Food: My food truck can be upgraded indefinitely.

"What's up?"

Ling Yun didn't even raise his head, still calmly scraping the residue off the iron plate with the shovel in his hand.

The chef was already quite strong, and his stamina had just been upgraded by the system. Not to mention that Tiger had already heard the commotion and silently appeared behind Cousin Zhou like a shadow.

"I……"

Cousin Zhou clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, and gritted his teeth:

"I'd like to buy one of your steaks to try!"

"Chef's Steak is out of stock today, regular steak is fine..."

Ling Yun finally raised her eyelids and glanced at him: "It's my treat!"

Cousin Zhou didn't say anything, just nodded silently, and stood by the window like a rooted wooden stake, silently watching Ling Yun.

Actually, he wasn't that upset about losing the competition.

The spices were originally stolen from Lingyun.

But his trip to the police station just now completely shattered his worldview.

He originally thought he was on Zhou Meimei's side.

But to everyone's surprise, the other party mentioned him eight times in their four-page statement. And it wasn't until he and Wen Chong compared the information that he realized Zhou Meimei was playing a double game with them.

Wen Chong said he was too ashamed to see Ling Yun.

He drove straight back to his hometown, saying he would never come to Haicheng again.

Cousin Zhou, however, wanted to try the taste.

The woman has lost all hope.

He at least wants to know where he went wrong.

"You're not here to steal the recipe, are you?!"

Zhang Moli stepped forward warily, blocking the food cart window, and whispered a reminder to Ling Yun:

"I've heard that some chefs can recreate the recipe after just one bite. There's this hotel owner who takes his head chef out to steal ingredients from elsewhere!"

"Even if he really did have one, stealing it is quite an achievement for him. Maybe I'll steal one myself someday!"

Ling Yun grinned, revealing a nonchalant smile, actually finding the method quite good.

Taking a break to sneak out and farm some crops might just inspire you.

Soon, from the next batch of steaks that came out of the pot, Ling Yun set aside one portion, picked it up with a spatula, and personally placed it on the platform in front of the food cart.

"It smells so good!"

Cousin Zhou's nostrils twitched twice, his eyes seemed to be drawn to a magnet, he pulled out his knife and fork, and started eating right in front of the food cart.

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Dishes should be appealing in color, aroma, and taste.

Before even tasting it, just by smelling the aroma, Zhou's cousin knew he was far from being a good cook.

He worked at a steak chain store for three years and smelled the aroma of freshly baked steaks from the oven countless times when he opened the boxes.

This kind of flavor.

In the past three years, he has only smelled it a handful of times.

While seasonings are certainly important for aroma, the cooking time is equally important for steak.

Everyone knows about the Maillard reaction; it requires high-temperature cooking to produce.

But such high temperatures are precisely the most difficult to control.

When cooking at home, a chef might teach you that the dish is ready when you smell the aroma of the ingredients bursting forth during cooking.

But in the culinary world...

The truly exceptional dish is one that can preserve the aroma of its food until it's served.

This is why many cuisines even require serving on hot plates.

Once it gets cold, the flavor is completely gone.

Some people also call this "wok hei" (the smoky aroma imparted by a hot wok).

Ling Yun did just that.

The heated iron plate and the scalding hot sauce act like an insulating film, perfectly preserving the aroma.

And the fragrance.

This indicates that the steak was cooked to perfection.

"sharp!"

Cousin Zhou gave a heartfelt compliment and then began to eat heartily.

Between the rise and fall of the knife and fork.

The aroma of beef quickly filled my mouth like a tidal wave, wonderful and warm, not only providing a satisfying energy but also bringing a sense of inexplicable warmth to my heart.

This is the sense of satisfaction that arises instinctively from the body after the taste buds have been stimulated to the extreme.

"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"

My cousin Zhou ate with great relish, his cheeks bulging, savoring every bite.

Put down your knife and fork.

A relieved smile slowly spread across his face:

"Even if I use the same sauce, I'll still lose to you."

He paused.

My gaze fell on the sizzling steaks on the hot plate.

Ling Yun's terror lies not in this plate of steak, but in every single steak that his men continuously cook.

This is a top-level skill.

He was able to consistently execute this technique for hours on hundreds of steaks.

It's like taking the same test paper, but he can precisely control his score to 60 points, not a point more or less—it's terrifying.

This made him see the huge chasm between the two of them.

Thinking of Ling Yun's background, he felt even more ashamed of himself.

"thank you!"

Cousin Zhou took two steps back, bent at a ninety-degree angle, and bowed deeply to Ling Yun:

"I'm about to leave. This steak of yours reminded me of so many things!"

"Where to?"

Ling Yun raised his eyelids slightly.

"I want to go back to the store I used to work at."

