CHAPTER 589: CHAPTER 588: BREAKFAST HOSPITALITY (PART 2)

The customers did not have to suffer a long wait. In about half an hour, Makki, Xiao Hui, and Eriina filled paper bags with various snacks, and the tea, which was already lukewarm, was served in disposable cups commonly seen, complete with straws.

These packaging materials had been delivered by IGO personnel along with the ingredients not long ago.

With the convenience of these packaging materials, the efficiency of breakfast distribution significantly increased. Several young girls weaved through the queue, handing over tea and snacks to the customers and collecting payment.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Eriina handed a steaming hot breakfast pastry and tea to a blonde foreign couple.

The couple thanked them in stammering Chinese, rather than the expected "arigato" in Japanese.

After expressing their thanks, like other customers who received their food, the couple eagerly opened their bag and immediately, the rich aroma of fried food hit their nostrils. The fragrance was not greasy but rather sweet like nectar, making mouths water.

"This is..."

Both the couple and the other customers who received their breakfast pastries were shocked and ecstatic.

Inside the bag was an oversized, generously portioned, golden fried bun—a simple pastry that Chef Xia had presented at the Sapporo event.

It was a pastry that smiled.

"Golden Laughing Buns!"

Suddenly, Xia’s Restaurant was filled with cheers of surprise and joy.

People did not expect that on the very first day after the event, they would be able to taste the creative pastry that had caused an online frenzy.

It was known that recently on the internet, the ’Golden Laughing Buns’ emoji was everywhere, and a poll on a gourmet website indicated that people were most eager to taste not some extravagant Forbidden Ingredients dish or other refined delicacy, but this simple snack, which was ordinary both in ingredients and appearance!

And indeed, the popularity of ’Golden Laughing Buns’ was proven.

The 500 limited edition breakfasts were quickly distributed.

"Gaga gaga gaga..."

For at least half an hour, the shopping street echoed with the ludicrous laughter.

The customers who received the breakfast stared in amazement at the laughing fried bun, some biting into it eagerly, others treating it like a treasured possession, unable to bear the thought of eating it even after it cooled down and stopped laughing.

Of course, there were numerous customers taking photos of their food.

This was definitely an unexpected encounter.

Photos of the food, along with the uncontrollable joy and happiness that broke out on people’s faces as they bit into their pastries, were sure to cause a mass following on Facebook, Twitter, and Weibo once again.

Laughter swirled over the shopping street, dispelling the chill of Tokyo’s autumn day and warming the hearts of the diners.

"Delicious! It lives up to its reputation!"

"I finally understand the judges’ smiles on the day of the competition... and now I also understand why it could defeat ’Tang’s Rebirth Spring Rolls’ paired with Dragon Pot sauce..." a tourist from their own country muttered.

As for those who had not managed to secure the limited edition breakfast, they could only look on with envy and resentment.

There was nothing to be done.

Xia’s Restaurant had gained a reputation, and it didn’t need any extra IGO star certification for people to recognize the standard of the restaurant when they knew who the head chef was.

The kitchen.

"Phew..."

Wiping away sweat with a towel and untying his apron, Xia Yu had fried a large batch of breakfast but didn’t seem overly tired.

This was the formidable strength of a fully mastered Bursting Flame. Frying with several woks simultaneously, the woks full of buns, he was still able to control the heat easily, ensuring that every bun ’laughed’... achieving a hundred percent success rate!

Of course, due to limitations in ingredients and culinary skill level, for the ’Golden Laughing Buns’ to reach a glowing finish of over 90%, there was still a distance to go.

Zhu Qing surveyed the chaotic kitchen and clicked her tongue in admiration, "Not bad, you finished 500 breakfasts without so much as running out of breath."

"That’s also thanks to your help."

Hearing this, Zhu Qing’s smile grew even brighter.

"Smooth talker, I’ll give you that." Zhu Qing looked around and suddenly leaned in close. Xia Yu was caught off guard and found himself pinned against the wall. He pushed at his aunt’s shoulder, "Speak up if you have something to say!"

"Do you want a favor?" Zhu Qing’s eyes twinkled.

"Huh?"

Xia Yu was perplexed, but then he noticed Zhu Qing puckering her lips, enticingly glossy. His heart skipped a beat in a purely male response, but the next second his expression hardened, "Stop playing around!"

