Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Bonus

She shook the sand from her clothes, and a robot vacuum immediately zipped over, getting to work with a KUKU sound.

"Why does it feel like the sandstorms are especially bad here?"

’In the original owner’s memories, sandstorms that hit without warning were never this intense.’

Shen Lu asked, a bit worried. ’What if this is a sign that this year’s dust season will be particularly harsh? I should probably make some preparations in advance.’

"Not really." Wang Daguo scratched the sand out of his hair. "This is actually pretty mild. On this day last year, we couldn’t even go outside."

Shu Meng said, "Boss, the sandstorms are less severe in the Upper City District. Also, our shop is in a bad spot with no buildings to block the wind, so it just seems worse here."

Shen Lu: ...

’I was too hasty.’

At first, when she heard people talk about the dust season, she had assumed it was similar to the sandstorms of her past life, just with more frequent high winds.

Seeing Shen Lu’s brow furrowed in thought, Xin Yu comforted her, "The dust season is only really intense for about ten days or half a month. As long as you’re careful the rest of the time, it won’t affect daily life much."

Deng Ying chimed in, "Yeah, winter is actually the toughest season."

The Imperial City was located in the north, and winter temperatures could drop below -10 degrees. Vegetation was scarce, so heating materials like charcoal and firewood were out of the question.

The people of the Upper City District enjoyed electric heating, while those in the Lower City District could only bundle up in more layers and tough it out.

Those who were slightly better off might buy a small heating stove, but that was the extent of it.

As a result, many people froze to death each winter. It wasn’t uncommon to see the bodies of the homeless frozen solid on the streets like ice sculptures.

Shen Lu sighed. Without saying anything more, she told the staff to start prepping the ingredients.

"Song..." Xin Yu started to call for Song Zhigao to move the pork, but he cut himself off. He remembered that after the poisoning incident, Song Zhigao had been detained by Shen Lu. Of course he wouldn’t be working in the kitchen anymore.

The others tacitly pretended not to hear, each focusing on their own tasks.

With Song Zhigao gone, Shen Lu took on the job of cooking the braised pork belly herself.

Shu Meng shot several glances at Shen Lu before finally blurting out, "Boss, what if I take over making the braised pork belly from now on?"

She and Song Zhigao had been rivals. Now that he was out of the picture, Shu Meng was certain she would be kept on permanently.

She felt she should take on more responsibility. The braised pork belly only required supervision during the initial steps. For the simmering part later on, she would just need to check it occasionally, so it wouldn’t interfere with her work stir-frying the side dishes.

"Alright." Shen Lu didn’t refuse. Shu Meng couldn’t just cook vegetable dishes forever; she needed to learn how to prepare meat dishes as well.

The braised pork belly wasn’t difficult to make. Shen Lu was in charge of all the seasonings, so Shu Meng just had to follow the steps. With Shen Lu watching, she successfully prepared her first batch.

Shen Lu had Shu Meng taste her creation.

"It’s very close," Shu Meng said after tasting it carefully, offering a thoughtful critique. "The version I made just seems a little greasier."

Shen Lu nodded. "That’s because you didn’t sear the pork belly for long enough at the start. But it’s not a major issue. Some people prefer it less fatty, while others like it richer."

And in this Otherworld, most people actually preferred it richer. After all, with food so scarce, everyone was short on fats and oils.

"You’ll get the hang of it with more practice," Shen Lu said, patting her on the shoulder.

Shu Meng smiled like a young girl. "I won’t disappoint you, Boss!"

[DING-DONG~ Mission issued: Sell 820 Braised Pork Belly set meals, 720 Kung Pao Chicken set meals, and 380 Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Peppers set meals. Achieve a total revenue of 180,000 Star Coins with customer satisfaction at three stars or higher. Time limit: eight hours.]

The mission alert sounded just as Shen Lu finished editing and uploading her latest video. At the front counter, Xiao Lang was wiping the cabinet doors with a small rag.

It couldn’t be helped. The five-year-old was only as tall as Shen Lu’s thigh, while the counter itself was at her waist. Since he couldn’t reach the top, he had to settle for wiping the cabinet doors below.

Shen Lu ruffled Xiao Lang’s little head. "Thanks for all your hard work."

If Xiao Lang’s superpower hadn’t played such a crucial role yesterday, there would have been a major food safety incident. If someone had actually dropped dead from eating at Little Deer Cuisine, not only would the restaurant’s reputation have been destroyed, but the authorities would have certainly launched an investigation.

Most importantly, Shen Lu’s restaurant would have been shut down.

Thankfully, none of that had happened.

After the lunch rush was over, Shen Lu rewarded Xiao Lang with one hundred thousand Star Coins.

Cai Su, of course, refused to accept it. One hundred thousand Star Coins was no small sum. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that if she and Xiao Lang lived frugally, that amount could last them for twenty years.

"Sister Cai, this is a reward for Xiao Lang." Shen Lu pushed the bag of money into Xiao Lang’s arms. "Our restaurant will need Xiao Lang to keep protecting us in the future. We have to reward him for that."

Xiao Lang, being so young, didn’t fully grasp the situation. He just knew Shen Lu was praising him, so he accepted the bag with a delighted grin.

"I’ll keep working hard!"

With the money already in Xiao Lang’s hands, Cai Su couldn’t bring herself to refuse again.

After receiving his reward, Xiao Lang became even more dedicated to the restaurant. He used to follow his mother’s instructions to stay quietly in the staff dorm or the backyard during business hours so he wouldn’t cause any trouble up front.

But a couple of days ago, he had accidentally helped Shen Lu by handing her a few things. Realizing he could be useful, he started proactively looking for small jobs to do around the front counter.

At first, he’d been worried about getting in Shen Lu’s way, but now Xiao Lang stood with his chest puffed out, having clearly claimed the front counter as his personal territory.

"I’m not tired at all, Sister Shen!"

He was just happy he could help her.

"Come on. Let’s go check on today’s dishes together."

After what happened yesterday, Shen Lu didn’t dare let her guard down. Xiao Lang’s superpower was perfect for spotting anything amiss, so for the time being, she planned to have him inspect all the food before they opened each day.

Shen Lu took Xiao Lang’s hand, and the two of them—one big, one small—walked over to the fast-food counter.

Xiao Lang carefully sniffed each dish. Everything was fine. Not a single one had a strange smell; they all smelled just as they always had.

With the utmost seriousness, Xiao Lang gave Shen Lu an OK sign to show that everything was normal.

Seeing his serious, grown-up expression, Shen Lu couldn’t help but smile.

They opened for business as usual, and everyone got to work at their respective stations.

"Whoa! I won!"

A customer at the prize-draw counter leaped into the air, her loud shout drawing everyone’s attention.

Shen Lu confirmed the message on the slip of paper the woman had drawn, then went to the storeroom and brought out a life-sized cardboard cutout.

"Congratulations! You’ve won a Li Zexing standee!"

The winner accepted the Li Zexing cutout and swaggered away triumphantly under the envious stares of the crowd.

The excitement around the prize draw immediately kicked up a notch.

Everyone knew there was a limited supply of Li Zexing merchandise, so the fewer items that remained, the lower the odds of winning became.

As Shen Lu swiped a male customer’s card, she overheard him muttering, "Damn it, what is with my shitty luck? I couldn’t win at Fragrant Sky, and now I can’t win at Little Deer Cuisine either!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.