Chapter 269: Chapter 181: Garlic Vermicelli Prawns! Parents Are Here! New Main Quest! [Request for Monthly Ticket]
「Two days later.」
An announcement was issued by the restaurant in Building No. 2 of the Fishing Platform:
"Due to Master Lin needing to represent the Fishing Platform in a culinary competition, we will temporarily not be accepting dish reservations. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
Although the "Family" and Braised Pork Belly dishes that Lin Xu made could sell twenty or so servings each day, for the sake of the competition and the honor of the Fishing Platform, Xie Baomin still reluctantly gave Lin Xu time off to rest at home. The competition was imminent, and it was time to rest and build up strength, hoping to clinch the championship in one fell swoop. All the folks at the Fishing Platform were looking forward to it.
「At the front desk.」
Looking at today’s meal reservation records, Shu Yun spoke to Xie Baomin, somewhat speechless, "Ever since Boss Lin stopped coming to work, our orders have also decreased a bit."
"It’s fine if they’re less; the most important thing is to win the championship. The Fishing Platform hasn’t vied for any honors for years, which inevitably gives some people the wrong impression that it’s easy to bully us. The mission for my junior this time is to give them a good wake-up call."
Unfortunately, the competition had an age limit. Otherwise, I, Old Xie, would definitely let them know what a dangerous place the Fishing Platform is.
Having said that, Xie Baomin went outside. He drove a shuttle bus leisurely around to the main road within the Fishing Platform. After reaching the rockery area, he turned toward Building No. 15.
As soon as he entered, he saw Song Dahai holding a hoe, turning over the soil where sugarcane used to be planted.
"Old Song, you’re not afraid of heatstroke working in this hot weather? Why don’t you take a break? Look at all that sweat on your head."
Seeing Xie Baomin, Song Dahai immediately fumed, "Get lost, get lost, get lost! If it weren’t for you starting it, I could’ve pressed dozens of pounds of brown sugar from the sugarcane I planted this year... How the hell did I end up knowing a character like you?"
That day, abiding by his principle of not being taken advantage of, he had stayed in Building No. 2 and eaten a bowl of rice. After eating, he leisurely headed towards Building No. 15. The walk took half an hour, during which Old Dai’s gang of criminals had also been up to no good in his sugarcane field. By the time he returned, only about twenty canes were left, all of them the poor ones Old Dai and his gang had dismissed as worthless. That made Song Dahai furious.
What angered him even more was that the Dining Department bought a small truckload of green sugarcane the next day. Old Dai, that bastard, even brought over the sugarcane they hadn’t used, claiming it wasn’t as good as what the Dining Department had procured. This enraged Song Dahai so much that he chased him for a good distance with a shovel.
Now, seeing the instigator approach, Song Dahai really wanted to lift the hoe in his hand and give the guy a whack.
"Why are you still angry with me? I only took two stalks, the least of all the head chefs. It’s Old Dai’s fault, acting like a bandit."
Xie Baomin took two steps forward, stopping just outside the hoe’s striking range.
"What are you planning to plant now, Old Song? You can’t plant sugarcane this season, can you?"
Song Dahai wiped off his sweat and continued working. "I’m going to plant some baby bok choy. Can’t let the ground lie fallow; otherwise, it starts growing weeds."
Baby bok choy? Xie Baomin suddenly perked up. "Once they sprout, send me some photos from time to time. I want to see how well they grow. If it’s easy, I might plant some at Building No. 2."
Song Dahai looked up at him. "Why do I get the feeling you’re eyeing my veggies, you dog? What brings you here today?"
Xie Baomin put away his smile and said seriously, "Remember to wear your State Banquet uniform and be at Building No. 1’s banquet hall on Friday morning to support my junior. All of us from the Fishing Platform’s Eighteen Arhats will be there. We’ll have the upper hand, whether it’s in cooking skills or a brawl."
Song Dahai was speechless. A perfectly normal competition, why does it sound like a gang fight coming from your mouth?
But he really had to be there that day. It was a competition concerning the reputation of the Fishing Platform, and they couldn’t let their competitors look down on them.
