Chapter 394: You're Told to Open a Restaurant, But You Operate at 3 AM

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Protagonist:

Lu Feng

At twelve-thirty, Hu Xiaoyun arrived at the shop in a hurry, a bamboo basket on her back.

The basket held the fresh vegetables she and Hu Daye had picked from the fields that morning, clear water droplets still clinging to them.

The moment she stepped through the shop door, a fresh, sweet, and mellow aroma surged into her nostrils.

Hu Xiaoyun's nose twitched involuntarily, and her steps slowed.

Girls are innately sensitive to sweets.

Just smelling that sweet fragrance made her eyes brighten.

"Boss, what good stuff did you make today?"

Hu Xiaoyun jogged to the kitchen doorway, looking at Lu Feng in the kitchen and asking quite cheerfully.

Lu Feng was standing in front of the stove at this moment, a long-handled spoon in hand, gently stirring the tremella soup in the casserole.

The fire on the stove had already been turned off; the soup's surface was calm and waveless, its temperature slowly dropping, residual heat carrying the fragrance drifting leisurely through the kitchen.

The tremella in the pot had already been stewed until transparent; Lu Feng lifted a spoonful gently.

Thick soup juice flowed slowly down the spoon, clinging to the spoon bottom in a glistening film.

"Boss, this soup's been stewed a long time, right? It smells so good!"

Hu Xiaoyun swallowed, unable to resist leaning in to ask.

"Wait a moment, this soup still has one final step."

Seeing Hu Xiaoyun like this, Lu Feng knew she was craving it, and said with a smile.

As he spoke, he picked up the honey set to the side and slowly poured it into the tremella soup.

The thick honey melted quickly upon contact with the hot soup.

Into the tremella soup's original fresh sweetness was added a layer of rich floral honey flavor, making the sweetness more layered.

Lu Feng took a small bowl, ladled out half a bowl from the pot, and handed it to Hu Xiaoyun: "You came at just the right time, have a taste and see how it is."

"Thanks, Boss!"

Hu Xiaoyun took the small bowl with both hands, feeling the warmth on the bowl wall, her heart warming along with it.

She scooped a spoonful, blew on it gently twice at her lips, then drank a mouthful.

The moment the tremella soup entered her mouth, her tongue sensed a fresh sweetness.

The tremella was stewed soft and glutinous, melting in the mouth, leaving only a slippery texture.

The slight sweetness of red dates and goji berries combined with the honey's fresh sweetness; the taste wasn't cloying at all, instead carrying a refreshing sensation that lifted the spirits.

"Wow! Boss! This tremella soup is simply too delicious! I love it so much!"

Hu Xiaoyun's eyes went wide, unable to resist scooping another spoonful and drinking it down, praising sincerely.

Lu Feng watched her satisfied look, smiling and nodding: "Glad you like it. When you're done, help me write the price on the price list."

Hu Xiaoyun nodded, then hurriedly drank up the tremella soup in the bowl.

She fished out a writing brush from the counter and walked quickly to the hall wall.

On the price list on the wall, Lu Feng had already written the price of Honey Tremella Soup in pencil beforehand.

Hu Xiaoyun glanced at it, the brush in her hand nearly slipping and falling to the ground, her eyes widening even more than when she'd just drunk the tremella soup.

"Boss! Boss!"

Hu Xiaoyun shouted loudly toward the kitchen.

"What is it?"

Lu Feng poked his head out from the kitchen and asked.

"This price of yours... did you write it wrong?"

Hu Xiaoyun pointed at that line of pencil writing on the price list, asking with an incredulous face.

"The price isn't written wrong, just copy it down."

Lu Feng's expression was quite calm, his tone gentle as he spoke.

"Oh, okay Boss."

Hu Xiaoyun nodded excitedly.

"Right, don't tell the customers for now."

Lu Feng suddenly smiled, his gaze holding a few traces of anticipation.

He suddenly really wanted to see what kind of reaction the diners coming into the shop would have when they learned the price of this tremella soup.

Hu Xiaoyun froze for a moment, looking at the smile on Lu Feng's face, her heart suddenly filling with anticipation as well.

…………

At one o'clock sharp in the afternoon, the last business day of the week officially began.

The neat queue at the door stirred restlessly, laughing and talking as they surged into the shop.

A young man at the front of the queue today had drawn the first roast duck; Qin Ye and a few others were pulling him along, arguing heatedly in the queue about how the roast duck should be divided later.

Even some surrounding diners crowded over wanting to join in; their discussion voices made the entire hall as lively as a street-side vegetable market.

The diners' attention was all firmly captured by the roast duck; no one noticed that a new dish, Honey Tremella Soup, had been added to the price list today.

Hu Xiaoyun behind the counter helped diners order while her gaze drifted from time to time toward the price list on the wall.

Following Lu Feng's instructions, she did not proactively remind diners of today's new dish.

More than half an hour of business hours had already passed, yet still no one discovered today's new dish.

The diners in front were basically all regular customers who frequently came to Lu Feng's shop to eat.

After they queued up to the counter, they familiarly recited the dishes they often ordered.

Even if someone's gaze swept over the price list on the wall, it was only a fleeting glance.

After all, they had already smelled the fragrance from the shop while waiting outside and were hungry for a long time; once they entered, their minds held only the single thought of quickly eating the delicious food made by Lu Feng.

Hu Xiaoyun behind the counter secretly hoped the next diner would discover today's new dish, but each time what she got was still the same old things they usually ordered.

Several times she couldn't help but want to speak up and remind them, but seeing Lu Feng's calm and composed appearance in the kitchen, the reminder that reached her lips was swallowed back down.

"Li Wei, you've already been staring at a chocolate wrapper for half a day; do you really need to read every single word on it clearly? It'll be our turn soon!"

In the queue at the gate, a clear female voice spoke dissatisfiedly facing the male student behind her.

The speaking girl was called Chen Yao; she held her hands before her chest, slightly pouting her lips, looking at the male student behind her, her eyes full of helplessness.

The male student called Li Wei lowered his head, pinching a chocolate wrapper in his hand, softly muttering the ingredient list on the wrapper.

"Baby, don't be anxious, I'll finish reading right away."

Li Wei didn't raise his head, his gaze still tightly fixed on the wrapper in his hand as he spoke.

"I'm truly convinced by you; when will your OCD ever get a little better?"

Chen Yao couldn't help but roll her eyes, pursing her lips as she spoke.

Li Wei had a very strange habit: any words related to him, he had to read every single one without missing any, only then would his heart feel at ease.

Otherwise, he always felt as if his heart was missing something, making him restless.

This also counted as a rather bizarre OCD.

As Li Wei's girlfriend, Chen Yao had complained no less about this weird quirk of his.