Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Unlocking Yak, Potato, and Mushroom Soup

The corporate drones, students, and middle-aged women in the crowd were instantly abuzz, craning their necks to look into the shop.

’Boss Jiang is giving out a freebie?’

’Holy shit!!! Has the sun started rising in the west?’

’Everyone knows that anything Boss Jiang makes is a masterpiece.’

’Forget free—people would buy his stuff even at an exorbitant price.’

BOOM!

The entire line erupted in a clamor.

Everyone was thrilled.

"Pass it down! Boss Jiang is giving out freebies today—the first hundred people get half an ear of giant corn!"

"Boss Jiang is giving out freebies! The first hundred people get a whole ear of premium corn!"

"You, pass it to the back. Just say everyone here gets a free ear of corn from Boss Jiang."

"Holy shit, for real?"

A corporate drone opened a pinned chat group on Douyin. "Breaking news! Any customer who comes to the World’s Second Best Restaurant today gets free corn from Boss Jiang! Super delicious corn! And get this—it’s made by Boss Jiang!!"

The news spread like wildfire.

Jiang Liu continued packing up steamed buns.

Huang Yunfeng, carrying a small stool, said excitedly, "Boss Jiang, are you giving away corn?"

"Yes!"

"That’s great! I’ll get one order of tuna to go, fifteen buns, and three bottles of juice."

Jiang Liu casually picked up half an ear of corn and put it in the paper bag. "Why do you buy so much every day? Is it all for you?"

"No, it’s for President Wang. She’s usually busy and doesn’t like to wait in line, so I’m running the errand for her."

As he spoke, Huang Yunfeng nodded gratefully at Jiang Liu.

He owed his current success to Jiang Liu’s food.

If Jiang Liu ever closed up shop, his own status would be gone.

The shop was already packed to the brim.

In the midst of his work, Jiang Liu glanced at the crowded little shop, feeling a little dissatisfied.

’How can my esteemed customers be squeezed together like this?’

’No, I have to buy the place next door as soon as possible.’

His shop was a commercial storefront located behind the Picasso District residential area.

There were apartments upstairs, so he couldn’t expand to the second floor. He could only enlarge the ground floor.

Yu Qingzheng had also arrived and was carefully nibbling on an ear of corn.

’It’s so fragrant and sweet! A little sticky, and the more you chew, the more delicious it gets.’

’As expected of Boss Jiang. Even simple steamed corn tastes this good.’

He marveled inwardly.

A comical scene played out from time to time in the shop: customers would painstakingly pick up kernels of corn that had fallen on the table and pop them back into their mouths.

’It’s just too good.’

’Although it wasn’t a top-tier classic like the buns, juice, or tuna...’

’...it’s still super delicious, okay!’

And besides, they might not get to eat it again in the future, so of course they had to cherish it.

Yu Qingzheng ate half and couldn’t bear to finish the rest. He wrapped it in a plastic bag and put it in his briefcase.

He wanted to take it home for his wife to try.

Uncle Li was munching away on his corn, taking big bites.

He’d been a farmer his whole life, but this was the first time he’d ever eaten such delicious corn.

"Boss Jiang, where did you get this corn?"

A student nearby chimed in:

"Don’t even ask. I’m sure it’s not the regular corn you find on the market—at least, I’ve never had anything like it. Then again, Brother Jiang is really generous to us loyal fans. If he were selling this for fifty, I’d buy it in a heartbeat!"

Jiang Liu didn’t answer, just smiled.

Jiao Shenghua also came to the shop to eat.

Jiang Liu served him his buns and asked, "Was that monk from yesterday released?"

Jiao Shenghua took a bite of corn first, chewing with relish before replying, "No. I heard he was taken for a medical examination. It seems they uncovered a lot of his dirty deeds during interrogation, so he was charged with fraud. He should be in a detention center by now, and it doesn’t look like anyone will dare to pull strings for him."

"Boss Jiang, in a case like this, you’re the victim. If you don’t issue a letter of forgiveness, he’ll most likely be sentenced. He probably doesn’t have any family to pay restitution either, so there’s a high chance he’s not getting off."

