A Bite of Douluo Continent

Cao Rang silently lowered his head.

...

Back in the dormitory, Ying Shuangshuang closed the door and leaned close to Fuya, "Fuya, Fuya, the boss was amazing today! He actually rejected the positions of the elder of the Sea God Pavilion and the deputy hall master of the Tang Sect!"

Such a position was something Ying Shuangshuang and Fuya felt was unattainable, yet Qi Han so casually declined it.

Ying Shuangshuang had been holding back her business for so long, but now that she was back in her dorm, she couldn't hold back any longer.

Fuya was no less shocked than Ying Shuangshuang.

Although Qi Han had declined Yu Hua's invitation once before, Fuya had not applied for a job at the shop at that time, so she naturally did not know about it.

In her opinion, the best way for Qi Han to resolve this crisis is to join the Tang Sect or Shrek Academy. With a powerful force protecting him, he would be much safer.

Unexpectedly, Tang Sect and Shrek Academy not only offered recruitment but also conditions that Fuya could not believe, yet Qi Han still refused.

What's even more shocking is that even though Qi Han rejected them, neither of the two titled Douluo were particularly dissatisfied. In fact, Mu Ling even suggested that even if Qi Han didn't join the Tang Sect, the Tang Sect would still help him in times of trouble.

Fuya's little head was a bit fuzzy, and she couldn't help but daydream for a while while the store was open.

At that moment, her boss's image in her mind became even more impressive.

Pressing down her excited, incoherent best friend, Fuya said in a low voice, "Alright, it's enough that we know about this. Don't spread it around. Although the boss may not care, if too many people know about this, it will definitely cause trouble for him."

Ying Shuangshuang nodded vigorously, "Okay, we won't tell anyone!"

Unbeknownst to the two women, Ji Yunruo, who was tossing and turning in the dormitory of the Tang Sect disciples, thought about what had happened before the afternoon's business hours and silently made the same decision as the two of them.

We'll protect the boss's secrets!

(Quick access to today's recommended tickets)

Chapter Ninety-Six: Dragon Beard Noodles and Steamed Buns

"Whoa!"

Qi Han stretched and woke up feeling refreshed in bed the next day.

"System, what time is it now?"

Looking at the sky outside the window, Qi Han fell into deep thought.

With the sun so bright, I hope I don't oversleep and miss the opening time.

[It's 9:30 AM now. Host, don't worry about oversleeping; this system will wake you up when the store opens.]

That's good.

It's 9:30 now. At 10:30, the three employees will come to the shop to enjoy their work lunch.

So now the question is...

What can you do in an hour?

Qi Han said that learning three new dishes is enough!

Qi Han felt a little lightheaded, but not completely so.

With his current ability to create one-star recipes, one-star recipes are indeed not difficult for him. One hour in the system space is equivalent to two and a half days, which is more than enough time to learn three one-star recipes.

With a thought, Qi Han entered the system space, took out the one-star recipe book, flipped through it, and quickly determined the first dish he wanted to learn. "System, exchange for a one-star recipe: Dragon Beard Noodles."

[Would you like to use one 1-star selectable recipe fragment to exchange for a 1-star recipe: Dragon Beard Noodles?]

"confirm!"

Dragon beard noodles are a traditional Chinese banquet noodle dish from northern my country. Originating in Shandong, the noodles have a history of over 300 years. In the past, there was a custom of eating dragon beard noodles on the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head.

However, this traditional delicacy has long since become a part of daily life and can no longer be enjoyed only on the second day of the second lunar month.

There are many types of noodles in the one-star recipe, so why choose this one? Qi Han said he did it purely for fun.

When I was a child, I watched the chef making dragon beard noodles. With a simple shake of his hand, the dragon beard noodles would flow down like a waterfall. The performance was amazing and I still remember it vividly.

The key to making dragon beard noodles lies in the stretching of the noodles. When you stretch them, the two ends come together, which is called "one pull".

The standard for Lanxing's catering industry is fourteen-fold filling of dragon beard noodles.

The number of noodles doubles with each skewer of dragon beard noodles. How many are there in fourteen skewer noodles?

The answer is 16384.

The dragon beard noodles provided by the system are far from being difficult enough.

Qi Han carefully counted the movements of the phantoms in the training space. Among the beautiful performance movements, which were like butterflies flitting among flowers, there were as many as a million strands of white silk, which were as dazzling as an inverted galaxy.

Twenty deductions.

This is what the system requires.

Noodles this fine are so thin that they only need to be briefly blanched in water before being added directly to the noodle soup.

A bowl of dragon beard noodles was quickly placed in front of Qi Han by the phantom. Looking at the specks of oil floating on the clear soup and the scallions scattered on the surface, Qi Han couldn't help but swallow.

The broth for dragon beard noodles is made by simmering a superior stock over low heat with badger meat, smoked badger ham, and colorful golden pheasant. Its deliciousness is self-evident.

Qi Han carefully picked up a strand of thin, hair-like noodles with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The noodles have a chewy texture and don't become soft because they are too thin, nor do they clump together in the soup, which would greatly reduce the taste.

The texture of the dragon beard noodles wrapped in the broth was a completely new experience for Qi Han. The chewy and springy texture filled his mouth, and his taste buds were delighted by the rich and flavorful broth.

He moved faster and faster, and soon he finished the bowl of dragon beard noodles without leaving a drop of soup.

