Gao Yan collected his thoughts and headed to the milk tea shop.
After consulting with the renovation workers, he learned that the work would be completed in two days at most.
Thinking about the reopening and the inevitable business boom, he decided to order a batch of brand-new equipment.
He looked up some options on his phone and spent over five thousand yuan to place an order for the equipment.
The seller was local to Nandu, and they agreed to deliver it the next morning.
However, since he had a date with Zhuo Jiangyue the next day, Gao Yan called Wang Qin and asked her to receive the equipment in the morning.
He then went to the market and bought half an old hen, a quarter pound of white beans, and half a pound of rapeseed, carrying them back to his rental apartment.
Since the age of ten, Gao Yan had been cooking under the guidance of his foster mother.
As a result, his cooking skills were quite good.
During college, he ate at the cafeteria when living in the dorms, but once he rented an apartment, he began cooking for himself.
Usually, he would cook two dishes that could last him the whole day, which was both clean and economical.
Even now, with more money, he found it hard to break his frugal habits and indulge in lavish spending.
The idea of sudden wealth leading to reckless spending didn't apply to Gao Yan.
Moreover, he had the Super Seasoning Recipe at home.
With this recipe, the dishes he made were even better than those of top chefs.
After washing the meat of the half hen, Gao Yan placed it in a pot, added water and the super seasoning, and started to stew it. There was no need for any other seasoning.
The magic of the super seasoning was that it could be used for stewing soup, stir-frying, or making cold dishes—truly a universal ingredient.
And the dishes made with it had unique flavors.
If this super seasoning were promoted nationwide, chefs might lose their jobs.
After setting the hen to stew, Gao Yan prepared the rapeseed.
Then he started to rinse the rice for cooking.
While adding the rice, Gao Yan wondered if Lin Moer, the little foodie, would be drawn over again. On a whim, he rinsed a bit more rice to cook.
The hen was stewing, and the rice was cooking.
Gao Yan picked up a textbook from his desk to review.
Exams were less than a month away.
His studies were usually solid, and he was confident he wouldn't fail, but he wanted to do even better.
Moreover, with his increasing mental strength, his memory and comprehension had significantly improved.
High-efficiency studying was a pleasure for him.
About seven or eight minutes later, a rich aroma of chicken soup wafted from the kitchen and into Gao Yan's nose.
"Smells great!"
Gao Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath.
He got up and went to the kitchen, lifting the pot lid slightly to prevent excess steam from causing the soup to overflow and extinguish the flame.
Unknowingly, more than an hour passed.
"Another half hour of stewing should do it!"
He added another ladle of water to the pot.
At 5:40 PM, Gao Yan checked the chicken's tenderness again; it was already quite soft.
He turned the flame down to the lowest setting and prepared to stir-fry the vegetables.
Outside, the elevator doors opened, and Lin Moer, with her backpack, stepped out.
She took a deep breath, "Wow, what a delicious chicken soup smell. Is Brother Yan cooking something tasty again?"
"Should I go over for a meal?"
Lin Moer hesitated.
"Forget it, always going over isn't good!"
She shook her head, opened her door, and set down her heavy backpack.
But she overestimated a foodie's resistance to delicious food.
Especially when the aroma was uncontrollably drifting into her nose.
"Never mind, I'm going over for a meal!"
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Hearing the knock, Gao Yan smiled slightly, guessing that Lin Moer had been drawn by the aroma again.
He quickly went to the door and opened it, saying, "Come in first, I'm just finishing up cooking. It'll be ready in two minutes!"
Without waiting for Lin Moer to respond, Gao Yan returned to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Lin Moer's cheeks flushed a bit. Brother Yan wasn't surprised at all by her arrival, clearly knowing she was there for a meal. Did Brother Yan see her as a little foodie?
She walked in with slightly heavy steps and asked at the kitchen door, "Brother Yan, do you need any help?"
Gao Yan replied, "Hmm, you can serve the rice first. The bowls are in this cabinet!"
"Okay!"
Before long, at the dining table in the living room.
Gao Yan smiled at Lin Moer, "Let's dig in!"
"Then I won't be polite!"
The enticing aroma from the dishes had long tested Lin Moer's patience.
This meal left Lin Moer exceptionally satisfied.
She subconsciously patted her stomach, realizing it was already full.
Then, she insisted on washing the dishes and chopsticks. Gao Yan didn't allow her, but she argued that since she came for a meal, it was only right to wash the dishes.
So, Gao Yan didn't stop her.
After washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen, Lin Moer waved goodbye, "Brother Yan, I'm heading back. Otherwise, my mom will worry if she doesn't see me."
Gao Yan nodded.
At the door, Lin Moer turned back and gave him a bright smile, "Brother Yan, thanks for the meal!"
Gao Yan replied, "You're welcome!"
After Lin Moer left, Gao Yan went to the kitchen and found that Lin Moer had been very meticulous, leaving the entire kitchen spotless.
Thinking about how busy he would be the next couple of days, Gao Yan decided to go into the city that night to purchase a batch of phones and sell them at school on Monday.
At ten o'clock that night, Gao Yan returned to his rental apartment with a large bag of Fruit Phones.
After a night of running around, he had purchased 100 of the latest models of Fruit Phones.
Once they were all sold, he would gain 400,000 experience points, and the system rebate would reach 1.6 million.
The next morning at 8:30, Gao Yan arrived outside Wanlong Mall.
With a glance, he spotted Zhuo Jiangyue sitting on a bench outside the mall.
"How long have you been here?"
Gao Yan quickly approached and asked.
"Not long, I bought breakfast for you."
Zhuo Jiangyue handed Gao Yan two large meat buns, a cup of soy milk, and two tea eggs.
"Thank you."
Gao Yan took them and sat down next to Zhuo Jiangyue, "Have you eaten?"
"I already ate!"
Zhuo Jiangyue smiled sweetly, "You eat the buns first, I'll peel the tea eggs for you."
"Thanks!"
Gao Yan thanked her again and started eating the buns, while also taking a good look at Zhuo Jiangyue.
Feeling Gao Yan's slightly intense gaze, Zhuo Jiangyue blushed a little, "What are you looking at?"
"I'm looking at a beauty!"
Gao Yan chuckled.
"With such a slick tongue, how many girlfriends have you had?" Zhuo Jiangyue asked casually.
"Not even one!" Gao Yan replied without hesitation.
Hearing that Gao Yan hadn't had a girlfriend, Zhuo Jiangyue felt inexplicably happy, but she continued to ask, "Why not?"
"Because I know someone secretly likes me!"
Gao Yan looked at Zhuo Jiangyue with burning eyes.
Under his intense gaze, Zhuo Jiangyue's movements paused, then she playfully retorted, "Only a ghost would secretly like you!"
"Really?" Gao Yan grinned.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhuo Jiangyue handed the peeled tea egg to Gao Yan's mouth, playfully demanding, "Eat up."
Gao Yan took it, took a big bite, and said with a bright smile, "Delicious!"