Free Web NovelChapter 1: Chapter 1: A Restaurant in the Wilds
Jiulong Gorge.
Verdant mountains, a babbling stream.
Nestled beside the gorge was a village called Changle Village.
Li You was from Changle Village.
He was twenty-five years old. Two days ago, for certain reasons, he had quit his job and returned to the village.
He planned to stay for a few days before heading out to find another job.
To clear his head, Li You had come to Jiulong Gorge.
The scenery here was beautiful!
The entire gorge was very long, stretching over thirty kilometers.
There were deep pools and shallow flats within the gorge.
You could fish in the deep pools. In the shallows, you could catch fish and crabs, or just splash around in the water.
Beyond these accessible areas, there were also many dangerous, seldom-visited spots.
These places were home to many rare birds and exotic beasts.
In one of the shallow flats.
Li You spotted two crucian carp, each weighing about half a pound.
This brought him a surge of joy.
He decided to catch the two carp, gather some firewood nearby, start a fire, and roast them for a meal.
It was something he often did as a child.
Even without any seasoning, they had always tasted delicious.
Now, Li You was eager to taste that flavor from his memories once again.
He took off his shoes and socks and waded barefoot into the shallows. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
It was currently the transition between spring and summer, and the weather was already quite warm.
After a bit of chasing and cornering, Li You finally managed to catch both carp.
He walked out of the shallows, found a thin piece of stone, and sharpened it until it had a decent edge.
He gutted and cleaned the two carp.
Then, he gathered some dry firewood from nearby and lit it with a lighter.
He skewered each fish on a fresh branch and propped them up over the fire to roast.
As he was roasting them, a voice suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Mountain Cuisine System activating...
Activation successful. Host has been bound.
Congratulations, Host, on acquiring this system. This system will help you own the world’s greatest restaurant."
The voice left Li You completely stunned.
’A Mountain Cuisine System?’
’A System?’
’The legendary System?’
After a long moment, Li You finally processed it, and his shock turned into immense delight.
Because he knew what a "System" was.
And as the name suggested, a "Cuisine System" was also very easy to understand.
Good food brings people ultimate enjoyment and lifts their spirits. It’s an excellent way to pull someone out of a slump.
Almost everyone loves it, and Li You was no exception.
A Cuisine System was one of the best systems to get.
’So fate has blessed me after all.’
Li You was thrilled.
"Ingredient: Crucian Carp.
Quality: Medium."
The System’s voice rang out again, this time evaluating the carp Li You was roasting.
’Not bad, not bad. It got right to work as soon as it activated.’
’But the carp from this gorge’s stream should be of extremely high quality. Why is it only rated as Medium?’
"Host, ingredient quality is divided into four tiers, from lowest to highest: Low, Medium, High, and Supreme. For these two carp to be rated as Medium is already quite rare in the natural world."
’I see.’
Li You nodded. ’The System must have incredibly high standards for ingredient quality.’
’I wonder where I’d have to find fish to get a High or Supreme rating?’
"In the natural world, High and Supreme quality fish are scarce and difficult to obtain. The same applies to all other types of ingredients. However, the Host can acquire them through the lottery or by entering game dungeons."
"Game dungeons?"
Li You could understand getting ingredients through a lottery.
But what was the deal with game dungeons?
"The System will randomly generate various game dungeons based on the Host’s specific circumstances. The Host can enter these dungeons to find ingredients or undertake trial quests. During these quests, items such as ingredients, recipes, and cookware may also drop."
’It can do that?’
’Sounds pretty interesting.’
Li You was filled with anticipation.
"Host, as a first-time meeting gift, this system has bestowed upon you a restaurant, as well as your first recipe."
Li You was even more pleasantly surprised to hear this.
’There’s a welcome gift?’
’And it’s a whole restaurant!’
’What a generous gift!’
Besides, with a restaurant, he wouldn’t need to go out and look for a job anymore. He could just focus on running it well.
’The System is awesome!’
’But where is the restaurant? In the provincial capital? Or the county seat?’
Either the provincial capital or the county seat would be fine.
"System, where exactly is the restaurant located?"
"At the eastern entrance of Jiulong Gorge, two kilometers from the Host’s current position."
"Huh?"
Li You was taken aback. He had assumed the restaurant would be in the county seat at the very least, but it was right here at the eastern entrance to Jiulong Gorge.
Li You knew the place.
It was nothing but wilderness out there!
’Opening a restaurant in the middle of the mountains?’
’Is the System serious?’
"System, is the restaurant really in that location?"
"Yes, Host."
’Alright. In any case, I’ll figure it out after I eat these two carp and go check out the restaurant.’
Li You went back to roasting his fish.
Slowly, the fragrant aroma of roasted fish began to waft through the air. It smelled delicious.
Once he estimated they were cooked through, Li You pulled the fish away from the flames.
The outside was charred black, but when he tore off a piece of flesh, the inside was tender, white, and enticing.
He popped it into his mouth.
Delicious.
When you roast fish over an open fire, you don’t need any seasoning.
This, too, was the familiar taste from his memories.
Li You slowly finished both fish, feeling utterly satisfied.
After putting on his shoes and socks and extinguishing the fire, Li You headed toward the eastern end of Jiulong Gorge.
It was time to see the restaurant the System had given him.
...
「At the eastern entrance of Jiulong Gorge.」
A two-story wooden building stood there, quite eye-catching.
Beside the building stood a tavern banner with the two words "Mountain Restaurant" written on it.
This was the restaurant the System had gifted him.
It looked very cozy and rustic. The restaurant was a good one, but its location didn’t seem to be.