「Front desk of Building No. 2.」
Shu Yun looked at the empty front desk and missed the chubby little cutie.
It’s been several days since I’ve seen my dear Dundun! I wonder what that little guy is doing at home. Is he also wrapped up in his little blanket, fast asleep like he did at the Fishing Platform?
However, what she didn’t realize was that Dundun was causing trouble at home at that very moment.
Although his senior brother had told him to rest at home, Lin Xu couldn’t sit still. He set up his action camera and filmed a video on how to make garlic sauce. After filming, he felt the content wasn’t substantial enough, and that minced garlic alone seemed insufficient to whet his fans’ appetites. To enhance the video’s impact, he went downstairs to Uncle Yu’s supermarket to buy some large shrimp and glass noodles, intending to make garlic sauce glass noodles with butterflied shrimp.
But after he bought the shrimp, Dundun, who had been playing with a little toy mouse, suddenly pounced. Full of curiosity about the live shrimp in the water, the cat circled them for a while, observing attentively.
While Lin Xu was setting up filming equipment in the kitchen, the little rascal reached out a paw and fished a shrimp out of the basin. Watching the large shrimp hop around on the floor seemed to really get it excited. By the time Lin Xu came out of the kitchen, half the shrimp from the basin were lying on the floor outside. Water was everywhere, Dundun’s two paws were completely soaked, and plum blossom-shaped paw prints covered the living room floor.
"You little terror..." Lin Xu sighed.
Lin Xu picked up the shrimp from the floor and put them back into the basin, wiped Dundun’s front paws with a paper towel, cleaned up the water on the floor, and then carried the shrimp back to the kitchen to continue filming.
"I’m not even married yet, and I’m already experiencing the chaos of having a mischievous child at home," he muttered to himself. "It’s true what they say: once you have a cat, you don’t want kids anymore..."
He soaked the glass noodles in water and cleaned the large shrimp to start cooking.
Garlic sauce glass noodles with butterflied shrimp is a relatively simple dish. The only challenge might be butterflying the shrimp, but with the right technique, this step isn’t too difficult.
First, use scissors to cut off all the large shrimp’s antennae. This makes the shrimp look more appealing and easier to eat. After trimming, wash the shrimp again to prevent any tiny bits of antennae from mixing with the meat, which could affect the texture.
Then, begin to prepare the shrimp. Pick up a large shrimp and lay it on the chopping board. Use a knife to slit the back of the shrimp, being careful not to cut through completely. After cutting, pull out the shrimp’s vein. Then, lay the shrimp with its back facing up and tap it gently with the flat of the knife to make the back open up along the slit, allowing it to lie flat.
Steaming the shrimp this way easily infuses the meat with flavor, making it even more delicious.
Garlic sauce glass noodles with butterflied shrimp is a dish that easily impresses. There are various ways to butterfly shrimp, but the method Lin Xu used today was quite simple; almost anyone could do it.
After processing all the large shrimp, the glass noodles soaking in the basin were almost soft. He took them out, let them drain a bit, and then spread them evenly on a plate. Next, he arranged the large shrimp on the glass noodles with their heads pointing outward, forming a full circle. With a few shrimp left over, Lin Xu placed them in a smaller dish.
Well, when the old man eats shrimp, you can’t just let the kid watch. These few shrimp in the small dish are Dundun’s treat.
After plating, Lin Xu took the prepared garlic sauce and poured it evenly over the backs of the shrimp on the large plate. He left Dundun’s small dish plain. Cats shouldn’t eat food with seasonings.
He boiled some water. Once it boiled, he placed both the plate and the small dish into the steamer.
「Five minutes later.」
He turned off the heat and removed them from the steamer. Finally, he heated a bit of oil and poured it over the garlic sauce on the shrimp.
Done!
This dish was super simple to make, but its flavor was fresh and delicious. It also paired well with rice, making it one of Lin Xu’s favorite dishes.
He brought the food to the dining table. He set up the action camera, then peeled the shrimp for Dundun and placed the meat in its small dish.
Time to eat!
