Chapter 7: Another UR Card!

Jiang Qing had worked late until nine last night. By the time she got home, it was already quite late. Maybe it was the relief of finally being home, but after a quick shower, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

When she woke up naturally the next morning, it was already close to eight o’clock. Panicking, she hurriedly got herself ready. Just as she was heading downstairs, she remembered that her parents had seemed to want to talk to her last night. She paused on the staircase and asked, “What was it you wanted to tell me?”

“It’s nothing major,” her mom, Wang Ying, replied with a smile. “Just wanted to say that Taotao’s business was booming yesterday. Even the neighboring shops got some extra traffic because of him.” She gestured toward the dining table. “He also dropped off breakfast for you this morning. Told me to thank you because the post you wrote really helped his sales. I don’t quite understand how you kids manage these things, but he seemed very grateful.”

The breakfast Yun Tao delivered was carefully packed in a thermal bag. When Jiang Qing opened it, she found six portions inside, neatly arranged—enough for her colleagues as well. Even the soy milk had been securely sealed, clearly designed for easy transport.

“Mom, did you and Dad eat yet?” she asked.

“We did. Taotao brought extra just for us.”

Jiang Qing nodded, then opened up her Xiaohongshu app. The post she had casually written about the pancakes yesterday had gained unexpected popularity overnight. It now had almost five thousand likes, along with a heap of saves and comments. She noticed Yun Tao had even been interacting in the comments section.

How could someone so young be so good at using this app? Her nephew was older than Yun Tao and still hadn’t mastered pinyin!

Jiang Qing quickly came up with a plausible explanation: it had to be Yun Tao’s two older brothers behind the scenes. Little Yun Tao was probably just running errands for them. What a good kid.

Thinking back, Jiang Qing had started her own account to promote her family’s fruit shop, but it barely got any attention. Yet this pancake post, something she hadn’t put much thought into, had gone viral. It just proved once again—cuteness sells! Of course, the two handsome brothers had probably played their part too.

She was already considering inviting their family to model for her next informational post.

With work starting soon, Jiang Qing asked her mom to transfer the money for the breakfast to Yun Tao.

Carrying a basket of fresh lychees and mangoes, Wang Ying made her way to Taotie Delicacies. She scanned the QR code and sent Yun Tao the payment. “Taotao, don’t you dare refuse! Your sister said this is money from her colleagues who specifically asked her to buy breakfast for them. They’d already paid her in advance. She also mentioned that the pancakes got excellent reviews—there’s even a little girl with a poor appetite who managed to eat a full meal for once and felt great all day!”

Wang Ying rattled off the details, and Yun Tao listened quietly, nodding obediently when she finished.

“Then I’ll bring breakfast again tomorrow for you, Uncle, and sister Jiang,” he said with a grin, pointing at the fruit in her hands. His little tiger teeth peeked out as he added, “This is my thank-you gift. Don’t refuse, okay?”

His quick wit and charm made Wang Ying laugh nonstop. In just a few days of knowing Yun Tao, she had laughed more than she had in the past month!

Especially after hearing from her daughter that the pancakes seemed to have a magical effect—keeping her mood light and her meals regular all day—Wang Ying couldn’t feel more grateful. She didn’t just like Yun Tao; she genuinely appreciated him.

Wang Ying handed the fruit basket to Yun Fenghe, the eldest brother. She noticed that the flowers she had brought yesterday were carefully placed in a vase, well cared for. Every child in this household seemed so thoughtful, treasuring even the smallest gifts. The absence of an adult in their home, however, tugged at her heartstrings.

“Taotao, how’s business today?” Wang Ying asked gently.

“Pretty good,” Yun Tao replied. “There are lots of repeat customers.”

He had thought the buzz from the social media post would die down quickly, and today’s business might slow, but Zhuyu Pancakes had proven to be irresistibly charming. The number of returning customers surprised even him. Jiang Qing’s colleagues had already placed more orders, and some of the neighbors he had delivered to yesterday also came back for seconds.

While they were talking, two more regulars arrived at the pancake stall. They greeted Wang Ying before placing their orders.

“Taotao, I’ll take ten pancakes. You have no idea—yesterday I brought breakfast for my basketball team, and now the guys from the second team are begging me to grab some for them too,” said one of the customers, a nearly six-foot-three giant named Luo Zheyan. He crouched down in front of Yun Tao, playfully ruffling his curly hair into a messy nest.

Taotie clicked his tongue. “Coming here every day just to mess with someone else’s little brother—don’t you have a brother of your own?”

“Nope, not a single one,” Luo Zheyan replied with a bright, sunny grin. He turned back to Yun Tao. “Taotao, I’ve got a basketball game today. Wanna come to school with me?”

“Nope. I’ve got pancakes to sell. Aren’t you drinking soy milk today?”

“I can’t carry that many cups, so I’ll just have one,” Luo Zheyan said with a pause, then added, “Oh, by the way, my teammates and I noticed your Zhuyu pancakes are super filling. We felt totally satisfied after eating them and had way more energy for the game. We’re planning to eat them every day for a week—how’s that for a happy thought?”

Yun Tao cheered. “Super happy!”

Who wouldn’t be thrilled to rake in more money?

Another regular customer, just like yesterday, ordered two pancakes and two cups of soy milk. Compared to Luo Zheyan, he was more reserved. Adjusting his glasses, he smiled politely at Yun Tao. “My girlfriend really loves your pancakes. She’s pretty loyal to the foods she likes, so she probably won’t get tired of them for at least two weeks.”

