Chen Ze felt that he was about to collapse from exhaustion. After pushing the barbecue stand back to the restaurant, he simply sat down on the ground, devoid of any desire to move.
Although he had anticipated the Storm Hawk barbecue would sell well, Chen Ze hadn't expected that the meat from a whole wing would be devoured before the day was over, wiped out by the surge of foodies.
"Didn't expect that female broadcaster to be so popular. After she said it was delicious, another large crowd came," Chen Ze wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel.
Even though it was already winter, the temperature in Sun Moon City remained around the teens, and Chen Ze had been next to the fire the whole time grilling. While everyone else was bundling up their clothes afraid of catching a cold, he almost suffered from heatstroke.
But this was a sort of sweet pain, wasn't it? Chen Ze calculated his income for the day and nodded contentedly. He decided to reward himself with some spicy shrimp later.
"But I guess it would be kind of weird for them to deliver, seeing as I own a restaurant and am ordering takeout," Chen Ze pushed against the table to stand up.
With the nearly depleted wallet after paying off his sister with a Switch to keep her quiet, it was finally looking a bit more flush.
After all, if he didn't buy it, Chen Ze had no idea how to explain the restaurant situation to his parents.
"Let's sell off the remaining wing tomorrow. That way, I won't have to worry about money issues for a while," Chen Ze stroked his chin, thinking that he wasn't ready to deal with the bear paws and Strong Liquor Grass just yet.
"Let me see, takeout..."
The next day, Chen Ze woke up naturally. With his worries resolved, he felt that saying he was refreshed and clear-headed wouldn't fully capture his current mood.
"The spicy shrimp from the takeout was pretty good. It seems like it wouldn't be too complicated to make. Why not learn how to do it?" Chen Ze took out his phone to check the recipe.
Spicy shrimp is a common dish, and there are many recipes available on Baidu. The difference lies in the side dishes and seasonings. Chen Ze thought about the taste of the spicy shrimp he had the day before, preferring that particular flavor.
"Let's see, today's schedule... go buy shrimp and side dishes first, then get some seasonings, and I have to pick up Star from City No. 1 Middle School at six..."
Chen Ze glanced at the weather outside and decided to forgo his plan to learn how to make spicy shrimp.
Donning a down jacket, Chen Ze exhaled sharply, rubbing his hands together.
"Damn this weather. It was clear skies just yesterday, and today it's turned cold," Chen Ze slowly headed to the supermarket, intending to make hot pot for dinner.
Was there anything more comforting than having a steaming hot pot on a cold day?
Chen Ze arrived at the supermarket quickly, which was solely because the supermarket was only two hundred meters away from the Dream Restaurant.
"Let's see... yuanyang pot... spicy hot pot... I'll get a yuanyang pot, Star can't eat very spicy food," Chen Ze reached for a hot pot base and put it into his shopping cart.
"emmmm... on second thought, better grab a few more," Chen Ze added several bags of hot pot bases, thinking that serving hot pot to the otherworldly guests would be a good idea.
"For the side dishes... potatoes, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, spam, pork loin..."
Chen Ze began a grand sweep, filling two carts to contentment before stopping.
After having the supermarket staff help deliver the goods to the Dream Restaurant, Chen Ze returned to his own little nest to start prepping the side dishes.
By the time Chen Ze finished, it was already two in the afternoon.
Chen Ze looked around the restaurant, not a single person in sight.
"Might as well deal with the remaining wing as well," Chen Ze picked up the kitchen knife, feeling like he was a bit perverse. He could have taken it easy, but he chose to keep himself busy.
Picking up the knife, Chen Ze tied himself to the cutlery cabinet with a rope. He didn't want to experience the tragedy of the previous day again.
Hehe, an office worker got blown around so much he looked like a visual kei rocker, Chen Ze felt that if he had dyed his hair yesterday, he could have been the new spokesperson for the "Buried Love" clan.
"Blow, blow, my pride runs wild..." Chen Ze hummed a song while his knife made an incision.
The fierce wind circled around in the kitchen of Dream Restaurant once more, turning Chen Ze's hair into a center part, then a rooster's comb...
When the wind dissipated, Chen Ze rubbed his face, feeling like it was almost dried out by the wind.
"I should start cutting the meat now," Chen Ze picked up the knife that was set aside and continued to work on the huge wing.
When Chen Ze next found a moment of calm, he realized he could almost go pick up Star from class.
"Tsk, maybe the Magic Portal didn't open today, that's good too, I'll get some rest and go pick up Star from school," Chen Ze looked at the restaurant, still empty.
This reassured him quite a bit, it seemed he wouldn't have an 'affectionate' exchange with his sister this time.
"Manager! I've brought Riesel to eat again!" Sebastian pushed open the door, his voice directly appearing in Chen Ze's mind.
And following him was the Riesel he had seen last time, looking unwilling.
Chen Ze blinked, he swore he wouldn't jinx himself again next time.
"Alright, what would you two like to eat?" Chen Ze did not hand out the menu, because there was none to give.
For a restaurant that could only make four dishes, Chen Ze truly had no face to print a menu.
"Let's have two more servings of the light cheese..." Sebastian was interrupted by Riesel before he could finish his sentence.
"Sebastian, you should really work on that impetuous nature of yours, we should hear what the manager recommends. After all, it's been a few days since our last visit, and there might be new dishes," Riesel used magic to seal Sebastian's mouth, as he didn't want to eat Buffet this time, having faced not a small amount of trouble from the last experience.
The thought of being relentlessly pursued by Sebastian in the Negative Plane was enough to give Riesel a headache, and back in the Positive Plane, an old friend who visited looked at him with an appetite, almost making him lose his temper.
After thinking it through, Riesel felt that Dream Restaurant might be the problem. Although the strange experiences only lasted for three days, Riesel started to keep his distance from Dream Restaurant; he didn't want to be looked at by other dragons in that way again.
"Have you heard? Riesel was chased by Sebastian across half of the Negative Plane..."
"Why? Aren't Riesel and Sebastian good friends?"
"I heard that Sebastian was drooling while chasing, his saliva even dripped onto Lao Gu's castle, making Lao Gu so angry he almost tore Sebastian apart."
"Eew, could it be that Sebastian and Riesel have that kind of relationship?"
"Cough cough... you know what I mean, just don't spread it with other dragons."
Such rumors spread widely among the Ancient Dragon Clan of Positive and Negative Planes, causing the Red Dragon that Riesel was pursuing to outright reject him.
"Sorry, I don't want to disrupt your friendship with Sebastian, and I don't wish to be the third dragon."
"It's a misunderstanding! It's all rumors!"
"Yes, yes, but I'm sorry, just looking at you makes me feel sick, I'm leaving."
And so, that day, the Positive Plane gained one heartbroken dragon.