Culinary Expert

Chapter 26: experience points…

Heh heh System, you’re a real bastard. After Bai Xiaobai leveled up to “Da Bai,” the Golden Data Card in his mind would fly back to him with just a thought. He could check his experience points at any time. Currently, he had 161 experience points. If he sold three extra Supreme Tea Eggs, his experience would drop below 20 points—which meant he’d be reverted to his original form and demoted back to the “Xiaobai” level. Leveling up is a gradual climb built on accumulated experience, but being reverted to your original form happens in the blink of an eye. That’s a heavy blow. After all, the Supreme Tea-Eggs had already built up a solid reputation, so it made perfect sense that sales were booming that morning. In stark contrast, Bai Xiaobai’s newly launched Supreme Beef Noodles were drawing little interest. First, they hadn’t built up a reputation yet; second, 399 yuan was indeed very expensive—enough to cover a single person’s food expenses for half a month if they scrimped and saved. So even though new and regular customers coming into the shop that morning gradually learned that Bai Xiaobai had launched a new product, no one was willing to be the first to try it. Ten “Supreme Tea Eggs” had already sold out. To avoid having to repeat the same explanation to every customer who walked in, Bai Xiaobai took advantage of a quiet moment in the morning to go to the print shop next door, print out two copies of the “Customer Notice,” and glue them to the kitchen window. The spot was very conspicuous, and the A2-sized printouts were large enough that customers could see them the moment they walked in. Just as she had finally finished putting up the notices, Bai Xiaobai shrugged—only to realize that a chubby young man was staring at them from behind her. “Welcome…” Bai Xiaobai hadn’t even managed to say “to our store” before the chubby young man turned and ran off… The two customer notices on the glass kitchen window read as follows. Customer Notice 1 This shop sells only ten “Supreme Tea Eggs” per day. First come, first served, while supplies last. Each costs 50 yuan; no haggling. Limit one per person per day; no bulk purchases allowed. “Supreme Tea Eggs” must be consumed on-site; no takeout or packing services are available. Thank you for your cooperation. (Plus a smiley face—a smiling doodle drawn by Bai Xiaobai. ) Customer Notice 2 This shop serves “Supreme Beef Noodles” for 399 yuan per bowl; no haggling. Limit one bowl per person per day; no exceptions. “Supreme Beef Noodles” are for in-store consumption only; no takeout or packaging services are provided. Thank you for your cooperation. (Plus a smiley face emoji—a smiling doodle drawn by Bai Xiaobai. ) To the average diner, these two “Customer Notices” look more like “How to Rip Off Customers” notices. 50 yuan for each tea-eggs? 399 yuan per bowl of beef noodle soup. Damn it, I could buy fast food so many times over with that price—what a rip-off! Limited to one egg and one bowl per person per day? Damn it, you can’t even eat more if you want to—you’re still ripping us off! It’s hot out, so I want to take some home to eat. What??? No takeout or packed meals? I don’t even want to talk about it anymore… These are all unfair terms—a surefire way to torment customers. Oh my god, am I really still God? Conclusion: All foodies who step into this shop to savor the cuisine must have been fallen angels in their past lives—this is just too much to bear!!! I’m bowing in defeat… Bai Xiaobai’s self-directed portrayal of a customer’s inner thoughts after reading the “Customer Notice.”