Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The first customer

It was currently Thursday morning . Most people were at work during this time, so there would certainly be no business right now .

Yuan Zhou had worked in the kitchen of a 3-star hotel’s restaurant before . Although restaurants that have star ratings were different from cheap and old restaurants, their working hours were still roughly the same .

Naturally, he also knew that there weren’t any customers at this time .

Turning around, he returned to his own store and headed inside the open kitchen . After spinning around in a circle, he discovered a red button in a covert position .

“System, what is this?” Yuan Zhou clearly remembered that the store did not have a button here before the renovation .

System: “Provides a place to rest . ”

“It’s truly simple and clear . ”

He muttered as he pushed the button .

*Buzz*

A soft sound rang out, and a chair appeared right in the middle of the kitchen . It looked dull and ordinary, just like a domestic rectangular bench . The only difference would be that its legs were slightly different . Its base was encased in metal, and it appeared a little science fiction-like .

Yuan Zhou sat down with a bit of curiosity, but didn’t discover anything peculiar . Of course, it was slightly more comfortable than an ordinary chair, but with a little movement, he found that this chair could contour to his movements .

Furthermore, it didn’t make a single sound . This let Yuan Zhou act like a little kid with a new toy, playing around with it a lot .

However, this good mood did not last very long . When he glanced at the clock, it was already pointing to eleven thirty, and the scanty crowd outside had also gradually increased .

There were people who would peep inside the store, but there were no signs of anyone planning to enter, making Yuan Zhou start to feel a little worried .

By twelve twenty, the number of people outside had increased even further, yet there was not a single customer; there wasn’t even anyone inquiring about entry .

This made Yuan Zhou feel anxious . Walking to the entrance and looking outside, he saw a newly established fast food restaurant on the street . Yesterday, he woke up early which was why he didn’t notice the new restaurant . But today he looked at the viridian green signboard and thought it looked very eye-catching .

With one glance, it could be seen that their business wasn’t bad . Through the glass windows, all the seats inside were filled, and yet there were still people outside trying to squeeze in .

“What good is there to eat in a fast food restaurant, my place here has a special supply . ” Whispering these two lines, he returned back inside his store .

“Ding ling ling, Ding ling ling…”

The ringing of his cell phone was especially ear-piercing inside this quiet store .

Yuan Zhou went over to pick it up, glancing at the screen to see it was from Sun Ming .

Sun Ming was the first friend he had made when he started working . He had a strong sense of justice, and got along well with the introverted Yuan Zhou .

He had just picked up and said hello, when a torrent of words was transmitted over from the other side, and it was said at quite a fast pace .

“Yuan Zhou Lu, what’s the matter with you? Didn’t we agree to give you a proper send off? Have you still not set a time?”

[TL: Yuan Zhou’s nickname, ‘Yuan Zhou Lu’ means Pi = 3 . 14159]

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy these past couple of days and haven’t prepared to go . I’ve renovated that shop a little and once again opened business . ” This reminder made Yuan Zhou remember that when Sun Ming heard he was going to leave, this friend wanted to give him a send off . The multitude of surprises and shocks given by the system made him forget about this matter .

After a string of apologies, Sun Ming finally let it go .

“Why didn’t you say anything when you opened shop? I could go over to cheer you on . ” Sun Ming’s voice carried with it displeasure .

“I was about to notify you, today’s the first day, and I rushed . ”

“Fine, hold on I’ll send you two flower baskets . What sort of business are you doing?”

“It’s a food business……”

Without waiting for Yuan Zhou to finish speaking, Sun Ming straightforwardly said, “It’s perfect timing, I’ll go over to your shop to eat tonight and help increase your sales volume as well, what do you think?”

“No problem, the food is really good, but it’s a little expensive……”

“As brothers, why bother saying such a thing? How expensive can your little shop be? I’ll be there tonight . ” With that said, Sun Ming hung up .

“Maybe this would work . ”

With Sun Ming’s call, Yuan Zhou thought of something .

Returning to the kitchen, Yuan Zhou once again cooked egg fried rice . His second try gave an incredibly familiar feeling, the amount of time required was much less, and a bowl of egg fried rice was done .

“Still as tempting as ever . ”

Once again experiencing a feast for the tongue, he finished the bowl in relish and prepared to cook another .

That’s right, Yuan Zhou’s idea was to eat a few more bowls himself, once the night comes he’ll treat his friend a little, if it still doesn’t work, he would fork out the money himself . For the reward, Yuan Zhou would go all-in .

It’s great to dream, but reality is harsh, the system popped up again .

System Display: “Every guest may only have a single serving . ”

“This serving is so small, the guest can’t even order another serving if they haven’t had their fill?” Yuan Zhou felt like this system was simply a 360-degree impenetrable defense against exploitation .

System Display: “As a future God of Cooking, a certain level of character and rules are necessary . ”

Yuan Zhou now had a feeling of “what you’re saying makes a lot of sense, it makes me feel speechless . ”

Time flew by as Yuan Zhou and the system battled it out with wits and bravery, and it was already evening .

“Yuan Zhou Lu(Pi), your place is truly rushed, there isn’t even a signboard . ” Sun Ming parked his car, put the flower baskets by the door, and teased as he entered .

“With your attitude, are you working alone?”

Yuan Zhou walked out, to lead Sun Ming to a tall stool, then looked behind him to find no one else, and was disappointed .

“It’s a little too late to plan, so I came here alone today . I’ll bring other people in the future . ”

Sun MIng sat down and said, “This place of yours is pretty refined, only a few seats? Bring out all your delicious food for me to try . ”

“I got to say this beforehand, it must be the best dishes you’ve got here . I came here to cheer you on, bring out the expensive stuff and don’t worry since I’ll pay . ” Sun Ming looked like a wealthy tycoon as he generously spoke .

“Sure, but right now I’ve only got egg fried rice, I’ll make a serving for you……” Yuan Zhou smiled seeing how Sun Ming was .

But before he managed to say the words “it’s my treat” to him, the system’s warning popped up and prevented him from continuing the sentence .

System Display: “One who enters the shop is a guest, the host must charge the amount according to the stated price . ”

Yuan Zhou quietly pointing a middle finger at the system inside his heart as this system’s greed was too much .

“Egg fried rice is fine, go cook, I’m waiting . ” Sun Ming didn’t mind at all, he chased Yuan Zhou to cook while carefully appraising the shop .

A total of thirty square meters of space, simple decorations . He soon came across the pricing display at the back, which only had egg fried rice written on it . However, the price tag made him suspect his own eyesight .

He took a look at his surroundings, then looked back at the price, it was still displayed as egg fried rice: 188RMB .

In his mind, Sun Ming seemed to have understood what was wrong .

“Hahaha, Yuan Zhou Lu(Pi) you seem to have written the wrong price on the display . ” Sun Ming laughed as he spoke towards Yuan Zhou who was busy in the kitchen .

It was at this time that Yuan Zhou had finished cooking the egg fried rice . He put it in front of Sun Ming, then looked at the price on the wall, “It isn’t wrong, that’s the price set . ”

Sun Ming’s expression turned somewhat ugly . What’s up with Yuan Zhou? I came over to cheer him on as a friend, does he think I’m a fool? Selling me a bowl of egg fried rice at 188RMB, trying to trick me like I’m a monkey?

Forget it, seems like I know the person and his face, but not his heart . This friendship cannot continue anymore, but since I said that I’ll pay when I came to cheer him on, it isn’t right to just leave like this . So Sun Ming didn’t get up and leave, and could only sit down and eat before doing anything .