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

On the evening of the sixth day of the long holiday, just as Li Zhibai Restaurant was about to close, Su Su sent someone to deliver more than 30 eggs again.

These golden eggs have a unique characteristic: they are not large, but they are beautifully colored, a pinkish-white with a hint of warm yellow, and their shells are relatively thicker and harder than those of ordinary eggs.

Actually, no one usually collects these eggs, because most people still think it's a scam. So they usually eat the eggs themselves. It wasn't until Li Zhibai, this "big jerk" who collects eggs, appeared that farmers started accumulating eggs and selling them to him through Su Su's channels, and each batch was more than the last.

Li Zhibai walked to the refrigerator and opened the door.

There were two rows of prepared and sealed Mo Liu Dawn Eggs in the refrigerator.

These were prepared in advance when Huo Junmin came to the store last time, but he hadn't been willing to take them out to sell. There are 33 pieces.

With this batch of eggs delivered, he can make a total of 67 eggs.

67 pieces.

If all of them can be sold, plus the two that have already been sold, we'll be well on our way to reaching the system's requirement of selling 100 units.

But the problem is—these eggs might not sell.

So far, apart from Yang Chongwu, Yu Shen, and a few other regular customers who have reserved a few eggs, basically no one has made any reservations.

3999 per egg.

Even among wealthy people, not everyone is willing to spend 4000 yuan on a braised egg; at most, they'll just have a taste occasionally.

Besides the sales problem, there was something else that bothered him even more: he still didn't dare to sell openly and honestly.

The last time Huo Junmin came to the store, he had to coax and plead with the lawyer to use his free service.

But besides her, there's another sword that hasn't fallen yet—that of Mu Cixuan, the novelist. That girl hasn't even used her free meal right yet.

What if she suddenly shows up one day and burns all the eggs? He'd go bankrupt on the spot!

Therefore, he had to wait until Mu Cixuan used her right to offer free orders before he could confidently put these eggs out for public sale.

Fortunately, this refrigerator is a high-tech reward from the system, so the eggs won't spoil no matter how long they're left out, and can be stored for a while.

Li Zhibai closed the refrigerator door and sighed.

"I'm worried, when will we finally sell all 100 eggs?"

He leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

There was nothing on the ceiling.

Just like those customers whose wallets have been emptied.

..........

The last day of the long holiday.

Before dawn, Li Zhibai had a nightmare.

In my dream, the signboard in front of his shop had been replaced with several large, blood-red characters: "Li Heizi's Black Shop," which was particularly eerie.

The lottery machine at the entrance had been transformed into a giant claw machine, crammed full of screaming wallets. Each wallet had a human face on it, its features distorted, its mouth opening and closing, desperately shouting, "Don't grab me! Don't grab me! I have no money!"

Then the scene shifts, and Yu Shen and his gang suddenly appear out of nowhere, each clutching a wallet and kissing and nibbling at it: "We finally managed to fleece Li Heizi!"

"Li Heizi is bankrupt!"

"Wool! It's all wool!"

"Hahaha......."

Then the dream suddenly shattered.

Li Zhibai sat bolt upright in bed, panting heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"A password? What a terrible dream! It's so unlucky."

After cursing, he got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He grinned at himself in the mirror and stretched his facial muscles until that familiar face with a slightly mischievous smile reappeared in the mirror. Only then did he gradually calm down.

"Today, nobody will get a single hair out of me!"

..............

Nine o'clock in the morning.

Ke Yi and Ding Ling yawned as they walked to the store entrance, but before they even stepped inside, they froze.

A row of people were squatting in front of the shop.

Yu Shen, Pang Yi, Cha Xiaochai, Wang Yun, Yao Qianqian... seven or eight familiar customers were all squatting on the steps. Several of them were holding their phones, looking at something, and muttering classical Chinese texts under their breath.

"Yuzhang, the old prefecture, Hongdu, the new capital... its stars align with the constellations of Wing and Chariot, its land borders Heng and Lu..."

"In the third year of the Huangchu era, I went to the capital and returned by crossing the Luo River... The ancients said that the goddess of this river was named Mi Fei..."

"........."

These guys were chanting like they were reciting scriptures, and the scene on Financial Street was incredibly bizarre, drawing stares from many office workers.

Ke Yi nudged Ding Ling and asked in a low voice, "What are they doing?"

"Let's memorize the text; it looks like we're about to take a test."

What kind of test?

"I don't know, maybe he's planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam?"

When Li Zhibai saw the scene at the door, he almost lost his composure.

These guys are really going all out to get their money's worth for free; they came to his shop early this morning to chant sutras.

