After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: A refreshing and thirst-quenching recipe—Iced Jade Plum Drink!]

[Note: This product is made with top-quality ingredients such as century-old dried plums and Tian Shan snow lotus honey. It has a sweet and sour taste that refreshes and quenches thirst, relieving summer heat and greasiness. It is also relatively easy to prepare and can be made in batches in advance.]

"Bulk cooking".

As Lin Fan chewed on those four words, his tense shoulders suddenly relaxed.

This is exactly what he needs most right now.

Whether it's fried rice, soup dumplings, or Wensi tofu, which requires exceptional knife skills, they all have one fatal flaw—they must be made to order.

Even though his hand speed is so fast that it leaves afterimages, it's still a drop in the ocean when faced with hundreds or thousands of diners every day.

It's not a good experience for diners to queue for two hours and eat for five minutes.

Especially now, Wuhan is experiencing the sweltering heat.

The daytime temperature was approaching 38 degrees Celsius, and the asphalt road surface was shiny with oil from the sun. The diners standing in line outside were all drenched in sweat. Although they didn't say anything, Lin Fan could see their anxiety.

After finishing a steaming bowl of beef brisket noodles, a chilled drink would make it all the more satisfying.

"System, extract ingredients."

Lin Fan's mind stirred.

A barely perceptible ripple spread through the air, followed by a heavy, muffled thud.

Three wooden crates, each about half a person's height, appeared out of nowhere next to the chopping board.

Lin Fan stepped forward and, without saying a word, pried open the lid of the first wooden box.

A musty, dry, yet pungent smoky aroma instantly hit me.

That's a century-old charcoal-smoked dried plum.

The dried plums in the box were not the ordinary kind that are shriveled, withered, and have a dark black surface, as found in the market.

Each of these plums is as big as a table tennis ball, with a deep, dark jade-like skin covered in a fine, frosty white powder. That white powder is not mold, but the essence of the fruit's bloom.

Lin Fan picked one up, feeling its hard and rough texture against his fingertips.

I brought it close to my nose and smelled it.

There is no pungent sour smell, only a rich and robust pine smoke aroma, mixed with the aged tangerine peel fragrance of the fruit.

The aroma is incredibly penetrating; just a whiff is enough to stimulate the salivary glands deep within the mouth, causing saliva to flow uncontrollably.

nice one.

Lin Fan put down the dried plums and turned to look at the second box.

Inside were jars of perfectly sealed white jade.

Remove the seal and open the lid.

It didn't have a strong, cloying sweetness; instead, a refreshing, cool sensation emanated from it.

The jar contains Tian Shan Snow Lotus Honey.

The honey has a semi-solid, oily texture, with a warm, smooth color like mutton fat jade, and a cool sheen under the light.

This honey is collected from snow lotus flowers above the snow line at an altitude of 4,000 meters, and it carries a cool, icy fragrance.

In addition, there are sun-dried hawthorn berries that are bright red, aged tangerine peel from Xinhui that has been aged for many years, and roselle calyxes that are purplish-red and glistening with moisture.

All materials are ready.

Lin Fan rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms.

There was no rush to put it in the pot.

When making plum juice, the biggest taboo is to boil it directly.

He took out a large 50-liter stainless steel soup pot and filled it with the specially supplied Kunlun Mountain spring water.

The water was icy cold and crystal clear.

Lin Fan grabbed a handful of dried plums, hawthorns, and dried tangerine peel, and gently added them to the water according to the golden ratio given by the system.

"Splash!"

The dried fruit tumbled in the water before slowly sinking to the bottom.

The first step is to let the material rest.

The shriveled fruit pulp begins to greedily absorb the moisture the moment it comes into contact with water.

The originally wrinkled surface gradually relaxed, and the clear water began to show a faint amber color.

The aroma that has been dormant deep within the fruit pulp is being awakened.

Half an hour later.

Lin Fan reached out and picked up a dried plum.

The once hard fruit has become plump and soft; a gentle pinch with your fingernail reveals the dark brown flesh inside.

"That's fine."

Lin Fan poured the fermented water and ingredients into the pot and turned on the high-powered stove.

"boom!"

The blue flames licked fiercely at the bottom of the bucket.

As the water temperature rises, the air in the kitchen begins to undergo subtle changes.

Initially, it has a slightly astringent, fruity flavor, which is the first aroma released by hawthorn and roselle.

Then, the water boiled.

The churning water, carrying the distinctive smoky aroma of dried plums, dominated the scene.

"Glug... Glug..."

The color of the soup gradually deepened from amber to a rich purplish-red.

That's the natural pigment released by the roselle flower under high temperature, a bewitching and intoxicating red.

Lin Fan stood in front of the stove, holding a long-handled wooden spoon, stirring at a steady pace.

His movements were steady, and each stirring was done in the same direction to prevent the ingredients from breaking apart and becoming cloudy.

Simmer for a full hour.

The whole room is filled with a rich, sweet and sour aroma that whets the appetite with just one whiff.

Lin Fan added rock sugar to reduce the sauce, in order to neutralize the acidity and enhance the flavor.

Finally, and most importantly, is the "finishing touch".

Lin Fan turned off the stove.

When the soup cooled down to around 80 degrees Celsius, he picked up the jar of [Tianshan Snow Lotus Honey].

Scoop up a large spoonful; the milky white honey, like solidified cream, forms a glistening thread along the edge of the spoon.

"Splash..."

Honey dripped into the purplish-red broth.

At that moment, a miraculous chemical reaction occurred.

The originally somewhat smoky and fiery atmosphere was instantly suppressed and dissolved by the chill from the snow-capped mountains.

The color of the entire bucket of plum juice changed again, from purplish-red to translucent, like a piece of flowing purple jade.

The aroma in the air transformed from simply tempting the appetite into a refreshing and invigorating scent.

Even though the kitchen was very hot, just smelling this aroma made me feel like I had a piece of ice in my throat, and all the heat disappeared.

Lin Fan scooped up a little bit with a small spoon, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

The initial taste is slightly sour, thanks to the base of dried plums and hawthorns; the mid-palate is sweet, a result of the harmony of dried tangerine peel and rock sugar; and after swallowing, the unique chill brought by the snow lotus honey slides down the esophagus and explodes instantly.

Cool!

Feel completely refreshed!

Lin Fan let out a long sigh, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"If this were chilled overnight, the taste would be absolutely unbeatable."

Without stopping, he sealed the three large buckets of plum juice he had just brewed and sent them directly into the system space.

That space can precisely control the temperature at zero degrees without freezing, thus locking in the texture to the maximum extent.

It was already 3 a.m. when I finished all this.

Lin Fan wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, glanced at his sleeping daughter upstairs, a gentle smile appeared on his lips, and he turned to take a cold shower.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and onto the pink bed.

Tuantuan rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up in bed, a tuft of hair sticking up stubbornly on her head.

"dad?"

The little one called out in a soft, sweet voice and ran barefoot out of the bedroom.

As soon as she came down the stairs, she sniffled.

"It smells so good..."