It was in the middle of nowhere, with no village nearby and no other shops in sight.
The nearest populated area was Li You’s own Changle Village, two kilometers away as the crow flies.
After that, it was a five-kilometer journey to the nearest town.
’It would have been better if the restaurant was at least in town!’
"System, shouldn’t we move the restaurant somewhere else?
Even moving it to town would be better!
Out here, you might not see a single person for weeks.
How can I possibly get any business?"
The System replied, "As long as the Host can create the most delicious food in the world, this place will be bustling with customers, even in the middle of the mountains."
"Well..." Li You nodded slowly. "That does make some sense."
’Fine, this place will have to do then.’
The mountains were green, the water was clear, and the scenery was breathtaking.
If he could actually get customers, it wouldn’t be a bad place to run a restaurant.
And as the System said, if he could truly make the best food in the world, the business should come.
With the System’s help, making the world’s most delicious food wasn’t just a fantasy.
Besides, it was only a two-kilometer walk to his old home in Changle Village via the shortcut.
Opening a restaurant here meant he wouldn’t have to leave his hometown, which was also nice. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
’But does this place have all the necessary permits, licenses, and business certificates required to open a restaurant?’
"It has everything. This establishment is fully legal and compliant. The Host can rest assured."
Li You gave the System a mental thumbs-up.
He decided to go inside and take a good look at the restaurant’s interior.
Pushing open the door, Li You’s eyes lit up.
He hadn’t expected this—the restaurant looked small from the outside, but stepping through the door revealed a whole new world.
The interior was massive. The main dining hall alone was at least two hundred square meters.
The kitchen was also huge and fully equipped with everything one could possibly need.
The second floor was the living quarters. It was just as spacious, with a living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, and more.
There were five bedrooms in total.
Everything was spotlessly clean, tidy, and beautiful.
From the first floor to the second, Li You grew more and more surprised and excited with every step.
This welcome gift from the System was incredible!
’Oh, right. Besides the restaurant, the System’s gift also included a recipe.’
’I should check and see what it is.’
He opened his personal status panel.
The recipe was in the Storage Pavilion.
He opened the recipe.
"Yangchun Noodles"!
So it was a recipe for a type of noodle dish.
’Not bad at all.’
Noodles are one of the most common traditional staple foods.
They originated in his country and have a history of over two thousand years.
They are both a staple food and a type of fast food.
There were countless local specialties, such as noodles with soybean paste, beef noodle soup, knife-cut noodles, Dan Dan noodles, and oil-splashed noodles, to name just a few.
Yangchun Noodles were also very well-known, especially popular in the Jiangnan region.
The preparation of Yangchun Noodles varies slightly from region to region.
Li You felt that starting with Yangchun Noodles was an excellent beginning.
There was a "Learn" button on the recipe.
Li You clicked the "Learn" button.
Instantly, all the knowledge about how to make Yangchun Noodles, along with related information, flooded his mind.
"Congratulations, Host, for mastering the Yangchun Noodles recipe. From this moment on, you will be able to make the most delicious Yangchun Noodles in the entire world."
Li You was overjoyed.
When he looked at the Yangchun Noodles recipe again, it now displayed the required ingredients.
"Recipe: Yangchun Noodles.
Required Ingredients: Noodles, broth, lard, scallions, soy sauce."
The ingredient list was relatively simple.
Only the noodles and the broth would be time-consuming to prepare.
The noodles had to be made from scratch with flour; he couldn’t use the dried, store-bought kind.
The broth needed to be simmered with ingredients like pork leg bones, chicken carcasses, and pork skin.
The cooking method wasn’t complicated, and Li You had already mastered it completely. He just needed to go to the market and buy the necessary ingredients.
Of course, it would be best if he could get the ingredients through the lottery or a game dungeon.
’Right, what are the rules for the lottery?’
"When the Host completes a task issued by the System, there is a chance to receive a lottery ticket."
"Due to the Host’s inquiry about the lottery rules, a main quest has been triggered.
Quest Requirement: Sell fifty bowls of Yangchun Noodles.
Time Limit: None.
Quest Reward: One recipe, one lottery ticket."
’So that’s how it works.’
Li You felt a sense of novelty and a faint thrill of excitement.
Fifty bowls of Yangchun Noodles wasn’t a large number.
However, out here in the wilderness, and just starting, selling fifty bowls wouldn’t be that easy.
Fortunately, there was no time limit.
But this meant that getting ingredients through the lottery was out of the question for now.
He could only pin his hopes on the game dungeons.
Of course, if a dungeon didn’t appear soon, or if one did but didn’t drop the ingredients he needed, he would just have to go to the town market and buy them himself.
The town market was about five kilometers away, and there was a road leading to it.
The road was less than twenty meters to the left of the restaurant.
It wasn’t wide, but small cars could pass through without any trouble.
There was a parking lot in front of and to the left of the restaurant, connected to the road.
The parking lot had also been built and gifted by the System.
Li You didn’t have a car, but his family owned a motorcycle that he could ride over to use for now.
With these thoughts in mind, Li You went downstairs and walked out the door.
Looking at the restaurant again now, he felt even more excited.
Next up was preparing the noodles and simmering the broth.
Once the noodles and broth were ready, he would officially open for business.
Of course, he would wait until at least tomorrow to start preparing. For now, he’d head home.
’Right, how am I going to explain to my family that I suddenly own a restaurant out here?’
"The Host need not worry about this issue. Upon this system’s activation, your family and everyone in Changle Village were made aware that you have opened a restaurant."
Li You was delighted once again.
’That’s perfect!’
Time to go home, then.
...
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