Chapter 24: If Everyone in the Country Gave Me a Good Review

It was past seven in the morning when Chen Zhou opened his eyes, waiting for the intelligence to refresh. He had already set his internal clock. In contrast, Ms. Lin and Chen Taotao were still fast asleep, it being Sunday. The little girl usually had her own small bed, but occasionally, like today, her father would find her tucked away in the big bed. Chen Zhou carefully picked her up, placed her back, and tip-toed out of the bedroom.

7:30 AM. The gourmet intelligence refreshed.

[Ingredient Bulletin (Rare)]: China is vast and rich in resources, with the changing seasons creating distinct seasonal flavors. The freshness of spring, the crispness of summer, the sweetness of autumn, and the richness of winter—this is known as the "Flavor of the Four Seasons." From this intelligence, you have obtained an exclusive summer bun recipe: Eggplant and Green Pepper Buns.

It was exactly what he needed. Green peppers and eggplants were in season; they would surely make a delicious filling for buns. He could add another new item to his street stall.

Furthermore, the system prompted: [The targeted intelligence feature for "Ingredient Bulletin"—"Flavor of the Four Seasons"—has been unlocked. You may redeem it using points under Intelligence Enhancement.]

Targeted intelligence was a feature that had been reserved when he was at level 2. It would be much more convenient to filter through the massive amount of information to find exactly what he needed, costing 500 points per use.

The second piece of intelligence remained: [Diner Update: A stray cat will visit your stall within the next few days.]

This piece of intelligence was a bit unexpected. He hadn't realized that a cat would count as a "diner." However, considering the cat's purchasing power, Chen Zhou decided not to charge it.

The final piece: [Market News (Rare): Chen Taotao is having a streak of good luck today. After 12:30 PM, if she participates in the "Spend 200 at Wanda Plaza for a Lucky Draw" event, she will pull a 2,000-yuan cash prize from the draw pool placed in front of the Haidilao restaurant.]

Last night, Chen Zhou had been determined to create a good life for Chen Taotao. He hadn't expected the next generation to be the one providing for him. "Work hard, Taotao. Daddy's financial freedom depends on you..."

A summary of the changes after leveling up: The probability of "Rare" items has increased; Intelligence Enhancement has unlocked the new "Targeted Intelligence" function. Beyond the "Flavor of the Four Seasons" in the Ingredient Bulletin, many other categories such as "Taste Preferences" and "Business Intelligence" have been opened under Diner Updates and Market News.

The system level has changed from LV2 to LV3 (701/1,000,000,000).

There was a lot to unpack here. First of all, who eats buns in the morning? Chen Zhou remembered Wang Meng saying he would have buns for breakfast the next day, so he poked him on WeChat.

The other party actually woke up and replied with a "?".

Chen Zhou: "Don't tell me you're eating buns for breakfast?"
Wang Meng: "How did you know? Did you install a camera in my house?"

Comrade Wang Meng was still going strong. He then sent a voice message to Chen Zhou: "I'm going to take the footage to someone to help edit the video in a bit. Wait for my good news, Master Chen."
Chen Zhou: [Fist bump]

It had to be said, the network Captain Wang had expanded through blind dates was truly extensive. He put the extra point aside for now.

Secondly, (701/1,000,000,000). Chen Zhou really wanted to bring Taotao over to help him count how many zeros there were. It would take one billion positive reviews to reach the next level? He remembered his childhood dream: "If everyone in the country gave me one yuan, wouldn't I be a billionaire?" Thinking about it that way, reaching the next level didn't seem so hard. As long as every person in the country gave him one positive review, a single meal would suffice.

At this moment, Chen Zhou regained a bit of his childhood spirit. Being in his thirties counts as "childhood," right? With food safety issues being so severe, he had certainly thought about starting a catering business that was both delicious and trustworthy. "The system seems to be waiting for me to gradually settle in, to meet at the peak after becoming the greatest gourmet supplier."

The goal was grand, but for now, he would start by taking his wife and child to the mall.

...

Chen Taotao’s weekend was packed. She had gone swimming with her mother yesterday, and as soon as she woke up today, she heard her father saying they were going to the mall. She was so excited all morning that she couldn't even sit still for breakfast. Lin Yifan couldn't help but put on her stern mother expression.

"Eat your food properly, Taotao!"
"I am eating~"

Chen Zhou smiled at his wife and said, "If you spend 200 at Wanda Plaza, you get a lucky draw. Let's find a place to eat there at noon; it'll be a chance for your daughter to try her luck."

Ms. Lin readily agreed. Going out to eat as a family was her favorite way to relax. However, she never held any expectations for winning prizes; she just treated it as a way to keep the child happy. Lin Yifan, who represented the luck of the average person, had only ever found "Buy one, get one free" under a bottle cap.

The family of three arrived at the Haibin City Wanda Plaza. Led by Chen Taotao, they headed straight for the "Naughty Castle" play area. The children's entertainment zone was filled with parents and children everywhere. It was so noisy and crowded that one might wonder if the birth rate was as low as they imagined.

But then again, it was hot outside in the summer. People either went to play in the water or looked for indoor places with air conditioning. Naturally, places with lots of kids were full of children.

After letting Chen Taotao burn off her energy, Chen Zhou checked his phone and prepared to take them to lunch. Ms. Lin took the time to study the rules of the lucky draw. She said to Chen Zhou, "There's no rule saying you have to spend 200 at one restaurant. The two of us plus Taotao won't spend 200. We might as well buy something else, like a cake, that we can take home."

Chen Zhou couldn't help but admire his wife's thriftiness.

...

Around 12:20 PM, the family finished their meal, took their receipt, and exchanged it for a voucher. They happened to see a young couple scratching a card. The girl scratched with her fingernails and finally said, "A bag of salt."

The staff reminded them they could exchange it at the first-floor service desk. The boy pouted, "Too lazy to go get it; we'll see later."

Watching the couple, Ms. Lin now had realistic expectations for the prizes. She smiled at Chen Zhou, "I didn't expect them to be so practical. I was afraid it would be some 'spend 1000 get 10 off' coupon, or a 'free 18,000-yuan necklace' that charges a 1,800-yuan processing fee, only to find the necklace isn't even worth 50. Good thing I didn't fall for that back then..."

It was true; Ms. Lin had fallen for all those "grand prizes" before.

Just then, the staff was changing shifts and replacing the draw pool. Chen Zhou finally realized what the 12:30 mention in the intelligence meant. He said calmly to his wife, "You have to trust your daughter."

Ms. Lin encouraged her, "Our Taotao will definitely be fine."

The little girl, listening to her parents' conversation, lifted her small face and said, "Mommy, I can win two bags!"