As he was busy, Uncle Yu from the neighboring supermarket pushed the door open again and came in.

"Boss Lin, Boss Lin, did you hear? The shops next to us and upstairs were all transferred to a big boss yesterday afternoon. It seems like there's going to be some major action..."

Lin Xu smiled. The whole affair concerning the hidden instigator, which had dragged on for several days, had finally reached its grand conclusion.

He said to Uncle Yu, "That person is me... My father-in-law bought the shops a couple of days ago. He transferred them all to me yesterday and asked me to expand the scale of this shop."

Uncle Yu was utterly bewildered. So, I've been worrying for nothing these past few days?

He quickly asked, "Does your girlfriend have any siblings? My nephew and my niece are still single, you know. If she has any, and they're available, I could certainly help play matchmaker..."

Uncle, you sure change your tune fast... Lin Xu said with a smile, "My girlfriend is an only child, and so am I. We need to earn more money. Otherwise, supporting both sets of parents in their old age will be a major issue."

"Right, right, right, you definitely should earn more money."

Uncle Yu remarked with a sigh. Then, a thought struck him. "By the way, if you're expanding the shop, does that mean you'll have to close for a while before reopening?"

"Yes, once the design for the store is ready, we'll close for renovations. If the noise disturbs you then, please bear with us."

"That's a small matter. Renovations are always noisy, aren't they? Just get it done quickly. Every extra day it takes means we have to wait another day. You wouldn't believe it, but I've become addicted to your food."

After saying this, Uncle Yu turned to leave. He planned to inform the neighbors out for a walk about Lin Ji's upcoming renovation. After all, that's what the neighborhood's self-appointed intelligence chief does—always so enthusiastic.

Lin Xu called out, "Don't rush off, Uncle Yu. The meat pies in my pot are almost done. I'm not quite sure about the seasoning; could you give them a taste test for me?"

Uncle Yu was delighted. "Boss Lin, you're just being modest. You even won the gourmet championship at Fishing Platform. Making meat pies must be child's play for you... Alright then, it looks like I'm in for a treat today!"

He didn't bother notifying anyone else and just waited for the meat pies.

The two of them chatted about amusing local happenings—though, of course, it was mostly Uncle Yu doing the talking. This old man knew all the gossip on the street, and every customer visit to his supermarket was an opportunity to exchange information.

Soon, the meat pies in the pot were ready. Fried to a tempting golden brown on both sides, they exuded an enticing wheaty aroma.

After taking out all the meat pies, Lin Xu placed another batch of uncooked pies into the pan. Then, taking a plate, he placed two on it and handed it to Uncle Yu.

"Wow, these meat pies look really good! They're no worse than the famous 'Door-stud Meat Pies' sold on Qianmen Street."

Beijing has several famous food streets, such as Niujie, Guijie, Yuanbao Street, and Qianmen Street. Thanks to Lin Ji's Food, Yingchun Street was also being mentioned more and more frequently by seasoned food connoisseurs.

"Ever since you opened your shop, foot traffic on Yingchun Street has increased considerably. Even the business at my supermarket has gotten a bit better than before. Once your new shop opens, our Yingchun Street might even become a dedicated food street."

Lin Xu said with a smile, "If Yingchun Street becomes a food street, business will probably be even better."

No sooner had he spoken than the system's notification echoed in his mind:

"The host wishes for Yingchun Street to become a food street, triggering the side mission [Investing in Opening a Shop]: Please invest in a snack shop on Yingchun Street within one month. Upon completion, reward: one Double Points Card for 72 hours, and one Basic Cooking Techniques Upgrade Card."

Open a snack shop? I haven't even figured out my current restaurant yet, for crying out loud! Does the system really think so highly of me, expecting me to single-handedly develop a whole street's worth of gourmet food?

Just as he was grumbling to himself, his father-in-law's family walked in.

Lin Xu remembered his father-in-law being full of vigor when he left last night. He hadn't expected that today, Shen Guofu would look like an eggplant nipped by frost, so dejected he could barely lift his head.

What's this? Only when Shen Guofu raised his head did Lin Xu see that there was actually a scratch on his face.

"Uncle Shen, what happened to your face?"

Shen Guofu said listlessly, "Don't even mention it. A stray cat got into the house last night. Just as I was about to chase it out, it scratched me..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Xu saw his mother-in-law glare fiercely at his father-in-law.

TSK... Looks like his mother-in-law really put him through the wringer last night.

He quickly offered the freshly made beef-filled pies, saying, "Come on, come on, have some of these beef-filled pies to recover. They're freshly made and still warm."

Just as Shen Guofu reached out to take one, Han Shuzhen said, "Your Uncle Shen doesn't want meat pies; he just wants something vegetarian. Xiao Xu, do you have any steamed buns in your fridge? If so, warm up a couple for your Uncle Shen and prepare a dish of leafy greens. That's what he likes."

Shen Guofu nodded, his face a picture of 'joy.' "Yes, I like that. I like it so much, I could cry just thinking about it."

Lin Xu gave him a sympathetic glance.

Sigh... He just had to take home all those vegetarian dishes last night. Now it's his turn to eat them, serves him right!

He took two steamed buns left over from a couple of days ago out of the refrigerator and put them in the steamer. Just as he was getting busy, Shen Jiayue ran over and whispered, "Last night, Mom really put Dad through it. She forced him to play on the dancing machine, making him follow the rhythm. If he missed a single step, he had to start all over again. Dad got so exhausted he was just rolling his eyes."

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