"My dish doesn't glow, I didn't add any fluorescent agents." Chen Mo retorted unhappily.

The intense, focused concentration is hard to maintain for long, and after making a dish, he surprisingly felt a bit tired. This fatigue didn't stem from physical exhaustion but rather from a lack of mental energy.

But fortunately, everything was [perfect]!

Du Qiming held up the Mapo Tofu, changed the angle and looked again, "No, it really is glowing."

The tofu indeed looked somewhat magical. Originally white and tender, after roasting, it lost external moisture and reabsorbed the thick sauce, making the edges appear somewhat translucent.

Plus, with a layer of translucent thick sauce on the outside, under the streetlights' illumination, it reflected light. This caused Du Qiming to feel like this thing faintly glowed no matter what angle he looked at it from.

Instead of explaining this, Chen Mo asked, "You ten people, want one serving each first?"

Du Qiming nodded dumbly, carrying two servings of Mapo Tofu back to his seat, and put his feet back in the wooden tub. Xiao Na helpfully reminded him, "Boss, you've only got ten minutes on the clock left."

"Add more, add me more time!"

Xiao Na thought to herself that she wished more customers like this would come, as it meant less hard work. With half an hour of rest, she could earn wages by doing twenty minutes of work—following Boss Xiao Chen really pays off.

After settling in, Du Qiming had an illusion of not being a construction worker anymore but transforming into a white-collar worker.

The hell, with candlelight and wine glasses, who can resist this!

A comfortable environment naturally cheers people up, and with the pleasant sensation from his feet, Du Qiming no longer considered this Mapo Tofu ordinary.

It wasn't just the Mapo Tofu from a roadside stall; it felt more like the Mapo Tofu from a high-end restaurant!

Without overthinking, Du Qiming smoothly scooped a piece of tofu onto his rice, and the thick sauce visibly seeped through the rice crevices.

Scooping the tofu again, after having absorbed a bit of sauce, Du Qiming blew on it cautiously. However, even with his light blowing, the tofu still quivered slightly under the force.

Then, into the mouth!

Hot, the first sensation was that it was hot!

Luckily, after blowing a few times, although hot, it didn't burn his mouth. He didn't even need to bite down, and Du Qiming knew that the seemingly calm tofu surface actually hid hidden danger.

If he dared to bite down at that moment, the sauce inside the tofu would definitely explode instantly.

Therefore, he ate with extra caution, first taking a small bite and waiting for the internal sauce to flow out slowly before taking bigger chews.

Yet it was still hot.

While hot, the numbing and spicy flavors spread throughout his mouth, and the tofu, simply roasted to lose moisture without creating a burnt layer, remained refreshingly smooth and fresh!

No need for much chewing, the tofu easily slid down into his stomach.

Carrying the scorching sensation, it slid down the esophagus and finally landed in the stomach, making his body feel: I just ate a piece of tofu!

This, was just the beginning.

Du Qiming swallowed the tofu and continued chewing the beef bits in his mouth.

Chen Mo's Mapo Tofu beef bits were added twice: the first time in advance to absorb enough sauce, making them flavorful and chewy, and each chew released the combined essence of meat juice and spicy numbing sauce.

The second time was added after cooking, retaining the original beef flavor while giving an incredibly crispy texture.

Every bite packed a punch of beefy chewiness and crispiness, with roasted and braised flavors coexisting, charred aroma and tenderness blended.

"Ha!!!" Du Qiming let out a long breath.

Satisfying, so incredibly satisfying!

He then scooped rice covered in sauce and stuffed it into his mouth vigorously, awesome!

Having tasted the first bite, the rest followed naturally. His colleagues, who got the tofu at the same time, were not to be outdone, even eating more exaggeratedly than Du Qiming.

Not even bothering to blow on it.

Swallowed the tofu into the mouth, took a deep breath without chewing, gulped it down, and mixed it with rice.

The remaining eight people watched with envious eyes turning red.

"Boss Du, you damn knew there was a place like this and didn't tell us earlier! Do you know what we've been through this last week?"

"Right! Damn it, I've almost gone crazy eating cabbage and tofu every day!"

"Can't take it anymore, Boss, cook faster, I'm about to starve to death!"

Since arriving at the development zone project, it was said that the cafeteria was managed by a relative of the project manager.

Every day was a hotchpotch of potatoes, cabbage, and tofu in one pot.

There weren't many people in the project department, and everyone tacitly agreed not to report it, as the cafeteria was run by someone close to the manager. Reporting the cafeteria's inefficiency felt akin to slapping the manager's face.

It's said that an intern once reported the project meal issues to the company and was directly pressured into leaving by the manager's private tricks.

Du Qiming and his colleagues were just there to help; they couldn't say anything either, only endure!

Now, there's no need to endure!

Chen Mo paused a bit, felt his energy recovering slightly, and then started to work.

This dish's main challenge lies in controlling the fire when roasting the tofu and being extremely careful when tossing the pan.

As long as these two steps are handled well, the other steps come easily.

This time, Chen Mo made four servings at once, and his movements were becoming more and more proficient.

Another four servings!

The surveying team brothers all got to taste the Mapo Tofu, and just as Chen Mo stretched, wanting a break, Du Qiming jogged over, "Boss, another serving please!"

Chen Mo was amused by this guy's eager eyes, "So, how was it, tasty?"

LuLu, unwilling to be left out, pointed the camera directly at Du Qiming, "So, how is it, isn't it good?"

Du Qiming's lips were stained a glossy red, and he licked them a couple of times stubbornly, "I ate too fast just now, didn't even catch the taste before it was gone, quickly give me another serving so I can savor it properly."

Alright.

Chen Mo loved teasing hard-headed people, and seeing that there wasn't much time left, he said, "But now I need to make at least four servings at a time. With just one order..."

Without thinking, Du Qiming replied directly, "Just make them, we have so many brothers here, no way we can't finish them." He turned to the colleagues eating tofu eagerly, "Buddies, who else wants some?"

"I do!"

"Give me another!"

"Me too!"

Nine hands shot up in unison, and Du Qiming turned to Boss Chen, "So? Oh right, you're not afraid I'll say it's not good and won't pay, so you don't want to give us more, are you?"

Hmm, stubborn mouth, Chen Mo liked it.

For tough-mouthed people, they first enjoy the applause.

Cook!

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