Two notification sounds rang out in his mind one after the other.

Panda was a bit surprised.

He'd just decided to take a chance with a leftover piece of dough, making a last-ditch attempt.

He hadn't expected to actually trigger a hidden task.

And even got the perfect-level oil-poured hand-rolled noodle technique.

Talk about a pleasant surprise!

I can make a bigger batch of dough this afternoon.

Even if there's no toppings,

I can still keep selling oil-poured noodles.

After all, it's perfect-level.

No one could complain about the taste.

"Holy crap, this spicy fragrance… it's addictive!"

"Boss Lin actually made oil-poured noodles for real."

"I haven't even eaten my tomato egg noodles yet, anyone wanna trade?"

"Boss, if there's a spare bowl, save one for me!"

The customers eating nearby couldn't sit still.

At first, they'd been congratulating themselves for lining up early and getting the last few bowls.

No one expected there'd be oil-poured noodles coming up after.

Now, everyone wanted a taste.

And over on social media platforms,

The comment section under the Lin Ji's Food hashtag was overrun with excitement:

"Holy shit, there's actually oil-poured noodles now!"

"I haven't had enough Noodles with Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce, and now here comes oil-poured noodles. Boss Lin is going crazy today."

"With Boss Lin around, who the hell can lose weight?"

"Aaaah! Boss Lin is honestly the Demon King standing in the way of my diet."

"Did you all forget about those braised snacks coming tomorrow and the day after?"

"That's it, see you at five this evening. Don't be late!"

"Don't be late!"

"..."

Panda made a total of eight bowls of oil-poured noodles.

He'd originally planned to keep one for himself to try the taste.

But the bowls were snatched up by customers in a flash.

And even more customers didn't get any at all.

"Oil-poured noodles will be available this afternoon, everyone get ready."

Now that he had the technique,

No point in keeping it to himself.

Better to put it out there and make money.

With money, he could afford a comfortable bigger home.

And give his parents enough funds to mess around with the scenic area.

Panda tidied up the kitchen.

Then grabbed a bottle of drink from the cold cabinet.

Sipping and swiping through his phone at the same time.

He only noticed now,

His mom had transferred twenty thousand yuan to him.

"Tsk, we even had a video call. Does she still think I'm stuck in some pyramid scheme lair?"

Panda smiled helplessly.

But with that twenty thousand yuan,

He could start looking for a place to rent.

This daily trip back and forth is just not working out.

Better to find a place nearby as soon as possible.

He opened the short video social platform.

The topic followers under Lin Ji's Food had already broken five hundred.

Panda scrolled through it.

Apart from customers checking in and chatting,

There were actually posts from staff at other restaurants.

For example, one user named Northeast Little Sweetie commented enviously:

"Really jealous of customers and bosses like you guys. Our boss just tries every trick to rip off customers—even wants to charge for parking at the public spaces in front."

Another user called Chezai complained,

"Our boss is even worse. Not only screwing over customers but also the employees. I got promoted to assistant chef back in April, but still getting apprentice wages. So mad I could scream!"

Reading these complaints,

Panda got a pretty good idea of what Lin Ji's Food's values are.

It's all about exchanging true feelings for true hearts.

He's always been honest and sincere with his customers,

and the customers totally reciprocate.

If he were the kind of unscrupulous boss,

Doubt Panda and the crew would be so bonded.

After a short break,

Panda started cleaning up the kitchen.

Then set up the wok,

Getting ready to cook a pot of general mixed noodle sauce.

In the commercial way of making oil-poured noodles, you don't go scooping salt and other seasonings into each bowl. That would be slow and way too easy to mess up.

Plus, if the customer doesn't mix their noodles well enough,

they might get a mouthful of salty lumps.

Which wrecks the flavor and appetite.

To improve efficiency, the commercial approach is to use mixed noodle sauce.

This so-called mixed noodle sauce is made by simmering all the seasonings into one pot of broth—you just ladle out one spoonful when needed.

The taste is consistent,

Convenient and fast.

It's perfect for busy commercial production.

Set the wok and heat the oil.

Before the oil gets hot, Panda adds in scallion pieces, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cardamom, dried chili, and other ingredients and spices one by one.

After tossing them in,

Sauté over a low flame.

Getting all the aroma out of the spices.

Then, pour in a jug of aged Chen Vinegar.

With a "zzzz" sound,

a wonderful sour fragrance rises from the wok.

This step is called chili vinegar blasting.

By blasting the vinegar, you remove the harshness and sour edge, making the scent much smoother and richer.

And once it's blasted,

the vinegar undergoes esterification in the oily wok, creating aromatic esters which boost the fragrance.

Some dishes even get a ladle of vinegar along the rim of the pot while cooking, just to make use of that esterification for aroma.

"Wow! Smells amazing."

"Boss Lin, what are you cooking up now?"

"Not even taking a break at lunchtime?"

The customers in the store were already dribbling out.

But a few slow eaters lingered.

When the aroma from the kitchen drifted over,

it immediately caught their attention.

Panda said:

"Just simmering some mixed noodle sauce for oil-poured noodles. It needs to cool off before use, so I have to prep it in advance."

Once they heard it was for oil-poured noodles,

the customers started looking forward to dinner even more.

"Just for that vinegar fragrance, I have to get a bowl of oil-poured noodles tonight!"

"Yeah, didn't get any earlier—gotta try it for dinner."

Not long after,

The Chen Vinegar in the wok came to a boil.

Panda poured in bone soup equal to the vinegar, the same amount of chicken broth, then added a big spoonful of salt, a big spoonful of light soy sauce, and half a spoon of dark soy sauce.

Mixed it all thoroughly,

and kept simmering.

The bone soup boosts the richness of the mixed sauce,

while the chicken broth adds extra umami.

Both together make the sauce even more flavorful and mouthwatering.

After simmering for three to five minutes,

Panda put in two small spoons of white sugar.

In Chinese cooking,

Sugar doesn't just make things sweet—it's a blending agent for all kinds of flavors.

Pretty much every complex flavor profile needs some sugar to tie it together.

After adding the sugar,

Panda stirred the pot a few times with a spoon.

Then turned off the stove,

and poured the sauce into a big bowl to cool naturally.

All the scallion, ginger, and other spices stayed in for now,

since the sauce was still very hot.

The spices keep releasing aroma as it cools.

Once it's completely cooled,

Panda will strain them out.

After the remaining customers left,

Panda tidied up the store.

Called Ou Hua and asked him to stop by with some supplies.

The drinks in the shop had just about run out,

and North Pole soda was down to zero bottles.

After the call,

he locked up the store,

hopped on a shared bike, and rode to Chunfeng Food Market.

Bought some more greens from Uncle Shen.

With the oil-poured noodles on the menu, the shop's original supply of greens wouldn't cut it.

Needed to restock.

At five in the evening,

Panda put the digital blackboard back out in front of the shop.

Tonight's featured dishes were written out on it.

[Signature Noodles with Braised Eggplant and Pork Sauce: Large Bowl 30 / Small Bowl 27]

[Tomato Egg Noodles: Large Bowl 28 / Small Bowl 25]

[Oil-Poured Hand-Rolled Noodles: Large Bowl 28 / Small Bowl 25]

[P.S.: Looking to rent a nearby apartment, preferably two bedrooms and a living room, not shared, please contact me if you have info—generous reward!]

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