Novel Bin Chapter 19 - Mastering the Art of Crystal Cake! Chef Liu Is Losing His Cool!
…
After all eight draws, each spin yielded a reward. However, only one culinary skill came through—Max-Level Crystal Cake Making Technique.
Crystal cake is a traditional southern dessert, known for its cool, refreshing taste and deep-rooted history. In Lu Qin’s mind, the detailed steps and secrets of making this dessert flashed like a slideshow, leaving him with a complete understanding of how to perfect it.
Similar to mung bean soup, crystal cake could be prepared at home and sold at his stall.
Lu Qin checked the other prizes. The mint candies weren’t ordinary—they had a breath-freshening effect ten times stronger than regular ones. Everything from the system had some unique twist.
The super strength dish soap could easily remove any grease or grime with minimal effort, and paired with the absorbent cleaning cloth, cleaning would be a breeze.
The cloth was incredibly effective, instantly wiping off dirt and grease, and could be rinsed clean with just a splash of water.
With a single thought, Lu Qin had all these items appear neatly in his kitchen cabinet.
Later that evening…
Lu Qin wanted to stay home and watch TV with Lu Xiyao, but the little one wasn’t interested. She wanted to join him at the night market stall instead. After considering it for a moment, Lu Qin agreed. As long as they didn’t stay out too late and it didn’t interfere with her sleep schedule, it was fine.
He started preparing the ingredients. Earlier in the day, Lu Qin had already ordered 100 pounds of rice noodles. When the delivery arrived, the shop owner was amazed at how well the stir-fried noodle business seemed to be doing. He also brought along 80 pounds of mung beans. All other ingredients were sufficiently stocked, so there was no need for further shopping.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to make the crystal cakes tonight, so that would have to wait until the next morning when Lu Qin could buy the necessary ingredients. He was eager to try his hand at it, especially with his new skills, and couldn’t wait to get started.
At 6:15 PM, everything was ready.
“Yao Yao, hop in the cart.”
“Coming!” Yao Yao, dressed in casual sportswear with her hair in cute pigtails, held a freshly made cup of mung bean soup. She took a happy slurp before climbing into the tricycle food cart.
_______
At Changlin Road Night Market near the University District, Neon lights adorned every corner of the street as crowds bustled between the stalls. Students from nearby universities were pouring out of the campus gates.
Among them, a group of over ten students, possibly classmates, gathered together.
“Hey, dorm leader, where’s that stir-fried noodle stall? Hurry and take us there!”
“Is it really as good as you guys say? I skipped my long-craved luosifen just to try these stir-fried noodles.”
“Trust me! It’s absolutely amazing! I had a couple of bites yesterday, and I was craving it all day! I couldn’t even focus in class!”
“I think you guys are overhyping it. It’s just stir-fried noodles, man. I’ve been eating them since I was a kid, and I’m sick of them by now.”
“The noodles you’ve been eating and the ones that your handsome boss makes are completely different. You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
…
In addition to the students gathered at the university gate, more people were heading towards the alley near the Spicy Girl hot pot restaurant. The restaurant’s staff saw the crowd, assuming it was a large group coming for hot pot—there were at least twenty or thirty people—so they quickly ran to inform the boss.
The hot pot restaurant owner came out with a smile, only to find out these people weren’t there for hot pot, they were after stir-fried noodles.
“Stir-fried noodles?” The hot pot boss was stunned. “How could stir-fried noodles be better than hot pot?”
Not far away, Chef Liu, the stir-fried noodle vendor, saw the scene and couldn’t contain his happiness. He walked out from behind his stall, laughing heartily as he shouted towards the crowd, “My stir-fried noodles, old Liu’s stir-fried noodles, are just as good as hot pot! They’re ridiculously delicious!”
“Delicious, my foot! They’re oily and greasy! I wouldn’t eat them even if they were free!” The hot pot boss spat out angrily.
“Haha, jealousy! Pure, unfiltered jealousy! Folks, come over and line up! I’ll make you all some stir-fried noodles, nice and quick!” Chef Liu called out, still grinning at the hot pot owner.
It was clear that Chef Liu and the hot pot boss, Mr. Guo, were old acquaintances, teasing and trading jabs with no hard feelings. Normally, their businesses didn’t compete much—hot pot and stir-fried noodles weren’t exactly rivals.
But today seemed different. Why were so many people lining up for stir-fried noodles?
Chef Liu wasn’t sure why there were so many customers, but he assumed his noodles had gained a sudden surge in popularity. Smiling smugly, he winked at the hot pot owner and said, “Guo, maybe it’s time to reflect on yourself. After all these years, have you improved your hot pot’s flavor or your service?”
Mr. Guo’s eyebrows shot up in frustration. He spat on the ground and retorted.
“You arrogant fool! I don’t have time for your nonsense.”
Chef Liu stopped teasing and tapped his spatula against the edge of his pan, preparing to start cooking.
At that moment, the large crowd walked right past Chef Liu’s stall without even stopping, heading further into the alley.
“Hey! We’re not here for your stir-fried noodles, Chef Liu! We’re here for the handsome guy’s noodle stall further in!”
“I’ve had your noodles before—they’re just okay. Compared to that guy, it’s like night and day!”
“Sorry, Chef Liu, not eating at your place today!”
The sudden twist left Chef Liu standing there dumbfounded. His wok had been heating for a while, smoke starting to rise, but he hadn’t even added the oil yet.
The group continued deeper into the alley. Mr. Guo, the hot pot owner, who had been fuming just moments earlier, suddenly felt a wave of satisfaction at this reversal of fortune. His frustration melted away as he smugly said, “Chef Liu, maybe it’s time for you to reflect on yourself. After all these years, have you improved your noodles’ flavor or your service?”
Chef Liu quickly turned off the stove, glaring at Guo with a face that turned red, then pale. A sudden thought flashed in his mind—could it be that guy?
Deeper into the alley, over twenty customers looked around, confused, not seeing Lu Qin’s noodle cart anywhere. The nearby oden seller was having his own troubles. He hadn’t been able to secure a good stall spot today, all because of his son’s impossible homework assignment—an ABAB word pattern exercise where he had to come up with twenty examples. Both he and his wife had spent half the day searching online and could only come up with ten. They were practically tearing their hair out.
“Hey, handsome, pretty ladies, want some oden?”
“Uncle, have you seen the handsome noodle guy? Is his stall here?”
“No, haven’t seen him. Probably set up somewhere else today.”
The oden vendor watched in envy as so many people showed up looking for the stir-fried noodles. But honestly, even he had to admit that the young man’s noodles were delicious. If that guy came today, he’d be sure to grab a serving for himself.
A few minutes later, Lu Qin finally arrived, pulling up in his tricycle food cart.
“Dude! Handsome boss! What took you so long? You’re supposed to be making money! You’re late!”
“I’ve been waiting so long, the flowers have wilted!”
“My hair’s turned white waiting for you!”
“Boss, I’ve been starving myself all day just to eat your stir-fried noodles! If you didn’t show up, it would’ve been a tragedy!”
“Was the school cafeteria’s noodles meant for dogs or something?”
“Hahaha! Sorry about that! Totally forgot!” Lu Qin laughed.
“Is this the noodle stall boss? He’s too handsome!”
“His daughter is so cute too! What if I want to steal her away?”
“Boss, let me help you set up your stall!”
…
The crowd was a lively bunch, joking and chatting while waiting for their stir-fried noodles.
“Brothers and sisters, please line up properly! Our stir-fried noodle stall is officially open!” Said Lu Xiyao, standing at the front of the stall, her sweet, childlike voice getting everyone’s attention.