Zhu Qing smiled beamingly, "What were you thinking?"

Suddenly, she shifted her tone to one of mystery:

"Have you heard of ’Silver Chopsticks and Ten Pots Flipping’?"

Thud!

This time, the heartbeat was far stronger than before.

Xia Yu had always harbored doubts about Zhu Qing’s surname, and now he couldn’t help but overthink.

With a sharp clap of her hands, Zhu Qing strode over with her hands on her hips, her delicate face coming into close proximity, "That’s right, your mother and I are indeed descendants of the legendary ’Flying Saint’ Zhu Qi..."

"The ’Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots’ is a unique skill that has been passed down in the Zhu Family for over a hundred years!" Zhu Qing declared, puffing out her chest that a young girl typically lacks.

Ding.

The system displayed information:

"[Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots] (Blue → Gold): A culinary skill that significantly exercises the coordination between the mind and body, it requires a certain level of physical quality in the learner. Once perfected, one can control ten pots at once, simultaneously cooking ten dishes of absolutely identical completion!"

"Requirements: ’Dexterity’ attribute 2 points higher, ’Spirit’ attribute 3 points higher."

"Purchase price: [Beginner Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots] (Blue) 5000 Fame Points, [Intermediate Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots] (Purple) 50,000 Fame Points, [Advanced Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots] (Gold) cannot be purchased."

Upon the pop-up information, Xia Yu was secretly amazed.

The price of "Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots" was much more expensive than that of "Bursting Flame" and "Spice Inequality" he purchased initially.

And judging from the learning conditions of this new cooking technique, one could tell the training would be tough!

After all, unlike the content of "Bursting Flame" and "Spice Inequality," the bigger purpose of "Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots" was its ability to control multiple pots to cook delicacies at once, and it could replicate multiple copies of high-grade delicacies with the same completion!

This was a "replication" cooking skill!

And for a head chef, being able to "replicate" multiple servings of top-grade delicacies at once would undoubtedly save a lot of effort when entertaining guests.

"Tip: It is recommended that the host first purchase [Beginner Silver Chopstick Tossing Ten Pots] (Blue), and then learn the relevant cooking techniques from the target person to quickly improve the skill level!"

The system’s voice sounded.

"Oh?"

Xia Yu was immediately tempted.

He had not only considered cooking techniques besides "Bursting Flame" and "Spice Inequality," but the system also offered Skill Books. With the Fame Points he had accumulated through his efforts in the Sapporo competitions, he now had enough confidence to buy, buy, buy.

But while buying was easy, ’Talent Points’ were not for sale.

Having saved up 24 Talent Points with difficulty, Xia Yu planned to use them to enhance his cooking heart and it was also time to venture into the Qilin Domain.

So, he really didn’t have any extra Talent Points to allocate for new cooking techniques.

It would be better to focus on taming Forbidden Ingredients and developing new recipes than to invest a lot of energy into training himself.

And that was precisely the reason for Xia Yu’s conservatism.

Now, the system’s tip sounded like heavenly music!

The more Xia Yu thought about it, the more his eyes shone.

"Buy!"

"Purchase successful."

"Learn!"

"Learning failed..."

A heartbreaking voice.

Huh?

The system coldly informed: "Host’s ’Dexterity’ attribute does not meet the standard (requirement is 2, current is 1.9)."

Damn, just 0.1 short!

With his eyes widening, splashed with cold water, all Xia Yu could feel was helplessness.

Of all things, it had to be dexterity!

"Then introduce me to a book that can quickly train the ’Dexterity’ attribute!" he said.

A moment later.

Xia Yu opened his eyes again, meeting Zhu Qing’s curious gaze.

Just as Zhu Qing was about to ask, the curtain over the entrance moved, lifted by someone, and the gradually rising sun outside cast its glaring rays inside. Then, within the sunlight, several silhouettes flashed by, casting long shadows into the shop.

"I’m sorry, but we’re not open for business right now..."

Tanaka Hikari and Sen Tian Makoto were discussing the matter of returning to school for classes; their holiday for ’Field Study’ was ending today. Seeing new customers arrive, the two subconsciously stood up and spoke.