Chapter 20： Three and a Half Star Mission

Bai Ye saw the unfamiliar number and hesitated for a moment before answering.

He thought it might be from the small business owner who owed money and probably didn't dare to use his old phone number anymore.

When he picked up, however, it was a familiar voice on the other end.

"Brother Zhao, is that you? This doesn't seem to be the number you gave me the other day!" Bai Ye said with a smile.

The person on the phone was the older brother who had ordered boxed meals from him the other day when they were stuck in traffic. If it weren't for him ordering the meals, Bai Ye wouldn't have earned over a thousand yuan. Bai Ye had a good impression of the person.

"Hahaha, Bai Xiaodi, how have you been? My phone's dead, so I'm using my boss's phone," the man laughed.

"I'm doing well. What's up, big brother?" Bai Ye replied.

"Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about, and I need your help."

The man explained the situation, and Bai Ye learned that the boss who had eaten his boxed meals wanted him to come over and help with a banquet.

This wasn't a difficult task, and the location was only about 80 kilometers away, which was just over an hour's drive. Not too much trouble.

Plus, the payment was pretty good.

The man offered 5,000 yuan for 15 tables, and Bai Ye didn't have to prepare anything. The boss would pick the dishes, and they would provide all the ingredients.

This was a good deal. A banquet would only take a day at most. Even if he had to go a day in advance, it would only take two days, and he would earn 5,000 yuan.

However, there was one thing Bai Ye didn't understand—his skills weren't particularly extraordinary, so why would the boss want him to handle the banquet?

The boss had only eaten three of his dishes, so surely they couldn't have been that impressive.

He asked the man about it, but the boss didn't know either, only saying that if Bai Ye was willing, he could come over the next day, do the banquet in the evening, stay overnight, and then return the next day.

Bai Ye thought about it for a moment and agreed readily.

Apart from the 5,000 yuan, there was also the system's sudden task.

[Ding. Random Mission (5), Take on the Banquet Preparation and Earn 120 Satisfaction Points. Completing this task will reward you with a large sum of money and random rare items. Failing the task will randomly decrease your current funds. Difficulty: ★★★☆]

When the mission appeared, Bai Ye stared at it in surprise. It was the first time he had seen a mission with three solid stars and one hollow star. He asked the system, and it explained that this was a "Three-and-a-half Star" mission.

Not only did he have to take on the banquet, but he also had to earn positive reviews. It seemed like this task was pretty difficult, but the rewards would likely be substantial.

Bai Ye kept thinking about it on the way home.

Since he was going to send Jiang Hao back, Bai Ye didn't drive the car all the way in but parked it at the gate.

The three of them entered the house carrying a half-bag of wood incense and were immediately greeted by a rich, savory aroma.

The smell of marinated meat didn't reach the living room, but this fragrance came from the marinated chicken racks.

"This smells amazing," Bai An'an wiped her mouth, feeling like her saliva was about to flow.

Bai Ye and Jiang Hao weren't much better.

The scent filled the entire room; who could resist it?

"Just out of the pot, you should try it quickly. I'm starting to cook the meal," said Bai Ye, as he placed a bowl of marinated chicken racks on the kang table.

Bai Ye's father also pulled out some wine and invited Jiang Hao to drink with him.

Bai Ye couldn't drink much, but Jiang Hao had no problem. This kid could drink well even before high school.

Bai Ye picked up a chicken rack. When raw, each chicken rack weighed about half a jin, but after cooking, it didn't lose much weight.

However, these weren't sold by weight but by the piece.

The ones Bai Ye bought, with big, meaty racks, cost about four to five yuan each, and they still sold pretty well.

There were even larger ones with more meat, and Bai Ye thought five yuan was about right. Those sold for seven or eight yuan seemed overpriced.

The chicken racks cooked faster, especially with the neck and chest, which still had quite a bit of meat.

The chicken meat had absorbed the broth, making each bite savory with a hint of spiciness, which was really appetizing.

"Forgot! I should have added some dried tofu and potatoes in the broth," Bai Ye suddenly said as he ate.

"Hmph, by the time you remember, the cucumber and vegetables will be cold," Bai Ye's father retorted, bringing in a plate of dried tofu, which had already been marinated.

Bai Ye was about to pinch some with his fingers, but Bai Ye's father scolded him with his chopsticks, "No manners."

"Dad, I'm just touching it with my hands," Bai Ye protested.

"Big brother, let me serve you some." Bai An'an picked up a piece and placed it in Bai Ye's mouth. "How's it taste?"

"Hmm! Delicious. The tofu was tied with kelp and simmered in the soup, so it absorbed all the flavors but still has a firm texture."

"You haven't learned cooking for nothing," Bai Ye's father chuckled.

The tofu was bundled with kelp, which Bai Ye's father had made himself. Bai Ye didn't expect to figure it out with just one bite.

"There's also seaweed underneath, and some potatoes too."

Bai Ye wiped his hands and grabbed his own chopsticks to eat.

"The seaweed's a bit overcooked, but the potatoes are good, still a bit crunchy." Bai Ye commented. "I'll buy some white dried tofu tomorrow and stew it with the soup."

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way, Dad, I need to go out tomorrow. I'll be gone for about two days."

"Going out? For what?"

"Well, a friend of mine asked me to help with a banquet. Fifteen tables, five thousand yuan. I'll leave in the afternoon tomorrow, cook in the evening, stay overnight, and come back the next day. This won't delay the marinated meat sales."

"Missing one day of marinated meat is fine. We've made a lot of money these days. But if you come back at night, your mom and I won't feel at ease," Bai Ye's father thought for a moment and said.

"Is there a place to stay?" Jiang Lan, Bai Ye's mother, was more concerned about this.

"Yes, the boss has prepared it."

"Then don't come back. If the banquet is in the evening, it might go until ten or eleven. The roads around here are narrow and without streetlights, so it's unsafe."

"Alright, I'll come back early in the morning. It's only about an hour away. I'll leave around six and should be home by seven or eight."

"That's fine. Just leave the ingredient packets here, and bring back the pork from Butcher Zhang. You can leave in the morning. Your mom and I will be here. We won't cause any trouble."

After finishing the meal, they discussed everything. That evening, Jiang Lan made several dishes, but everyone ate only a little—most of them were busy munching on the chicken racks and creating a pile of bones.

Looking at the pile of chicken bones, Jiang Lan suddenly spoke up, "When the New Year comes, let's deep-fry the chicken racks, make the bones crispy."

Bai Ye and his sister exchanged a glance and nodded eagerly.

As tasty as the chicken racks were, they still had more bones than meat. But if they could deep-fry them to a crisp, it would be so satisfying.

After sending Jiang Hao home, Jiang Lan packed some marinated chicken racks for him. She had intended to give him some marinated meat, but Jiang Hao insisted he didn't need it, saying his parents wouldn't be able to eat it anyway.

Jiang Lan sighed. Every family had its own struggles.