Jiang Liu nodded.

He was indifferent and had no intention of writing a letter of forgiveness.

Soon, the food was sold out.

However, Jiang Liu was a little annoyed today.

Customers kept coming up to get their free corn, and it was giving him a major headache.

He had already announced it was only one hundred ears.

’Why do they keep coming to ask for more?’

In the end, he had no choice but to pull down the rolling shutter door.

Inside, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

The three of them started cleaning the shop.

It was even cleaner today.

Some customers had even emptied the trash cans into their own bags and taken the garbage with them, saving Jiang Liu the trouble.

Out of habit, he glanced at the system’s backend.

Jiang Liu’s heart began to race.

[Current Goodwill Points: 248603]

’Almost there, almost there.’

He felt like he would have enough by noon.

Jiang Liu continued preparing the food for the lunch service.

He couldn’t help but check the backend every ten minutes or so.

’Just over a thousand to go... Soon...’

It was no wonder Jiang Liu was so anxious.

This was different from the dishes he usually developed himself. This was a dish worthy of being written on the little blackboard!

In Jiang Liu’s opinion, the dishes he developed himself were always lacking something.

Although he had the advantage of superior ingredients and seasonings and could barely reach the level of a five-star hotel chef, it was nothing compared to the complete recipes rewarded by his Divine Book. One was world-class perfection, the other was merely high-grade.

There was no comparison.

A classic is always a classic.

「11:05 AM.」

[Current Points: 250031]

’Unlock! Unlock, now!’ Jiang Liu shouted excitedly in his mind.

The Gourmet Album trembled for a moment, an almost imperceptible shimmer.

The next moment, a line of black text appeared on the fourth page.

[Spend 250,000 Goodwill Points to unlock?]

"Yes."

His points dropped to 31, and a purple pattern glowed for a moment.

[Congratulations on unlocking Yak, Potato, and Mushroom Soup.]

[Congratulations on unlocking purchasing rights for:

Wild Yak Shoulder,

Beef Bone Marrow,

Wild Black-Skinned Small Potatoes,

Wild Termite Mushrooms,

Wild Morel Mushrooms,

Accompanying Spice Pack,

Cooking Wine,

Unfiltered Draft Beer.]

[Rare dish unlocked. Randomly awarding five points of Spiritual Enhancement. The enhancement will be complete in one hour.]

A gentle stream of memories flowed into Jiang Liu’s mind.

It was a gentle, seamless flow. In the memories, Jiang Liu stewed pot after pot of beef, experimenting endlessly until every technique and precaution had become second nature.

Jiang Liu continued to read the ingredient descriptions.

The ingredients used were still the best on the market and very difficult to obtain.

The yak was a wild yak from a high-altitude, cold region. The wild black-skinned potatoes had a fluffy, soft, and sweet texture. Most importantly, the black-skinned potatoes contained anthocyanins, which helped to prevent and inhibit many diseases.

The mushrooms were all wild, foraged from deep in the mountains. The other ingredients were just as rare, natural, and healthy.

After a quick read-through, Jiang Liu took a moment to digest the memories, then asked, "What are the prices?"

After several minutes, dark text materialized on the fourth page.

[Wild Yak Shoulder: 300 yuan per 500g.]

[Beef Bone Marrow: 3,000 yuan per 500g.]

[Wild Black-Skinned Small Potatoes: 30 yuan per 500g.]

[Wild Termite Mushrooms: 50 yuan per 500g.]

[Wild Morel Mushrooms: 50 yuan per 500g.]

[Cooking Wine (500ml): 10 yuan per bottle.]

[Unfiltered Draft Beer: 15 yuan per bottle.]

[Accompanying Spice Pack: 20 yuan per pack.]

Jiang Liu arranged the sashimi while calculating in his head.

’Okay, using the bone marrow as the base... 500g of bone marrow can be stewed with 10kg of beef, 10kg of potatoes, and 1kg of each of the two types of mushrooms... plus two spice packs...’

’The cost comes out to about...’