CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 039: STEAMED PORK RIBS IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE? PANDA’S BUSINESS CRISIS!

Wealth-generating artifact?

Lin Xu’s attention was instantly captured.

He hadn’t expected the points redemption store to have such an item.

Although it was priced at an exorbitant 880,000 points.

After all, it was a Divine Artifact, and it included a function for attracting wealth; it made sense that it was expensive.

If only he had enough points, he would’ve redeemed it right away.

Make money, make money! Save up enough points to redeem the Wealth-generating artifact as soon as possible!

Lin Xu exited the system and resumed his busy work.

「Half-past one in the afternoon.」

All the ingredients in the store had sold out. After tidying up the shop, Che Zai, Song Tiantian, and the others each sprawled out on the tables to rest.

Lin Xu also went back to his room in the housing area behind the shop, turned on the air conditioning, washed some fruit from the fridge, and lay on the couch eating while browsing the content within the Lin Ji’s Food topic.

Following yesterday’s livestream, the attention on Lin Ji’s Food topic had broken through 5,000. There were also numerous updates under the topic. Lin Xu checked the popularity rankings. It was now ranked fifty-fifth in the Yanjing Region’s food-related topics. Just a little more heat and he would be able to complete the mission and claim his reward.

How could he increase the heat of the topic?

While he was pondering, he saw a status update from the popular broadcaster Wu Kexin from twenty minutes earlier:

"After going back last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Chicken Feet prepared by Boss Lin. I’m planning to replicate it in this afternoon’s livestream. Are there any tips for making Chicken Feet?"

Since Wu Kexin was a popular verified user, her post attracted many replies. Some copied a cooking method directly from the internet, some reminded her to watch out for scalding, and others even advised giving up.

Lin Xu thought for a moment and replied:

"1. When blanching, add some Maltose to improve the color after frying. 2. If you’re worried about getting burned, put the Chicken Feet into the oil before it gets hot. Cover the pot and cook on high heat. Lift the lid only after the CRACKLING sounds stop. 3. After frying, soak them in ice water for at least an hour. 4. Simmer on low heat for half an hour, then turn off the heat and let them soak for another half an hour for the best results."

Those were the four main points to making Tiger Skin Chicken Feet.

After sending the message, Lin Xu continued to enjoy his fruit and played with his phone, savoring the rare respite at noon.

「Meanwhile, on the other side.」

Wu Kexin, who had just started her livestream not long ago, excitedly told her fans, "Haha, Boss Lin actually just replied to me under the topic of Lin Ji’s Food, and he gave me four key points on making Chicken Feet, which makes me super confident now!"

The fans were very curious about what Lin Xu wrote. They all opened their social media platform and searched for the Lin Ji’s Food topic to check his reply. This action caused the attention on Lin Ji’s Food topic to explode beyond 10,000. The comments under Lin Xu’s reply also increased significantly.

"Checking in, Kexin fan here!"

"With Boss Lin’s explanation, I feel like I could make it too."

"Big bro, please share more cooking tips when you’re free, culinary novices are begging you!"

"I second that! I hope to learn to cook a dish before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and then I can amaze the whole family!"

"I’m going to buy some Chicken Feet and give it a try, hoping to succeed on the first attempt."

The responses and the likes spiked the heat of the Lin Ji’s Food topic dramatically.

Lin Xu hadn’t even finished eating his bunch of grapes when the system’s notification rang in his mind:

"The popularity of Lin Ji’s Food topic has successfully soared into the top fifty in the regional category, fulfilling the Side Quest [A Bit of Fame], reward one Perfect Level Steamed Dish lottery draw granted, would you like to draw now?"

What?! Lin Xu knew he would definitely complete the mission, but he never imagined the speed would be quite this fast. Just now it was fifty-fifth. And now, suddenly... He checked and saw it had soared to 47th place. This speed was really like riding on a rocket.

"Draw!"

After a moment of earnest praying and clicking, the system’s notification rang in his mind:

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Perfect Level Steamed Dish—Black Bean Sauce Steamed Pork Ribs."

