I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the [Suwei] restaurant was almost full by 10 a.m.

Although business at Su Su's shop was good in previous years, it has never been this crazy. It was packed from the morning, the afternoon tea time was almost full, and the evening reservations were all booked many days in advance.

Most of the customers are regulars at Shaxian Snacks, such as Yu Shen, Pang Yi, Lu Qianshan, and Cha Xiaochai. In addition, they bring their families, and some even bring their extended family members, which easily takes up most of the seats.

Su Su was wearing a festive red dress and bustling between the lobby and the kitchen. She was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground. Even though the store had air conditioning on, she was still sweating profusely, and her face was flushed.

After Yu Shen and the others took their seats, the waiters began distributing the new menu for the day.

As they chuckled and opened the menu, their smiles instantly froze.

"Holy crap!" Yu Shen was the first to lose his composure.

"What's wrong, Lao Yu?" Pang Yi, who was having dinner at the next table, heard his voice and turned around to ask.

But when he saw the numbers on the menu, he couldn't help but swear.

Holy crap!

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Hearing the commotion, the acquaintances in the lobby curiously flipped through the menu.

Then, a chorus of "Holy crap!" echoed throughout the hall.

The prices on today's new menu almost blinded them.

【Mid-Autumn Festival Special Offer - Bodhi Jade Cuisine】 2288 yuan/serving.

【Mid-Autumn Festival Special: Fragrant Mixed Noodles】 NT$998 per serving.

【Mid-Autumn Festival Special: Secret Recipe Braised Pork】 159 yuan/piece.

【Mid-Autumn Festival Special - Plain Red Dust】 199 yuan/piece.

【…】

"Wow! The price increase is almost double! I originally thought that I would only have to pay a service fee at most at Boss Su's shop, but I never expected the price to double."

"Back when the housing market was booming, even house prices didn't rise as fast as the dishes Li Heizi made!"

"On this auspicious day of the full moon and family reunion, Li Heizi and Boss Su can still bring themselves to use such ruthless knives."

"It's so dark! It's really dark!"

"....."

While everyone was complaining about the price increase, Su Su was delivering custom-made mooncakes to each table of guests. After all, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and as the boss, she had to show her appreciation.

Just as she delivered the mooncakes to Yu Shen's table, Yu Shen stared at her face and suddenly exclaimed "Eh!"

"Boss Su, have you noticed anything unusual about yourself lately?"

"What's wrong?" Su Su asked instinctively.

"Haven't you noticed that you seem to have gotten a little darker?" Yu Shen asked.

"Huh?" Su Su touched her face, slightly flustered. "Did I get so dark? I put on sunscreen every day before I go out, how could I get so dark?"

"Yeah, why are you still so tanned? Have you thought about that?" Yu Shen said seriously.

Su Su honestly shook her head: "I really don't know, maybe it's because I've been spending too much time in the kitchen lately."

Just as Yu Shen was about to remind Su Su that this wasn't the reason, Lu Qianshan interrupted him: "Alright, Lao Yu, stop teasing Boss Su. Boss Su, you go ahead and get busy. We'll keep an eye on things ourselves."

Su Su nodded: "Okay, then you can take your time looking at it. Call me if you need anything."

She turned around and touched her face again, muttering to herself, "Have I really gotten darker? No, I need to wear sun-protective clothing and a hat when I go out from now on..."

Everyone burst into laughter when they saw how nervous she looked.

After a while.

Yu Shen couldn't help but sigh again, "Sigh, I don't know why, but the more I look at Su Laoban, the more she seems to resemble her master."

"You're absolutely right," Pang Yi wholeheartedly agreed. "I really miss the old Su boss, so innocent and naive, unlike now... you become like those you associate with!"

Although the group complained that today's prices were really expensive and outrageous, their actions betrayed their true intentions, and they started ordering food like crazy, ordering this and that, as if money were no object.

...........

back kitchen.

To cope with the packed house today, Li Zhibai single-handedly managed five pots.

While the braised pork was reducing its sauce, the fried rice was being served, and the noodles were being tossed around with his left hand... It was like he was on a cheat code.

Fortunately, Su Su's kitchen wasn't like his own restaurant where he was the only one working there; he had many assistants, so he was able to manage.

"The braised pork for table number 3 is ready, take it away!"

"receive!"

"At Bodhi Jade Studio in Box 6, please pay attention to the plating; make sure the bamboo leaves aren't placed crookedly."

"OK!"

"Tell the vegetarian restaurant at table number 8 that they're almost sold out, and that they should enjoy their food while they can. Don't ask why, just tell them to order more."

"clear!"

"..."

The kitchen helpers were also incredibly energetic, working very hard, and they looked at Li Zhibai as if he were a god descending to earth.

It's amazing that one person can manage five pots while still having time to direct others to work!

.........

As each dish was served by the waiters, everyone, whether in the private rooms or the main hall, ate with great enthusiasm, completely forgetting how expensive it was.

