After stepping out of the private room, Chen Mo excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"One, two, three..."

Eight thousand, a full eight thousand yuan!

The world of big bosses is truly hard for ordinary people to understand. Chen Mo accepted the money; it was earned through his labor, which made him feel at ease about taking it.

Upon leaving the bathroom, someone was waiting outside the door.

"Boss Xiao Chen?"

"Ah? Yes, thank you for your help in the kitchen earlier. Even though it was just a few simple words, it was very enlightening."

If it weren't for Hou Yao, Chen Mo might not have been able to make an almost perfect Mapo Tofu. He didn't say much, but every word was crucial. Chen Mo felt he had gained a deeper understanding of cooking, things he couldn't have learned on his own.

Hou Yao chuckled, "I'm glad you didn't find my nagging annoying."

"Of course not."

Hou Yao pondered for a moment, "Are you interested in working here? I feel you have quite a talent, and it's a bit of a waste to only be running a stall."

Chen Mo never expected such an offer, and he replied apologetically, "Actually, I already have a job; running a stall is just a side job."

This was something Hou Yao already knew, but he still wanted to give it a try.

After all, the dish Mapo Tofu is a test item for advanced chefs, and generally speaking, as long as you can achieve the key points of being spicy, numbing, fresh, and crispy, it should be fine.

And Chen Mo had grasped all of these key points himself; he was just a bit lacking in the thickening technique.

Even some veteran chefs who have been in the kitchen for over a decade might not achieve mastery in thickening technique if they don't study it thoroughly.

Mu Xin, who was lurking nearby, was gnashing his teeth in anger.

Thinking to himself, you don't want to come, and I don't want you either!

If you won't work at my restaurant, don't think about dating my daughter!

Hou Yao continued, "Well, I don't think your skills seem like they come from a Cantonese cuisine master. The essence of Cantonese cuisine is in respecting the ingredients and keeping their original flavor, without excessive seasoning. Your technique seems a bit off the beaten path, which can be bad if you specialize in one cuisine."

Chen Mo carefully contemplated the master's words.

Being able to explain the thickening technique so clearly in just a few words speaks volumes about this master's status. So, he especially thought over the characteristics of Cantonese cuisine he mentioned and asked, "Cantonese essence isn't about seasoning?"

Hou Yao's mouth twitched, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by another furious voice.

"Get out! Get him out quickly!"

"Boss..."

Mu Xin's face twitched with anger, "Hurry up and leave! Go run your stall, sell your noodles, and get out of my restaurant!"

It's one thing to be out with my daughter till late at work — Mu Xin understood that.

It's another when my daughter takes fine ingredients from home to give you — it's for work, after all.

But coming to my restaurant to show off, well, forget it. I've been in Guangdong Province for decades. Missing one show-off doesn't matter.

But for you to take a dig at Cantonese cuisine? Unbearable, truly unbearable!

Chen Mo scratched his head, wondering what got this big boss so worked up, and said, "Okay, I'll leave. But I still want to ask, how did you know I sell noodles?"

"Last night I..." Mu Xin abruptly stopped mid-sentence, "Heard it from someone!"

Oh, alright then.

Chen Mo chuckled, "Thanks for letting me use your kitchen today, Boss Mu~ I'll head off to work with Mu Mu now!"

Watching Chen Mo's jubilant figure walk away, Mu Xin felt his blood pressure skyrocket. He chased after him to let his daughter know a driver would pick her up later, only to see Mu Mu feeding Chen Mo a century egg pastry from a lunch box.

Mu Xin quietly picked up his phone.

"Hey, honey."

"Returning to Guangzhou, heading back."

...

After earning eight thousand from making a dish, Chen Mo sat in the dining car heading home, still feeling like it was a dream.

"Hey Brother Chen Mo, what's the big deal! Haven't you seen those women online getting thousands just for jumping around?"

Thinking about it that way, it did seem true. Chen Mo couldn't relate to the world of rich people yet, so he temporarily put his feelings aside and said, "Xiao Mu, you head home first today. I'll prepare by myself and meet at the sports institute gate at ten tonight."

"Huh?" Mu Mu pressed the [Stop] button, "Why? I wanted to help you prepare the food."

Thinking back to the preparations yesterday, if cheering counted as help, then Mu Mu did contribute quite a lot.

"I'll prepare by myself today. You're doing the night shift now, no need to help during the day too." Seeing Mu Mu still unsatisfied, Chen Mo added, "Mostly because I have other work you can help with. Could you go home and analyze the pros and cons of the next two spots for setting up our stall, and see if we need to change the menu?"

Once she realized it was actual work, Mu Mu brightened up immediately, "Great! I'll catch a bus at the next corner to head back."

Seeing Mu Mu off, Chen Mo took over control of the dining car.

He collected his earlier smile and became a bit more serious.

[Side Quest Two: Completed]

[Side Quest Three: Completed]

Having both tasks completed at once surprised Chen Mo, but upon reflection, it made sense. With Hou Yao's guidance, he gained deeper insights into the thickening technique, aligning with the task's "Skill Seeking" requirement.

Resolving the father-daughter conflict through a culinary dish reunited their warmth, aligning with the "Seeking Love" requirement.

Chen Mo had already seen the task notification in the bathroom. If Mu Mu weren't willing to go home, Chen Mo would've kicked her out to avoid hindering his quest reward collection.

Feeling excited, Chen Mo slowly headed back to the derelict building.

Standing in the abandoned lobby on the first floor, he said, "Claim reward."

[...]

Seeing six dots appear in front of him, Chen Mo muttered to himself, "I know, I know, you're telling me you can't issue the reward if I watch you? Right, why did my experience points suddenly surge, even though I wasn't open for business?"

[Income from tasks contributes to Experience Value]

So that's it! This is great. The 8,000 experience points bring me a step closer to the Level 3 Dining Car!

"Please issue the reward. I'll go deposit the money."

Carrying a large sum of cash these days is inconvenient. Chen Mo left the dining car and walked to a nearby ATM to deposit the money.

Upon returning, he noticed a black pot placed on the dining car's operating table.

[Black Pot: Made from unknown materials, odorless, excellent heat conduction, excellent heat distribution, non-stick, and has heat preservation features.]

[Note: If this black pot leaves the dining car, it will turn into an ordinary black pot and cannot be carried.]

Looking at the introduction, Chen Mo couldn't quite say if this reward was good or not.

When he looked up again, he saw a seasoning box with a stainless-steel color placed in the corner of the operation table.

The large box, when opened, had many small compartments, roughly counted to have over forty kinds. The side of the large box had a stainless-steel rack with more than twenty transparent small bottles, seemingly made of glass.

[Copyable Seasoning Box: When you add seasonings into the box, the box's copy function activates, ensuring that the seasonings never run out.]

[Note: This seasoning box and the seasonings will turn into ordinary items if they leave the dining car.]

Whether the black pot was good, Chen Mo couldn't say, but this seasoning box really hit the spot. Now he could freeload seasonings like he did with fifty kilograms of flour earlier!

"Profitable trade, coming soon!"

Next came the usual process. The noodles had to be freshly kneaded and rolled; no need to prepare beforehand. Chen Mo picked up the regular flour and kneaded it to make buns.

Since he now had the black pot, he temporarily stored the previous wok in the cabinet.

Heat the pot and add oil!

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