Chapter 1: 【Steaming Fresh Meat Wonton and Crispy Hollow Baked Bun】

Long Country, Haiqin City.

Lou Yuanzhou quietly looked at the text message from “Save or Not Bank – Haiqin City Branch,” which clearly stated that his bank card still had a five-digit balance, including the two decimal places.

Obviously, if he didn’t start earning money soon, he would have to resort to live streaming and showcasing his talents, as he was only left with his good looks.

However, Lou Yuanzhou smiled faintly and looked up at a virtual panel that only he could see.

Yes, he was a man chosen by the system! Just moments ago, a system had descended from the heavens!

At this moment, Lou Yuanzhou was alone in a foreign city, Haiqin, where the cost of living was high. He had just lost his job, paid the prepaid rent, bought some daily necessities, and eaten out. He hadn’t found a new job yet, so it was no surprise that his bank card only had a few hundred yuan left.

As he sat in his room, staring helplessly at the few bags of instant meal kits on the table, the system arrived as promised.

The system didn’t waste any time. As soon as it appeared, it introduced the entire mechanism: as a food-related system for opening a shop, it would periodically issue food-related tasks. These tasks varied in complexity, but as long as they were completed, the rewards were incredibly generous!

Of course, the most considerate part of the system was that it gave Lou Yuanzhou a very useful initial skill called “Genius Chef.”

This skill allowed Lou Yuanzhou to immediately master any high-quality food recipe he saw, whether it was from a video, text, or someone personally teaching him. He could grasp the essence of the dish instantly and cook it to perfection. Combined with his existing cooking skills, there was no dish he couldn’t master as long as he was willing to learn.

The system was also very thoughtful, filtering out any subpar recipes, ensuring that he wouldn’t “go astray.”

So, being able to cook excellent dishes just by seeing good recipes truly lived up to the name “Genius Chef.”

At this point, Lou Yuanzhou couldn’t help but wonder if the system had chosen him because he had been eating instant meal kits for several days in a row.

After all, he had been eating cheap instant meal kits for several days before this, and it felt like his taste buds were about to abandon him.

While Lou Yuanzhou was lost in thought, the system’s voice suddenly chimed in.

【Beginner Task Activated, Main Task (1): To promote food culture, you first need to open a shop. Starting tomorrow, the host must sell food to earn at least 150 customer satisfaction points. There is no time limit, location limit, or restriction on the type of food sold.】

【Since the host currently has no shop, the system will provide ingredients and a mobile food cart. Any unused ingredients will be recycled and properly handled by the system.】

【Reward for completing Main Task (1): Ownership of a food shop】

【Additional Task: Acquire 80 repeat customers, with 8 of them being police officers. Completing the additional task will grant an extra reward, determined by a lottery draw.】

After listening, Lou Yuanzhou looked at the virtual panel again, which now displayed his current information.

【Name: Lou Yuanzhou】

【Title: None】

【Skill: Genius Chef】

【Shop: None】

“The system is so thoughtful, I don’t even need to buy ingredients anymore! A food shop… given the property prices in Haiqin City, a shop would cost millions at the very least… what an incredible stroke of fortune!”

Pacing back and forth, Lou Yuanzhou happened to walk into the kitchen.

The once empty cabinets were now filled with various fresh ingredients. The vibrant green vegetables still had specks of soil on them, clearly just picked from the field.

Next to them was a large pile of fresh meat, including some pork belly. Just by looking at the marbling, one could imagine the aroma it would release when grilled over a low flame. The sizzling sound and the rich fragrance of the roasted pork belly could attract a crowd from dozens of meters away.

A mountain of seasoning bottles also emitted an enticing aroma…

“Thank goodness I don’t have to buy these. With my savings, I couldn’t afford any of this… Getting good reviews shouldn’t be too hard, but getting repeat customers from the police might be a bit challenging.”

After briefly glancing at the ingredients on the table, Lou Yuanzhou walked over to the kitchen window and looked outside. From this spot, he could see the open-air parking area.

Coincidentally, a brand-new mobile food truck was parked there silently.

No doubt, this was provided by the system. The truck was painted in a fiery red, perhaps symbolizing a prosperous business.

Feeling a surge of excitement, Lou Yuanzhou hurried downstairs and ran over to the mobile food truck to take a closer look. It even had a legitimate license plate.

Reaching into his pocket, he found a set of car keys. The system had arranged everything perfectly.

The truck wasn’t large but was tall enough. A street vendor could stand inside comfortably, with ample space around to place ingredients and cooking utensils. The large glass windows were spotless, allowing a clear view of the food preparation process. It was undoubtedly an expensive piece of equipment.