Touching his warm abdomen, Qi Han chuckled, feeling motivated to begin practicing.

The cooking process of dragon beard noodles is not difficult. Whether it is stewing the soup or seasoning, these are extremely simple steps for him now. The only difficulty lies in stretching the noodles. It can be said that once this step is solved, the dragon beard noodles are already a success.

Qi Han didn't have much experience in stretching noodles, but the power and stability of a Soul Master allowed him to improve rapidly.

After two whole days, Qi Han has successfully achieved nineteen dunks.

Only one shot left.

Qi Han recalled the movements of the phantom in his mind: one hand was raised high, while the other hand hung down naturally. As the two hands trembled, countless hair-like dragon whiskers were gently shaken, like a galaxy hanging upside down or a waterfall cascading down, yet not a single one broke.

Qi Han clasped his hands together and breathed a sigh of relief.

Twenty deductions!

The next steps were easy, and soon Qi Han was holding a bowl of dragon beard noodles that he had made himself, grinning foolishly.

He couldn't wait to pick up a chopstick and put it in his mouth. The taste was exactly the same as the dragon beard noodles cooked by the phantom, which made Qi Han smile with satisfaction.

The sense of accomplishment I feel every time I complete a new recipe is indescribable.

"System, how much does dragon beard noodles cost?"

[Dragon Beard Noodles Price: 10 Gold Soul Coins/Serving]

Pay attention.

The noodles themselves are inexpensive, it's all about the technique, but the broth is quite expensive, even using a century-old five-colored golden pheasant.

If it weren't for the fact that a single golden pheasant can be used to make a large pot of broth and cook many servings of noodles, this broth alone would be worthy of a two-star recipe.

No, this soup is so delicious, I need another bowl.

Picking up the empty noodle bowl, Qi Han casually scooped out a bowl of broth from the pot and drank it with relish.

It's really great!

After eating and drinking his fill, Qi Han finally spoke without looking up.

"System, redeem a one-star recipe: Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings)."

Xiaolongbao, commonly known as xiaolong mantou in southern Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, is called xiaolong baozi in Sichuan and Wuhu, and steamed bao in Wuhan. Ten xiaolongbao are sold in a basket. It originated from the soup dumplings of Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and was inherited, developed, and evolved in Jiangnan during the Southern Song Dynasty.

In many places nowadays, people simply make steamed buns smaller and mistakenly believe that smaller steamed buns are the same as xiaolongbao. This idea is obviously wrong because the two are not the same thing.

This special basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) is sure to bring a pleasant surprise to Ying Shuangshuang, who loves steamed buns.

Compared to dragon beard noodles, this soup dumpling is much simpler to make. Soon, the illusory figure brought up the steaming hot steamer.

Inside the steamer, ten round and adorable little steamed buns lay neatly at the bottom, their surfaces steaming with wisps of heat. A faint fragrance wafted from the buns and entered Qi Han's nostrils.

Qi Han picked up a small steamed bun with his chopsticks and couldn't help but examine it curiously.

A small steamed bun is only about half the size of a fist, and can be held in one hand when closed. Its surface has neat and beautiful pleats, like an umbrella canopy from top to bottom.

He gently leaned in and took a bite. As a crack appeared on the surface of the xiaolongbao, a rich aroma of meat wafted out, making Qi Han take a deep breath.

The xiaolongbao was filled with soup. Qi Han carefully blew on the opening a few times to make the soup inside cool enough to drink before taking a gentle sip.

The rich and flavorful broth immediately entered Qi Han's mouth, and his taste buds seemed to cheer with joy at that moment.

The xiaolongbao, having absorbed the soup, deflated slightly. Qi Han picked up a xiaolongbao with chopsticks, placed it in the vinegar dish beside him, dipped it slightly, and then put the whole thing in his mouth.

With just one bite, the juicy meat filling blends perfectly with the chewy outer layer as you chew, creating an indescribably wonderful taste, infused with the tangy vinegar sauce.

After finishing one small steamed bun, Qi Han's eyes lit up as he stared at the remaining nine in the steamer.

Oh my god, it's all my fault!

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Kneading the Dough and Making It Light

Qi Han quickly devoured a whole steamer of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and patted his slightly bulging belly, a satisfied look appearing on his face.

Since arriving in Douluo Continent, I haven't had any steamed buns from my hometown for a long time.

Confidently walking to the kneading board, Qi Han began making xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

Steamed buns are a type of pastry that is not difficult to cook. Simply arrange the prepared steamed buns neatly on a steamer and steam them for a few minutes before taking them out of the pot.

With the advanced technology provided by the system, the steaming process can be shortened to just one minute.

This traditional pastry, with a history of nearly a thousand years, is difficult to make entirely because of the dough and the filling.

Qi Han picked up a kneading bowl the size of a washbasin from the work surface, poured in a whole bag of high-gluten flour, and then added cold water in batches to start kneading the dough.

The requirement for kneading dough is to knead it until it is smooth, elastic, and elastic.

The so-called "three smoothnesses" refer to the smoothness of the dough, the smoothness of the bowl, and the smoothness of the hands. The smoothness of the dough means that the surface of the kneaded dough should be smooth and without too many grains. The smoothness of the bowl means that there should be no flour sticking to the bowl and all the flour should be kneaded evenly into the dough. As for the smoothness of the hands, it is similar to the smoothness of the bowl, requiring that there should be no flour sticking to the hands.