CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 037 THE DAWN TREASURE TREATS ME THE BEST! POINTS MALL OPENS!

Lin Xu turned on the stove to heat the oil. Without waiting for the oil to get hot, he dumped the sliced red onions from the basket into the pot.

Red onion is a type of onion that doesn’t grow very large. Because of its rich, oniony flavor and natural sweetness, it has become an indispensable ingredient in many gourmet dishes. Frying sliced red onions in oil until they are dry and crispy creates what is known as fried crispy red onions.

Frying red onions requires patience. Slow fry them on low heat. Only when the red onion slices are fried to a uniform golden brown can they be considered done.

Once the red onions are fried crispy, take them out and drain the oil. When added during the braising process, they can make Braised Meat Rice incredibly flavorful.

As for the scallion oil, it wouldn’t go to waste either. It was used to stir-fry pork belly, which gave the braised meat an even richer aroma.

「Half-past eight in the morning.」

In the Dongming Building, near West Third Ring.

Shen Jiayue, dressed in professional attire, arrived at the office area, led by the HR manager of the audit firm.

"Hello, everyone. This is our new colleague, Shen Jiayue. You can call her Little Shen or Little Yue. Little Yue, your seat is over there by the window, and your computer is all set up."

Shen Jiayue greeted her colleagues, then sat down at her desk to familiarize herself with the work environment.

"Wow, she’s so pretty!"

"Indeed, like a fairy."

"Seeing her reminds me of my first love..."

"Stop boasting. If your first love were as pretty as her, I’d immediately eat that broken projector in the meeting room."

"I’ll eat the printer."

"..."

The colleagues whispered among themselves, all captivated by Shen Jiayue’s beauty.

Just then, a delivery boy arrived at the entrance of the audit firm, "Excuse me, who is Shen Jiayue? Someone asked me to deliver something to you."

"It’s me! It’s me!" Upon hearing this, Shen Jiayue ran to the entrance.

The delivery boy handed over the bag, "It seems to be food, wrapped in several layers of insulated bags, clearly to prevent it from getting cold."

"Thank you, young man!"

Shen Jiayue took the bag and returned to her seat. After unwrapping it layer by layer, she saw the Pork Rinds Buns she had dreamed of all night.

Six buns and a box of traditional egg soup made Shen Jiayue feel a bit embarrassed.

Will his mother think I eat too much? That Lin Xu, couldn’t he have ordered a couple less?

But then again, she thought, Lin Xu probably asked his mother to send six because he was worried I wouldn’t have enough. Yes! Xu Bao is the best to me!

She took a bite of a bun, and the aroma instantly wafted throughout the office.

"Wow! What a delicious smell."

"Really, it’s too good!"

A few female colleagues turned their heads with anticipation and asked Shen Jiayue, "Little Yue, where did you buy these buns? They smell amazing."

"Exactly, I’ve never eaten such fragrant buns before."

"Tell us the store name; I’ll go there after work to check it out."

Shen Jiayue said with a happy face, "These were handmade by my mother-in-law; you can’t buy them!"

Mother-in-law? Could she be so young and already married?

Several male colleagues who had been fantasizing about an office romance felt their budding hopes wither away instantly.

「At ten in the morning.」

While Lin Xu was busy in the kitchen, Chen Meijuan arrived at the shop carrying her luggage.

"Xiao Xu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back. The tourist area is quite busy. There are frozen dumplings and the steamed buns from this morning in the fridge; you can heat them up when you want to eat."

Lin Xu had thought his mom would leave in the afternoon. He had even planned to finish up the midday rush and go to the station to see her off.

"What’s there to see off? I know the way. That’s it for me; my ride-share is about to arrive. When we’re not so busy, your dad and I will come visit you." After speaking, Chen Meijuan picked up her bag and walked out.

Lin Xu chased after her, "Mom, why do you have to leave right now? Wait until the Chicken Feet are ready, and I’ll pack some for you to eat on the way."

