Chapter 140: Stir-fried Eggs with Green Peppers
The movie was quite long, and Shen Lu finished her meal before it was over.
However, the only work for the afternoon was some food prep, so she wasn’t in a hurry to go downstairs. She simply sat back in her chair and continued watching.
Fu Cheng had never been interested in these kinds of mass-market popcorn movies. His attention was entirely on Shen Lu.
’Does she like watching movies?’
Fu Cheng tried to recall. He and Shen Lu hadn’t interacted much in the past, and he had never taken the time to learn about her preferences.
Back then, his mind was consumed with how to become stronger. His days were filled with either training or studying. He wanted to be the pride of his family, a figure revered by the Imperial City and the entire world.
"I didn’t expect you to have a friend who’s a celebrity," Shen Lu said suddenly. "I figured your friends would be soldiers, just like you."
Fu Cheng typed back: He’s the younger brother of a friend. I can only say we’re acquainted, not that we’re close.
In other words, they weren’t friends. Just nodding acquaintances.
"What do you think of the movie?" Shen Lu asked.
Fu Cheng chose his words carefully: It’s something to watch when you have free time.
In other words, just a way to kill time.
Shen Lu hummed. "The living conditions in the Imperial City’s Lower City District are so poor. Instead of figuring out how to improve things, they spend money to make movies like this. It’s... hard to know what to say."
Granted, the movie’s production cost wasn’t high—only about three hundred thousand Star Coins—and most of that went to props.
’But there’s so much you could do with three hundred thousand Star Coins. Why waste it on a movie?’
’Don’t they know the calamities are coming in just a few years?’
’If they don’t rush to increase production and stockpile resources, how will they survive the calamities?’
’Of course, for now, she was probably the only one who knew the calamities were coming.’
’And it wasn’t the kind of thing she could just tell anyone.’
Fu Cheng glanced at her in surprise. He hadn’t expected Shen Lu to be thinking about such things; he’d assumed her mind was completely occupied with the restaurant.
Fu Cheng: The living conditions are so poor that people need something to soothe and distract them.
Otherwise, when you wake up to a miserable life every single day, over time, you’ll either go crazy or become incredibly pessimistic.
Shen Lu didn’t comment, simply picking up her tray and heading downstairs.
「Three days later.」
Ma Laosan made a special trip over to announce that there would be an open-air movie screening that evening.
"It’s that recent blockbuster, *Dog Hero vs Nine-headed Monster*! The higher-ups are actually showing some consideration for us in the Lower City District, screening it for free. It’ll be on that empty lot right next to your restaurant, Boss Shen. You should come join the crowd!"
Shen Lu smiled and nodded. "I’ll be there."
After seeing him off, Shen Lu returned to the kitchen to continue her prep work.
Since they had already seen it, neither she nor Cai Su had any desire to go. Wang Daguo, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with excitement and anticipation.
He didn’t have a TV at home and wouldn’t spend money on a movie ticket, so he waited all year for these free open-air screenings to get his fix.
[DING-DONG~ Mission Issued: Sell 240 Braised Pork Set Meals and 140 Kung Pao Chicken Set Meals, achieve a total revenue of 55,000 Star Coins, and maintain a customer satisfaction rating of three stars or higher. Time limit: eight hours.]
Shen Lu glanced at the specific numbers for the daily mission as she stir-fried.
Two hundred and forty Braised Pork Set Meals plus one hundred and forty Kung Pao Chicken Set Meals came out to three hundred and eighty set meals. She was in the habit of preparing a bit more than the daily mission required.
A quick mental calculation showed the numbers were pretty substantial. The amount of food she had to prep each day was growing.
Customers had been asking over the past couple of days when she would add new dishes to the menu, but Shen Lu simply didn’t have the time or energy.
’Just cooking the current menu is exhausting enough. How could I possibly have the energy to add new dishes?’
However, she couldn’t just ignore her customers’ suggestions. So, she added two new items to her selection of braised goods: pig’s trotters and spareribs.
