Culinary Expert

Chapter 49: The Abbess Falls (Part 2)

Li Lili and Lisa walked into Xiaobai Restaurant together. Xiaobai Restaurant had a total of twelve tables, and seven or eight of them were already occupied. Aside from Wei Hai, who was sitting alone at one table, and Zhu Yufei and Xiao En, who were sitting across from each other at another, the remaining regulars and new customers each occupied a table. Some customers were chatting, while others were simply playing on their phones as they waited for their food. Li Lili was slightly surprised—she hadn’t expected the prices at this restaurant to be so high, yet there were still quite a few customers. “Lily, what does it say on these four pieces of paper?” As soon as Lisa walked in, she pointed to the four customer notices posted on the glass kitchen wall and asked Li Lili. Lisa had noticed these four sheets of paper when she visited yesterday, but since she couldn’t read Huaxia characters at all, she had no idea what they said. Li Lili composed herself, scanned the text quickly, and glanced over the four notices posted on the glass. Of the four notices, one was for the “Premium Tea-Eggs,” one for the “Premium Beef Noodles,” one for the “Premium Chili Sauce,” and one for the “Premium Set Meal.” Regardless of which notice it was, aside from significant differences in price, the content was largely similar—all featuring rules that were almost draconian. Each customer was limited to one serving of each dish per day; they could only be consumed in the restaurant, and takeout was not available. The “Supreme Tea-Eggs” were particularly outrageous—supply was limited to just ten per day. Li Lili furrowed her brow slightly. In Huaxia, she was certain she wouldn’t find a single other Restaurant that dared to set such rules. If this were an ordinary Restaurant, it would definitely be slammed by customers, and barring any surprises, it would surely go out of business. But Xiaobai Restaurant was clearly no ordinary Restaurant. Ever since she’d tried the “Supreme Tea-Egg” last time, Li Lili had to admit to herself that the owner of this place truly had a knack for cooking. “Lily, what does the paper say?” Lisa saw that Li Lili was frowning deeply and hadn’t spoken for a while, so she couldn’t help but ask. Li Lili briefly explained the contents of the notice to Lisa. After hearing this, Lisa was so surprised she nearly stuck out her tongue. “Why such strict rules?” “I don’t know,” Li Lili shook her head; she, too, was puzzled as to why these rules existed. Logically speaking, sales limits do more harm than good—not only do they reduce profits, but they also tend to provoke customer resentment and boycotts. Just as Li Lili was racking her brain trying to figure it out at the “Meeting Point” Café directly across from Xiaobai Restaurant A young man holding a large, long-lens camera was aimed at Li Lili inside Xiaobai Restaurant, continuously snapping photos. “Sir… here’s the latte you ordered.” A waitress from Xiangyue Café placed a cup of latte on the coffee table in front of the young man. “Okay, thanks,” the young man replied politely, but without turning his head, he continued snapping photos frantically. Watching the young man relentlessly snap photos of a young woman across the street, the waitress was at her wits’ end and hurriedly walked away “There sure are a lot of BTSLs in the middle of summer!” The waitress adjusted her maid uniform and muttered under her breath. The young man didn’t even have time to drink his coffee; while operating the camera, he also had to manage his phone. The camera had Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing the photos to be synced directly to his phone. Using his phone, the young man uploaded all the photos to the “Black Strike Operation” QQ group. It was lunchtime, and the “Black Strike Operation” QQ group was still buzzing; an instant message popped up almost every two or three seconds. The instant messages included several photos, all sent by “The Young Master Who Loves Picking Flowers.” Great-Minded: @The Young Master Who Loves Picking Flowers, great work—thanks for the live stream of the Black Strike Operation. Slapped in the Face: The Abbess has entered the restaurant. She’s dressed so beautifully—I’m right up front, watching intently. Little Newbie: