that can be rushed. I’ll just wait. A customer will show up eventually.’

He lay down on a rocking chair at the entrance.

He would rest for a bit.

...

A short while later, a small truck slowly drove into the parking lot to the front left of the restaurant.

’A customer?’

’So soon? This is much faster than I expected!’

’And who said opening a restaurant here would mean no business?’

Li You was overjoyed.

Then he saw a man in his thirties get out of the driver’s side.

The man looked in his direction for a moment, then started walking over.

’He must be a customer.’

Li You stood up.

A moment later, the man walked up and said to Li You, "Boss, is this a restaurant?"

Although the words "Mountain Restaurant" were written clearly...

...the man was still a little unsure.

Li You smiled and nodded. "It is. Welcome!"

Hearing this, the man thought to himself, ’I can’t believe there’s actually a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Can this place even get any business? I have no idea what this boss was thinking, opening a restaurant here. Still, I could use a bite to eat.’

The man’s name was Wei Ping, and he was a delivery driver for an appliance store in Changxi County Town.

Today, he was delivering a refrigerator to Taoshan Village.

He had set out from the county town in the morning and had been driving for over two hours to get here.

From a distance, he had seen the large words "Mountain Restaurant" on a banner.

The door was open.

He couldn’t believe there was actually a restaurant in a place like this.

He happened to be feeling hungry, so he pulled his truck into the parking lot, planning to see if it was really a restaurant.

And it turned out it was.

’Whatever the boss was thinking, this is a good thing for me.’

So, Wei Ping asked, "What do you have to eat?"

Li You pointed to the "Today’s Specials" plaque.

Wei Ping took a look.

’Yangchun Noodles?’

’Large bowl for 12 yuan, small bowl for 9 yuan.’

’The price is pretty normal.’

"Only Yangchun Noodles?" Wei Ping asked.

Li You nodded. "For now, only Yangchun Noodles."

Wei Ping nodded, not surprised.

’It’s good enough that they’re selling noodles at all in a place like this.’

’Yangchun Noodles?’

’I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never actually tried them.’

’Today’s a good day to give them a try.’

’Although this boss probably just slapped the name "Yangchun Noodles" on it, and it’s not the real deal.’

’It might not even be good.’

’But that doesn’t matter. As long as it fills my stomach.’

And so, Wei Ping said, "Alright then, I’ll have a large bowl."

The first customer had really arrived.

Li You was overjoyed once again. He quickly said, "Okay, okay, no problem. Please, come in and have a seat."

Wei Ping nodded and walked into the restaurant.

...