The strongest anime shop owner

"Uh, wait, uncle? Am I that old? I think I just turned eighteen today?" The young man whom Su Luo called uncle touched his chin after Chuangyi left, seemingly realizing what he had just said. Sigh, he really didn't know what to say about this.

Su Luo walked in the direction the young man pointed. This grove was not undeveloped. Judging from various signs, the trees looked very orderly and were all cherry trees. It was obvious that this was man-made. She imagined that when all the cherry blossoms were in bloom in March and April each year, the scene must be very beautiful.

The forest was very large, stretching as far as the eye could see. Fortunately, there was a path leading directly into it. The path wasn't made of reinforced concrete, but rather paved with large stones. Although it was made of large stones, the surface was very smooth, making the whole thing look so natural and harmonious, without a trace of the coldness and hardness of the city.

With every breath, you can feel the fragrance of grass and trees emanating from the earth—a natural scent. In places like this, far from the city, the air is always so clear, making people feel refreshed.

When Su Luo reached the intersection, she saw many people standing there, with a cart next to them. It was clear that cars couldn't pass through, so people had organized themselves to help people carry their luggage. There was also a large parking lot nearby. Just looking at all this, they must be making a lot of money.

As soon as Su Luo walked over, someone came up to her and asked if she needed any help. Su Luo naturally declined and pulled her luggage inside.

It is now autumn and winter, and the trees have lost the vitality of spring and summer. Only a few withered yellow leaves remain, swaying precariously in the breeze. Some have already fluttered in the air, drifting with the wind like little fairies dancing in the sky.

The ground was completely bare, save for a thick layer of withered yellow leaves rustling in the breeze, or playfully rolling and fluttering.

The autumn here may not be as beautiful as the sea of ​​flowers in March and April, nor as vibrant as spring, nor as dreamy as the snow-covered landscape of winter. It is only a sense of desolation and tranquility, like a memory from old age.

The road was neither long nor short, and the pace was neither fast nor slow.

Soon, Su Luo passed through the forest and entered the so-called village. There was no mud or steel in sight; it was like a primitive village. The first thing she saw was not houses, but fields, where many people were happily busy harvesting the autumn crop.

Beyond this field lies the village. The village isn't very big, but it's very lively. The houses aren't high-rise buildings, but rather retro-style houses built primarily of wood.

Not far away, a stream runs through the entire village. The stream is not very deep, only about knee-deep. The water is clean and free of any impurities. You can clearly see the mud, sand, and pebbles on the bottom, and even see many large fish swimming in it.

Actually, Su Luo knew something about this situation before. In places like this, everyone knows to protect the water source, and this is also a characteristic of this place. It is said that fish in streams like this can be raised without any fishy smell and can maintain their freshness. They can be said to be among the few freshwater fish sashimi ingredients.

Every villager shares the concept of protecting water resources, so the water here meets or even exceeds the standard for direct drinking, which is quite remarkable.

Upon seeing this, Su Luo couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings).

This place looks exactly like a rural resort. Are you sure you're here for an internship?

Su Luo arrived here quite late, and he really didn't know why his internship would be arranged in such a place. He was sure that the person who arranged the internship must have lost their mind, or they were just trying to mess with him.

Thinking of this, Su Luo's face darkened, because he really wanted to roar, "Hey uncle, don't go! Are you sure this is a food paradise and not some kind of snack haven?"

Looking at the various snack shops on both sides, Su Luo imagined herself standing there selling snacks, grilling lamb skewers while shouting and fanning them. She was completely dumbfounded. It's not that selling snacks is bad, but if she really did that, it would look a bit stupid.

After much wild guessing, Su Luo finally found her destination.

After seeing her destination, Su Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn't a food stall, but a hotel. The hotel was a retro-style hotel with two floors. Although it had two floors, the area wasn't very large, but it was still alright.

After Su Luo went inside, she saw several tables, two pretty cashiers, and some busy waiters, all dressed in uniform.

Since I'm here to work, I should naturally have a comprehensive understanding of the business, even if I'm just doing odd jobs.

Glancing at the food on the customers' tables, Su Luo realized that this shop was actually a breakfast shop, because the customers' tables were filled with drawers containing shumai. Each drawer was packed full of shumai, with 5 shumai in each drawer. The shumai were very delicate, with the color of the ingredients inside showing through the thin, transparent skin. They looked very fresh and juicy, and were very appealing.

------------

Chapter 254 A Show of Force?

"Excuse me, young sir, what would you like to order?" Just as Su Luo was observing these things, a waiter came over and asked with a smile. Although Su Luo was a child, he still showed proper manners. It seemed that although this small shop was small and didn't have any special features, the service was very good and made people feel comfortable.

