Northeasterners are straightforward. Since everyone is starving, why keep pretending to be dignified?
So, several drivers instinctively opened their car doors and walked toward the roadside dirt mound.
At this point, Bai Ye's first dish, the Spicy Tofu with Green Peppers, was ready. He was preparing the second dish, the "Di San Xian" (a stir-fried dish with potatoes, eggplants, and peppers).
As for the meat dish, Bai Ye planned to cook it last because it should be served hot.
"Hey, young man, do you have any extra food?"
"How much is it? I'll take a portion too."
"We have some extra. I sold three portions earlier, and there are still a few left," Bai Ye said while stir-frying.
"Then give me one!"
"I'll take two portions, there are two of us in the car!"
"Oh, is there more? I want one too."
In the blink of an eye, four portions were ordered, adding to the previous three, making seven portions in total.
At that moment, the driver of Director Chen, as well as the man who had ordered earlier, came over. They had seen several people approaching and guessed the food was almost ready.
Right as Bai Ye finished cooking the second dish, "Di San Xian," it was ready to serve.
This dish had been deep-fried, but Bai Ye had drained the oil well, so it still looked quite appetizing.
The potatoes were golden, the green peppers vibrant, and the eggplant had a nice purple tint. The colors were very pleasing.
Everyone gathered around nodded in approval, but the real test would be the taste.
The last dish was the meat. The fried pork had already been done, so only the final steps were needed.
Bai Ye cleaned the wok, added a little oil, and stir-fried scallions, ginger, garlic, sliced peppers, and carrots. While the vegetables were cooking, Bai Ye quickly mixed soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, cooking wine, and cornstarch to make the sauce.
He added the fried pork, stirred it a few times, then poured the sauce over it. After a quick stir, the dish was ready to serve.
The pork was coated perfectly with the sauce—neither hiding the shape of the meat nor overpowering it with sauce.
Bai Ye poured the meat into a warm serving bowl. The wok was nearly empty with just a little sauce left.
Ignoring the wok for now, Bai Ye grabbed the bowl and rushed to his car.
It was too cold outside, and if the dishes sat out too long, they would lose their heat. The first two dishes had already been placed in the car.
By now, the pressure cooker was ready to be opened. Bai Ye took a wooden spatula and fluffed the rice to make it taste better.
He scooped out two servings of rice and added them to the boxes. Then, he opened a small bowl that had a few fried eggs in it.
The eggs were also coated with sauce, and the customers hadn't noticed when Bai Ye had cooked them.
Each lunch box got an egg, and Bai Ye finished packing everything, handing the boxes to the driver of Director Chen.
"Here are your two portions. The other two are 60 yuan. You gave me 100, I have change here, please take it, I don't want to handle it."
"Just give him the money, and keep the change," someone else said.
"Alright!" Bai Ye nodded with a smile.
"Brother, this..." The driver paused.
"Ah, 30 yuan isn't cheap, so I added an extra dish," Bai Ye said, then paused, "You don't mind the egg, do you?"
"Eat it, eat it!" The driver quickly said, "Thanks, little brother!"
Although 30 yuan wasn't exactly cheap, it wasn't expensive either, especially since the customer had ordered these dishes.
But now the portion size was so generous, and Bai Ye even added a fried egg. Though it was just one egg, the thoughtfulness was appreciated.
The driver, whose nose was red from the cold, thanked Bai Ye again and left with the food.
Bai Ye continued to pack meals for the other customers, adding a fried egg to each one. Even though it was just an egg, it was something he had done on the side while frying the vegetables.
When people paid, they were much quicker, and the smiles on their faces grew wider.
As Bai Ye packed the final box, he received a system notification.
[Ding. Congratulations, task (2) completed! Due to completing the task one hour ahead of schedule, the rewards are doubled. Reward 1: 20 experience points. Reward 2: 888 yuan. Please check.]
Then, Bai Ye's phone rang with a notification sound.
He was so excited he nearly jumped up.
888 yuan?
This was like windfall money.
For this task, he sold four bowls of noodles for 80 yuan, seven lunch boxes for 210 yuan, and added 888 yuan—totaling over a thousand yuan from one task.
Bai Ye smiled as he packed the final two lunch boxes. Seeing that there was still some warm food left, he originally intended to keep it for himself. But after thinking for a moment, he packed another box and walked over to the black car at the back.
The driver of the black car was a tall man. When he saw Bai Ye coming, he was puzzled and rolled down the window.
"Here, brother, take this and try our cooking," Bai Ye said warmly, handing over the lunch box.
"If it weren't for you coming over to buy noodles, I wouldn't have earned so much today."
Bai Ye was genuinely grateful.
If it weren't for this person leading the way, he wouldn't have gotten this random task, let alone earned over a thousand yuan. He probably would've run out of money in his bank by now.
On the other side, the driver of Director Chen ran back to the car with the two lunch boxes and handed one to the back.
Director Chen opened the box and immediately smelled the fragrance. Then he saw the huge portion of food and casually asked, "Such a large portion?"
The driver smiled and repeated what Bai Ye had said earlier, then added, "Director Chen, I think this little brother is really straightforward. He's a good person. Most people would take advantage of the opportunity and charge a high price. I paid him 30 yuan, and he still felt like it wasn't enough."
Director Chen didn't say anything, but he was already fully absorbed in the color, aroma, and taste of the food in front of him.
The tofu in the Spicy Tofu with Green Peppers was soft but firm, having been blanched earlier, so it didn't have the usual bean smell. The green peppers gave it a slight spiciness, which complemented the tofu perfectly. With just one bite, it was truly satisfying.
For Northeasterners, Spicy Tofu with Green Peppers is a staple home dish. Every family has its own version, but the flavor still has slight differences. Bai Ye's version was enough to make Director Chen nod in approval.
He really liked the taste.
Next, he moved on to the "Di San Xian," another classic Northeastern dish.
The potatoes were golden and soft, full of flavor.
He took a bite of the eggplant, which, despite being fried, wasn't mushy like the others he'd had. It was perfectly cooked—soft but not overly so, maintaining just the right texture.
If this dish were served in a proper restaurant, it would be considered standard. But for a lunch box at this price, it was beyond expectation.
Director Chen took a scoop of rice and then looked at the final dish: the "Liu Rou Duan" (Fried Pork).
He had saved this dish for last, not because he didn't like it, but because he was very particular about it.
Looking at the glossy pork pieces, Director Chen picked up his ch