Lin Xu picked up his bowl of rice and placed a large shrimp on top. The shrimp was perfectly steamed, and its rich, savory aroma, enhanced by the scent of garlic sauce, was incredibly appetizing and made one eager to eat. He tasted a piece of the shrimp. A fresh, sweet flavor immediately filled his mouth. The taste of the minced garlic didn’t overpower the shrimp’s natural sweetness; on the contrary, it made the umami flavor even richer, and the shrimp’s freshness, in turn, highlighted the fragrance of the garlic sauce.
After eating the meat from the butterflied shrimp, he scooped up a mouthful of perfectly steamed rice.
Ah, this is truly satisfying!
While Lin Xu ate his rice and devoured the shrimp, Dundun, beside him, was also enjoying its peeled shrimp. The delicious morsels made the little fellow’s eyes narrow slightly, its tail gently swaying—a picture of contentment.
Once the video was shot, Lin Xu put away the action camera and continued eating his rice. After eating a few large shrimp, he picked up some glass noodles, soaked in savory juice, and put them in his mouth. The rich fragrance gave these glass noodles a delicious shrimp flavor. Eaten with rice, that sense of satisfaction was just too great!
After finishing his meal, he rested for a while, then edited the video on his computer, adding a message at the end:
"This Friday, I will be participating in a culinary competition for foreign-related hotels jointly sponsored by Yanjing Travel Channel, the Travel Association, China Travel Service Group, and National Travel Service Group. Those who wish to watch the event live can participate in the ’post-to-win-tickets’ activity under the Lin Ji’s Food topic. There are a total of fifty spots available—first come, first served, so hurry up!"
This giveaway was Zeng Xiaoqi’s idea. She figured that since there were enough tickets, why not use them to drum up fan enthusiasm? Having fans at the event would generate buzz for the Lin Ji topic, and Lin Xu would gain more popularity—a triple win!
As for Zeng Xiaoqi herself, the greater Lin Xu’s fame grew, the higher the chance of success for the food column she was planning. It was a win-win situation.
After finishing and uploading the video, he checked the time, changed his clothes, and, carrying Dundun, went downstairs and drove straight to Jingxi West Station.
This morning, Lin Hongqi and Chen Meijuan had boarded a high-speed train to Beijing. The couple had originally planned to wait until Lin Xu bought a house before discussing the engagement with his fiancée’s family, but the young woman’s side was so eager, they practically couldn’t wait to get engaged. So, Lin Hongqi and Chen Meijuan hastily packed and came to Beijing for their son’s engagement, also taking the opportunity to watch him compete at the Fishing Platform. They had watched the live stream of his last competition at home. Although Lin Xu had plenty of screen time, the couple couldn’t get enough and had rewatched the broadcast several times. Now that they could be there in person, they were determined to enjoy it to the fullest.
Upon arriving at West Station, Lin Xu found a parking spot, parked the car, and then carried Dundun to the arrivals gate to wait quietly. People bustled all around. Dundun lay on Lin Xu’s shoulder, looking left and right, eyes full of curiosity and wonder.
「After about fifteen minutes.」
Lin Hongqi and Chen Meijuan appeared at the exit. Lin Xu hurried to meet them.
His parents had finally arrived. The house he rented in Beijing finally started to feel like home. At this moment, Lin Xu felt all his efforts were truly worthwhile.
"Son, have you been waiting long?" Chen Meijuan approached, looking proudly at her son. "A few days ago, I noticed your restaurant’s topic was trending high. How come it’s dropped these past few days?"
She didn’t know how to support her son’s career, only feeling it was a pity the topic wasn’t continuing to rise.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Mom. One day, I’ll be at the top of the trending searches."
These words were meant to comfort his mother. Who knew that the moment he finished speaking, he heard a system notification in his mind:
"Host aspires to top the trending searches, triggering the mainline task [Fame and Glory]: Help the Lin Ji’s Food topic reach number one on the trending search list within three months. Upon completion, rewards include: one Perfect Level Lost Culinary Dish lottery draw, one Perfect Level Dry Pot Cuisine lottery draw, one Perfect Level Raw Pickled Cuisine lottery draw, three Perfect Level Cooking Learning Cards, and one thirty-minute special prop Experience Card!"