The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: "Nothing for Me?

Shen Lu was already stressed about the huge wave of customers expected to flood her shop tomorrow, knowing she wouldn’t have enough to meet the demand. So when Boss Cao just had to come looking for a fight, she didn’t hold back, giving him a thoroughly satisfying tongue-lashing.

Boss Cao’s face turned livid with anger, but he couldn’t refute a single word she said.

Shen Lu’s words were harsh, but she wasn’t wrong.

His skills really hadn’t improved a bit in over a decade, and he’d never once thought about getting better.

Boss Cao saw himself as just a small-time noodle stall owner. He wasn’t going to get rich, just make enough to support his family.

Besides, around here, the main purpose of a meal was to fill your stomach, not to taste good.

If you wanted something delicious, you had to be willing to spend more Star Coins.

Few customers used to care much about that. It was only after Shen Lu showed up that people started getting picky.

Boss Cao clutched his chest and glared at Shen Lu. "You just wait. You’re destroying the established rules of the market. Someone’s going to come and put you in your place!"

In the end, Shen Lu’s strategy of improving quality while lowering prices was hurting other people’s bottom lines.

Even though she was only open for lunch, customers who ate at other restaurants during other times of the day would complain that those places couldn’t match the prices or quality of Little Deer Cuisine.

"What? 200 Star Coins for a single order of braised pork? A whole braised pork meal at Little Deer Cuisine is only 90 Star Coins, and it tastes just as good as yours."

There was no telling how many comments like this were made.

"You don’t need to worry about me. You’d be better off figuring out how to keep your own noodle stall in business, Boss Cao." Shen Lu’s expression fell. She gave him a smile dripping with scorn before turning and heading into her shop.

Boss Cao spat on the ground and trudged back to pack up his stall, his heart filled with resentment.

For dinner, they had savory braised prawns, shiitake mushrooms with bok choy, and a cucumber and preserved egg soup.

Shen Lu sat on the edge of the bed, peeling prawns for Fu Cheng. She peeled seven or eight in a row, only stopping when he said he’d had enough.

Seeing that she had something on her mind, Fu Cheng sent her a message.

Fu Cheng: Did something unpleasant happen?

The range of Fu Cheng’s consciousness was limited, so he wasn’t aware of the conflict between Shen Lu and Boss Cao that had taken place outside.

Shen Lu was genuinely upset, and with no trustworthy elders or friends to turn to, she opened up about her worries the moment Fu Cheng asked.

"I didn’t know at first that the ingredients I was getting had the ability to soothe one’s Spiritual Sea. I was just focused on making money fast, so my prices were already lower than other shops. Now that I’m using local ingredients, my prices have dropped even more. I have a feeling the other owners are about to come after me."

It only took Fu Cheng a moment of thought to understand the situation.

Fu Cheng: I can have Li Zexing come and handle this for you.

Shen Lu shook her head. "Unless Li Zexing can be here every day, or my shop gets tied to some big shot from the Upper City District, they’ll keep trying to cause trouble."

But Li Zexing couldn’t be at the shop every day, and she had no desire to get too deeply entangled with the rich and powerful.

Otherwise, she would have accepted Bai Lei’s proposal for a deep partnership long ago.

As things stood, she was out in the open while her opponents were in the shadows, leaving her in a vulnerable position.

"Forget it. I shouldn’t worry needlessly. Maybe I’m just overthinking things." Shen Lu smiled and fed a spoonful of soup to Fu Cheng.

Fu Cheng’s heart sank.

If he were still the young master of the Fu Family, he could solve all of Shen Lu’s troubles with a single casual command.

But he had been cast out. He had lost his former identity and, aside from some personal assets, no longer possessed the status and power he once had.

Lost in their own thoughts, they finished the rest of their meal in silence.

After dinner, Shen Lu gathered the dishes and went downstairs. She saw Cai Su cleaning the kitchen and casually asked how Xiao Lang was doing.

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