Chapter 1016: Chapter 421: Midnight Snacks Aren’t Healthy, But They’re So Satisfying! Master’s Clear Soup Noodles!

Ma Zhiqiang said:

"There’s plenty of deep-fried dough sticks. If you want to eat them in the evening, we can fry some more in the afternoon, it’s no trouble."

"Wow, thank you, Master Ma!"

Dundun was placed on the service counter, and the little guy went into the cat house to catch up on sleep.

Lin Xu arrived upstairs, and the aroma of Spicy Soup and fried dough sticks made it feel as if he was at a local breakfast stall in the Central Plains.

There are several schools of Spicy Soup in the Central Plains, each with their own culinary approach.

For instance, the famous Xiaoyao Town Spicy Soup is typically paired with Scallion Oil Pancakes and large dough sticks, while another school, Beiwudu, prefers fermented thousand-layer pancakes.

As for the provincial capital’s popular Fang Zhongshan, its best match is fried dough cakes.

When Shen Jiayue was serving herself a bowl of Spicy Soup, Lin Xu walked into the kitchen and saw that the person frying the dough sticks was Qi Siliang. He laughed and said:

"Thanks for the hard work, Siliang. Did you ferment the dough last night?"

"Yes, I did it after work last night. Let it rest overnight, and it’s perfect for frying this morning... Boss, do you prefer them fresh from the pot? This batch will be ready soon."

"Sure, I’ll wait."

Lin Xu originally planned to mix the dough sticks with cucumber like last time.

But he thought he just had cucumber last night, so it’d be nice to try a different flavor.

He saw quite a bit of washed lettuce by the vegetable sink, picked up a small basket, layered a few leaves together, and then twisted them into thirds.

Once done, he poured everything into a larger basin, added spices like Garlic Paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, flavoring, and chili oil, stirred it evenly, and set it aside.

By now, the dough sticks were ready.

He put the cutting board for cooked food on the worktable and cut the dough sticks into small pieces, placing them into the basin.

The lettuce was very tender and released its moisture after the seasonings were added.

Now, adding the dough sticks absorbed the excess sauce in the basin just right.

After mixing everything well, the lettuce and dough stick salad was ready.

There were many people today, so Lin Xu made a large bowl. Qi Siliang’s eyes widened:

"You can make dough sticks like this? That’s eye-opening."

"Try it later, it tastes pretty good."

Lin Xu served a plate to Qi Siliang, then brought the rest outside for everyone to share, and started eating.

"Wow, freshly fried dough sticks really are different, they taste even better than last time... I just have to flaunt this to make those still in bed envious."

Just then, Zeng Xiaoqi came to eat.

Seeing the cold mix of dough sticks, this charming host immediately took out her phone:

"Haha, finally seeing a cold mix of dough sticks, gotta flaunt it. Life’s incomplete without flaunting!"

Shen Jiayue saw her come up alone and asked:

"Where’s Yuanyuan?"

"She got up earlier than me and has already gone to work... There’s a group purchase at Fourth High School now, so she had to go early to prepare. Those students prefer to spend money on Ziqiang Shengjian rather than eat at the cafeteria, leaving the school quite helpless."

Everyone’s not foolish. With poorly made food, people will naturally choose something more delicious.

In the past, school administrators could claim outside food wasn’t clean, but Ziqiang Shengjian just donated money to the school, so they couldn’t stop the students.

Zeng Xiaoqi picked up a chopstickful of cold mixed dough sticks and put it in her mouth:

"Yuanyuan plans to officially surpass the Ziqiang Shengjian main store by the end of the month, so she didn’t even have time to eat... Wow, once mixed, this tastes so good, I need to eat more!"

Lin Xu said:

"Later I’ll bring her some Spicy Soup and dough sticks when I go to the Fishing Platform, to give Yuanyuan a taste of home."

He then tasted a piece of the cold mixed dough sticks, which had a sour and spicy garlic flavor, and it was indeed quite nice.

The fresh crispness of the lettuce and the dough sticks formed a noticeable contrast, which wasn’t greasy, but surprisingly appetizing.

However, for Lin Xu, he preferred soaking the dough sticks in Spicy Soup.

The dough sticks absorbed the soup’s broth, and biting into them, he tasted the peppery spiciness, which was immensely satisfying.

After a hearty breakfast, Lin Xu packed two servings of Spicy Soup, put some dough sticks in a paper bag, and bid goodbye to Shen Baobao, who was preparing breakfast for Dundun, then drove to the Fishing Platform.

Passing by Fourth High School, he parked by the roadside and saw several school teachers standing at the store entrance.

Seeing Lin Xu, the teachers greeted him with smiles.

Although the entity donating the money was Ziqiang Shengjian, everyone knew Lin Xu was the owner behind the scenes.

"Thank you, Boss Lin, for ensuring our students don’t have to worry about their living expenses."

"Some students even got new down jackets and said they owe it to you."

Lin Xu replied:

"We just offered a small help, nothing to fuss over. If they really want to thank me, they should study hard. Maybe after graduation, they can come work at Lin Ji."

He didn’t pressure them with talk about getting into Tsinghua or Beijing University, as he was wary of causing psychological stress.

So he mentioned Lin Ji, directly letting students dream about life post-university graduation.

As its reputation grew, Lin Ji’s benefits made many envious.

Great food, high pay, unparalleled perks—the only downside is the strict hiring process. Not just anyone could join, with even the hiring of Lin Ji’s chefs involving stringent procedures.

Once the teachers left with the students’ purchased breakfasts, Lin Xu placed the Spicy Soup and dough sticks in front of Chen Yuanyuan, who was dressed like an astronaut:

"Tsk, tsk, I imagined you’d find a good match as a shop assistant, but here you are so bundled up, your head wrapped in a cotton hat, let alone a cotton mask..."

"Do you even know how cold it is to stand at the entrance all day? A weekend snow is coming, and if I suffer out in the cold, I’ll lead a labor union to sue the heartless capitalist... What’s this?"

"Spicy Soup and dough sticks."

"Hehe... Little brother, you really care for your sis. When I was busy earlier, I wished I had a bowl of hometown Spicy Soup, and lo and behold, my wish was granted so quickly."

Lin Xu helped her open the Spicy Soup package:

"Next time, wish for a house in Beijing. See if it’ll come true just as fast."

"Huh, taking me for a genie? Where are you off to now? Always slacking off, beware of ruining Lin Ji’s reputation."

"This is for study, big sis, not just wandering... Tell Yueyue what you want for lunch and let her find someone to deliver it. We’re family, no need to feel shy."

Chen Yuanyuan inhaled a mouthful of Spicy Soup:

"No need, and I’m busy at noon; I’ll hardly have time to eat."

The siblings chatted for a while.

Lin Xu got in the car and drove to the Fishing Platform.

Close to Building 2, he saw Yin Hongbin with a boning knife, approaching Building 2 with a menacing look reminiscent of that day they slaughtered cattle.

Lin Xu felt his heart skip:

Oh no!

Did Senior Brother provoke someone again?

If I go in now, will Old Yin hold back and not go too hard?

If I’d known, I would have chatted with Yuanyuan a bit longer...

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