Chapter: Opening Day
With max-level cooking skills, Cheng Yu could make countless dishes—Kung Pao Chicken, Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, Boiled Cabbage, Pickled Fish, Twice-Cooked Pork, even the notoriously difficult Nine-Turn Large Intestine.
If you could name a dish, he could cook it.
So why did he only sell egg fried rice?
Simple. It was easy to mass-produce. He could fry a huge batch at once and divide it into portions.
One type of fried rice had already made his little shop wildly successful. If he added more dishes, business would explode even further.
But he couldn't handle that alone.
He could raise prices to something only the wealthy could afford, but that would drive away most of his customers. Fewer diners meant fewer positive emotion points. And without emotion points, he couldn't exchange items from the system shop.
The current setup was optimal.
Cheng Yu unlocked the restaurant door and flipped the sign to open.
He pulled out the Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife he'd exchanged yesterday and set it on the counter. Time to prep the green onions.
The knife was heavy—definitely not steel. He had no idea what material it was made from, but it felt solid and expensive.
Tap-tap-tap-tap~
The golden blade struck the cutting board in a rapid, rhythmic staccato.
Max-level cooking skills covered every aspect of the craft. Cheng Yu's knife work was flawless—fast, steady, precise. Each piece of green onion came out exactly the same length.
"Mina, I need you to crack fifty eggs into a bowl and whisk them evenly. I'll add salt later. Make sure you count carefully—don't add too many."
If she added too many eggs, the ratio of egg mixture to salt would be off, and the taste would suffer.
"Eggs? Where are they?"
Mina's white wolf ears twitched as she glanced around the kitchen. She didn't see any eggs.
"In the basket under the counter."
Mina crouched down and peered beneath the stove. Sure enough, there was a basket full of eggs.
She cracked them one by one into the bowl, counting silently. Fifty eggs. Then she stirred the whites and yolks together with a spoon until they blended smoothly.
After finishing with the green onions, Cheng Yu came over to add salt.
Once the salt was in, Mina continued stirring to distribute it evenly.
Next came the cooking.
The Celsis Continent didn't have electric rice cookers, so everything had to be done the old-fashioned way.
Cheng Yu started by boiling the rice until it was half-cooked, then scooped it out and transferred it to a steamer to finish.
Rice prepared this way came out with distinct, chewy grains—perfect for fried rice.
After frying up a massive wok of egg fried rice, he divided it evenly across ten plates and added a small side of pickled vegetables to each one.
Fried rice was delicious, but it could be heavy and greasy. The pickles provided a refreshing contrast that cut through the richness.
Cheng Yu handled the cooking. Mina carried the plates out to the customers' tables.
With Mina's help, the workflow was smoother than usual.
[Positive Emotion Value +5]
[Positive Emotion Value +7]
[Positive Emotion Value +2]
The notifications kept rolling in.
A small portion of fried rice cost 30 copper coins. A large portion cost 50. The pricing was reasonable—affordable for most residents of Bailu Town.
After finishing their meals, customers handed their payment to Mina.
The beastfolk tribes mostly relied on bartering. They rarely used coins. Seeing this much money for the first time, Mina stared at the copper coins in wonder.
As lunchtime approached, more and more customers flooded into the restaurant.
The dining room couldn't hold them all. Some brought their own stools, grabbed their plates, and sat out on the street to eat.
Cheng Yu and Mina worked from 10 AM to 2 PM—four hours total. A decidedly lazy business model.
If you still had to grind after getting transported to another world, what was even the point of leaving Earth?
By the end of the day, they'd taken in over 6,000 copper coins. Cheng Yu's positive emotion balance had climbed from 77 points to 859 points.
Grumble~
After four hours of nonstop work, Mina's stomach growled audibly.
Her large, beautiful eyes turned toward Cheng Yu. She wanted fried rice but couldn't bring herself to ask.
Hearing her stomach protest, Cheng Yu turned and walked into the kitchen. He came back out with a large bowl of egg fried rice.
He scooped out a small portion for himself into another bowl, then slid the rest in front of Mina.
"This... is all for me?"
Mina's eyes lit up, and her snow-white tail started wagging uncontrollably.
"It's your reward for working hard."
