Completely Achieved

The queue at the food pick-up window facing the street was gradually coming to an end.

The sky had completely darkened, and the dim yellow streetlights on both sides of Jin Street lit up in the cold wind, casting their light on the remaining snow that had been trampled into mud on the road.

Inside the two large iron pots, each over a meter wide, the stewed vermicelli and fish bone sour soup that were originally full had been reduced to the bottom.

Lin Fan used his long-handled iron ladle to scrape along the inside of the iron pot, scooping up the last dozen or so slices of pork belly, a few pieces of amber-colored wide rice noodles soaked in the thick broth, and the thick, golden sauerkraut soup, and carefully placed them into the last thick paper bowl.

At the end of the queue was a middle-aged driver who had just parked his taxi on the side of the road.

The driver jogged over, rubbing his hands on his thick cotton trousers, his breath steaming as he looked out the window.

"Boss Lin, is there any more? I've been driving all day, haven't even had a sip of water, and came all the way here following the smell!"

"This is the last one."

Su Xiaoxiao deftly grabbed a large ladle, poured the last half-spoon of rich white fish soup from the thermos next to her onto the top, sprinkled on some fresh chopped green onions, and handed it through the window:

"Here you go, chef. Large double portion, be careful, it's hot!"

The driver held the steaming bowl in both hands, inhaling the pungent aroma of sauerkraut and charred fat, and his face lit up with a smile.

"Oh my, what great luck! Thank you, Mr. Lin, thank you, young lady!"

The driver, holding a large bowl, quickly sat back in the driver's seat of the taxi, closed the door, and eagerly slurped up the rice noodles in the warm car.

At this point, the large iron pot in the kitchen was completely empty, leaving only a layer of golden-red, oily sheen on the pot wall.

Deep within my mind, the system's crisp, mechanical voice rang out precisely on time:

[Ding! The special livelihood side quest [Warmth in the Snow - Don't Let It Down] has been fully completed!]

The notification sound faded away quietly.

Lin Fan put down the long-handled iron spoon in his hand, his expression calm, and took out a towel from his apron pocket to wipe the fine sweat from his wrists.

Outside the window, two or three neighbors from the other end of the street rushed in, carrying empty lunchboxes, craning their necks to peer inside.

"Boss Lin, is there any more? We just came down from our house because we could smell it!"

Su Xiaoxiao braced herself against the food counter with both hands and smiled apologetically:

"Dear uncles and aunts, all the ingredients prepared for today's tasting have been put into the pot. We just finished serving the last portion, and the pot is almost empty."

Several neighbors peeked into the clean, large iron pot. Although they hadn't gotten any food, seeing the empty bowls hanging outside the wooden window and the thick white steam, they weren't annoyed at all. Instead, they started asking around:

"Boss Lin, when will the pickled cabbage and glass noodle dish and the minced meat rice dish officially go on sale?"

"Yes, there's a sign on the doorpost saying it's closed. When will it reopen? If it does, we'll have to stock up! Our whole family is waiting to come and eat!"

Lin Fan walked to the window, looked at the expectant neighbors outside, and gently replied:

"It'll be soon. We'll officially open once the streets are completely cleared up. At that time, the portions of these two dishes will be generous."

"Alright! We're relieved to hear Boss Lin say that!"

Several neighbors smiled, waved, wrapped their coats tighter, and turned to walk back.

Su Xiaoxiao reached out and placed her hand on the thick wooden window frame, pulled it down, and closed the latch, keeping the biting draft out of the window.

The wooden wall outside the food pick-up window was covered with three layers of pink sticky notes, more than two hundred in total. They were slightly curled up in the cold wind, crooked but full of heat.

The lobby was warmly ventilated.

The two young anchors wearing woolen hats were currently cleaning diligently near the door, their down jacket sleeves rolled up.

The tall young man bent over and carefully and quickly flattened the empty paper bowls scattered on the large round table and put them into a large black garbage bag.

Another young man took a large broom borrowed from Old Liu's auto repair shop and swept up the slush and footprints that had been trampled in front of the gate, dumping them into the trash can outside.

Both of them were covered in sweat, their cheeks, which had been bluish-purple from the cold, were now flushed, and their down jackets were open at the collar as they worked extra hard.

After clearing away the last table, the tall young man carried the tightly sealed black garbage bag to the garbage collection area outside the back door, quickly walked back to the lobby, and stood about two meters away from the bar, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Boss Lin, the tables are all wiped clean, the water on the floor has been mopped up, and all the trash has been thrown into the big bin in the back."

Lin Fan was checking the washed teacups behind the bar when he heard this, so he looked up and glanced at the two young men.

The two young men were covered in oil and dust, and their hands were red from the cold, but their eyes were much clearer and more open than in the morning. They kept their heads down properly, without any trace of their previous frivolity and restlessness.

Lin Fan took four washed and dried rock sugar apples from the bamboo basket under the bar, put them in an oil paper bag, and pushed them across the bar:

"You did a great job. Take it and eat it on the way."

The tall young man stared blankly at the plump, white jade apples in the oil paper bag, which emitted a faint, refreshing fruity aroma. He quickly pulled his hand behind his back and shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, no, Boss Lin, we can't take it! We ate a big bowl of your delicious fish and meat today, and drank such good soup. It's only right that we help out with some work. How could we take your things!"

"Take it." Lin Fan said calmly, "It's cold, and hot soup can make your mouth dry. This apple will help to cleanse your palate and quench your thirst."

The two young men's eyes welled up with tears. They took a deep breath, took the heavy paper bag with both hands, and carefully held it in their arms.

The young man in the woolen hat bowed deeply to Lin Fan, his voice trembling:

"Boss Lin, we've taken your words to heart."

"We'll go back and release a long video to clarify all the rumors circulating online. If anyone tries to smear your store again, we'll be the first to object!"

"Go ahead, drive carefully, it's dark and slippery." Lin Fan waved his hand.

The two young men bowed again to Aunt Wang, Old Liu, and Su Xiaoxiao in the lobby, hugged the paper bag tightly to their arms, pushed open the door, and walked out quickly.

The door closed gently, blocking out the night.

The lobby fell silent.

Old Liu sat on the bench, tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, looked towards the door, and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"These two little brats, at least their consciences aren't completely rotten; they've at least regained some semblance of humanity."

Aunt Wang sat to one side peeling an orange, handed a segment to Xiao Tuantuan, and sighed with a smile:

"Xiao Fan is winning people over with virtue. That's more effective than scolding them ten or eight times."

Lin Fan put the rag in his hand into the warm water basin in the sink, washed it clean, wrung it out, and hung it above the faucet.

"It's pointless for business owners to get angry. They're just being used as pawns. Once they come to their senses, they'll naturally know which way to go."

Su Xiaoxiao neatly arranged the trays that had been cleaned at the front desk. Following Lin Fan's instructions, she took out a large white porcelain teapot from behind the bar, washed three rough earthenware teacups, and poured out three cups of steaming, light golden tea: