At 6 AM, Wang Hao was woken up by his biological clock. After getting up, he didn't even bother to brush his teeth or wash his face. He quickly went downstairs, got on his modified second-hand electric bike, and headed to the farmers' market to buy ingredients.
Wang Hao had already planned yesterday that he would prepare for 100 portions today. Although it would be a bit tiring, under the temptation of double profit, it was no big deal.
After buying the goods, he casually bought some breakfast on the way and ate it. Back home, he tidied up, prepared the goods, and then walked to his stall location to catch the noon rush.
Soon after the stall was set up, the first wave of customers came. There were three people, including a young man who was an old customer. He often came because Wang Hao's fried noodles were large in portion and filling.
"Congratulations, your Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency +1. Current proficiency: Intermediate Cooking Skill 35/1000."
The three portions of fried noodles were successively prepared. The young man took a bite and couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh! Boss, these noodles taste great today! Delicious!"
Wang Hao replied, "Eat more if it's delicious. Do you want garlic?"
As he spoke, Wang Hao placed two cloves of garlic on the young man's table, then continued to be busy because two more people came for fried noodles.
Normally, Wang Hao could sell around 20 portions at noon, and on good days, he could sell up to 25 portions, but today...
It was a bit different. Perhaps the fried noodles made with Intermediate Cooking Skill had a more attractive aroma, or maybe the color was better. Wang Hao sold 50 portions at noon, more than double his usual amount.
After finishing the lunch rush, Wang Hao's Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency also reached 82/1000. Looking at this trend, it would only be a few days until he leveled up.
"Hao Zi, your business is good today! My fried chicken also sold a lot more because of you!" The owner of the fried chicken stall next to Wang Hao's stall, seeing that there were no longer many people, leaned over and said to Wang Hao.
Having been here for two months, even the unsociable Wang Hao had become somewhat familiar with the owner next door.
Seeing the other party approach, Wang Hao also replied with a smile, "Isn't this also thanks to you, Brother Li? Otherwise, I wouldn't have many customers here."
Mutual flattery in business. Although Wang Hao was not proficient in this kind of conversation, society would teach him what human relations are and tell him that society is not about fighting and killing.
After chatting with the fried chicken owner for a while, people started coming again, and he got busy once more. The catering industry is like this; there's no real time to rest, you have to be ready at all times.
Time passed in such intermittent business until the evening rush hour. However, what made Wang Hao feel depressed was that the ingredients prepared in the morning were already used up when the evening rush hour just started at 7 PM.
Looking at the bustling crowd, Wang Hao could only sigh in despair, pack up, and go home. Wang Hao comforted himself, thinking that he had gotten off work early.
Back home, looking at the money in his hand, Wang Hao's depressed mood from the journey eased.
A thousand yuan in income, after deducting costs, still left him with nearly six hundred yuan. This was something Wang Hao wouldn't have even dared to imagine before. Getting off work early and earning a lot, this kind of life was too luxurious! Wang Hao couldn't help but exclaim.
Having managed to close the stall early, Wang Hao decided to cook a delicious meal to reward himself, and also to test how the Intermediate Cooking Skill performed on other dishes.
No sooner said than done, Wang Hao went downstairs and bought a carp, preparing to make braised carp.
After buying all the ingredients, Wang Hao started working in the kitchen. After his Cooking Skill was upgraded to Intermediate Skill, the feeling of ease when Cooking made him feel very comfortable.
Just then, the room door suddenly opened, and a beautiful figure appeared at the doorway. "Brother, I'm back!"
Hearing the voice from the doorway, Wang Hao came out of the kitchen with a spoon in hand and said in surprise, "Xiao Lan, why are you back at this time?"
The person who arrived was none other than Wang Hao's younger sister, Wang Lan, who was still a junior in college this year. Their school was not exactly far from Wang Hao's place, but not exactly close either.
"School let out early. I was planning to come tomorrow, but then I thought about coming to help you quickly, so I rushed back. Brother, what are you Cooking?" Wang Lan said as she looked towards the kitchen.
Wang Hao smiled and said, "You really know how to pick your time. It's rare that I closed the stall early today, so I'm preparing to cook a fish to try." As he spoke, he didn't forget the movements of his hands.
"Brother, can you really do it? This fish isn't easy to make." Wang Lan said, craning her neck to look into the pot, "It smells pretty good though!"
Wang Lan knew her brother's Cooking. She could only say it was slightly better than average home Cooking, but not by much. So, smelling the aroma emanating from the fish in front of her, Wang Lan couldn't help but be surprised.
"You're underestimating your brother, aren't you? Your brother's skill is also improving! Eat more later, look how thin you are now. Did you not eat well at school again?" Wang Hao looked at his thin sister, feeling a pang of heartache.
"No way, I'm clearly fatter, okay?" Wang Lan retorted stubbornly.
Saying that, she ignored Wang Hao and went straight to her room to tidy up.
Looking at his sister returning to her room, Wang Hao couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Two thousand yuan in living expenses for current college students could indeed only be considered enough for basic sustenance.
Based on Wang Hao's understanding of his sister, she would definitely save as much as she could, eat as little as she could, and probably even save some money each month. Wang Hao had no way to scold his little money-grubber of a sister, so he turned his attention back to the fish in the pot.
In a short while, a braised carp, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, was ready, and the rice was also done.
"Congratulations, your Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency +3. Current proficiency: Intermediate Cooking Skill 135/1000."
He hadn't expected a single braised carp to increase Wang Hao's proficiency by a full 3 points. It seemed that the proficiency gained from Cooking Skill varied depending on the difficulty of the dish. This was a new discovery.
Wang Hao called out, "Xiao Lan, come out and eat quickly!" Saying that, he arranged the dishes on the dining table.
"Mmm, it smells so good, I'll try it!" Wang Lan said, picking up her chopsticks to eat.
"Go, wash your hands, you're so impatient." Wang Hao scolded with a smile.
"Hmph." Wang Lan pouted and snorted, then went to wash her hands.
Wang Hao smiled as he watched his lively sister, feeling much younger himself. He couldn't help but sigh, how good it was to be young! Everything was so vibrant.
"Oh my god, Brother, this fish is too delicious! It feels even better than what they make at big restaurants, you're amazing!" Wang Lan praised as she ate.
"Eat slowly, no one's fighting you for it. Be careful of the fish bones." Wang Hao said with a smile, "I'll make an egg drop soup. You eat first."
As Cooking Skill proficiency +1, the egg drop soup appeared on the dining table. The bright-colored soup made one's mouth water, which greatly increased Wang Lan's appetite as she was happily eating.
"Brother, your skill now is truly beyond words. Next, I won't be polite!" Wang Lan exclaimed as she drank the egg drop soup.