Lin You demonstrated to Tong Lan by placing a spoonful of batter on the griddle.

She used the spatula to flatten the batter, then cracked an egg onto the pancake.

“Spread the egg evenly on the pancake, the egg liquid is a bit slippery, so do it slowly…” Lin You explained.

Tong Lan nodded and carefully watched every move Lin You made.

When the underside of the pancake turned slightly yellow, Lin You sprinkled some black sesame seeds and flipped it over with the spatula.

After cooking for a bit longer, it was time to brush on the sauce.

This sauce was made by Lin You herself. The recipe wasn’t complicated. It was simply a matter of simmering sweet bean paste, seafood sauce, and chili bean paste, along with some additional ingredients to enhance the flavor.

Of course, before simmering, she had to stir-fry first, adding scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili to bring out the aroma. After this, the various sauces were added, and the result was a much richer fragrance.

Once the sauce was brushed on, she added some spicy sauce.

Lin You then placed crispy rice crackers on top, added a few pieces of lettuce, and pressed the pancake into a square shape using the spatula before taking it off the griddle.

She took a paper bag printed with “Hope Breakfast Shop” and placed the pancake inside.

Once it was packed, Lin You handed the steaming hot pancake to Tong Lan, “Try it.”

Tong Lan’s face lit up with surprise. “It smells great.”

Lin You said, “Actually, this method isn’t the most authentic. If you want the most authentic pancake, it shouldn’t have lettuce. It should only have crispy rice crackers.”

Tong Lan had indeed had pancakes without lettuce before.

So, she thought for a moment and asked, “But why do some sellers not add lettuce?”

Lin You explained, “Because lettuce becomes soft when it’s heated, which moistens the crispy rice crackers, making them lose their crispiness.”

Tong Lan said, “Oh” in understanding. “I see, that makes sense.”

She looked at the pancake in front of her. The golden egg liquid and black sesame seeds coated the outer layer of the pancake, with red spicy sauce, crispy rice crackers, and green lettuce inside.

It was warm and thick in her hands, with rich ingredients, and the aroma was so enticing.

Tong Lan couldn’t help but lower her head to take a bite. “I won’t be polite then.”

Before she could swallow, her eyes brightened.

Then, Tong Lan looked at Lin You in disbelief, praising, “Wow, I haven’t had such a delicious pancake in a long time.”

Lin You smiled, “Really?”

Tong Lan nodded, “I’ve had pancakes from so many places, but many sellers just spread store-bought sweet bean paste; they don’t make their own secret sauce, so their flavor can’t compare to yours.”

She took another bite, with so much in her mouth that her speech was a bit unclear.

“Also, the ingredients you use… the eggs, sesame, mung bean flour, and even the lettuce, taste better than the vegetables sold outside. They’re incredibly fresh, and the more you chew, the more flavorful it gets, leaving a lasting aftertaste.”

Fresh ingredients were something everyone who had tasted them agreed on.

However, Lin You fell into deep thought. “Actually, I’m really curious about how these ingredients are grown.”

Tong Lan looked at the freezer behind her and speculated, “What if they aren’t grown in normal soil? For example, the freezer might serve the same purpose as soil. Otherwise, how could they keep growing from here?”

Lin You had never considered it from that angle.

But even though Tong Lan proposed this idea, there was no way to verify it.

So, Lin You quickly shifted her focus, wiping down the griddle after finishing a pancake.

When Tong Lan had almost finished eating, Lin You encouraged her to give it a try.

Tong Lan, looking quite determined, scooped a spoonful of batter from the bowl. She had a good grasp of the amount and spread it perfectly on the griddle.

Looking at the pancake she just made, she was a little excited.

“Crack an egg, next I need to crack an egg…” Tong Lan murmured softly to herself, trying to remember each step.

She took an egg and cracked it against the corner of the table, but because she used too much force, the egg white shot out of the shell.

Tong Lan quickly caught the whole egg with her hands.

Now, the eggshell was completely crushed in her hands, mixing with the egg white. It would be difficult to separate it even with chopsticks.

Looking at the sticky mess in her hands, Tong Lan couldn’t help but sigh. “Youyou, what should I do?”

Lin You was moving things around in the freezer and glanced at her, saying, “No worries, just put the egg aside in a bowl for now. I’ll see if I can pick out the eggshell later. If I can, I’ll make egg drop soup and we can have that for breakfast. If it’s not possible, we’ll just throw it away.”

Tong Lan gave a soft “oh” and quickly took out a small bowl, placing the egg inside.

After washing her hands, she stood next to the pancake again, noticing that one side was almost burnt, so she quickly flipped it over.

Next, she took out another egg.

This time, she couldn’t use too much force like last time.

But she was still a bit worried.

After all, she didn’t want to waste Lin You’s ingredients, so she had to be extra careful, hoping not to make a mistake.

Tong Lan stood still, lightly cracking the middle of the eggshell on the edge of the table.

The eggshell cracked with a crisp “ka” sound.

Great, now there was no problem.

Tong Lan gently pulled apart the eggshell along the crack, and the egg white, with the yolk, dropped onto the pancake with a “plop.”

