Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The First Daughter

Upon arriving in Hai Cheng, Jiang Su and Lin Le stayed in a small hotel for a few days before finding a relatively affordable apartment to rent.

After settling in, Lin Le began to venture out daily to purchase materials and tools. Due to Chen Honglian's illness, Lin Le had already spent much of her savings. The remainder was further depleted by the move and purchases, and although V0 had improved Chen Honglian's condition, it was not a cure. Lin Le still insisted on taking Jiang Su to the hospital.

Medical expenses are costly, and Lin Le feared nothing more than being without funds to treat her mother. So, as soon as they were settled, she immediately sought ways to earn money.

She had decided not to send out resumes to companies for the time being upon arriving in Hai Cheng. While company jobs offer stability, the salary doesn’t match what she could earn from street vending. Lin Le had worked in a company for several years, where her highest salary was nearly twenty thousand a month. However, setting up a street stall in the city center or near universities could earn her thousands in a day.

Desperate for money, Lin Le was determined to earn as much as possible in a short period. After settling in Hai Cheng, she tirelessly prepared her goods and scouted locations. Street vending requires strategic consideration of location, foot traffic, and the main demographic, all of which Lin Le meticulously planned based on her previous experience.

She chose to set up her stall near Hai Cheng University.

South of Hai Cheng University's second gate lies a 200-meter-long "Food Street," bustling with an array of stores—beverage shops, noodle houses, restaurants, various snack bars, and fruit stands. At one end is the closely located Hai Cheng University, while across a street at the other end lies Hai Cheng University of Science and Technology.

Despite the distance due to its large campus and northern side gate, the allure of delicious food draws students from Hai Cheng University of Science and Technology to make time for a feast.

Thus, "Food Street," nestled between the two universities, sees a high volume of student patrons from both institutions.

After deciding on this location, Lin Le prepared ingredients from dawn to dusk, and before sunrise the next day, she and Jiang Su headed to Hai Cheng University on a second-hand tricycle.

Arriving early, they found the street's stalls sparse, and the prime spot—directly opposite the south gate of Hai Cheng University—was still available, to Lin Le's delight. She quickly drove there.

Once parked, she began to unload and set up her stall. Jiang Su assisted, preparing three modest burners, several clay pots, and a large bucket of pre-rested dough.

Before heading out, Lin Le had told Jiang Su she planned to sell porridge and noodles that morning.

The porridge was green bean, and the noodles were in soup. Though seemingly ordinary, only those who've tasted Lin Le's cooking understood the intricacies involved.

"Young lady, what are you planning to sell? Ramen?" asked a middle-aged couple selling rice noodle rolls next to Lin Le's stall, curious about the newcomer.

"Not exactly, I'm selling noodle soup. I just prefer to hand-pull my noodles, so I've prepared dough," Lin Le explained.

"I see," the couple responded, unconvinced. They thought freshly cut dough then pulled into noodles was just another form of ramen or rolled noodles, which they considered bland, especially in broth form, for early morning fare.

Pausing, the woman noticed Jiang Su stirring a clay pot.

The pot likely contained porridge, appearing quite good—white and thick. Unfortunately, it seemed to be just plain porridge. With current trends favoring soy milk, rice wine, sago cream, eight-treasure porridge, and lean meat with preserved egg porridge, who would only sell plain porridge?

The woman shook her head, lamenting the naivety of youth.

Unaware of being labeled a "newbie" by her peers, Lin Le, busy preparing bone broth, calculated the time, calling to Jiang Su, "Mom, if the porridge is almost ready, close the stove and then uncover the marinated items."

"Okay," Jiang Su responded promptly, but in reality, she wasn't sure if the mung bean porridge was ready. In her original world, she belonged to those who couldn't tell one grain from another, never having learned to cook, so even a small pot of porridge required V0's assistance.

V0: "Since the main character placed it on the stove, it has been simmering on low heat for exactly forty-five minutes and thirty-eight seconds. According to the data, it only needs 40-50 minutes, so, Su Su, you can close the stove now."

“.........”

V0's system isn't very powerful; it can't provide its host with a golden finger—like overnight high culinary skills or acting abilities—nor can it exchange treasures—like beauty pills or miraculous healing springs.

What it can do is search its extensive database for existing data and then send it to Jiang Su.