Because from the moment the food touches your mouth, the price doesn't matter anymore.

"Damn it, why is Li Heizi's cooking so delicious?! I know he's ripping me off, but I still want to order everything on the menu."

"Ever since his shop closed down, I've been dreaming about this noodle dish. Today I finally got to eat it again."

"It smells so good!!!!"

"......"

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, Lu Qianshan suddenly stood up, holding his wine glass, and addressed the entire room:

"Everyone, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I have a small suggestion."

Everyone stopped eating and looked at him, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"We've all come from Shaxian to Suwei. Along the way, our wallets have gotten thinner, but our souls have been full. Although we've been ripped off countless times, we've always enjoyed every meal. Many of us have known each other for a long time, while others met because of Shaxian. Today, we're all gathered together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. That's fate. So, I think we should all raise a glass to Li Heizi and Su Laoban?"

"Great!" Everyone raised their glasses and stood up in a flurry.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

"A salute to Li Heizi! A salute to Boss Su!"

"I hope Li Heizi will have a change of heart soon and stop raising prices!"

"Wishing Boss Su to become more and more beautiful, and her skin to become whiter and whiter..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

……

2:30 a.m.

The last table of guests finally left the restaurant, leaning against the wall.

The waiters, looking exhausted, began clearing away the empty plates and bowls from the table. Only after Su Su gave each of them a large red envelope did they finally regain some of their energy.

In the kitchen, Li Zhibai took off his apron and hung it on the hook on the wall, found a place to sit down, and let out a long sigh of relief.

tired!

I'm so fucking tired!

He has been cooking at high intensity for more than ten hours straight since 10 a.m., and he feels that both of his arms are so painful that he can hardly lift them.

He had never felt that cooking was so tiring when he was in Shaxian, and he felt like he was about to fall apart.

"System, I think I finally understand a little bit why you want to limit the number of customers."

[Host, you've finally figured it out. This system is extremely pleased.]

"Yeah! If you make me work from morning till night every day, with my murderous nature, I probably won't live to see next Mid-Autumn Festival. I'll just die of a sudden death sooner or later."

[So, host, you think I'm restricting your ability to make money, but actually I'm protecting your body. After all, if a ruthless boss as talented as you were to die young, it would be a loss for the world's wealthy.]

Li Zhibai nodded in deep agreement: "You're right, so I should take advantage of my youth and strength to earn more money. As the saying goes, if you don't rip off customers when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old. While I can still stir-fry food, I should rip off as much as I can."

[...This system retracts what it just said.]

That guy didn't listen to a word!

Just as Li Zhibai was chatting idly with the system, Su Su walked in carrying a plate of pastries and a pot of freshly brewed Longjing tea.

"Master, are you hungry? Have something to eat first."

Li Zhibai took the pastry and took a bite. It was a mooncake with red bean paste filling, sweet but not greasy, and perfect with hot tea.

"Sister Su Su, you've worked hard today."

"Master, you're the one who's working so hard. I'm exhausted just running errands and greeting the guests. You must be even more tired cooking so many dishes by yourself." Su Su sat down on the small stool next to him and picked up a mooncake to eat in small bites.

The master and apprentice ate their snacks and drank their tea in silence, enjoying a moment of peace after their busy schedules.

After a while.

After eating and drinking his fill, Li Zhibai rubbed his hands together and said, "Come on, let's settle today's accounts."

Su Su took out a small notebook from her apron pocket, opened the day's sales records, and began to read them to him one by one.

"Tonight we served a total of... tables of guests. Bodhi Jade Restaurant sold 220 servings, and the Fragrant Mixed Noodles sold..."

"Master, today's total revenue is 1.02 million, and your share is about 400,000."

"How much? One million a day?" Li Zhibai exclaimed in surprise.

He was too busy today to calculate these things, and he didn't expect it to break a million.

"Yes, business is particularly good today. It's probably because of the Mid-Autumn Festival bonus, plus the prices are set relatively high, so the turnover is a bit higher," Su Su said.

And this is not the total revenue. This is only the revenue related to Li Zhibai. The sales of the dishes in her own store are not included. If all of them are added together, the total revenue today exceeds 1.5 million, breaking the record for the Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years.

For example, last year her store only sold over 300,000 yuan worth of goods during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but this year her master alone increased that number fivefold.

Li Zhibai quickly took the notebook and read it through from beginning to end again.

One million!

He was able to withdraw 400,000.

It should be noted that when he was in Shaxian, his highest daily turnover was only 300,000 yuan. After deducting various costs, he would only earn about 100,000 yuan.

I made 400,000 today, breaking my previous record!

Li Zhibai grew increasingly excited as he looked around, all his fatigue vanishing. He even wanted to shout, "Give me another hundred tables of guests!"

Whether you're tired or your arms hurt, none of that matters when faced with 400,000.

As long as there are still suckers willing to pay, he can keep flipping the wok forever!