Cousin Zhou straightened up, his eyes slightly red:

"After eating your steak, I realized that most of my so-called three years were just wasting time. I need to go back and train again."

Done.

He took out his phone, scanned the QR code, and the notification sound of the money arriving in his account rang out. Then he turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Tiger came closer.

He nudged Ling Yun with his elbow and teased, "So, has he... reformed?"

"If it's true, then it's a good thing!"

Ling Yun looked away and picked up the shovel again.

After this little incident, he continued to bury himself in cooking.

An hour later, all 650 steaks were sold out.

Lingyun turned off the fire after cleaning the iron plate.

The iron plate gradually quieted down, with only a last wisp of white smoke slowly rising.

"We're closed now, everyone pack up and let's go!"

Lingyun's shout signaled the end of a hard day's work.

The group, who were packing up, were surprised to find that there were still people waiting there who refused to leave. After hearing the shouts, they rushed over and said they wanted to take a photo with them.

Especially Lingyun.

It's best not to disturb them when they're open for business.

After business hours.

He was pulled aside by a large group of people for at least twenty minutes to take photos with them, with flashes going off everywhere, including many young and beautiful women.

After taking the last set of photos for the tourists, Li He wiped the sweat from her brow, came to Ling Yun's side, and teased him:

"Chef Ling, did you see anything you liked just now? Let me know, I'll help you talk to them!"

She started counting on her fingers:

"With your current income, fame, and looks, you could easily win over most girls!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Ling Yun blushed a little at what she said, turned around, and pretended to be busy cleaning the food cart.

He wouldn't be thinking about that now.

Creating three divine dishes is the real priority.

Upon seeing this.

Li He and Zhang Moli huddled together, laughing happily, like two cats who had stolen a fish.

"Sorry, we're closed. Please take photos at the food truck!"

The mistress's voice rang out.

Are people taking photos?

Ling Yun looked up.

This isn't Brother Li, but it's also those leaders.

"We're not eating, we're looking for Lingyun!"

Brother Li patted Xiao San on the shoulder, winked at Ling Yun, and gave him a meaningful look.

Ling Yun stepped out of the dining car.

Brother Li pressed him down into his seat, leaned close to his ear, and whispered:

"Several leaders from the Culture and Tourism Bureau, the Urban Construction Bureau, and the Urban Management Bureau want to ask you to cooperate on some city promotion activities."

Done.

A middle-aged man wearing a jacket and a white shirt had already sat down opposite me.

I suppose he is the representative.

The other party got straight to the point, succinctly stating the same points that Brother Li had reminded them of, but adding a few more details.

such as.

He hoped that Lingyun would extend its business hours and, during the day, set up a separate commercial street.

"We've already scouted out the location; it's right here on this road, by the beach."

There is already a coastal park there. We will add some facilities and build a new commercial street to make it a great place for people to cool off and watch the sunset, creating a brand new city landmark.

You only need to start operating in the afternoon; the night market hours can be shortened a bit, but overall, you should aim for about ten hours of operation per day.

The man in the white shirt reached out and took Ling Yun's hand, his palm warm and earnest, his words sincere:

"Although we're a coastal city, our tourism industry has always been underdeveloped. We've finally found a brand like yours, so you have to support our work!"

After listening, Ling Yun slowly exhaled.

The more sincere the other party's attitude, the less likely they are to refuse.

The key point is that the person who can get Li Ge to come might influence all aspects of his future food supply.

The ten-hour mark made him wonder if the other party already knew about his recent physical upgrade.

However, this probably won't happen that quickly.

A commercial street isn't built in a day.

"Then I'll give it a try, but I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it!"

Lingyun left room for maneuver in his words, not making any absolute statements.

His priority right now is to develop the recipes; he doesn't want the business hours to be such a significant part of his job.

The other party immediately noticed his hesitation, and taking advantage of the moment he softened his stance, they quickly finalized the matter.

"Then it's a deal!"

He stood up and waved directly at the person behind him:

"Notify the municipal government to reconnect the electricity tonight and mark out the location for Lingyun Food Truck. We'll go back for a meeting and finalize the follow-up development details tonight."

The publicity department will stay and film a promotional video!

The leaders left in a hurry, leaving three young men behind who took photos of Lingyun with their cameras.

Are you taking photos again?

Ling Yun let out a wail in his heart and sighed helplessly.

Then, he thoroughly enjoyed the treatment of a celebrity. Not only was his makeup redone, but he also smiled so much that his face was stiff, feeling more tired than working six hours a day.

It took me half an hour to finally get away, and I dragged my tired body home.

When I got home and opened the gate, I found the lights were still on inside.

Again?

Ling Yun skillfully picked up the stick.

When I opened the door, I saw Ning Jing, dressed in pajamas, asleep leaning against the table, her pale legs propped up on the chair.