Soon, the fragrant vinegar-slathered potato shreds and the red and yellow scrambled eggs with tomatoes were brought to the table in front of Xiaowen by Lin Chen.
Lin Chen made a welcoming gesture, "Xiaowen, come taste the skills of this god of cooking!"
"Hmm, it looks good, but as for the taste, that's for me to judge," said Zhao Xiaowen eagerly as she picked up her chopsticks.
Lin Chen was quite confident in his culinary skills. According to the system, his cooking embodied the essence of the interstellar super-chef, with every process perfected to the utmost degree.
Take the potato shreds, for example, whether it's the flavor or the texture upon entering the mouth, they were crafted to cater to the best of human taste. It could be said that the vinegar-slathered potato shreds made by Lin Chen brought the dish to an impeccable level.
Zhao Xiaowen took a strand of potato shreds and tasted them. She hadn't had much faith in Lin Chen's cooking skills, but her face showed a look of shock as soon as she tasted them.
"These vinegar-slathered potato shreds are simply delicious."
The texture was crisp and tender, with a mild aroma of oil mixed with a hint of sourness and the richness of the potatoes, leaving Zhao Xiaowen utterly delighted.
After eating a few bites of potato shreds, Zhao Xiaowen turned her attention to the scrambled eggs with tomatoes next to her and carefully picked up a slice of tomato to try.
"Delicious, so delicious..."
Tangy and sweet, in Zhao Xiaowen's eyes, this wasn't just a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes; it was like a dish of sea cucumbers and abalone.
Zhao Xiaowen couldn't care less about maintaining her elegance. All she saw were the vinegar-slathered potato shreds and that comparable dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
She kept eating, bite after bite, almost leaving not a drop of sauce behind.
When the two plates were empty, Zhao Xiaowen picked up her head shyly and wiped the oil from her hands with a napkin as she exclaimed, "Lin Chen, your cooking is too delicious. I've never had such tasty vinegar-slathered potato shreds and scrambled eggs with tomatoes."
"Do you think we'd be successful if we partnered up to open a restaurant?" Lin Chen asked with a smile.
"Of course, it'll be a hit. If it's not, there's no justice. What are five-star hotel chefs anyway? Compared to your cooking, theirs is practically slop."
Having tasted Lin Chen's culinary skills, Zhao Xiaowen was full of confidence about opening a restaurant.
After cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, Lin Chen rode an electric bike with Zhao Xiaowen into the city.
The electric bike once again traveled along this bumpy road; Zhao Xiaowen couldn't help but hug Lin Chen's waist.
She held on very tightly...!
Lin Chen suddenly regretted fixing the road; if it were fixed, he wondered if he would have the opportunity to be so close to Zhao Xiaowen again.
Wafts of the young girl's fragrance came from behind, and Lin Chen felt incredibly content. Chatting with Zhao Xiaowen, the ten-plus kilometers felt extremely short and, before they knew it, they arrived at the front door of Zhao Xiaowen's family restaurant.
Her family restaurant was small, and the entrance was very quiet, in stark contrast to the bustling and brightly lit Yongsheng Restaurant across the street.
Lin Chen and Zhao Xiaowen parked the bike and walked toward the store. As soon as they reached the entrance, a shrill voice came from inside.
"Old Zhao, we've decided to rent the storefront to the Yongsheng Restaurant across the street. Here's the two thousand in breach of contract money. You have one day to move out."
"Boss Sun, how can you do this? Our contract isn't up yet, and our whole family relies on this little shop. Without it, how are we supposed to live!" Wu Mei's voice came from inside.
"I'm doing this for your own good. Your store barely gets one or two customers a day; keeping it open is just losing money. The person across the street is a five-star chef. Not to mention others, after eating their food, even I don't want to step foot in your place anymore."
"Alright, we'll move. We'll find another way. If I have to, I'll go work on the construction site. We absolutely can't let Xiaowen quit school."
Hearing Zhao Gang's words, Zhao Xiaowen's eyes filled with tears.
Lin Chen patted Zhao Xiaowen's shoulder and walked into the shop with her.
"Xiaowen, what brings you here?" Seeing Lin Chen and Zhao Xiaowen, Zhao Gang was taken aback.
Lin Chen gave a smile and said, "Uncle Zhao, Xiaowen and I talked it over and we'd like to buy this shop and keep it running."
"What, you're buying the shop?" Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, both Zhao Gang and Wu Mei were stunned.
But Wu Mei frowned and said, "This is adult business, you kids stop causing trouble. To buy this shop, you'll need at least seven or eight hundred thousand. What can you use to buy it?"
Boss Sun also squinted his eyes at Lin Chen and chuckled, "Ha, kids these days really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. You might act big, but you're just talking big. You country folks should just honestly go back to your fields. This place isn't for you."
After hearing Boss Sun's words, Zhao Gang was displeased as well, "Boss Sun, you can choose not to rent to us, but please don't look down on country folks."
"Sorry, I've never had any respect for you bunch of country paupers. I'm telling you, you've got one day. If you don't move out in time, I'll have someone throw all of your stuff out," Boss Sun said spitefully.
Upon hearing Boss Sun's words, Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and said, "How much do you want to sell this shop for?"
Boss Sun looked at Lin Chen and sneered, "Eight hundred and fifty thousand. Can you afford it?"
Actually, the location wasn't very good and the shop wasn't very big; it was at most worth eight hundred thousand.
Boss Sun had already figured that Lin Chen couldn't afford it, so he deliberately raised the price to embarrass him.
After hearing the price, Lin Chen thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "How about this, I'll offer one million and eighty thousand and buy the next shop as well."
"What did you say?" After hearing Lin Chen's words, Boss Sun's mouth hung wide open. He thought he had misheard.
Lin Chen looked at Boss Sun indifferently, "I said I'll use one million and eighty thousand to buy both of your storefronts. Am I not speaking Mandarin clearly?"
"Kid, you're not playing me for a fool, are you?" Boss Sun stared at Lin Chen, still not believing that Lin Chen looked like someone who could come up with one million and eighty thousand.
"It's just one million and eighty thousand; I have no reason to joke with you. If you don't believe it, I can sign a contract with you right now," Lin Chen said with an easygoing expression.
Boss Sun thought it over. His two storefronts had cost only a little over four hundred thousand back then, and because the location was poor, the rent was cheap. He had long wanted to sell them but hadn't met a buyer willing to meet his price.
Today, Lin Chen offered one million and eighty thousand right off the bat, five thousand more than he had hoped for. How could he not be tempted?