"Alright? I'm about to faint from hunger!"
"What's the rush? Just wait a bit more."
"..."
Jiang Yu answered casually, turned around, took two clean small bowls from the cabinet, and began to prepare the dipping sauce unhurriedly.
A few days ago, he was still working in a restaurant over the summer break when suddenly a Gourmet System appeared from nowhere, gifting him the secret recipe for steamed buns filled with soup as a starting gift.
After holding back for several days, he finally couldn't resist. He took some time before the school semester started to visit his roommate Hu Zhihai's rented apartment to try his hand at the recipe and see if this Gourmet System's steamed bun recipe could truly create a culinary delight.
To his surprise, the buns weren't even steamed yet, and Hu Zhihai was already drooling in anticipation.
Once the dipping sauce was ready and the time seemed about right, Jiang Yu grabbed two wet cloths to protect his hands and took the steaming basket out of the pot.
As soon as the lid of the steaming basket was opened, a gust of steam rushed towards him, followed by a rich and tantalizing aroma that penetrated his nostrils.
In an instant, the entire kitchen was filled with an enticing fragrance.
"Are they done yet?"
Standing at the kitchen door, Hu Zhihai was already waiting eagerly. At the first whiff of the aroma, he swallowed his saliva hungrily, looking as if he hadn't eaten for days.
Jiang Yu ignored him and waved his hand to disperse the steam. Inside the steaming basket, eight fist-sized soup-filled steamed buns were neatly arranged. The bun skins were thin as paper, crystal clear, with the soup and filling clearly visible inside.
"They look pretty good, but I wonder how they taste?"
Jiang Yu also felt his mouth watering. He picked up some chopsticks, planning to take one and taste it.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around with the chopsticks, the entire basket of buns had disappeared!
"Lao Jiang, take a break, let me try them first to see if they're good!"
Hu Zhihai didn't even want the prepared dipping sauce. Giggling, he protected the steaming basket and headed for the living room as if someone was trying to snatch it from him.
Not long after, loud exclamations reached Jiang Yu's ears:
"Damn! Why's there so much soup in these buns? It spilled all over me!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, it's so hot!"
"This soup is so savory, so delicious!"
"Jiang Yu, your culinary skills are amazing! I've never tasted such delicious soup-filled steamed buns before!"
"..."
Ten minutes later.
Hu Zhihai lay sprawled on the living room sofa, rubbing his belly and marveling:
"Lao Jiang, we've been classmates for three years, and I never knew you had such great cooking skills!"
He turned over, his face full of regret,
"If I'd known you could cook like this, I wouldn't have spent three years eating 'pig food' at the school cafeteria!
You, keeping this talent hidden until almost graduation, aren't you just doing this to make me crave? What am I supposed to do if I can't eat your food in the future?!"
In such a short time, Hu Zhihai had "eliminated" almost three baskets of buns, nearly equivalent to another's whole day's meal. Had Jiang Yu not intervened to stop him for fear of overeating, he might have continued stuffing himself!
"My cooking? Forget it. I only know how to make soup-filled buns."
Jiang Yu glanced at him, unable to hold back a soft laugh.
It's quite amusing — this Gourmet System that suddenly bound itself to him didn't turn him into a master chef like other systems in novels. Instead, it only provided him with the secret soup-filled bun recipe.
That's all he could make. To make anything else... he still needed to accumulate currency in the System Mall to purchase other recipes.
Of course, if he had to make other dishes, he could. After all, he'd worked part-time in restaurants every summer during the past three years of college. Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen pigs run. But how those dishes would taste, well, that's a different story.
These thoughts weren't something he'd share with Hu Zhihai.
Picking up the chopsticks, he gently lifted a soup bun onto a spoon, then with the tip of the chopsticks, lightly broke the skin, allowing the rich, silky broth to flow out. A sip of it was instantly mouthwatering.
As the rich, mellow flavor enveloped his palate, Jiang Yu's eyes lit up. He picked up a bun, dipped it in the sauce, and began savoring the pleasure of biting into the meat filling and tender skin.
The thin skin of the soup bun was soft yet chewy, the meat filling rich in flavor. After a few chews, the aromatic taste filled his mouth, making him want to savor another right after finishing one.
"Such a delicious treat is rare. You making the soup buns this good is already extraordinary!"
Hu Zhihai swayed his head as he exclaimed, and suddenly clapping his thigh, he said with enthusiasm on his face,
"Oh right, Lao Jiang! Haven't you been worried about what job to find after graduation next year? With your skills, why look for a job? Just open a shop, these scrumptious soup buns will practically sell themselves!"
"Open a shop?"
Jiang Yu paused with his chopsticks, looking up at Hu Zhihai,
"You say it so easily. Don't forget we're just in our senior year. Not only do we have classes, but we also have to write a thesis later. Where's the time to open a shop?"
Though his words said otherwise, the idea did stir something within him.
Both he and Hu Zhihai were third-year philosophy students at Jiangzhou University, with graduation just a year away. The issue of employment was already looming.
In reality, philosophy graduates didn't have great job prospects beyond civil service exams, shield-building, or further academic pursuits.
However, none of these options seemed like the right fit for Jiang Yu, so he had been contemplating his future path.
Being reminded by Hu Zhihai suddenly gave him a moment of epiphany:
Yes, with a Gourmet System by his side, maybe opening a shop really is a viable option!
"Why can't we open a shop in our senior year? Some people start businesses as freshmen!"
Hu Zhihai flipped over and lay on the sofa, watching Jiang Yu with a serious expression,
"If you're worried it'll affect your studies, why not just rent a booth in our school cafeteria? It's only a few steps away and won't disrupt anything!"
"A cafeteria booth?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yu couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "Let's not mention how many people have their eyes on those booths; even if I managed to get one, I'd need the capital to rent it!"
Jiang Yu came from a struggling background, unable to afford his university tuition without student loans. He stayed each holiday to work part-time at nearby restaurants to earn living expenses.
To rent a cafeteria booth, let alone account for deposit and rental costs, the sum is significant, not to mention the money needed for renovations and store equipment.
He simply couldn't gather that amount.
As a classmate and friend, Hu Zhihai was well aware of this. Sitting up straight on the sofa, he waved his hand seriously and said,
"Don't worry about that. I'll help settle it. Just think about how you want to run the shop!"
His father was one of Jiangzhou's top entrepreneurs, with extensive connections. Securing a booth at the school cafeteria was merely a matter of a word or two.
In fact, he had considered earlier that if Jiang Yu couldn't find a suitable job, he'd arrange for him to join his family business, even if they didn't talk about other things. At least, the treatment would be much better than other companies.
But he knew clearly, with Jiang Yu's temperament, it was likely he would reject such a good offer and possibly even end their friendship.
Now with Jiang Yu showcasing such profound culinary skills, he could open a shop, which, while not guaranteed to earn much, would at least provide self-sufficiency without putting them in a bind.
As for renting a booth...
With him around, was that even an issue?