023: 90s cook 23

The dish to be cooked in the evening was brine, the same process as brining the eggs, only this time without eggs, using kelp and tofu skin, along with tofu cubes.

Before brining the tofu cubes, they needed to be fried first to ensure they wouldn't fall apart.

Since kelp took up much space, even when cut into strips, she used a large soup pot for the brine, added various seasonings and salt, and then covered it to simmer on low heat.

Unlike the brined eggs, this time she added a lot of chili segments, which enhanced the flavor penetration.

Once everything was cleaned up, it was already five o'clock, two and a half hours till they'd open at seven-thirty. After finishing up the kitchen work, she boiled another pot of corn porridge, adding a pumpkin to make the soup sweeter and thicker by adding some cornstarch right before serving, giving it a smoother texture.

After simmering the brine for an hour and a half, it was time to turn off the heat and let it steep.

Before seven-thirty, the workers came over to get their meals. The soup was served liberally until it was gone, and for dinner, they added tofu skin and kelp to the flatbreads. To improve the taste, she spread a layer of sweet bean sauce inside the torn flatbreads, added chili for those who wanted it, and finally sprinkled some cumin powder—oh, the flavor was absolutely divine.

The same people from the morning ate dinner that night, and an average of two flatbreads per worker was enough, with eighty in total. Those with lesser appetites had just one, and although she couldn't offer more than that, she ensured each flatbread was generously filled. Even so, by the time the mother and daughter's turn came, everything was gone.

Well, there was no choice but to whip up some batter and make a chive and egg pancake, then filled up with the leftover brine and soup.

The workers seemed quite satisfied with the evening's brined dishes, but tofu skin and kelp couldn't be served every day; occasionally, however, it was fine as a meal improvement.

Using the remaining heat, she washed some eggs and used the existing brine to boil eggs for the next morning.

Then she began preparing the dough to steam buns; having made flower rolls and oil rolls the day before, she planned to make steamed buns the next morning.

After tidying up, she replaced the large coal balls in the stove, sealed the fire, turned off the lights, and left.

Back in the dormitory storeroom, it was already eight or nine o'clock, but compared to yesterday, today went quite well.

After the mother and daughter washed up, they fetched hot water to wash their feet and small PP, then comfortably lay on the bed to do mother-daughter yoga.

After yoga, her daughter was so tired she fell asleep. Gong Mingxia looked at the sleeping Xiao Xiao and sighed.

"I never imagined the original host had such complicated, unresolved issues. She was replaced, and if she had been admitted to college, her life would definitely have been rewritten, and she might not have met a scumbag like Zhang Liang. Now, the problem is, the replacement has power, status, and money, and I have nothing. How do I report it? How can I expose her? It's not like later generations with advanced internet where posting online grabs attention? In this era, it's all about capability, and even if I regained my student status, I couldn't return to the peak of my life."

At that moment, the Liangtian System suddenly spoke up, "Haven't you thought about reaching the pinnacle of life through other channels?"

Tangyuan (the Host's name is Tangyuan, so she uses her own name when communicating with the System) turned her head doubtfully, "You mean…?"

"Tao Huabi, an old lady who took her company public, and Jack Ma who only started a company in Hangzhou in 1999 with eighteen people; you're a latecomer, can't you find another path? Why must you stick to Beijing?"

Liang Tian's words left Tangyuan speechless for a moment. Right, why did she have to come to Beijing? Initially, she thought there were more opportunities in this big city, but the South was developing significantly faster in terms of commerce than the North.

But, wasn't entrepreneurship exceedingly difficult?

In her previous life, she was just a bookworm, and this life's qualifications, restricted by her child, prevented her from doing much; she might not be cut out for business.

"If only I had a Golden Finger," she wished.

Liang Tian responded dryly, "What do you think I am then?"

"Don't other female leads have their own space, supermarkets, and such with resources? But I only have a Rebirth System; what kind of Golden Finger is that?"

Liang Tian scoffed coldly, "How do you know you don't have one? You're just at the starting stage; all functions are not yet perfected. The key to easily completing tasks is to continuously learn, expand your knowledge, and within your capabilities, complete more meritorious deeds and earn more Merit Value. Only then will you qualify to exchange for resources or other benefits."