Chen Meijuan smiled, "Silly boy, making money is important. Besides, I’m not in the mood to eat. Now that it’s summer vacation, your dad and I have to get busy with the scenic area’s summer promotion. Every day we delay costs us money."

Summer vacation had always been the peak season for the scenic area. Tickets, transportation, dining, accommodations, and popular paid attractions were all major sources of income. Chen Meijuan couldn’t rest easy if she wasn’t there to oversee things.

At that moment, the ride-hailing car arrived. After Chen Meijuan got in and rolled down the window, she said, "Jiayue works over by West Third Ring. I’ve sent you the address. Remember to find someone to deliver some food to her at noon. She’s the daughter-in-law I’ve approved of, so don’t mistreat her, or I won’t let you off the hook."

Lin Xu gave a wry smile, "Okay, okay, I got it, Mom. If there’s ever a show like ’China’s Good Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law,’ I’ll sign you two up."

"Stop kidding around; get back to the shop and keep busy."

His mom left. Lin Xu stood by the roadside feeling a bit melancholy for a while, then returned to the shop to continue working.

「Around eleven o’clock.」

The prep work in the store was winding down. Everyone picked up their bowls and began to eat lunch.

"Help yourselves to rice and braised meat. Eat as much as you like, as long as you don’t waste any."

After saying that, Lin Xu began to pack Shen Jiayue’s lunch. There were three boxes in total. One large box contained Braised Meat Rice topped with a few blanched bok choy hearts. Next was a semi-sealed box of Ginger Lotus Root and five or six Chicken Feet. Finally, there was a small box of Nori Egg Drop Soup made following Old Master Gao’s instructions.

After sealing all three boxes, Lin Xu put them into a bag, stapled it shut, and then ordered a courier online to pick it up.

"Tiantian, this is Shen Jiayue’s lunch. When the delivery guy comes, just give it to him," he instructed.

"Roger that! Boss, you’re really good to the lady boss," Tiantian commented.

Lin Xu laughed, "If I’m not good to her, my mom will deal with me."

As he placed the bag on the cash register, Lin Xu noticed that the rice Song Tiantian was eating wasn’t topped with braised meat, but rather a tomato and egg sauce.

"Is it... tasty?" he asked.

"Super delicious, Boss!" Song Tiantian enthused. "You won’t believe it until you try it. I can’t get enough of rice mixed with the tomato and egg sauce."

So, it could be done like this? Lin Xu smacked his forehead. He realized he had been stuck in a fixed way of thinking. The system’s task for me to create a new dish probably just meant steaming a pot of rice to make rice with toppings. But by a fluke, I ended up making Braised Meat Rice instead. This might be considered a blessing in disguise.

He thought for a moment, then picked up the electronic blackboard and wrote down the day’s dishes.

[Signature Braised Meat Rice/Noodles: Large bowl 30/Small bowl 27]

[Signature Tomato Cubes Rice/Noodles: Large bowl 30/Small bowl 27]

[Tomato Egg Rice/Noodles: Large bowl 28/Small bowl 25]

...

Well, aside from Oil-poured Noodles, the toppings for both noodles and rice will be interchangeable in the future.

After finishing, he hung the electronic blackboard outside, then went back into the shop to eat.

It wasn’t long before customers began to arrive one after another.

"Whoa! Braised Meat Rice is on the menu! I’ll take a large Braised Meat Rice, a plate of Ginger Lotus Root, and a bottle of North Pole."

"I want two large bowls of Braised Meat Rice, six Chicken Feet, and two beers."

"I want a small bowl of Tomato Cubes Noodles, two Chicken Feet, and a Coke."

"I’ll have..."

Customers lined up at the door, ordering and paying, eager to try the new dishes.

Just then, as Lin Xu was busy in the kitchen, he suddenly heard the system’s notification, "The host’s points have surpassed one hundred thousand. The Points Mall is now officially open. The host can use points to exchange for necessary Cooking Techniques, dish recipes, and various special tools. For details, please enter the Points Mall to view."