Or, in other words, V0 can only be considered an intelligent supercomputer, where you can find lots of information you want, but information is just information. Understanding something and being able to do it are still up to the individual.

Following V0's advice, Jiang Su covered the stove's vent, then she went to uncover the marinade.

As soon as the heavy lid was removed, despite being mentally prepared, the aroma of the marinade was so overwhelming that Jiang Su couldn't help but swallow her saliva—

The fragrance was simply too enticing.

Jiang Su had been drooling over Lin Le's marinade preparation the previous day, and now, after a night, its aroma had become even richer. As she stirred it with a spoon, the scent erupted like a volcano, dominantly sweeping through the surroundings.

"So fragrant! What on earth is this? How can it smell so good?"

"I just had breakfast, but why am I hungry again smelling this? Where's this aroma coming from? What are you cooking?"

"Gurgle—" Some people came early to secure a spot, feeling no appetite due to the heat and arrived on an empty stomach, only to have their hunger piqued by the smell, causing their stomachs to rumble non-stop.

The woman at the stall next to Lin Le also swallowed hard. While others might not immediately locate the source of the aroma, being so close to Lin Le, she was the first to know where it was coming from.

She eagerly watched the pot of marinade, realizing how ridiculous her previous assumption was—

Could someone who "knows nothing" create something so delicious? Could someone clueless think to display such enticing food in a place crowded with street food vendors? What's the first rule of attracting customers in such a setting?

Of course, it's the mouthwatering aroma and taste of the food!

The girl next door, who can make such a pot of marinade and display it here, is definitely an expert!

"Miss, could we have two bowls of noodles first? Your aroma is so enticing, I'm starving."

"Of course." Lin Le was happy to have customers, "Would you like to add anything?"

She pointed to the price list in front of the stall, which read—

Mung Bean Porridge: 2 yuan

Vegetarian Noodle Soup: 4 yuan

Braised Meat Noodle Soup: 8 yuan

Braised Kelp: 1 yuan

Braised Dried Tofu: 1 yuan

Braised Egg: 1.5 yuan

Braised Chicken Feet: 5 yuan

Braised Pork Trotters: 15 yuan

..........

The woman initially thought the Braised Meat Noodle Soup was too expensive, but remembering that irresistible aroma, she decided to splurge on two bowls.

"Alright."

Lin Le smiled, her eyes forming crescents and her cheeks adorned with two dimples, giving her a very cute and youthful appearance.

Despite her youthful look, her cooking skills were mature. She quickly tore two pieces from the dough, skillfully stretched them into noodles, and threw them into boiling water.

The hot water cooked the noodles in no time. She then lifted the noodles out, placed them in bowls, topped them with freshly cut braised meat, sprinkled some green onions, and finally ladled a generous spoonful of bone broth over them.

"Noodles are ready." Lin Le handed over the noodles to the couple.

Both of them took the paper bowls, observing the uniformly cut meat slices neatly arranged on the noodles, topped with a layer of green onions, vibrant in color. A whiff revealed the fragrance of onions mingled with the rich aroma of bone broth and the dominant marinade from the meat, irresistibly triggering saliva production.

The wife, holding the bowl, first tasted a piece of the marinated lean meat, savoring its salty and fragrant flavor, tender yet chewy without being tough; her eyes lit up, eagerly taking another bite of the noodles.

These noodles, though hand-pulled, differed from typical ramen in texture, offering the softness of traditional soup noodles with a slight elasticity, making for an excellent eating experience. The combination of these perfectly chewy noodles with the rich, aromatic bone broth and a hint of marinade from the meat created a harmonious taste in the mouth, delicious enough to make one wish they could swallow their tongue.

"This is so delicious! I've never tasted such amazing soup noodles before!"

Attracted by the aroma, a crowd finally traced it to Lin Le's stall.

"Here! This is where the aroma is coming from! Boss, give me a bowl of noodles—what to add? Add everything! Braised meat, pork trotters, chicken feet, dried tofu, I want it all! Damn, it's too delicious, I can't stand it!"

"I want a bowl too! Boss, I'll have a bowl of braised meat noodle soup, with an egg!"

"Me too, me too! Boss, give me a bowl of braised meat noodle soup as well, oh! And add a pork trotter!"