Yun Tao’s smile grew even sweeter. Loyal customers like this? Bring on as many as possible!

Once the pancakes were ready, Luo Zheyan got up to leave. “Taotao, want some dessert? There’s this amazing cake shop near my school. If we win today, I’ll use my prize money to buy you something.”

Yun Tao’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I want some!”

He’d never had a human-made cake before, but he’d heard they were delicious!

Unable to resist, Luo Zheyan gave Yun Tao’s cheek a playful pinch. It was soft and squishy—perfect for pinching. Who wouldn’t like such an adorable little brother? As soon as he got back to school, Luo Zheyan planned to brag about Taotao’s amazing pancakes and sneak in some free advertising with the volleyball team.

Wang Ying watched their interaction with a warm smile. Taotao really was the most endearing kid—every big brother and sister on Shanhai Street adored him.

On the second day of business, the pancake stall was even busier than Yun Tao had imagined. Jiang Qing’s social media post was still trending, and many of yesterday’s customers had shared their own posts about the pancakes. Someone even uploaded a short video on Douyin showing a kitten delivering fish alongside Yun Tao and Tao Sui holding a stack of pancakes—it went semi-viral.

Starting from ten in the morning, the flow of customers was nonstop. The ingredients Yun Tao had prepared ran out several times, and he had to restock quickly. He noticed that Yun Fenghe and Tai Sui were looking a bit worn out, so he decided to close the stall early and posted the updated closing time on Xiaohongshu.

That evening, Yun Tao finally got to taste the tiramisu cake Luo Zheyan had bought for him. The little mochi was dusted with a layer of bittersweet cocoa powder. Its outer layer was soft and chewy, while the cream filling inside was rich and delicately sweet. It was so delicious that Yun Tao couldn’t bear to eat it in one bite—he savored it piece by piece.

Meanwhile, Tai Sui finally got to enjoy the sweet and sour ribs Yun Tao had promised him. Sure, he had washed the ingredients and cleaned up the kitchen, but the moment he tasted the tender, perfectly seasoned ribs, he felt like it was all worth it.

As the universe’s self-proclaimed biggest foodie, Yun Tao’s cooking skills were unmatched. Even a casual meal from him could rival rare delicacies found nowhere else.

With each bite of the ribs, Tai Sui felt the day’s exhaustion melt away, replaced by pure bliss.

By 8:30 p.m., Yun Tao, right on schedule, started to feel sleepy. Dressed in his bunny-themed pajamas, he curled up in bed and called out for the system a few times.

There was no response, only the automated functions still running. It couldn’t even connect to the internet.

“Hey, System, what’s taking you so long? Don’t tell me you’re completely broken and planning to bail on giving me my rewards!”

On his tenth attempt, the system finally reappeared.

“Apologies, Host! I went back to the main system for repairs today. It was a success!”

Yun Tao perked up immediately, his sleepiness momentarily forgotten. “You’re fixed now?”

“I’ve repaired 1%! The best part? Even while I’m offline, you’ll be able to connect to the internet from now on!”

“…That’s it?” Yun Tao sighed. But still, internet access was better than nothing, so he reluctantly counted it as good news.

The system, now online, didn’t need any reminders. It promptly calculated and delivered Yun Tao’s task rewards.

“Task complete. Rewards issued!”

“Current Level: 1 (100/200 Shanhai Points)”

The rewards were credited immediately: 100 Shanhai Coins and 1 Shanhai Token!

Delighted, Yun Tao hugged his blanket and rolled around on the bed, practically glowing with happiness.

“Host, would you like to draw a card?” the system asked.

Yun Tao pulled a UR card on his very first draw, instantly becoming the luckiest host the system had ever managed—though, to be fair, the system hadn’t hosted many people before, and it had spent most of its existence in an extended “unexpected maintenance” sleep mode. Still, that didn’t diminish the system’s excitement—watching Yun Tao draw cards had quickly become its favorite event.

“I’m drawing,” Yun Tao announced decisively.

“Which banner do you want to pull from?” the system asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

“I want to try the hardest one,” Yun Tao replied without hesitation.

The system froze for a moment, then panicked. “Host! Sure, you pulled a UR card on your first try, but the special banner is insanely hard to hit! Plus, there’s no guaranteed drop system in the Shanhai pool. Even if you had 100 Shanhai tokens, there’s no guarantee you’d get anything! Why not go for the supplies banner instead…”

Before the system could finish, Yun Tao ignored its warnings entirely and clicked straight into the special banner.

His one and only Shanhai token was used up. The banner didn’t budge.

The system went dead silent.

Thinking he’d gotten nothing, Yun Tao yawned and turned his attention to the Shanhai shop to start buying materials for the next day. But when he tried issuing commands, the system didn’t respond. The glowing interface stayed frozen, completely motionless—like it had crashed.

Even pulling cards could crash the system. Yun Tao couldn’t help but think, Classic. You’re living up to your reputation, you broken piece of junk.

After waiting ages for the system to recover, Yun Tao finally gave up. Wrapping himself snugly in his blanket, he surrendered to sleep without another thought.

As Yun Tao drifted off into deep sleep, the frozen interface hovering in midair suddenly flickered and came back to life. The screen shimmered, and a dazzling gold card shot out of the banner. The top of the card gleamed with the rarest marking: UR.

Another UR card!

And not just any UR card—this one was from the special banner.

The system, now fully functional, was practically beside itself with excitement. It wanted nothing more than to shake Yun Tao awake—How can you sleep at a moment like this?! This is HUGE!

But it didn’t dare. After all, who knew? Maybe systems were on Taotie’s recipe list too.