129: Ring

At 5 PM on Monday, Citizen Center Square awoke from its silence.

The square, having been baked by the sun, still radiated residual warmth.

But that still couldn't deter people's eagerness to sample delicacies from various regions.

This was because the "Gourmet Culture Carnival" event, jointly organized by the event organizers and the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, finally commenced grandly today.

The venue for this event featured multiple specialty food stalls, showcasing delicacies from all over China, both north and south.

While it couldn't be exhaustive, not a single classic snack from any region was missing.

Even so, many of these snacks were unheard of by Yinhua City locals their entire lives, let alone tasted.

Food is paramount to the people, and many were deeply moved by the opportunity to see and taste dishes they had never encountered before.

Therefore, as soon as the event began, the number of participants had already reached over five thousand.

The organizers were well-prepared for this situation.

The vast event grounds had already been encircled by a large fence, leaving only two entrances and exits, north and south, for citizens to use.

In addition, many police officers and hired security personnel were stationed around and within the venue, simultaneously responsible for guiding citizens to queue orderly for entry.

Around 5:30 PM, as the entrance gates to the venue opened, the Gourmet Carnival finally began.

The long queue finally started to move, entering the venue in an orderly fashion.

Everyone's face showed expressions of both excitement and anticipation, discussing animatedly which delicacies they would try first upon entering.

Meanwhile, in the corners around the square, many vendors, like flies drawn to a scent, had gathered.

Perhaps out of consideration for dispersing the crowd, or perhaps to create a lively atmosphere, the organizers and government departments did not prohibit this type of street vending.

They merely arranged for mobile patrols to inspect the surroundings and prevent any unexpected situations.

Around 6 PM, Lu Chuan and He Jingrui arrived at the underground parking lot, parked the rented Jinbei van, and then each pulled two large boxes, took the elevator, and arrived at the square.

"It's so lively here!"

He Jingrui, like a big child, excitedly exclaimed at the sight of people coming and going in the square.

Lu Chuan also hadn't expected so many people here, and his heart was also filled with a surge of excitement.

However, as soon as he thought of the system's mission requirements, his smile instantly faded, and his face fell.

[Mission Updated (Claimed)]

[Requirement: 5 days a week, every day at 6 PM, go to Yinhua City Citizen Center Square to sell beggar's chicken.]

[Recipe: beggar's chicken has been issued.]

[Equipment: One Jinbei van has been rented on your behalf, please collect it yourself.]

[Mission Reward: Unlock 'Gourmet Cell Diagnosis' ability.]

This was this week's stall mission. Doesn't it seem quite normal?

But the system, as always, maintained its style of "not resting until the host is tormented," and added another requirement.

[Please, Host, abandon traditional vending methods and sell beggar's chicken by 'ring toss'.]

[Related props have been issued and will be recovered after the mission ends.]

"What does it mean to sell beggar's chicken by 'ring toss'?"

When he heard this requirement from the system, Lu Chuan was dumbfounded.

He recognized all these words, but when combined, why were they so difficult to understand?

[Has the Host never played ring toss?]

The system directly retorted, then disappeared from view.

Lu Chuan felt mocked and angrily searched online, only then understanding the system's requirement.

He quickly took out a ring from the system's storage space to examine it and was immediately a little stunned.

This ring was only the size of a palm, and could only fit over the upper part of the mud ball, completely unable to encircle it.

Moreover, it was extremely elastic; as soon as it touched the target, it would bounce right off.

Even a master of ring toss would return in defeat.

So, was this playing with him, or playing with the diners?

Imagine the scene at the stall: a large group of people frantically tossing rings at dozens of mud balls laid on the ground.

After tossing for a long time, money spent, not a single mud ball caught, he would probably be chased and beaten by the diners.

Lu Chuan's face turned green just thinking about this scene.

He immediately wanted to call out the system to discuss the issue of the props.

But the system played deaf and dumb, simply ignoring Lu Chuan.

"Sigh!"

His thoughts returned to the present, and Lu Chuan couldn't help but sigh.

He Jingrui looked at him in confusion, then skillfully turned his head away.

Having spent a long time together, he knew that Lu Chuan often had strange behaviors and had long since grown accustomed to them.

"A Chuan, look, there are stalls all around, no empty space!"

He Jingrui pointed to the surroundings and said, troubled:

"Why don't we just set up a normal stall, without any fancy tricks?"

Lu Chuan silently glanced at him, then continued to walk forward.

Because this Gourmet Carnival event had been pre-heated for half a month, residents of Yinhua City who needed to know already knew.

This also led to a truly large number of people attending the event today; if the organizers hadn't had a contingency plan, the square would probably have been overcrowded long ago.

So, there really was no space left for Lu Chuan to use for "ring toss."

Lu Chuan and He Jingrui walked around the square once more, finally giving up in helplessness.

"Alright, alright, let's set up the stall in the northeast corner of the square."

Lu Chuan looked at a triangular area in the southwest corner, where a circle of flowerbeds was planted around it, with only a small path leading inside.

Perhaps normally, it would be a good place for citizens to cool off and rest.

But in this lively season, such a place was deserted.

And in places with few people, small stalls naturally wouldn't choose to set up there.

Therefore, this triangular flowerbed in the northeast corner had instead become an out-of-place "pure land."

He Jingrui had no objection to Lu Chuan's decision.

He believed that with Lu Chuan's culinary skills, even if the stall was set up in a desolate mountain, it would eventually become a carnival for diners.

Passing through the small path, Lu Chuan felt as if the surrounding world had quieted down.

"There are benefits to choosing here after all! At least my ears won't suffer!"

He smiled.

Then he bent down, opened a large box, and took out a pile of things from inside.

There were folding stools, colorful rings, LED light strips, ground cloths, ring-picking hooks, price tags, and a loudspeaker, among other things.

At this moment, He Jingrui had also taken out all the mud balls stored in the other three large boxes.

"Arrange the mud balls sequentially at intervals of 20 centimeters. Then string the light strips around the mud balls..."

Lu Chuan instructed, then began to arrange the various tools for the stall one by one.

Finally, he started writing on the price tag.

"Based on the difficulty of the ring toss, let's say one ring is one yuan! If the price is set so cheaply, even if they really can't get it, they shouldn't blame me, right?"