“I wonder if I’ll get to keep this truck after completing the mission…”

He muttered to himself. Having a shop would be great, but having a truck would definitely make things more convenient.

[The ownership of the mobile food truck will be fully transferred to the host upon completion of the mission. However, after this main mission ends, the host will need to prepare ingredients for new tasks.]

The system’s voice suddenly appeared, answering Lou Yuanzhou’s question.

“Wow? They’re even giving me a truck? As long as I have initial funds later, preparing ingredients should be manageable. Otherwise, my employees would definitely find it strange to see ingredients appearing out of nowhere.”

Thinking about it, since the system was so generous, the shop it would provide after completing the mission shouldn’t be too shabby either.

“In that case, everything is ready. If I need repeat customers from the police… then I’ll just sell food near the police station~”

Lou Yuanzhou smiled to himself, having made a pleasant decision. He had already decided where to go, so he immediately headed back upstairs.

Back at home, Lou Yuanzhou looked at the ingredients in the kitchen. Since there were no restrictions on what to sell, it would be best to make something simple yet delicious.

Suddenly inspired, he remembered a delicious wonton he had eaten with his classmates last autumn. Now that it was late autumn, having something warm would surely be comforting. So, Lou Yuanzhou decided to make himself a bowl of wonton to try.

He opened his phone, searched for a recipe for fresh meat wonton on a food app, and after a quick glance, he already knew how to make the wonton delicious. Without hesitation, he started cooking.

Kneading dough, letting it rest, making wonton wrappers, chopping filling…

After a bit of effort, a steaming bowl of fresh meat wontons was ready.

Lou Yuanzhou sprinkled a small handful of pickled mustard tuber cubes into the prepared bowl, added a generous amount of finely shredded egg pancake, scallion segments, and a small handful of seaweed. He then added some seasoning according to his taste, and finally poured the wontons along with the broth into the bowl. A few drops of sesame oil were enough to fill the entire room with a rich aroma.

Seeing that the task was complete, Lou Yuanzhou couldn’t help but take a quick taste.

The savory meat filling combined with the chewy and smooth wonton wrappers left a lingering and unforgettable flavor. Although chicken broth wasn’t used, the broth, with its perfectly balanced seasoning, didn’t feel monotonous at all. Instead, it highlighted the natural flavor of the wonton filling.

“Decided, tomorrow I’ll sell wontons and baked flatbread! I remember the hollow baked flatbread is crispy and flaky, and these two would definitely make a great combination~”

After finishing his meal, Lou Yuanzhou quickly washed the bowl and soon felt sleepy. He had been suffering from insomnia for a while due to unemployment, and with the need to set up his stall early the next morning, going to bed earlier was just right. This system even cured his insomnia—amazing.

In the early hours of the morning, the alarm clock rang. Lou Yuanzhou yawned and looked outside; it was still dark.

After washing up, he walked into the kitchen, where various ingredients came into view: fresh pork, bags of flour, crates of eggs…

In addition, all kinds of seasonings like salt and monosodium glutamate were fully stocked.

In another corner, disposable bowls and chopsticks were neatly prepared. Although they were just ordinary ingredients and utensils, they were more than enough for now.

Calculating the time, he thought it would be more appropriate to arrive early on the first day to secure a good spot.

So, after checking the recipe for hollow baked flatbread in the app, Lou Yuanzhou kneaded and rested all the dough at home, prepared the wonton filling, and pre-wrapped some wontons. He also prepared some dough portions for the baked flatbread, planning to make the rest while selling.

After spending some time, seeing that it was getting late, Lou Yuanzhou moved everything to his mobile food cart outside, then stepped on the gas and headed for his destination.

A dozen minutes later, as the sky began to lighten, Lou Yuanzhou arrived at his “battlefield”—Chunhe Road.

This was a bustling area in an old neighborhood, surrounded by residential areas. In the morning, the sidewalks were allowed for setting up stalls. Firstly, the space was wide enough, not too close to the houses on either side of the street to avoid obstructing pedestrians. Secondly, it was also a way to create more job opportunities for the surrounding community.

By the time Lou Yuanzhou arrived, many small vendors had already set up on both sides of the road.

Most of them were riding tricycles with their equipment, busy with the final preparations before starting work, so Lou Yuanzhou’s mobile food cart stood out quite a bit.

The Chunhe Police Station was located at the very end of Chunhe Road, a spot most small vendors avoided.

Firstly, the location was too remote with fewer customers, and secondly, it felt a bit awkward. Although everyone was a law-abiding citizen, setting up a stall right in front of the police station seemed a bit audacious.

However, Lou Yuanzhou, whose goal was to have the police as repeat customers, didn’t think so. He wished that all his customers would be police officers, stepping out of the station and immediately seeing him!