294: Stall mission completed

In the following days, Lu Chuan's food truck continued to appear punctually every morning in that quiet corner.

The reputation of the morning dew solace meal seemed to spread quietly by word of mouth among those immersed in grief.

There were young parents who had lost their infant child and hadn't eaten or drunk for days. Persuaded by relatives and friends, they reluctantly came to the stall. After eating a small portion of steamed egg, they broke down in tears, but after crying, they finally accepted the bowl of warm porridge.

There were middle-aged people who came to bid farewell to old friends and sighed at the impermanence of life. After drinking the clear heart flower dew, they said to Lu Chuan with red eyes, "The food here makes me feel a little better."

There was also a silent middle-aged man who came every day to buy a portion of porridge. He said nothing, just ate it in silence, then stared in the direction of the funeral home.

It wasn't until the third day that he whispered to Lu Chuan, "My youngest daughter loved porridge when she was alive..."

Every soul briefly comforted by the food contributed to the mission's progress.

[6/10... 7/10... 8/10... 9/10...]

Lu Chuan always stayed there quietly, not speaking much, not disturbing, just silently conveying warmth and strength with a bowl of porridge, a cup of egg, and a cup of flower dew.

He Jingrui and Ding Xinyang also gradually adapted to the atmosphere here, their movements becoming gentler, and their eyes showing more understanding and respect.

Friday, the last morning of the mission period.

The weather was somewhat gloomy, and the autumn wind carried a chill.

There was little food left in the insulated box, and the mission progress remained at [9/10], lacking only the final "clear feedback."

Lu Chuan looked at the gradually dwindling crowd, his heart calm. He knew that what was meant to come would eventually arrive.

Just then, a girl wearing a faded school uniform, her eyes swollen like peaches, walked slowly along the roadside with her head down.

She clutched a photo, somewhat blurred by tears, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

She didn't seem to notice the food truck until she was about to pass it when the aroma of porridge drifted to her again with the wind.

The girl's steps paused. She looked up, gazing blankly at the food truck, and at the young boss standing behind it, his eyes gentle.

Lu Chuan said nothing, just watched her quietly.

The girl hesitated for a long time before, as if having made up her mind, she slowly shuffled to the food truck, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"Boss... I... I don't have much money... Can I buy half a portion of porridge?"

Her school uniform pocket looked empty.

Lu Chuan looked at the brightly smiling middle-aged man in the photo in her hand and understood.

He smiled gently, served a full bowl of porridge, added a cup of steamed egg and a cup of flower dew, put them in a bag, and handed it to her.

"It's on me. Only when you're full do you have the strength to miss them, and the strength to keep moving forward."

The girl froze, looking at the exquisite meal, and tears instantly welled up.

She took the bag, holding it tightly with both hands, as if holding some peerless treasure.

She didn't leave immediately but stood by the stall, opened the porridge container, and began to eat in small sips.

The warm porridge slid into her stomach, and the warmth it brought seemed to dispel some of the biting cold.

The tenderness of the steamed egg and the sweetness of the flower dew seemed to reawaken her numb taste buds.

As she ate, her suppressed sobs gradually grew louder, finally turning into a cathartic wail.

But strangely, accompanied by her crying, her eating speed did not stop; instead, it was as if she was drawing some strength to fight grief through eating.

After a long while, she finally stopped crying, vigorously wiped her face with her sleeve, and gave Lu Chuan a smile that was uglier than her crying, but there was something different in her eyes.

"Thank you... Thank you, boss."

She choked up as she insisted on handing Lu Chuan the few remaining crumpled banknotes, then said:

"My dad... he used to always say, no matter how big the problem, talk about it after you've eaten... The food you make is delicious... I feel... I feel like it's not so cold anymore..."

[Ding! Mission progress updated: 10/10.]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully sold at least one hundred "rebirth set meal" (morning dew consolation meal)!]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully made at least ten relatives of the deceased provide clear feedback of 'spiritual solace' after tasting the set meal!]

[All this week's stall missions completed! Mission reward: 'Lingxi Tongue' has been issued, please check, Host!]

The system's notifications rang out one after another.

Lu Chuan ignored the system's prompts, just quietly listened to the girl in front of him, who had just experienced the pain of losing her father, but found a glimmer of strength through a meal.

After a long while, the girl, having articulated the things she had suppressed in her heart for a long time, seemed to have shed a burden. A youthful smile appeared on her face. After waving to Lu Chuan, she left.

Lu Chuan let out a soft breath and said to Ding Xinyang and He Jingrui, "Let's pack up."

On the way back, Lu Chuan experienced the newly acquired talent, "Lingxi Tongue."

It was as if an invisible film had been peeled away; his perception of the extremely subtle odor molecules lingering in the surrounding air became unprecedentedly acute.

He could even clearly distinguish the different fresh, green scents emitted by various leaves after being soaked in morning dew, and he could capture the subtle earthy smell brought by microbial activity deep within the soil.

This leap in perception would undoubtedly be of immense help to him in refining his culinary skills, especially in exploring the deeper characteristics and pairings of ingredients.

"Lingxi Tongue" combined with "Heart Fire Tempering," plus his continuously improving cooking level and the potential "Master" realm to come... his culinary journey was destined to lead to a peak unimaginable to ordinary mortals.

And what kind of "ingenious" challenge would the system present next week?

Lu Chuan looked at the city scene outside the car window, which was gradually coming alive, a slight smile on his lips, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.