The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

Shen Lu had a plan. She would cook a large pot of congee for Fu Cheng. Whenever it was time to feed him, she’d just scoop out a bowl. This would save her the daily trouble of figuring out what to make for him.

Millet and pumpkin congee was very nutritious, perfect for a patient.

’Hmm... maybe I can give a bowl to Cai Su, too? Isn’t her son malnourished?’

Shen Lu thought this was a feasible idea. Although she wasn’t paying Cai Su a salary, providing some food as a perk was fine. It was just a bowl of congee, after all; it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it.

When Wang Daguo arrived, Shen Lu and Cai Su were sorting and loading ingredients onto the food cart.

The moment Wang Daguo saw how quick and efficient Cai Su was, he knew his own sister had no chance.

But to be fair, Cai Su was clearly a better fit for this job than his sister.

"Boss Shen, you’ve prepared a lot of stuff today."

Shen Lu smiled and said, "With an extra pair of hands, I can sell more things."

Cai Su had met Wang Daguo before but didn’t know him well, so she just gave him a simple greeting.

Wang Daguo took over the food cart, pushing it along with the malatang machine attached to the back.

Shen Lu and Cai Su walked behind, and Shen Lu explained the things she needed to pay attention to.

"In a bit, you’ll wash your hands with me. We sell food, so we have to be mindful of hygiene."

"My stall has a purchase limit. Each person can only buy one of each item. Everyone has to follow this rule, no matter who they are."

Cai Su nodded as she listened, carefully committing Shen Lu’s words to memory.

When they arrived at their spot, Wang Daguo had already parked the cart and was heading back to bring Fu Cheng over.

Shen Lu got some water for them both to wash their hands. Taking advantage of the lull before customers arrived, she told Cai Su the prices of all the snacks.

"If you forget, you can look at the small blackboard." Shen Lu pointed to the little blackboard hanging on the cart. "I’ve written it all up there. You can just refer to it when calculating the cost."

"I’ll be in charge of the egg waffles, fried rice, and fried noodles. You’ll be responsible for the malatang, mint water, and braised items. These are all pre-made, so you just need to scoop them out according to the customers’ orders."

"If you have time, you can tidy up the tables. That’s all for now. If I’ve missed anything, I’ll add it later."

Shen Lu smiled and patted a nervous-looking Cai Su on the shoulder. "Sister Cai, don’t be too nervous. It’s okay to make mistakes at the beginning, but we have to learn from them and try not to make the same mistake twice."

As she spoke, Wang Daguo came over, pushing Fu Cheng. He expertly settled him in a shady spot behind the cart, then set up the tables and chairs. With that, his job was done.

Wang Daguo said goodbye to Shen Lu and left in a hurry.

Shen Lu took out the ingredients for fried rice and began to cook the day’s batch.

With a SIZZLE, the fragrant aroma of oil filled the air, catching the attention of every passerby.

Soon, people began to find their way over one after another, forming a line.

Cai Su began serving customers, fumbling a little at first. She was a very meticulous person; although she was a bit slow, she didn’t make mistakes.

At first, Shen Lu would occasionally glance over at Cai Su, worried she might run into trouble. But after half an hour, she was completely focused on making fried rice, fried noodles, and egg waffles.

The woman was doing a great job; she didn’t need to worry at all.

"Boss, how come there’s no free marinated radish skin today?" a customer demanded unhappily. "If you’re not giving out free marinated radish skin, I’m not buying fried noodles!"

"Okay, then you’re welcome to check out our other snacks. Today we have new braised chicken legs and braised dried tofu, meticulously prepared using a secret braising liquid recipe passed down for a hundred years. They’re fragrant but not greasy, with an unforgettable aftertaste. Limited quantities available, first come, first served!"

Shen Lu had no patience for such entitled customers.

Giving away the marinated radish skin with fried rice and fried noodles had been a spur-of-the-moment idea. Now, it was sold as a side for only 5 Star Coins a serving, which was very cheap.

The main reason was that she didn’t want to sell it separately, otherwise her task load would increase.

Some customers would take a mile if you gave them an inch. Once they got something for free, they always expected it.

The customer hadn’t expected such a response from Shen Lu. Combined with the people behind him in line getting impatient, he felt completely humiliated. He let out an indignant huff and left without buying anything.

He hadn’t taken two steps before the aroma of food wafted into his nose, and his stomach rumbled with craving.

He regretted it instantly.

’Why am I making things so hard on myself?’

If he didn’t buy from Shen Lu, where else could he find food this cheap and delicious?

Other restaurants charged 200 Star Coins for a single serving of fried rice, and it wasn’t even as tasty as Shen Lu’s.

Sigh!

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He had waited in line for over twenty minutes, after all.

The customer lightly slapped his own mouth, too embarrassed to get back in line, and walked away dejectedly.

In less than two hours, they had already sold through the usual daily amount of ingredients. Shen Lu had barely stopped stir-frying rice, her arm aching. She was running on pure willpower.

The malatang machine had started cooking the second batch of ingredients, which would take more than ten minutes. The second barrel of mint water was almost half-gone, and the braised items were completely sold out, leaving only a little bit of the braising liquid.

The egg waffles were selling relatively slower; she had only just started on the second bowl of batter.

The lunch rush was over, and the number of customers had dwindled. Cai Su took advantage of the wait time while the malatang was cooking to go clean the tables.

"Boss Shen, should I take these bowls and chopsticks back to be washed?" Cai Su thought that the one-touch cleaning machine could wash dishes as well as vegetables.

"No need to take them back. You can wash them right here." Shen Lu told her that a quick wipe with the special dishcloth would get them clean.

Cai Su found it a little hard to believe. ’Has technology really advanced this far?’

Dubiously, she picked up the dishcloth and tried wiping a bowl.

The greasy inside of the bowl instantly became spotless, sparkling clean as if it were brand new.

’It’s that simple?!’

After her initial shock, Cai Su automatically filled in the blanks, assuming this was some new technology Shen Lu had acquired through her connections.

’After all, water resources are scarce, so it’s impossible to waste water on washing dishes. This dishcloth must be a new technology developed by scientists.’

Shen Lu finished stir-frying the last few servings of fried rice and noodles, placing them on the hot plate to keep warm. Now customers could just have them scooped up directly.

Shaking her sore arm, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She then ladled herself a cup of mint water and drank it all in one go. The icy coolness drove away her fatigue and the sweltering heat, leaving her feeling much more refreshed.

A mother walked over, leading a little boy by the hand, her expression one of utter exasperation.

"One egg waffle."

Shen Lu put down her cup and said, "Okay."

She expertly poured the batter, and once it was cooked, she placed it in a bowl and handed it over.

"That’s 40 Star Coins. Thank you for your business."

"40 Star Coins? That’s so expensive?" The mother frowned, looking things over with a critical eye. "You’re just a roadside stall, yet you dare to charge such a high price?"

Shen Lu’s smile didn’t waver. She said politely, "I may be a roadside stall, but I believe my food is worth the price. If you don’t think it’s worth it, you’re free to purchase from other shops."

’Don’t think I don’t know the market rates. In the Upper City District, an egg waffle sells for 100 Star Coins. If I weren’t considering the purchasing power of the Lower City District, I would never sell it this cheap.’

"Mom! I want to eat it! I want it!" the little boy pouted and threw a tantrum. "I said I wanted to eat it last time, but you didn’t let me! No matter what, I’m eating it today! If you don’t buy it, I’ll tell Grandma you’re abusing me!"