Chive pockets

It was peak time for finding something to eat at the night market, and plenty of people were wandering along the street looking for food. Passing by, Lu Xiaotao was still wondering what to buy. The moment he entered the food street, Shen Chuan's distinctive outfit caught his eye.

This was the first time he had ever seen someone running a stall in a suit and dress shoes in the height of summer!

His curiosity piqued, Lu Xiaotao could not help walking over.

"What are you selling, boss?"

Shen Chuan had not expected someone to ask so soon after he set up his stall. He looked up and pointed to the sign beside him. "The God of Cooking's signature chive pockets."

Hearing that, Lu Xiaotao instinctively glanced at the little blackboard in front of the stall. Good grief, it really did say "The God of Cooking's signature chive pockets" in big letters.

What kind of cooking skills gave him the nerve to call himself the God of Cooking?

Lu Xiaotao immediately turned critical and inspected the stall closely.

In the ingredient bins on the stall, the chives and eggs were stored in food containers, all neatly arranged. Even the seasoning jars stood in order of height at the corner of the worktable.

The entire work surface was spotless and pleasing to the eye. Even someone with the most exacting OCD could not have found fault with it.

All right, nothing to pick on there.

"Then I'll have one chive pocket."

"Just a moment. They're filled and cooked to order."

His first sale just ten minutes after setting up. What a good sign!

A little pleased, Shen Chuan calmly stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and began making the chive pocket.

He took the rested dough out of the cooler, pinched off a lump, and kneaded it carefully on the board. For chive and egg pockets, a fresh, fragrant filling was fundamental, but the texture of the wrapper was even more crucial. Only by combining partially scalded dough with dough mixed with cold water, then allowing it to rest fully, could the wrapper be thin yet pleasantly chewy.

Seeing that it would take a while before the chive pocket was fried, Lu Xiaotao looked around the stall. In the end, his gaze returned to Shen Chuan, full of curiosity.

"Boss, why did you decide to wear a suit to run a stall?"

"Dressing properly is the most basic attitude one should have toward the culinary arts."

Shen Chuan answered casually without stopping his hands.

He worked quickly, soon kneading the dough to the consistency he wanted.

That answer left Lu Xiaotao at a loss for words. Unable to continue, he could only change the subject.

"Aren't you hot, then?"

Shen Chuan wavered inwardly for a moment, but smiled on the surface. "A calm mind keeps you cool. Could you pass me the lard beside your hand?"

Lu Xiaotao felt he had asked an unnecessary question. How could the stall owner not be hot? A calm mind kept you cool? Who was he kidding, a child?

Holding back a laugh, he passed over the brimful jar of lard. Shen Chuan scooped out a spoonful of the milky-white, solidified fat, added it to the dough, and continued kneading.

As the lard worked its way into the dough, the formerly firm lump quickly became soft and fine, warm and smooth to the touch, with just the right texture.

Shen Chuan knew the dough for the wrapper was ready. Now he could roll it out.

The two chatted as they watched Shen Chuan cook. After a few exchanges, Shen Chuan said to Lu Xiaotao, "Pass me the oil bottle beside your hand."

Lu Xiaotao obligingly handed over the oil sprayer.

Shen Chuan pressed the rolling pin against the dough and applied force with his palms, following a push, turn, push, turn sequence to work it into an ever-larger round.

Every turn of his left hand was exactly fifteen degrees, no more, no less, without the slightest deviation. The dough rotated and spread beneath his hands, gradually expanding from the size of a palm into a large, thin disc.

Ordinarily, Lu Xiaotao would never have had the patience to watch something like this, but today, after just a few glances, he began to appreciate the skill involved.

The dough grew thinner and thinner, yet remained as round as a full moon, as though it had been pressed by a machine. Watching it was satisfying in both body and mind.

"That's amazing, bro. I've never seen anyone keep dough this round while rolling it out. If robots could do this, I'd think you were one."

"Just practice," Shen Chuan said.

Such precise dough-handling techniques had already become instinct during his training in the System Space. To him, they were merely basic skills he could perform effortlessly.

Shen Chuan held out a hand. "Could you pass me that knife?"

Lu Xiaotao grunted in acknowledgment and handed it over.

Then he suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Wait! You're the stall owner and I'm the customer. Why do you keep ordering me around?"

At that, Shen Chuan said with complete seriousness, "A renowned teacher never needs to handle miscellaneous chores personally when teaching, only focus on passing on knowledge and skills. By the same principle, I specialize in the culinary arts, so naturally, I'm only responsible for cooking. I needn't attend to every little chore myself."

Lu Xiaotao propped his chin on his hand and considered it. That did seem to be the case.

When those particularly famous university professors held an open lecture, the room was packed. Everyone begrudged wasting even a second. Having the professor tidy things up? What a joke.

Taken in by Shen Chuan's spiel, he found it more convincing the longer he thought about it, before suddenly coming to his senses again.

"Don't try to fool me! You just sell snacks at a stall. What gives you the right to put on airs like a renowned teacher?"

He'd almost been completely taken in!

Shen Chuan showed no reaction to being exposed. "I may not be a renowned teacher, but I am the God of Cooking."

When the God of Cooking cooked, naturally, someone else handled the little things.

Lu Xiaotao: ...

Listen to him brag. It wasn't even dark yet. A God of Cooking running a street stall?

Lu Xiaotao did not know whether to laugh or cry. Inwardly grumbling that this young stall owner could boast without so much as blushing, he teased casually, "So you're the God of Cooking. My apologies for not recognizing you. Actually, I'm the God of Food."

[Ding, Show-off Points +50!]

Seeing more Show-off Points come in, Shen Chuan felt increasingly reassured.

He'd been so busy making the chive pocket that he'd forgotten to show off!

That wouldn't do. He had to remember to show off at all times!

"Oh, right. How much is one of your chive pockets?" Lu Xiaotao suddenly remembered to ask.

"Ten yuan each!"

Lu Xiaotao froze on the spot, disbelief all over his face. "What? Ten yuan for one chive pocket? Do you take me for a sucker, boss? The stall at the intersection down the street only charges three yuan each. What makes yours worth ten? Are your chive pockets made of gold?"

Shen Chuan said solemnly, "Didn't I tell you? Because I'm the God of Cooking. With top-tier culinary skills and superior fresh ingredients, naturally, the flavor is entirely different."

Stunned by Shen Chuan's words, Lu Xiaotao gave him a thumbs-up.

"Brother, I've never seen anyone brag with such conviction. Aren't you afraid your boasts will fall apart?"

He slapped his thigh. "Fine. For that confidence alone, I have to try this chive pocket today. Ten yuan it is. Let's see just what a chive pocket made by the God of Cooking tastes like."

With that, he immediately scanned the code and paid ten yuan.

As the payment notification sounded from the phone, the system's notification sounded once again in Shen Chuan's mind.

[Ding, Show-off Points +30!]

Having earned another 30 Show-off Points, Shen Chuan's lips curved into a faint smile. "You'll know once you taste it."