Is this the “Abbess of Extermination” you guys keep talking about? I thought she’d be some middle-aged lady in her fifties or sixties. This is way off—she’s clearly so beautiful and sexy. Why does everyone call her “Abbess”? I’m speechless… Banana Lover: @Little Newbie, Abbess is aloof and doesn’t talk much, plus she has deep connections. Any Restaurant she personally visits gets raided—they’re doomed. On the current “Black Strike” leaderboard, aside from the head of the operation, Abbess has the most points. Little Newbie: Oops, I scanned the QR code inside the temple @Banana Lover Strong Bubble: The Extermination Campaign is underway—leaving no grass standing. Can’t wait… Deep B License Plate: Looking at the photo, is Abbess looking at something? She’s so engrossed—please give us a close-up @Young Master Flower Picker. Banana Lover: Please give us a close-up @Young Master Flower Picker. Greatness Lies in Forbearance: Please post a close-up @The Young Master Who Loves Picking Flowers. Over a dozen group members in a row asked for a close-up. Soon, “The Young Master Who Loves Picking Flowers” responded to the crowd’s requests and posted a close-up photo. The optical zoom on the big-lens camera is powerful—the text in the photo taken from a distance is still very clear. The close-up photo showed four “Customer Notices.” When this image was posted in the group, it immediately roused even some of the veteran members who’d been lurking in the group. I Love My Mimi: Holy cow, no wonder the Abbess had to take matters into her own hands—this place is way too shady. Seriously, the cheapest item on the menu would barely be enough for me to scrape together a decent fast-food meal. Ma Qiqi the Horse Rider: “Is this shop owner crazy? It’s bad enough that the prices are high, but on top of that, they’ve set these ridiculous rules—they’re totally out of their minds.” I Bought a Watch Last Year: “Supreme Tea-Egg,” “Supreme Beef Noodles,” “Supreme Chili Sauce,” “Supreme Meal Set”… Why is everything “Supreme”? The names seem way too flashy, too. Just as the group was in an uproar—with all sorts of profanity flying around, and some members even cursing over voice chat the young master who loves picking flowers uploaded a new set of photos. This set features close-up shots of the Restaurant’s interior. The lighting in every photo is excellent. The photos showed seven or eight people seated at the restaurant, some slurping noodles, others eating tea eggs. Except for two customers facing inward, whose expressions were hidden. All the other customers facing outward—whose faces were visible—without exception, all had expressions of pure satisfaction, clearly relishing their meals. Qima Maqiqi: This place is actually pretty crowded. Shen B License Plate: Judging by the way they’re eating, is it really that good? [Question Mark Emoji] Greatness Lies in Forbearance: These people’s expressions are way too exaggerated. I suspect they’re plants arranged by the owner, or else they’re the owner’s friends. Lonely Little Rice Worm: @Greatness Lies in Forbearance, I suspect that too—I seriously suspect they’re plants [Disdain Emoji] Just as everyone was voicing their doubts, “The Young Master Who Loves Picking Flowers” uploaded another set of photos. After seeing this set of photos the group chat exploded again—and this time, the reaction was far more intense than the previous two instances. In the photos, Li Lili happened to be facing the camera, so the angle was perfect. She picked up a huge forkful of noodles with her chopsticks and shoved it straight into her mouth, but her cheeks were already bulging—clearly, she hadn’t fully swallowed what was in there yet. “Wolfing it down” is the perfect way to describe her eating habits. Yurong Nai Da: This doesn’t make sense—weren’t we supposed to be on a covert mission? How come the Abbess is eating? Northeast Kid: Oh my god, I might have seen a fake Abbess. Shenzhen B License Plate: The Abbess has fallen… This instant message from “Shenzhen B License Plate” instantly set the entire group ablaze. Group members jumped on the bandwagon one after another. Yurongnaida: The Abbess has fallen… Banana Lover: The Abbess has fallen… The Abbess has fallen… In the blink of an eye, the “Black Strike” group chat was flooded with those five words.