The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Frustration

Shen Lu was so angry her chest physically ached. She stormed back to her restaurant.

Seeing the fury on her face, her employees instinctively quieted their movements, afraid of accidentally setting off their boss.

As soon as she got back, Shen Lu dove into the kitchen, changed her clothes, and began prepping for the dinner service.

Fueled by her anger, Shen Lu’s movements were sharper and more forceful than usual.

She could have asked Little Mantis to chop the ribs, but Shen Lu didn’t. She raised the cleaver herself and brought it down on the ribs on the cutting board. CHOP, CHOP, CHOP.

It was as if those ribs were the people she had met that afternoon. She mentally counted each one as she hacked them into pieces.

When quitting time arrived, the four probationary employees glanced at each other, all silently agreeing not to move a muscle.

It wasn’t until the Wang Family Sisters arrived to deliver scrap metal that Shen Lu, lost in her furious chopping, finally put down the cleaver.

Having vented her frustration, she wasn’t as suffocated with anger as she had been when she first returned.

Wang Xiaoci wanted steamed buns again today, and as usual, Shen Lu packed them into a lunchbox for them.

"Boss, can I head out for the day?" Wang Daguo asked cautiously.

"Go on home with your sisters. Remember to bring the lunchbox back tomorrow."

"Okay."

Wang Daguo left with his two sisters. Seeing that Shen Lu’s mood had stabilized, Shu Meng, Xin Yu, and the other two employees who had been watching from a distance all said their goodbyes and clocked out.

Just as Shen Lu was about to turn back to the kitchen, Fang Ming called out to her timidly from behind.

"Boss Shen."

"Fang Ming?" Shen Lu watched the boy hurry over, her eyes scanning him up and down. "What can I do for you?"

His hands were empty, and unlike the Wang sisters, who always pulled a small cart, he didn’t look like he was here to deliver scrap metal.

Besides, he hadn’t come by yesterday afternoon, so Shen Lu had assumed he’d quit the job.

Fang Ming pulled some tungsten wire and a few copper blocks from his pockets. "I didn’t find much yesterday, so I figured I’d save up a bit more before coming. Boss Shen, you’re still buying this stuff, right?"

"I am."

Shen Lu took them and had her system inspect each item.

It was only two pocketfuls of material, but none of it was poor quality; the system gave its approval for everything.

Shen Lu did a quick calculation. "This is worth 20 Star Coins. Is that okay?"

Fang Ming nodded. The price Shen Lu offered was very fair; he probably wouldn’t get that much if he took it to a recycling station.

But then he remembered the scene he’d witnessed while hiding nearby and asked tentatively, "Boss Shen, can I trade for steamed buns, like Wang Xiaoci?"

"You can, but you’ll only be able to get two steamed buns for that."

"I can get two? That many?" Fang Ming was overjoyed. The only food he had ever eaten made from white flour was noodles.

On his birthdays, his parents used to take him to Cao’s Noodle House for a bowl of noodles. Even though the noodles there tasted terrible, Fang Ming could still make out the faint, wheaty aroma.

And a bowl of those terrible noodles cost 80 Star Coins.

But here, with Shen Lu, 20 Star Coins could get him two steamed buns!

"Normally, you definitely couldn’t buy two steamed buns for 20 Star Coins," Shen Lu clarified. Fang Ming was different from Wang Xiaohui and Wang Xiaoci, so some things had to be made clear. "And this is just the current price. It might not be the same in the future."

This whole arrangement of having people find materials for her was originally Shen Lu’s way of helping out people she knew and had a decent relationship with.

The reason she agreed to let Fang Ming join in was because she felt sorry for him and his mother.

She also admired that they hadn’t handed Fang Peng over to a corpse-disposal unit, choosing instead to take him outside the city for a proper burial.

Shen Lu was always willing to lend a hand to people with such integrity and heart.

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