The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Looking for Trouble

Before long, a corpse collector arrived to take the body. As it turned out, it was Wang Daguo.

He wore a heavy, impermeable raincoat, frowning as he loaded the body onto his vehicle.

"Brother Wang," Shen Lu called out to him. "What on earth is going on?"

"It’s not clear. The higher-ups are still investigating," Wang Daguo sighed. "You don’t have to worry too much. It’s not a contagious disease. If it were, they would’ve already set up quarantine zones and all that."

Wang Daguo got into his vehicle and stuck his head out the window. "Boss Shen, I’ll still come by at the usual time."

"Okay."

Back at her rental, Shen Lu didn’t have time to dwell on these things. She and Cai Su bustled about preparing the various ingredients, and soon it was time to set up the stall.

Wang Daguo arrived right on time to help move their things. Shen Lu had Cai Su take her child to the clinic for a shot, telling her to come straight to the stall afterward.

[DING~ Mission Issued: Sell 55 cups of mint water, 45 egg puffs, 45 servings of malatang, 25 servings of fried rice, 25 servings of fried noodles, and 15 servings of braised snacks.]

Just as she started on the fried rice, the day’s mission finally made its belated appearance.

Shen Lu teased the system, "I was starting to think you weren’t going to give me a mission today."

[Sometimes I get a little stuck.]

[Host, friendly reminder: There are only ten days left in your novice bonus month. Please hurry and accumulate experience and capital!]

Shen Lu was a bit dazed. "Have I really been here for 20 days?"

’Time flies. It feels like I only got here last week.’

’It’s probably because I’m so busy every day that time seems to fly.’

Shen Lu reflected for a moment, then focused on the fried rice. She occasionally had to help customers scoop out malatang until Cai Su arrived.

The two of them resumed their duties as assigned the day before. Cai Su was much more practiced than yesterday, her speed having clearly improved.

For now, Shen Lu was quite satisfied with her performance. If nothing unexpected happened, Cai Su would become her first official employee after tomorrow.

Time flew by when they were busy. As the stall’s menu expanded, it drew in more customers—and with them, the jealousy of competitors.

There were two or three other restaurants on Gold Street. Their business was so-so, and they mostly catered to the dinner crowd, so their hours didn’t conflict with Shen Lu’s.

But there are always those who turn green with envy, unable to stand seeing someone else do well.

Just two hundred meters away from Shen Lu’s stall was Cao’s Noodle House. Of all the restaurants, its business was the worst, yet its hours were the longest.

It was open from morning to midnight, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. With that work ethic, one would think they’d be raking it in. Unfortunately, the noodles were mushy and disintegrated easily, the broth was bland and flavorless, the only topping available was pickled vegetables, and customers frequently found sand or dead bugs in their bowls.

Every time someone complained, the owner would slam down his ladle, his voice even louder than the customer’s.

"What do you expect for a bowl of noodles that costs 80 Star Coins?! You’re lucky to get anything to eat at all! Go look at other places! Where else can you find a bowl of noodles for 80 Star Coins?"

"I’m fucking doing charity here! So I’d advise you not to push your luck!"

"Eat it if you can stomach it, and if you can’t, then scram! Where did this stray mutt come from, barking like that!"

His vile attitude was hard for anyone to swallow.

But he wasn’t wrong about one thing: his noodles were indeed cheap. Not everyone could afford to spend tens or hundreds of Star Coins to satisfy their cravings. The noodles at Cao’s Noodle House were terrible, but they were, at the end of the day, actual noodles.

After weighing their options, some people still plugged their noses and went to eat at Cao’s Noodle House.

But ever since Shen Lu started selling fried rice and fried noodles, nobody wanted to eat at Cao’s Noodle House during the day anymore. Boss Cao’s business suffered a major blow.

Boss Cao stood on the street, watching the bustling Little Deer Cuisine with a gloomy expression. His wife, Zhou Fang, gave him a shove. "Do something! You have to think of a plan! We can’t let that little bitch keep her stall here."

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