Chapter 6

"Damn it!"

Looking at the vanished desks and chairs, Yuan Zhou felt tears welling up inside him, like the wide noodles of tears in a manga, to avoid feeling even more heartbroken, he decided to claim the reward first to comfort his wounded soul.

He tapped on the task reward and claimed it directly. The words "God-level Fried Rice" transformed into the shape of a book. Just as Yuan Zhou was focusing on it, the book suddenly burst into a bright light. The light enveloped his brain, surged into his mind, and then disappeared.

Fried rice is one of the most basic dishes in Chinese cuisine, almost everyone who can cook can make it, and even those who can't can throw together a plate.

Everyone has their own way of making it, and there are many variations of fried rice, such as Yangzhou fried rice, sunset fried rice, ham fried rice, chicken diced fried rice, and so on.

There is a basic requirement for fried rice: the eggs should be tender, the rice should be just right in terms of softness and hardness, and the aromas of both should blend together.

In the TV drama "Chef Zhang Dongguan," it is described that every three to five grains of rice should be coated with egg liquid, while in "Chinese Chef," it is even more exaggerated, turning into golden fried rice that glows, shining brightly.

Now, in the God-level fried rice rewarded by the system, it doesn't glow, but the selection of rice grains, the water used for cooking, the heat control, and even the size of the eggs in relation to the amount of rice all have their own techniques.

After understanding this, Yuan Zhou felt that the fried rice he had made before was simply crude and substandard, no! Even worse than pig feed.

The process of the light seeping into his brain was the enlightenment from the system's reward of God-level fried rice, which made Yuan Zhou's understanding and technique of making fried rice suddenly clear, as if he had been imparted decades of internal strength by Xuzhu, directly giving him countless experiences in making fried rice.

Opening his eyes, Yuan Zhou felt he couldn't contain the overwhelming power within him.

"Thump thump thump"

He walked down the stairs, ready to go to the kitchen to try making the God-level fried rice in his mind.

But just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was informed—

The system displayed: "Upgrading, will be completed in eight hours."

...

Yuan Zhou, who had been doused with cold water by the system, slightly calmed his excitement, returned to his room, and lay on the bed.

Thinking that after eight hours it would be the next day, with the egg-fried rice technique he had mastered, even if the shop didn't sell anything else, just selling egg-fried rice could lead him to the peak of life. This thought made him a little excited.

Then he thought about not having all the ingredients ready yet, and started to calculate how to use the money in his pocket to the maximum.

Tossing and turning, like a fish being fried, Yuan Zhou eventually fell asleep. As for the suspicious liquid at the corner of his mouth when he woke up, it's not necessary to delve into it.

After all, as a straight-thinking, ambitious, and aspiring young man, besides dreaming of a hard drive goddess, only the bright and soft pink banknotes could make Yuan Zhou so excited.

Eager to see the renovated shop, Yuan Zhou quickly finished his personal hygiene and went downstairs, pressing the light switch.

"What!"

However, standing at the bottom of the stairs, Yuan Zhou couldn't help but exclaim in English.

He took two steps to reach the center of the hall.

The entire shop had been transformed into an open kitchen. On both sides of the door, there were flower stands with some unknown small flowers in full bloom, their light blue color contrasting beautifully with the green background.

The table was like a curved long table from a late-night diner, encircling the kitchen. Inside the table was a glass counter and a sink for handling various foods.

In front of the long table, four comfortable high stools were placed in the center, with two more on each side of the curve, making a total of eight chairs occupying the entire curved long table.

"Price List"

On the wall facing the kitchen, these prominent brush-written words were clearly visible, with a wooden sign hanging below.

Looking around, he was quite satisfied. Compared to his haphazard decoration, this was much better, looking fresh, natural, and simple. Not noticing anything he had overlooked, Yuan Zhou "tsk tsk" and prepared to go back to the kitchen to take a look.

He was so surprised earlier that he didn't notice the changes in the kitchen. Now, upon returning to the kitchen and looking carefully, he realized this was not his original kitchen at all.

The old kitchen had a flour bucket in the corner, next to a double stove surrounded by seasonings, a sink nearby, and a shelf behind it with various sizes of bowls.

The entire kitchen was cramped and narrow, and if two people were in it, it would be difficult to turn around.

After being renovated by the system, it now looked spacious and grand. The place where the flour bucket used to be was replaced by a large water tank, like the brown coarse porcelain water tanks used in the countryside when he was a child. The water inside looked crystal clear, but it seemed bottomless.

Next to it was a built-in double stove, which didn't take up space and looked neat. The pots and pans were neatly arranged on the shelves within reach, with a fine white glaze.

Next to the double stove was a row of small boxes, each labeled with the names of various spices. Except for salt and Wei Ji Xian, which occupied an entire box, the other boxes had two names each, totaling 22 boxes, which meant 44 spices. Most of them were common ones like star anise and fennel.

"Click"

Yuan Zhou curiously opened one of the boxes labeled with thyme and mountain pepper, only to find it empty.

"Seems I overthought it, these are probably for storing spices later."

After muttering to himself, he continued to observe.

Above the spice boxes were a few slightly larger cabinets, also built-in, so they didn't stick out. Each cabinet was 20 centimeters wide and 15 centimeters high, with a total of twelve in a row.

Except for the one labeled "rice" at the edge, the others had nothing written on them. On the back row of cabinets, only the first one was labeled "eggs." This arrangement seemed to follow the first reward.

Thinking this, Yuan Zhou unconsciously opened a cabinet and was surprised to find it filled with rice. This discovery delighted him, and he quickly opened the cabinet labeled "eggs" to find it neatly filled with eggs.

"System, is this also a reward?" Yuan Zhou asked, secretly pleased.

The system displayed: "This system will provide all the ingredients for the dishes the host has learned."

"Then I know other dishes, like shredded potatoes." Yuan Zhou's eyes lit up as he asked.

The system displayed: "The host currently only knows one dish."

"Do you mean each dish must be like the God-level fried rice? Can I buy the raw materials myself?" Yuan Zhou tapped on the white glass counter.

The system displayed: "The ingredients for the dishes made and sold here must be provided by this system; no other items can be brought into the kitchen."

"Alright, that's not bad. I don't have to spend money on ingredients anyway, and I only plan to sell fried rice for now." Yuan Zhou smiled slyly, like a cat that had stolen a fish.

The system displayed: "Fried rice is priced at 188 RMB."

"Are you f*cking kidding me?"

...