However, they don't really think that just memorizing ancient texts like "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" and "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" will be enough to control him, do they?

That would be too naive.

He had already significantly enhanced the challenge question bank, not only adding some classical Chinese texts, but also including details of traditional cooking techniques, legends, anecdotes, and trivia related to food, among other things.

Of course, although he has added a challenge question bank, if you are lucky enough to draw a question that you can actually memorize, you actually have a tiny bit of a chance to succeed in the challenge.

In addition to these, he added a new rule last night: each customer can draw a maximum of two challenges a day, once at noon and once in the evening.

This is to prevent them from exploiting bugs, such as ordering a bowl of noodles, finishing it, drawing a challenge, not getting the question they want, ordering another bowl, and continuing to draw, etc.

Since meeting the renowned lawyer Huo Junmin, he has not only gone further down the path of unscrupulousness, but has also learned a new word—caution.

When organizing an event, it is essential to ensure that every detail is meticulously planned and that no loopholes are left for anyone to exploit.

Good morning, everyone!

Li Zhibai greeted him warmly: "Today is the last day of the long holiday, and also the last day of the free order event. Those who want to take on the challenge should hurry up."

When Yu Shen and the others saw Li Zhibai arrive, they all stood up, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"The boss is here!"

"Let's go in! I'm going to get him today!"

"Yes! We'll definitely fleece him today! We'll fleece him until he's bald!"

A group of people filed in.

Upon entering the store, they didn't waste any time and immediately started ordering.

"A deluxe version of mixed noodles!"

"A deluxe version of steamed dumplings!"

"A deluxe version of chicken leg rice!"

"........."

Li Zhibai took notes one by one in his notebook. As he wrote, he noticed a problem: these guys had indeed only ordered one dish.

According to the event rules, spending any amount will give you a chance to win a free order; these guys are really planning to exploit a bug.

Fortunately, he had anticipated their prediction last night.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before you order, I must remind you of the rules we have just adjusted."

"Because many customers have complained that the number of challenges is not fair enough, and in order to provide everyone with a better experience, our store optimized the event plan last night. On the last day of this event, each customer can only participate in the challenge a maximum of two times per day."

"Once at noon and once in the evening."

"No more."

Before Yu Shen and the others could even begin to congratulate themselves on their cleverness, they were stunned by the sudden announcement.

Holy crap!

"That scoundrel actually changed the rules!"

Last night, Lu Qianshan even gave them a rundown in the group chat.

Although they had memorized classical Chinese texts, the probability of drawing a question they knew was indeed not high, since no one could guarantee that they would draw the question they wanted.

But they quickly came up with a solution: exploiting a bug in the event. They would order a dish, eat it, draw a prize, leave, come back in, order again, draw again... until they drew a challenge they were confident they could win.

As it turned out, Li Heizi had indeed predicted their prediction and blocked the road directly.

That's it!

..................

PS: Chapter 2 was added during the day. The author would like to say a few words from the heart. I do feel like I'm wearing a mask of pain right now. I didn't slack off today. The biggest obstacle to writing a novel is not typing, but thinking about the plot. I thought about it from daytime until after 11 pm before I started writing.

Because I couldn't think of a suitable storyline, I kept watching videos to find inspiration and materials.

The current dilemma is that the plot is a bit formulaic, the proportion of recurring customers is too high, and the tropes aren't that fresh anymore. Although I think the characterization of the recurring customers is quite successful—at least everyone can remember each of them—we can't keep writing about them forever.

I've been thinking about how to add new, memorable supporting characters and how to strengthen the related emotional stories so that they don't feel forced. For example, when I was planning Yu Shen's story, I was thinking about how to use his characteristics to uncover the story of his passion for food. I was also thinking about what angle to take when introducing new customers, instead of just writing about some random passerby and then having them shout "Wow! Delicious!" in a repetitive way. What I've always wanted to write is for each character to have a memorable point, and for there to be some ensemble cast. This would also be beneficial for future adaptations into short dramas, and it wouldn't be like many food articles that are all the same and get boring quickly. Also, I don't want to just write filler articles; I want to continue writing properly.

This is the main reason why I'm experiencing writer's block and writing has slowed down. I need to plan for the later plot and write it well.

Sharing the author's predicament with everyone now makes me feel a bit better; it's a way of venting my frustration—the kind of frustration that comes with not having any inspiration. Finally, I'd like to solicit suggestions for new characters. If you'd like to make a cameo appearance, please leave a comment, preferably with a description of your character. It might give me some inspiration. Ideally, your story should have some elements, like regret, joy, or happiness. If I think it's good, your story might appear in my book, or perhaps in a future short drama. Of course, you could also play a villain. Thank you!