Oh! Black Bean Sauce Steamed Pork Ribs? Lin Xu was somewhat surprised.

During the recent prize draw, all the prizes on the wheel were Steamed Rice Flour Meat, Steamed Sea Bass, Steamed Rice Flour Ribs, Pickled Pork, Salted Roast Pork, Steamed Scallop with Garlic and Vermicelli, and other dishes. He thought he would win one of these steamed dishes, but he never expected to win one of the four great kings of Cantonese dim sum.

While he was reflecting on this, a flood of experience suddenly surged into his mind. All this experience was related to the Black Bean Sauce Steamed Pork Ribs. The so-called black bean sauce refers to a sauce made from fermented black beans.

In Cantonese cuisine, the use of black bean sauce is very widespread. Aside from the Black Bean Sauce Steamed Pork Ribs that he won this time, there are also black bean Chicken Feet, black bean mustard greens, black bean eel, black bean Fish Belly pot, and other dishes.

The uses of black bean sauce are extensive, and its preparation is particularly meticulous. One must first wash the dry fermented black beans and then deep-fry them in oil. Afterward, they are steamed in a steamer to allow their aroma to completely infuse into the oil. Only then is the oil called black bean sauce.

After absorbing the experience, Lin Xu planned to steam some Pork Ribs in the afternoon to taste. He also wanted to treat a certain beautiful girl who was working her first day, to celebrate her officially becoming a worker.

「In the evening.」

When it was almost five o’clock, the restaurant was already prepared for the opening. Lin Xu took out the steamed Pork Ribs from the steaming cabinet and placed them on the dining table. He began to have dinner with the staff.

"Is this the Black Bean Sauce Steamed Pork Ribs? The place where I used to work had this dish, but they didn’t let the staff try it, so I never knew what it tasted like." Song Tiantian eyed the small, chopped Pork Ribs on the plate. She swallowed lightly.

The restaurant’s servers could eat the customers’ leftovers in the private rooms. But she was a cashier and couldn’t leave her post without permission. So even after working for more than half a year, she had never tasted what Black Bean Sauce Steamed Pork Ribs was like.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xu said to Che Zai, "Bring out two more plates from the steamer so everyone can have a good taste."

His words inadvertently made Song Tiantian feel a bit embarrassed, "Just a taste is fine for me; I don’t need a lot. Save the rest for the boss lady."

"Hers is already set aside, just enjoy yours."

After Che Zai brought them over, everyone eagerly picked up their chopsticks to try it out.

Thanks to the layer of dry starch on the outside, the Pork Ribs were tender and smooth in texture. And they were also full of rich black bean aroma. With just a gentle bite, the delicious juices burst open in the mouth.

"Wow, these Pork Ribs are so satisfying to eat!" Song Tiantian exclaimed as she ate. She thought this dish was incredibly delicious.

Lin Xu said with a smile, "If it’s tasty, eat more; this whole plate is all yours."

「While everyone was enjoying dinner.」

In an office building not far away, Panda, who was usually all smiles when meeting anyone, was furiously arguing with someone on the phone: "I accepted the travel group from that school half a month ago, and you guys, taking advantage of the summer business boom, suddenly refuse to honor the group discount tickets. Is this how you do business?"

The response from the other end of the phone seemed to be unsatisfactory to him, "What’s the use of just refunding my money? The students from that school are waiting to go on a trip! Where the hell am I supposed to take them now?"

After hanging up the phone, Panda said to his studio employees with a dejected look, "Don’t take these internet-famous scenic spot jobs in the future, they’re truly frustrating."

An employee asked, "The Kaida School has already made preparations to depart tomorrow, and they don’t accept refunds. What should we do now, Brother Panda?"

Panda, scratching his head in distress, said, "Nearby scenic spots are all booked full, and we dare not go to the ones that can’t accommodate us. I’m really worried... Forget it, let’s go have dinner first, and then think of a solution afterward."