Some of her regulars asked if they could swap the meat in their set meals for an equivalent portion of braised goods. Shen Lu hesitated for a moment before agreeing. This braised-goods set meal wasn’t on the official menu, however; it was a secret item known only to her regulars.
Once the lunch rush was over, Cai Su volunteered to make Stir-fried Green Peppers and Eggs for the staff meal.
Shen Lu agreed. If she wanted to train a competent assistant, a great deal of practice was essential. She was actually quite pleased that Cai Su had taken the initiative.
Shen Lu had made the dish herself the day before, and Cai Su had watched attentively, feeling that this was a dish she could probably handle.
After mentally rehearsing it for two days, Cai Su bravely stepped up to the stove.
Shen Lu couldn’t just leave Cai Su completely to her own devices, so she watched from the side. There were problems, of course, but as long as Cai Su wasn’t making any dangerous mistakes, Shen Lu held her tongue. She waited until Cai Su had finished cooking and tasted the food before offering her feedback.
"When the eggs went into the wok, the oil wasn’t hot enough. That’s why they have a slight raw-egg smell," Shen Lu said, then paused and looked at Cai Su. "Did you notice any other problems yourself?"
’I can’t be the only one pointing things out,’ she thought. ’It’s better if Cai Su can identify the problems herself.’
"The seasoning is too light, so the flavor is just sitting on the surface, and the green peppers are still partially raw..." Cai Su said, looking dejected. "Boss Shen, I don’t think I have any talent for cooking."
’My Stir-fried Green Peppers and Eggs is a total failure. I still remember when Boss Shen made it. It was so fragrant and savory. Eating it mixed with rice was just heavenly.’
"Who says?" Shen Lu replied. "At least you didn’t burn it. The flavor’s a little off, but it’s edible. Sister Cai, don’t sell yourself short. You’re already doing great."
’My own first attempt at cooking wasn’t even this good,’ Shen Lu thought. ’I burned everything to a crisp.’
Cai Su wasn’t a teenage girl who would lose all motivation after a small setback. Hearing Shen Lu’s encouragement, she took a deep breath. "Boss Shen, please deduct the cost of the ingredients for today’s dish from my wages. From now on, whenever a dish I make isn’t up to standard, I’ll pay for the wasted ingredients!"
Now that Xiao Lang no longer needed to go to the clinic for injections, she would be receiving her full salary next month. She could afford to make such a promise.
’She’s a single mother with a child,’ Shen Lu thought. ’Wouldn’t it be better for her to save as much money as possible?’ She almost told her not to worry about it.
But the look in Cai Su’s eyes was so determined that Shen Lu found it difficult to refuse.
"Alright. But the standard for ’acceptable’ can’t be my own cooking, Sister Cai. You have to take things one step at a time."
"I know."
Because of the sub-par Stir-fried Green Peppers and Eggs, Shen Lu only charged Ye Fan and Lin Zhou half price for their lunch that day.
She didn’t mention this to Cai Su, not wanting to burden her with guilt.
Shen Lu wasn’t short on money these days; in fact, she was quite wealthy. A few dozen Star Coins was nothing to her.
The main reason was that her restaurant’s operating costs were different from everyone else’s. Her utilities were free, and she purchased ingredients from the System Mall using popularity value. Every Star Coin she earned was pure profit.
While Shen Lu was prepping ingredients in the afternoon, Cai Su approached her, leading Xiao Lang by the hand.
"Hm? Did you two need something?" Shen Lu asked, her hands a blur as she julienned potatoes. She flicked a quick glance at them.
Xiao Lang first watched Shen Lu’s knife work in awe as she shredded the potatoes, then cleared his little throat. "Sister Shen, lots and lots of people are going to come watch the open-air movie tonight!"
"That’s right. Does Xiao Lang want to go see it?" Shen Lu wasn’t generally a fan of children, but she made an exception for quiet, well-behaved ones.
And Xiao Lang happened to be exactly that type, so Shen Lu was more than happy to indulge the sweet boy.