Food: Senior year internship, you take over the university cafeteria

Tofu pudding!

Still five stars!

Wang Sheng almost dropped the soup spoon in his hand.

Unlike the information flow of the previous four-star skills, what flooded my mind this time was a more delicate, complete picture, as if it were carrying warmth and the aroma of beans.

Starting with carefully selected non-GMO soybeans from Northeast China, the process involves precise control of soaking time, water temperature, and water quality (soft water is preferred).

The slow grinding with a stone mill preserves the aroma and nutrients of the soybeans to the greatest extent, resulting in a smooth and creamy paste.

Adding brine is the very essence of the dish.

The system inherits a nearly lost compound brine recipe, which is made by mixing gypsum, salt brine, and several edible natural mineral powders in a secret ratio.

Temperature, concentration, stirring method, settling time...

Every detail matters to success or failure.

The resulting tofu pudding is white as solidified fat, tender as agar, trembling, smooth, and delicate enough to break at a touch.

Scoop it up with a thin copper spoon; it doesn't fall apart or break apart, it melts in your mouth, and has a rich and mellow bean aroma without any bean smell or sourness, only the purest and gentlest sweet bean flavor.

This is the base, this is the canvas.

Next, let's talk about flavor.

As the floodgates of memory opened, Wang Sheng recalled the steaming bowl of savory tofu pudding he had at a street stall in his hometown in northern China in the early morning. The thick broth with daylily, wood ear mushrooms, and minced meat was savory and delicious, sprinkled with cilantro and chili oil, and served with freshly fried dough sticks—a truly satisfying experience.

I also recalled the sweet tofu pudding I tasted while traveling in the south—drizzled with glistening syrup, or sprinkled with fine sugar, red beans, mango, and taro balls, it was sweet, smooth, and had a unique flavor.

There's also the spicy tofu pudding I've had in the Sichuan and Chongqing region—red oil, Sichuan peppercorns, minced meat, crispy soybeans, pickled mustard greens, chopped green onions… spicy, savory, and incredibly satisfying.

Sweet? Salty? Spicy?

Wang Sheng himself loves it.

But the window faces students from all over the country, with different tastes.

After a moment's thought, he picked up his phone again and added a reply to the post that had just shown the ingredients:

"Thank you all for your support! We've just acquired some high-quality soybeans, and we plan to make a batch of tofu pudding tomorrow morning. I'd like to ask which flavor you'd like to try tomorrow? 1. Northern-style savory brine flavor 2. Southern-style sweet dessert 3. Sichuan-style spicy flavor. Please comment with your preferred number, and I'll see which one is most popular."

This reply was like throwing a pebble into a calm lake.

No, it lit a powder keg.

"Tofu pudding?! My love! It has to be savory! And braised daylily, wood ear mushrooms, and minced meat—it's perfect!"

"Where are the sweet lovers? Tofu pudding has to be sweet! Add red beans! Add taro balls!"

"Spicy! Spicy! A bowl of this in the morning will wake me up!"

"Salty is the only true flavor! Sweet is heresy!"

"Sweetness lovers will never be slaves!"

"Only kids make choices, boss, I suggest you do both! (doge)"

"Do them all +1! Change it up every day!"

Within minutes, the comment thread had veered into a battlefield of sweet vs. savory factions, with intense and fierce fighting. Although the spicy faction also put up a tenacious fight, their numbers were significantly fewer than the two major camps, and they were quickly submerged in the torrent of the "sweet vs. savory" debate.

Wang Sheng was both amused and exasperated. Sure enough, the taste of tofu pudding was the ultimate topic that could ignite a "war".

He browsed through the comments and did a rough count.

The Xian Party has a slight advantage.

"Okay, let's make the savory ones first." Wang Sheng decided. "We'll arrange the sweet ones tomorrow, and the spicy ones are on the agenda too."

Just as he was about to announce the results, he saw another comment that had been pushed to the top and received many likes:

"@LazyCancelerSeekingSalvation: Boss, can I do you a favor? The food is really good, but getting up early to queue is torture... Could you develop a delivery service? We college students will never sit if we can lie down, and we'll never get out of bed if we can have it delivered to our dorms... You can raise the price to your liking! Please feed us!"

Below this comment was a string of replies including "+1", "Seconded", "A boon for lazy people", and "Save the children".

takeout?

Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat. This was indeed a direction. It could expand sales coverage and serve more students who were too lazy... no, more like students who needed to concentrate on their studies and didn't have time to queue.

Furthermore, will the system react?

