Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Boss, Guess What I Found?

Braised dishes made with the Advanced secret recipe tasted completely different from those made with other recipes.

The first bite was full of a rich, meaty aroma that wasn’t the least bit greasy. A perfectly balanced spiciness stimulated the palate, drawing out a fresh, fruity and woody fragrance.

Every chew revealed a different layer of flavor. After swallowing, the fragrance lingered, and every breath was filled with the rich aroma of the braised dish.

Everyone who ate here yesterday unanimously agreed that out of all the dishes, the braised beef was the most exceptional, and its effect on soothing the Spiritual Sea was also the best.

So when they came to eat today, the first thing they did was order the braised beef—one plate for each person to start.

Since it was a cold dish that only needed slicing, the braised beef was the first to be served. But in less than a minute, every plate was wiped clean.

"Five more plates for each table. That’s all I have," Shen Lu said frankly.

"Alright, that works," Mo Bei said, smacking his lips. ’Next time, I’ll come by myself, order ten jin of braised beef, and eat until I burst,’ he mused.

Shen Lu sliced another ten plates of beef and had Deng Ying take them out.

Thanks to her prior experience cooking in large woks, Shen Lu was now very quick at getting dishes out. In less than an hour, both tables had been fully served.

No one ordered any additional dishes after that, which made Shen Lu breathe a sigh of relief.

When they were nearly finished eating, she brought over two plates of sliced apples, just as before, and took the opportunity to ask if there was anything about the food that needed improvement.

"Boss Shen, all your food is delicious, much tastier than the large-wok meals in the fast-food section. There’s just one tiny issue: you didn’t prepare enough braised beef."

"Yeah, that braised beef is incredible. I wanted to buy some to take home."

"Can we order it for takeout?"

"It should be, right?"

Xue Can cut in, scolding them. "Stop with the irrelevant chatter. Just answer Boss Shen’s question."

Shen Lu smiled. "It’s alright. This is a soft opening, after all. I’m here to listen to feedback."

After sitting for a while, drinking some tea, and finishing the complimentary fruit, Xue Can got up to settle the bill.

"The total comes to 15,973 Star Coins. Let’s just round it down. 15,900 will be fine, Mr. Xue."

Hearing the total, Xue Can couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

’Good grief,’ he thought. ’Just ten more people, and the bill went up by a whole ten thousand. Did I bring a bunch of pigs with me today?’

Xue Can transferred the payment. "Your food is excellent. Once the weather improves, business in the booth section will be booming."

After a pause, Xue Can spoke again. "Boss Shen, there’s something I feel I should tell you."

"Oh?" Shen Lu looked up. "What is it?"

"Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk."

"The second floor, then."

Before, when the booth section wasn’t open, she would use it for private conversations. Now, with a dozen or so people sitting there, that was obviously not an option.

’The staff dormitory is out, too,’ Shen Lu thought. ’I don’t want Sang Yue suddenly bursting in and interrupting halfway through my conversation with Xue Can.’

’After thinking it over, the second floor is the best option.’

’In the end, it all comes down to the shop being too small. I don’t even have a proper manager’s office.’

’I need to expand the shop.’

Upon entering the second-floor living room, Shen Lu gestured for Xue Can to sit down and brought him a cup of hot tea.

Xue Can glanced at Fu Cheng’s closed bedroom door and said in a low voice, "Boss Shen, are you aware that your food has the effect of soothing and healing the Spiritual Sea?"

’Oh, so that’s what this is about.’

"Of course."

Xue Can’s gaze darkened. "If you know, then why aren’t you continuing to mix in local ingredients to weaken the effect, like you did with the fast food? This will bring you a lot of trouble."

’Of course, it’s because my shop’s defenses are maxed out!’

’What’s there to be afraid of?’

Shen Lu spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "I’m just following orders."

"The mysterious merchant who provides your ingredients... is he the boss behind all this?"

Shen Lu looked at Xue Can with an innocent expression, saying nothing.

Xue Can met her gaze for a few seconds. Who knows what he imagined, but his expression turned grim and solemn. "Boss Shen, does he have some kind of hold on you? If you trust me, I can help."

"You can’t help me."

Shen Lu said this with complete sincerity.

’She wanted to return to her original world. Could Xue Can do that for her?’

However, Xue Can misunderstood. He thought she meant he wasn’t powerful enough to help because her "boss" was too strong.

Xue Can took a deep breath and silently vowed to work harder and become stronger so he could one day help Shen Lu break free from that control.

After seeing off Xue Can and his group, Shen Lu hummed a tune as she cheerfully headed back to the second floor.

[DING DONG! Host has completed this week’s mission within the specified time and at the specified location. Reward granted: 5,000 reputation value.]

’Wow!’

’The prize is 5,000 reputation value!’

’That’s a pretty generous reward!’

With this, her reputation value was now 6,112. She could go on a shopping spree in the Mysterious Mall.

She excitedly opened the Mysterious Mall and flipped through the pages, adding quite a few items to her shopping cart.

But when she saw the prosthetics page, she sighed, and her desire to shop evaporated.

It would take 250,000 reputation value to buy the arms and legs Fu Cheng needed. Her few thousand points were a drop in the bucket.

’With so little to my name, what’s the point of shopping?’

’I’d better stick to a tight budget.’

Shen Lu closed the Mysterious Mall and flopped onto the sofa, lying there like a corpse.

When Fu Cheng came out of his room, the first thing he saw was Shen Lu, sprawled on the sofa with a vacant stare, looking for all the world like a corpse.

He walked over without a word and started massaging her arms.

Shen Lu let out a comfortable little hum and tilted her head. "Aren’t you playing your game?"

These days, Fu Cheng was either in his room doing his own physical therapy or playing games.

"Why did you suddenly decide to open the booth section? And why start making food that can heal the Spiritual Sea?"

Fu Cheng had wanted to ask yesterday, but he had held back.

He had overheard what Xue Can said just now, and he also wanted to know what was on Shen Lu’s mind.

"I’ll tell you, and only you." Shen Lu had been dying to tell someone that her shop’s defenses were maxed out, and Fu Cheng was the perfect confidant.

"If I dare to sell it, it’s because I have the means to back it up. As long as I’m in my shop, I’m not afraid of anyone trying to cause trouble."

Shen Lu gave him a mysterious smile. "Within the bounds of this shop, I’m basically a god. No one can hurt me, and everyone has to play by my rules."

An indescribable expression slowly formed on Fu Cheng’s face.

For a fleeting moment, he wondered if Shen Lu was losing her mind.

"You don’t believe me?!" Shen Lu pouted. "Fine, then. Let me demonstrate the absolute control I have in my domain."

The next second, Shen Lu tossed Fu Cheng right off the second floor. He reappeared with a WHOOSH in the backyard greenhouse, giving Huo Qian, who was standing guard, the shock of her life.

"Fu Cheng?" Huo Qian frowned. "You know Instant Teleportation?"

If he had entered the greenhouse normally through the back door, Huo Qian would have known. But that’s not what happened with Fu Cheng; he had appeared out of thin air.

Fu Cheng was inwardly reeling, but his expression remained impassive.

He couldn’t answer Huo Qian’s question, so he chose not to. He simply maneuvered his wheelchair away, leaving only a cold, indifferent back in his wake.

Huo Qian immediately sent a message to Xue Can.

Huo Qian: Chief, guess what I just discovered?!

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