She picked up the spatula and spread the egg evenly on the pancake.

This step seemed easy, but when Tong Lan tried to spread it, another problem occurred.

The pancake was flat, and the egg liquid was smooth, so when she pushed it with the spatula, the egg slipped uncontrollably.

By the time she used the spatula to block it, it was too late.

The slippery egg had already slipped down the side of the pan.

Tong Lan was startled: “!”

Lin You happened to see this scene, and there was now a pool of egg liquid on the table.

She quickly put down what she was holding, cleaned up the egg liquid, and washed a cloth to wipe the table clean.

Then she saw Tong Lan picking up the third egg.

Lin You encouraged her: “It’s fine, take your time.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a perfect egg fell from the shell and landed neatly on the pancake.

Tong Lan stared intently at the egg, pressing the plump yolk flat with two spatulas.

After flattening it, the yolk was less likely to roll off.

She held her breath, quickly spreading the egg liquid evenly across the pancake, just like Lin You did earlier.

Since the pancake had been cooking for a little while, Tong Lan was worried it would burn, so she waited until the egg liquid had set slightly before quickly flipping it.

When she flipped it, she saw that the pancake was fine, just a little darker in color.

Tong Lan felt relieved: “Youyou, this time it worked!”

Lin You nodded: “Don’t forget to sprinkle sesame, brush the sauce, and add the fruit fritters and lettuce.”

If she hadn’t reminded her, Tong Lan would have almost forgotten the next steps.

She quickly reached for a handful from a small box and sprinkled it on the pancake.

However, since she did it a bit late, the sesame ended up on the other side of the egg liquid.

In other words, the sesame wouldn’t show on the outer layer of the pancake.

Tong Lan realized this and felt a little regretful:

“This mistake can’t be fixed. Youyou, should I remake it?”

Lin You, however, said: “It’s fine. I’ll eat this one. I’m actually a bit hungry.”

Tong Lan gratefully looked at Lin You and quickly spread the sauce and added the lettuce.

When it came to rolling the pancake, she was quite skilled, making it neat and square, looking very good.

After putting the finished pancake in a paper bag, Tong Lan handed it to Lin You: “The pancake was cooked a bit too long, so it might not be as soft. The taste might be a little off.”

Lin You took it, took a bite, and said: “It’s still pretty good. It’s your first time making it.”

After teaching Tong Lan, Lin You was able to relax a bit.

She was now busy moving vegetables, thinking that when the reporters arrived in the afternoon, the nearby residents would probably come and buy some first.

However, while Tong Lan was practicing making pancakes, she noticed Lin You moving vegetables and reminded her:

“Youyou, the freezer can be seen from the outside. Should we cover it up?”

Lin You then remembered that she had bought a cloth curtain from the supermarket yesterday, intending to cover the freezer in the kitchen at the back.

It would be best if others didn’t know that fresh ingredients could constantly be produced here, as it might lead to guesses and controversy.

She quickly went to get the curtain and hung it on the sliding hooks she had pre-installed in front of the four freezers to block the view.

Lin You then continued moving the vegetables into large baskets.

Just as she took out a cabbage, she heard a customer speak to Tong Lan outside: “Miss, your technique isn’t very skilled!”

Hearing this, Tong Lan became more flustered, and the pancake crust was accidentally scraped into smaller pieces with the spatula: “Should I remake one for you?”

The customer replied: “It’s fine, as long as it’s edible, it doesn’t matter if it’s broken. The taste is still the same.”

Lin You recognized the voice.

She quickly lifted the curtain and saw Qi Kai walking in with a pancake in his hand.

“You found someone already? Actually, it tastes pretty good,” Qi Kai said, taking a bite of the pancake.

Lin You remarked, “I was wondering why customers were already here so early, turns out it’s you.”

Qi Kai smiled: “What? You’re not happy to see me?”

“Of course I’m happy.”

Lin You pointed to the two baskets of vegetables at her feet and said, “These are sorted vegetables. If it’s convenient, can you help me move them to the front of the breakfast shop?”

Qi Kai picked up a basket filled with cabbage and said, “Of course, Brother Shang asked me to come here to help you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he carried the cabbage basket out of the breakfast shop and then turned to ask Lin You:

“Is it okay to place them here? It won’t interfere with your business, right?”

Lin You took a quick look and confirmed that there was no problem, saying: “It’s fine, just leave them there.”

Qi Kai carried the baskets of vegetables out one by one.

When he came back inside, he saw the price tags on the table and asked: “How are these priced? I brought a marker. Should I fill them in for you?”

Lin You wasn’t sure about pricing.

After all, these items came for free, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to mark them too high. If she priced them too low, there was a risk of disturbing the market order, especially with the government bringing in vegetables from other places.

Therefore, the final price would be set by the government where Shang Zhisheng worked.

Lin You took out her phone and glanced at the official prices that Shang Zhisheng had sent her yesterday, then reported each price to Qi Kai one by one.

Qi Kai took out a marker and helped her fill in the price tags.

After finishing, he didn’t forget to hold up the completed price tags and show them to Lin You, saying: “Look at my beautiful handwriting! How is it?”

Lin You looked up and replied: “…It looks good.”