The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

"Did you get off work late today? Why haven’t you eaten at this hour?" Shen Lu glanced at the time. "You have to be back at work in less than half an hour, don’t you?"

"You can say that again. We waited in line at the noodle stall forever, and when it was finally our turn, the owner said he was out of noodles." A blunt customer blurted it all out at once. "We tried to get him to figure something out, but he wouldn’t budge, so we had no choice but to come here."

The man sharing a combo meal with him secretly stepped on his foot. ’What a dolt. How could you say something like that right in front of Shen Lu?’

’Isn’t that basically telling her that Little Deer Cuisine was their last resort?’

Shen Lu, however, didn’t mind. She knew all too well that customers have no loyalty.

’If it were me, I’d probably make the same choice.’

’After all, life is tough. Of course you’d choose whatever gives you the best bang for your buck.’

Shen Lu said, "Oh, so that’s what happened. But Boss Cao’s stall only sells noodles. It doesn’t make sense for him to run out this early."

’Unlike her, back when she had her stall, she sold not just fried rice and chow mein, but also malatang and various braised items. Her prep work was much more complicated.’

"Tell me about it." A thin man with glasses sighed, looking at Shen Lu cautiously. "Boss Shen, can we still come to eat tomorrow? And, uh, split a combo meal between two people like this?"

It had only been a few days since he’d last eaten Shen Lu’s food, but to the man with glasses, it felt like years.

’If the noodle stall hadn’t run out of noodles today, forcing the four of them to come to Shen Lu’s shop, he never would have thought of splitting a meal between two people. The only downside was that you didn’t get quite full.’

"Of course, you’re more than welcome. But can two people really get full off one combo meal?" Shen Lu asked.

"It’s fine. We can just grab a snack later to top ourselves off."

"Is that really okay? Boss Shen, in that case, I’ll be back tomorrow!"

Shen Lu nodded. "Yes, it’s fine. All are welcome here."

They had to rush back to work, so Shen Lu didn’t bother them any further.

’In any case, I found out what I wanted to know.’

’So they only came here because he ran out of noodles. I thought maybe Boss Cao had lost his temper and gotten into a fight with his customers.’

*[DING! Detected sale of Braised Pork Combos 150/150 and Kung Pao Chicken Combos 50/50. Total revenue has reached 40,000 Star Coins, and customer satisfaction is at three stars or higher. Mission complete. Reward: one Lottery Ticket.]*

Shen Lu was extremely satisfied to hear the notification.

’Looks like I can close up for the afternoon. Perfect, I was planning to take Fu Cheng to the hospital anyway.’

After the last satisfied customer left, Shen Lu had Wang Daguo hang the "Closed" sign on the front door.

"I’m going to make a quick stir-fried pork with peppers, then we can eat. You two can go ahead and plate the other dishes onto the trays," Shen Lu instructed as she headed for the supply room.

"Okay," Cai Su replied, grabbing six trays to serve the food.

Only a few vegetable dishes were left in the serving window, without a scrap of meat in sight. True to her principle of not wasting food, Cai Su divided all the leftovers into six portions and piled them onto the trays.

"Sister Cai, can you pour a spoonful of the braising liquid over my rice?" Wang Daguo begged from the side.

Cai Su grunted in agreement, and with a flick of her spoon, she ladled a generous spoonful of braising liquid over Wang Daguo’s rice.

Shen Lu redeemed a piece of pork rump and a few pounds of screw peppers from the System’s store. There was still garlic, which Cai Su had already chopped, so she could use it directly.

Slice the pork, and cut the screw peppers into chunks on the bias. First, she heated a dry wok and tossed in the peppers without any oil, dry-frying them until they blistered and charred like a tiger’s skin before setting them aside. Then she added oil and stir-fried the pork until the slices curled up. She tossed the peppers and garlic back in, seasoned everything, and after a few quick flips of the wok, it was ready to be served.

’Shen Lu loved this method. The pork came out savory and slightly charred, while the peppers became soft and full of flavor. It was the perfect dish to eat with rice.’

She spooned a generous portion onto her and Fu Cheng’s trays, then let the others serve themselves.

"I’m heading upstairs to eat. You all can split the rest," she said.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Wang Daguo scraped the very bottom of the wok, piling the stir-fried pork and all its greasy sauce on top of his rice. "’Mixed in like this, it’s gonna be incredible.’"

Cai Su silently agreed, but she didn’t like overly greasy food. When she served herself, she neatly placed the food in the tray’s compartments. She did the same for Lin Zhou and Ye Fan.

Shen Lu carried the trays into the room. After skillfully setting up a small table, she began feeding Fu Cheng while eating her own meal, occasionally glancing at the TV.

Ever since they moved into the new house, Shen Lu had left the TV in Fu Cheng’s room.

Mostly because she didn’t have time to watch it herself, only catching a glimpse or two during the lulls while feeding Fu Cheng.

"After we eat, we’re going to the hospital," Shen Lu announced their afternoon plans. "You’re getting a full check-up. We’ve put it off for days."

Fu Cheng didn’t really want to go, but Shen Lu was adamant. As a patient completely at her mercy, he had no right to refuse.

After the meal, Shen Lu cleared the trays and went downstairs. Seeing Ye Fan, she called him over for an "off-site task."

"I need you to come out with me in a bit."

"Of course, Boss Shen." A well-fed Ye Fan showed none of the morning’s ferocity when he had faced Li Zexing’s fans. His tone could now only be described as docile.

To ensure Fu Cheng could travel to the hospital comfortably, Shen Lu brought out her old friend: the flatbed cart. She padded it with a mattress, and since the sun was scorching, she even put up an umbrella.

Ye Fan never would have dreamed that Shen Lu’s "off-site task" was to have him push a flatbed cart.

"I’m taking Fu Cheng to the hospital for a check-up. You know the way, right?" Shen Lu asked.

"...I know." The corner of Ye Fan’s eye twitched. The Lower City Hospital was near the checkpoint, a long way from Gold Street. At his walking speed, it would take him about two hours to push the cart there.

’In other words, I’m going to be a public spectacle for two hours. This is killing me.’

"Then I’m counting on you." Shen Lu had no intention of walking with them. She hailed a rickshaw and went on ahead.

Ye Fan sighed in resignation, gripped the cart’s handles, and began to push.

Shen Lu got out of the rickshaw at the main entrance of the Lower City Hospital. After paying the fare, she looked up to size up the place.

’Honestly, for all its height, this place just looks like a rural clinic. There aren’t many patients, either.’

’It made sense, though. People here had tough constitutions. You either didn’t get sick, or if you did, you probably couldn’t afford treatment anyway. It was easier just to kick the bucket.’

Ye Fan arrived about ten minutes after her. As expected of a Superpower User, even after pushing a cart all this way, there wasn’t a single drop of sweat on his forehead. His breathing was even, and he didn’t seem the least bit tired.

Registering, paying the fees, finding a doctor to order tests... WHOOSH. Just like that, over 10,000 Star Coins were gone.

Shen Lu still felt the sting. That was her hard-earned money, after all.

Her Light Brain suddenly lit up. Shen Lu glanced down and saw a transfer notification.

Fu Cheng: [Transfer 20,000 Star Coins]

Shen Lu turned to look at Fu Cheng, who was about to go in for his scan, and gave him a big thumbs-up.

’Attaboy. You know the score.’

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, Shen Lu tapped "Accept." ’This is what I’ve earned,’ she thought.

There were a lot of tests, too many to finish in one day. A few even required fasting.

Shen Lu suggested to Fu Cheng, "Why don’t you just stay in the hospital overnight?"