Facing the name Qi Han gave her, the system simply nodded silently, showing a calm demeanor. "Not bad, I'll go with it. It's lunchtime, so get ready to go out."
Before Qi Han could respond, he was thrown out of the system space.
"Phew~" After Qi Han left, the system breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began bouncing and rolling around in the system space.
"Aaaaahhh~! I have a name now! I'm called Ru Yi!"
Ru Yi... This name sounds really nice.
I really like it...
...
Qi Han soon noticed Pururu curled up on the bed, still sound asleep. He smiled and stood up from the bed.
"Huh?" Soon, he felt like he had more strength than before, and he felt much more energetic overall.
He went to the bathroom to freshen up, and looking at himself in the mirror, Qi Han quickly noticed something unusual.
His skin had become as smooth as a baby's, with a healthy pinkish hue. His facial features seemed to have changed slightly. While the changes weren't particularly drastic, they were noticeable overall.
He looked more handsome.
Not only that, but Qi Han's height seemed to have increased by a few centimeters. He was already around 1.8 meters tall, and now he was close to 1.9 meters.
His chest and abs were clearly defined yet not overly bulky, with a perfectly proportioned muscle structure that gave Qi Han a proud expression.
Now, can I say I'm more handsome than the readers? All in favor, say aye, all against, say nay?
After freshening up and changing into clean clothes, Qi Han happily went downstairs to start the lunch service.
"Oh, by the way, there's a new Quest." Ru Yi's voice appeared in his mind, and then the Quest interface appeared in front of Qi Han.
[Time-limited Quest: Get Featured in the Food Critique Magazine
Please have the dishes in the shop featured in the latest issue of the Food Critique Magazine, to be published in seven days.
Quest Description: With the entirety of Earth food culture behind you, there is no way for your food to not be enlisted in it!
Quest Rewards: Random Recipe Drop x1, 2 Star Optional Recipe Fragment x4, Spirit Power Level +2.]
Qi Han smiled. "Yesterday, I was just thinking that if you were here, you would definitely issue a Quest about the Food Critique Magazine."
"Of course, I always take advantage of every opportunity to issue Quests," Ru Yi's voice sounded a bit proud.
"Ru Yi, is the training space available now? And is the time flow rate set to 120:1?" Qi Han asked. If it was available, he planned to learn a 3 Star recipe after the lunch service.
"Yes, it's available now, and... there are some other surprises too~" Ru Yi replied cheerfully, her voice sounding playful.
"Other surprises? Like what?"
"Well– surprises aren't surprises if you know them beforehand, you'll find out naturally later," Ru Yi said mischievously, refusing to reveal more.
Alright then.
Qi Han shrugged. The upgraded system, Ru Yi, even knew how to keep him guessing.
The Qin sisters were already waiting at the door of the shop. As Qi Han opened the door and Qin Yue entered, her eyes instinctively scanned the interior, a hint of puzzlement in her gaze when she didn't see a familiar figure.
"Boss, where's Pururu? I brought some dried fish for it!"
Yesterday, she promised to bring dried fish for Pururu.
I, Qin Yue, always keep my promises!
Qi Han's expression turned slightly strange. "It ate some rare treasures this morning and has fallen asleep. I don't know when it'll wake up."
"Alright," Qin Yue nodded. "Then I'll give it dried fish next time."
"Boss, my sister and I want lamb hotpot and sukiyaki, and we also want—" The two sisters had already planned which hotpot bases and ingredients they wanted to eat, listing them off confidently.
With various hotpot bases, dipping sauces, and ingredient combinations, just this one type of dish could spawn countless variations, enough for the two sisters to never eat the same thing twice.
After the two sisters finished their staff meal, it was time for the Small Shop restaurant to open for business.
Today marked the first day of the grading week. With the Quest issued by the system, Qi Han was more attentive to the Food Critique Magazine grading week. He took the initiative to ask Qin Yue for more details about the grading week.
Having helped her father manage the Moonlight Pavilion for a long time, Qin Yue was very familiar with the Food Critique Magazine's grading week. She explained it in detail, giving Qi Han a better understanding of the grading week.
During the Food Critique Magazine's grading week, different graders would be assigned to various districts to try out the local cuisine. There would be almost no omissions. After tasting the food, the graders would give their ratings and reviews. The top 100 rated dishes from all the graders would then be selected and compiled to form the latest issue of the Food Critique Magazine magazine.
And in the Morning Star Street, the grader for the past few years had always been the same person.
That person was a middle-aged man named Cao Pingzhi.
Barring any surprises, Cao Pingzhi would likely be the grader for the Morning Star Street during this grading week.
Qi Han had some impression of this name because each food review in the Food Critique Magazine was signed by the writer. When he read the last issue of the Food Critique Magazine, he noticed that Cao Pingzhi's writing was the best among all the graders.
However, Qin Yue's subsequent introduction of Cao Pingzhi made Qi Han couldn't help but frown.
According to Qin Yue, Cao Pingzhi loved precious treasures and likened himself to a nobleman of jade, but in reality, he was extremely greedy. During the grading at the Moonlight Pavilion, he would always demand bribes. He never paid for the food he tasted during the grading, and he would only take a few bites of each dish, wasting the rest.
Qin Yue's intention in saying this was to warn Qi Han to be prepared. If possible, he shouldn't offend Cao Pingzhi.
But Qi Han felt a shadow creeping over him.
It was impossible for him to bow down. If Cao Pingzhi graded the food fairly, he wouldn't mind being polite. However, if he dared to demand bribes, not pay for the food, or even waste it, Qi Han would absolutely refuse.
As for whether offending Cao Pingzhi would affect the chances of the Small Shop restaurant being featured in the Food Critique Magazine, Qi Han didn't consider it.
"Ru Yi, if the Time-limited Quest isn't completed, will there be any punishment?"
"When have you seen me punish you?" Ru Yi countered.
Come to think of it, she never had.
Does that mean there's no punishment for not completing the Time-limited Quest?
Qi Han felt somewhat relieved.
Although getting featured in the Food Critique Magazine would greatly help increase his restaurant's fame and complete the Main Quest 6, if he couldn't make it into the Food Critique Magazine because he adhered to the rules of his Small Shop restaurant and refused to bow to someone like Cao Pingzhi, Qi Han wouldn't regret it.
With his cooking skills far surpassing those of all the restaurants in the Star Luo City, couldn't he complete the Main Quest 6 without relying on external factors?
Glancing at the full tables in the dining area, Qi Han's face brightened with a smile.
It was only the third day of business, and the Small Shop restaurant already had regular customers. It was even better than the start of the Shrek City small shop. By gradually building up over time, completing Main Quest 6 would still be achievable.
Food Critique Magazine?
If Small Shop doesn't make it, who can say if it's Small Shop's regret or Food Critique Magazine's regret?
<+>
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