As if in response to his thoughts—

【Ding! 】

[Host's intention to expand business model detected, triggering side quest: A Culinary Delight!]

[Task Description: Delicious food shouldn't be limited by space. Please enable food delivery service to bring delicious meals to more diners.]

[Objective: Successfully deliver the first food delivery order (0/1)]

[Reward: 1 chance to win a random Chinese deep-frying technique]

[Next goal: Complete a total of 100 takeout orders]

[Reward: One set of high-tech insulated food delivery equipment]

really!

And the reward is deep-frying skills! This is the king of breakfast and snacks! Fried dough sticks, sugar cakes, sesame balls, spring rolls, chive boxes... just thinking about them makes my mouth water!

Wang Sheng made a decision immediately.

He replied directly to the comment requesting takeout:

"@To those suffering from terminal laziness and seeking salvation, and to all fellow students, we're considering a takeout service. However, to ensure that those dining in can still enjoy our food, we'll initially implement a limited-quantity pre-order system, and a small delivery fee may apply. I'll work on the specific details, such as how to order and how to get delivery, and try to create a mini-program or group order system as soon as possible. We expect to start a trial run next week."

After thinking for a moment, he added another bombshell:

"In addition, we need manpower for food delivery in the initial stage. We are now recruiting several campus deliverymen, mainly responsible for delivering meals from window 07 of the cafeteria to the dormitory buildings or designated locations during specific hours in the morning (7:00-9:00). Compensation: A basic fee of 1 yuan per delivery, and each deliveryman can enjoy one free breakfast at the window (of their choice) on the day of delivery. Requirements: Current students of this university, strong sense of responsibility, familiar with campus routes, and have their own means of transportation (bicycle/electric scooter is acceptable). If you are interested, please send me a private message to apply."

The forum exploded as soon as the job posting was released!

"Delivery driver! Me! Me! I'm pedaling my bike really fast!"

Free breakfast?! And money too?! Boss, watch me!

"For xiaolongbao and sweet taro, I'd transform into a man as swift as the wind!"

"Can a girl use it? I have an electric scooter!"

"Register! Immediately! Right now! I've already sent a private message!"

Get a free breakfast at this amazing breakfast place that's so popular it's hard to get a table! The temptation for food-loving students is explosive! And that's not even the delivery fee!

Wang Sheng's private message notifications exploded instantly, with the number of unread messages jumping wildly.

He glanced at the list briefly and saw that the number of applicants far exceeded his expectations. There were sports students posting photos of their mountain bikes, skateboarders promising "delivery to any dormitory area in five minutes," and even a few girls sending cute selfies and photos of their electric scooters...

Wang Sheng looked through them one by one, filtering for the more reliable ones. Suddenly, a familiar profile picture and ID caught his eye.

Su Weiwei.

She signed up too? She even added a message: "Senior, I'm signing up to be a delivery driver. I'm a freshman in the College of Veterinary Medicine, familiar with the campus (just figured it out), have a pink electric scooter (can go 30 kilometers on a full charge), am responsible (veterinary medicine requires being responsible for life), and have plenty of time (no classes in the mornings). Most importantly… I want to eat. (blushing)"

Wang Sheng couldn't help but laugh. This pretty junior was really going all out for a bite to eat. But judging from her appearance, she did meet the requirements, and she was practically a "veteran fan" of the window.

He replied, "Sure, you're in. I'll let you know the specific delivery arrangements and precautions in a group chat with the other selected students. We'll need about 3-5 delivery drivers."

Su Weiwei replied almost instantly: "Thank you, senior! I promise I'll complete the task! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

After selecting several students who seemed reliable and whose departments and schedules didn't conflict (including Su Weiwei), Wang Sheng temporarily closed the registration channel and posted an announcement stating that the preliminary selection had been finalized, thanking everyone for their support, and that he would notify them if the number of applicants increased later.

After dealing with all of this, he breathed a sigh of relief. The framework for the food delivery business was now in place.

Almost at the same time he finalized the selection of Su Weiwei and others—

【Ding! 】

[The prerequisite for the side quest "A Culinary Delight" has been met: the delivery team has been assembled (temporarily).]

[This is considered a successful expansion of the food delivery business!]

[Advance reward: 1 chance to win a random Chinese-style deep-frying technique!]

Should we start the prize draw now?

"smoke!"

Wang Sheng was filled with anticipation.

What could it be? Fried dough sticks? Sugar-coated fritters? Sesame balls? Spring rolls?

A golden wheel appears, its pointer spinning rapidly.