Fragrant! So fragrant!
Lu Feng swore this was the best xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) he had ever eaten in his life!
The moment he bit into the bun, the rich and delicious meat juice, accompanied by the wheat aroma of the wrapper, filled his mouth.
The meat filling was tender but not mushy, incredibly fresh and delicious, mixed with the spicy aroma of green onions and ginger. He could clearly taste the unique flavor of each ingredient.
Every chew released a rich aroma in his mouth, stimulating every taste bud on his tongue, bringing Lu Feng an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Swallowing the fresh and juicy xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in his mouth, Lu Feng couldn't help but narrow his eyes, letting out a satisfied sigh from his throat.
After finishing the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), Lu Feng was somewhat incredulous that he had made such simple xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) so incredibly delicious.
Compared to the Li's Xiaolongbao he had for lunch...
There was absolutely no comparison! It was like heaven and earth.
After tasting what he had made, Lu Feng felt that all other xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were garbage, not even fit for dogs!
This was true deliciousness; the flavor of every ingredient had been brought to its peak!
His hands didn't stop for a moment. Lu Feng picked up the second xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and put it in his mouth. Before he could even swallow, his chopsticks were already reaching for the third.
In the blink of an eye, three baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were completely devoured.
Looking at the empty steamer baskets, Lu Feng felt he still hadn't had enough.
Anyone who often eats xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) knows that after one basket, the stomach starts to feel greasy. But Lu Feng felt that the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) he made, let alone only three baskets, he wouldn't feel greasy at all even if he ate more.
After eating the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), Lu Feng leaned back contentedly in a chair in the hall, the lingering aroma on his lips and teeth leaving him with an endless aftertaste.
As expected of a system product, it must be a masterpiece!
Lu Feng believed that anyone who tasted this xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) would not be able to resist the impact of such deliciousness.
After a short rest, Lu Feng planned to go back to his rented room to prepare for tomorrow's opening.
The clothes he had dirtied while cleaning earlier also needed to be washed.
As he walked out the shop door, the door behind him closed automatically.
"Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling..."
His phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was Li Jiang calling.
He had barely said "hello" when a string of words came from the other end.
"Feng Zi, what's wrong with you, kid? I called you several times this afternoon, and you didn't answer. No one was in your broken-down room either. I seriously thought you'd gone and jumped off a bridge!"
Only then did Lu Feng check his call history, which indeed showed several missed calls from Li Jiang that afternoon.
When he was making xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in the afternoon, to avoid being disturbed, Lu Feng had specifically put his phone on silent.
He didn't want answering a call to disrupt the rhythm of making delicious food.
"Get lost, will you? It's just losing a job; it's not the end of the world. Would I really do that?"
Lu Feng laughed and cursed.
"Then what were you busy with, kid, that you didn't answer your phone? Oh, right, the old man at home agreed to us going on a trip. You pack up tomorrow, and we'll leave the day after tomorrow morning!"
Reminded by Li Jiang, Lu Feng then remembered that Li Jiang had mentioned this to him in the morning.
His mood had been up and down all day, and then he was busy making xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in the afternoon, so he had forgotten all about it.
"Uh, about the trip, I won't be going. I have other things to be busy with here."
Lu Feng said with a slight apology.
If it were before, nothing, no matter how big, could stop Lu Feng from traveling. After all, someone else was paying, and as stingy as he was, he would never miss such an opportunity.
But now, he only wanted to focus on completing the system's mission. Compared to 100 million, what was a free trip?
"No way! Didn't we agree? My dad only agreed because I told him you'd come too." Li Jiang on the other end of the phone grew anxious.
"Sorry, I really can't go. I plan to reopen that fast-food restaurant."
There was silence on the other end for a moment, then a faint voice came.
"Are you sure you're not messing with me?"
"Of course, I'm sure. I'm preparing to open tomorrow."
"Feng Zi, do you have some misunderstanding about your cooking skills?"
Li Jiang couldn't help but recall when Lu Feng, on a whim, made a braised pork for his birthday last year.
He took one bite and spit it all out.
It was truly as unpalatable as could be.
After everyone had left, thinking it was a shame to throw away a whole plate of meat, he simply poured it into the dog bowl of the husky he kept at home.
The result was that the dog only sniffed it, thought Li Jiang was trying to murder it, and chased Li Jiang, barking madly with red eyes for half a day.
The dog bowl that had held the braised pork was never touched by the husky again.
"That was before; I'm different now."
"What, did your Ren and Du meridians open up? Listen to your buddy's advice, try a different direction, do something else. I know your intentions are good, but don't start yet."
Li Jiang would not believe that Lu Feng's skills could have undergone any significant change in just one year.
"Believe it or not, if you have nothing to do tomorrow, come and show your support."
Lu Feng was too lazy to explain to Li Jiang; it was something that couldn't be clearly explained.
"Alright, I know your temper, kid; you won't turn back until you hit a brick wall. What time do you open?"
"Nine PM."
"Nine PM, that's still... wait, nine PM?"
Li Jiang on the other end of the phone suspected he had misheard.
"Yes, nine PM. That's all, I'm hanging up now." Lu Feng finished speaking and hung up the phone.
After hanging up, Lu Feng took a bus back to his rented room, not wanting to splurge on a taxi.
He still needed to buy ingredients for tomorrow's opening, so he had to be careful with the money in his card.
By the time he returned to his rented room, it was already dark. Lu Feng took a shower, washed his clothes, and then comfortably lay on his bed, playing with his phone.
The sounds of gaming battles emanated from the small rented room. He didn't know if he was just unlucky today, but he kept getting matched with noob teammates, and Lu Feng's blood pressure was rising.
"Didn't you see I was stuck under the tower! Jungler, what are you doing?!"
His mage on Lu Feng's team was ganked and died again. Unable to bear it any longer, he turned on his mic and yelled angrily.
What he didn't notice was that in his excitement, he had opened the all-chat.
Hearing his distinct regional accent, both teammates and opponents couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I don't know what he's doing either. He might have gone to Shigjie Commune to find that Hu Delu to get his hair cut!"
The enemy jungler laughed and replied in the all-chat channel.
His comment immediately livened up the game's voice chat.
"Jungler, did you just take my buff? Your ADC is still growing, and the mage is half-paralyzed on the bed. You took my buff? You're too good to me, I want to hit you too!"
"Jungler, why aren't you talking? Say something to me. If you ignore me again, I swear I'll beat you to death!"
...
Listening to these incredibly hilarious voices, Lu Feng was laughing so hard he felt numb.
These teammates were truly more talented than the last.
...
"Defeat!"
After losing seven games in a row, Lu Feng's mentality was a bit broken.
He glanced at the time; it was already past eleven at night.
"I don't believe it! One more time!"
Lu Feng decided he would go to sleep as soon as he won one game.
"The enemy will enter the battlefield in five seconds. All troops, attack!"
...
The next morning, before dawn, Lu Feng was woken up by the system sound in his head.
"Ding! This week's mission has officially begun. Host, please work hard to complete the mission and receive generous rewards!"
Lu Feng groggily opened his eyes, turned on the bedside lamp, and checked the time. Good heavens, it was only six o'clock.
On his phone next to the pillow, the screen was frozen on the game over interface.
He didn't know what time he had fallen asleep last night.
The irritation of being woken up slowly surfaced.
"Dog system, are you sick?! Isn't the business hour nine PM? Why are you reminding me now?!"
After cursing, he immediately turned off the light, lay back down, and continued to sleep.