Cheng Yu knew she had a big appetite, so he'd set aside extra.
[Host has gained +5 Favorability from Mina]
The system notification chimed in his mind.
Cheng Yu and Mina's favorability was now at 10 points.
Mina beamed. She grabbed the bowl with one hand and the spoon with the other, eating eagerly.
"Mmm~ It's so good. I didn't know food could taste like this."
Beastfolk cooking was purely functional—meant to fill stomachs, not delight taste buds.
Eating Cheng Yu's fried rice had opened an entirely new world for Mina.
A few minutes later, the bowl was empty. Mina held it up with both hands and licked it clean with her tongue, not leaving a single grain of rice behind.
Watching her lick the bowl spotless, Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow. This girl can really eat.
He walked up behind her and patted her head. Her smooth white hair felt amazing under his palm.
When he touched her, Mina's red eyes remained calm—nothing like the fierce glare from yesterday.
"Mina, go wash the dishes in the kitchen. After that, clean the shop. I'll take you to buy some new clothes later."
Mina was still wearing his oversized clothes, which didn't fit her at all. She needed proper outfits.
"Okay."
Full and happy from the fried rice, Mina headed into the kitchen to wash dishes.
Cheng Yu sat down at the shop entrance, crossed his legs, and basked lazily in the afternoon sun.
Normally he washed the dishes himself. But with Mina around, he didn't have to lift a finger.
Having a capable helper is great.
Mina spent half an hour washing dishes, then swept the floor and wiped down the tables with a rag.
The whole cleaning process took about an hour.
The streets of Bailu Town bustled with activity—local residents, mercenaries from various guilds, wandering bards, and street performers setting up their acts.
Cheng Yu and Mina walked through the town. Mina kept turning her head, taking in everything with wide-eyed curiosity.
Why don't humans live in caves?
Caves were warm in winter, cool in summer, and way easier to dig than building a house.
They arrived at a clothing store.
"Welcome, sir! What can I help you with?" the shop owner asked enthusiastically.
"Maid outfits," Cheng Yu said.
"Right this way."
The owner led them to the maid uniform section.
Rows of outfits lined the racks—various styles typically worn by servants and household staff.
Since Mina would be working as a server, a maid outfit made the most sense.
Cheng Yu picked out several different styles for her to try.
Mina had a slender waist and a perfect figure. When she stepped out of the fitting room wearing a classic black-and-white maid uniform, her long white hair cascading down her back, wolf ears poking up from her head, and a pair of black square-toed leather shoes on her feet, she looked gentle and adorable.
Clothes really did make the person.
The maid outfit elevated Mina's appearance to another level entirely.
Cheng Yu had thought she was beautiful before. But now? Stunning.
Beast-eared girls are the best!
The Celsis Continent did have things like stockings—both white and black. Unfortunately, Bailu Town was just a border town and didn't sell them.
If Mina wore black stockings, she'd be absolutely devastating.
Mina looked at herself in the mirror, her expression calm.
In beastfolk culture, clothes served two purposes: covering what needed to be covered and keeping warm. Nothing else mattered.
As they left the clothing store, Cheng Yu suddenly remembered he was running low on rice. He'd need to stock up.
The Black Sun Empire's staple foods were potatoes and bread, but rice was available too.
They stopped at a general goods store.
Cheng Yu waved at the shopkeeper. "Boss Fayol, good afternoon."
"Cheng Yu! What are you buying today?"
Cheng Yu was a regular customer here, always coming in for rice. He and Fayol knew each other well.
Cheng Yu held up one finger. "One bag of rice."
A single bag lasted about four days. The general store wasn't far from his restaurant—he could always come back if he ran out.
"The Black Sun Empire is preparing for war with the northern demons," Fayol said, his tone serious. "I'd suggest you buy a few extra bags."
Bailu Town sat on the northern border of the Black Sun Empire. Whenever war broke out with the demons, food shortages followed. Prices skyrocketed.
"Then give me twenty bags of rice and twenty bags of flour."
"Rice is 2 copper coins per pound, flour is 3 copper coins per pound. That'll be 5,000 copper coins total."
Since Cheng Yu was buying in bulk, Fayol arranged for a carriage to deliver everything to his door.