The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 212

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: As If Certain He Would Recover

Shen Lu loved this lively and heartwarming scene.

It gave her the illusion of being home.

She was fitting into this world more and more, and the loneliness of being a stranger in a strange land was gradually fading away.

Breakfast was youtiao, scallion pancakes, and soy milk.

Little Mantis had fried two huge platters’ worth—about fifty youtiao and over a hundred scallion pancakes.

It looked like a lot, but Shen Lu knew that Wang Daguo, Ye Fan, and Lin Zhou could polish off two-thirds of it by themselves.

Initially, Shen Lu had said she would only provide normal portions for Lin Zhou and Ye Fan. But she was always asking them to do odd jobs beyond their security duties.

They refused payment for the extra work, so Shen Lu, believing in returning a favor for a favor, stopped limiting their portions.

She let them eat their fill, and while it was all-you-can-eat, they still had to pay a symbolic fee for their meals.

Shen Lu gathered her and Fu Cheng’s portions and took them upstairs.

Fu Cheng’s left hand had improved dramatically in both flexibility and stability. He could not only perform simple grasping motions but also wash up on his own.

Shen Lu had left a quick-use toiletries kit in the nightstand. It was very convenient—just open and use. Brushing teeth and washing one’s face took less than a minute.

Shen Lu used to use it to help Fu Cheng with his daily hygiene, but now she could skip even that step, as he could manage on his own.

By the time she entered the spare bedroom, Fu Cheng had already washed up, adjusted the head of his bed, and was waiting for breakfast.

The overbed table was hooked to the foot of the bed, and Fu Cheng still didn’t have good control over his torso; otherwise, he would have set up the table himself.

"Good morning," Shen Lu said out of habit.

"Good morning." As long as the sentences weren’t too long, Fu Cheng chose to speak them himself.

He wanted to regain his ability to speak as quickly as possible, so he seized every opportunity to talk with Shen Lu.

"We’re having youtiao, scallion pancakes, and soy milk for breakfast this morning. Have you ever had them?" Shen Lu asked as she set up the overbed table and arranged the food.

Fu Cheng nodded. "I have."

But he rarely ate these. From a nutritional standpoint, fried foods weren’t very healthy.

Although he didn’t know which study was the source, the prevailing wisdom was that Superpower Users should eat a bland diet to reduce the chances of unrest in their Spiritual Sea.

But out of an abundance of caution—better safe than sorry—many Superpower Users who knew of this theory opted for a relatively bland diet.

After all, the turmoil in one’s Spiritual Sea was truly agonizing.

However, Fu Cheng now felt that theory was baseless.

At Shen Lu’s place, he had eaten plenty of richly flavored food. Not only had his Spiritual Sea not descended into chaos, but it had even begun to heal.

The two ate their breakfast, occasionally glancing at the morning news on TV.

"...In three days, high-level officials from the Imperial City government will visit Zhunan Survival Base to discuss economic policies for efficient mutual trade..."

Hearing the name "Zhunan," Shen Lu couldn’t help but think of Bai Wanwan, who had called her last night.

"I bet Zhunan Survival Base has a lot of seafood, right?" Shen Lu asked curiously. "Does that mean most of the mutant beasts there are marine creatures?"

"Yes." Fu Cheng nodded. After a moment’s thought, he added, "I’ve seen... a giant octopus mutant beast with 36 legs."

"A giant octopus with 36 legs? How big would that be?"

"Very big. About as tall as the government building."

Shen Lu gasped. The Imperial City’s government building was 50 stories tall, which was about 150 meters.

"So she really did get help from the Bai Family," Mr. Sun said, his expression confirming he’d expected as much. "Are her ties to the Bai Family really that strong?"

General Manager Chen said, "Apparently, they’re in frequent contact. Wasn’t she hired to be the head chef for the Bai Family’s second young master’s birthday banquet?"

"That doesn’t matter," Mr. Sun replied. "It’s likely just a friendship among the younger generation. If we make a move against Shen Lu, it won’t displease the actual heads of the Bai Family."

General Manager Chen readily agreed. "That’s what I was thinking, too. After all, the Bai Family has no interests in the food and beverage industry."

"Heh," Mr. Sun chuckled, his smile filled with confidence. "I’d like to see just how long the Bai Family can keep supplying her with ingredients."

While they were talking, several store managers approached. General Manager Chen and Mr. Sun wiped the smiles from their faces and began to give the managers their instructions.

When they heard the big boss announce a new promotion—complete with price cuts and a lottery—the store managers exchanged glances.

News travels fast in the same trade. The marketing tactics used at Shen Lu’s restaurant were no secret; anyone could find out with a little digging.

These particular store managers ran establishments that targeted lower-end customers. Their prices were low, focusing on a model of small profits and high volume.

Therefore, their restaurants were mostly located on residential streets where the rent was cheap, which helped keep costs down.

Everyone was green with envy over Little Deer Cuisine’s booming business, but they hadn’t dared to copy its model.

Now that the big boss had given the order, the store managers’ eyes were practically glowing with excitement.

"General Manager Chen, could you get us some celebrity merch too? Like for the ’Nation’s Goddess,’ Lin Jingqi? She has tons of fans."

"Right, right! And if we could make the grand prize a dinner with Lin Jingqi, I guarantee our business would be even hotter than Little Deer Cuisine’s!"

"I think that newly debuted Wang Haoran would be great, too. He’s not a big star yet, so he’d be more cooperative. We could get him to come do some promotions for us, hold a fan meet-and-greet, that sort of thing."

The store managers’ suggestions grew more and more outrageous until Mr. Sun slammed his hand on the table, silencing the excitedly chattering group.