"Oh, hello, I'm a student from Totsuki Academy, here for an internship." Su Luo responded to the voice and said to the person who came.

"You were actually assigned here by Totsuki?" The waiter was shocked after hearing Su Luo's words. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Su Luo was only an eleven or twelve-year-old child, which was really hard to accept.

However, the waiter was very polite and immediately realized his mistake, saying, "I'm so sorry, I was a bit out of line, after all..."

"A bit surprising, isn't it! But I'm not just a 'gilded' talent. You know Totsuki is very strict, and I'm the champion of this year's Autumn Selection Tournament." Looking at the waiter's appearance, Su Luo said with a faint smile, indicating that she understood. After all, entering Totsuki at this age is probably a first for most people, and it's not surprising that ordinary people might think it's just a 'gilded' talent.

As for claiming to be the champion of the autumn selection competition, Su Luo had no intention of boasting; she simply wanted to make herself more convincing.

"Hello, my name is Yoshida, and I'm a waiter here. Please come with me. The head chef instructed us a long time ago that if you arrived, we should pick you up. The head chef is very busy right now and doesn't have much time to handle these kinds of things, so please understand." With that, the waiter named Yoshida took the suitcase from Su Luo's hand and said to her.

"Very busy?" Although the shop seemed to have a lot of customers, the food was relatively limited, so it shouldn't be this busy. Could it be that the other kitchen helpers were just sitting around doing nothing? This surprised Su Luo.

"Don't misunderstand, the head chef is indeed very busy right now. After all, the once-every-three-years shumai competition is about to begin, so the head chef is currently in seclusion. If he wins, you know that." Seeing Su Luo's confused look, Yoshida thought she was unhappy that a waiter had come to pick her up, so he quickly explained.

"Oh, I see." Su Luo naturally knew the outcome of winning this competition, but she was still very curious about it, so she couldn't help but ask, "What kind of competition is this?"

"Don't let the small appearance of this village fool you. It's actually not much smaller than a town. There are dozens of shumai stalls here alone. The competition represents the pinnacle of shumai in Sakura Village. The competition is a contest where you sell the most shumai within a set time. As for the judging method, since the competition attracts a large number of tourists every year, the winner is whoever has the most plates eaten." Yoshida explained as he led Su Luo in one direction.

"Oh, I see," Su Luo said, suddenly realizing.

"You can rest here for now. I'll come and wake you up tomorrow morning, but..." Yoshida paused for a moment, his eyes becoming somewhat complicated, as if he were struggling with something.

"But what?" Su Luo could tell from his expression that he had something to say, but was too embarrassed to say it.

"When you get to the kitchen tomorrow, try not to pay attention to the people there, especially the sous chef. They have a bad temper. If they say something they shouldn't, please be patient. After all, there have been interns from Totsuki Culinary Academy here before, but in the end..." Yoshino hesitated for a moment before saying this.

"Thank you, I know what to do." Before Yoshida could finish speaking, Su Luo already knew what was going on. It seemed the chef at this restaurant wasn't particularly friendly.

"Then I'll be going now." Yoshida said goodbye and left.

"Oh dear, it seems the chefs here aren't very friendly. This is such a hassle." Thinking of what Yoshida said, Su Luo felt helpless. He hated this kind of thing the most. Thinking of this, he said angrily, "Honestly, it's one thing to arrange for me to come alone, but to come to a place like this is just too awful. I'd better not find out who you are, or I'll make you suffer a terrible death."

"Sigh, I don't want to think about it anymore." Su Luo shook her head and started packing her luggage. After all, she was going to stay here for a week, and thinking about that kind of thing would only give her a headache. Since that was the case, she would stop thinking about it.

"Huh? Why hasn't he arrived yet?" Early in the morning, Su Luo broke with her usual habit and got up very early, but after waiting for a long time, Yoshida still hadn't arrived. This made Su Luo frown. Even if she was stupid, she would know that something was obviously wrong.

With that in mind, Su Luo had no choice but to go out on her own, grabbing a waiter at random and asking, "Excuse me, is Yoshida here?"

"Oh, Yoshida caught a cold yesterday, so he took the day off today," the waiter said, as if he had been startled awake.

Looking at the waiter's shifty eyes and melancholy demeanor, it would be strange if Su Luo couldn't see anything amiss.

"Heh, is this some kind of show of force? How boring. I'm just an intern, and yet I'm behaving like this. It's ridiculous." Su Luo muttered to herself, head down.

Su Luo was speechless at this situation.

I'm just an intern, there's no need for this. To put it nicely, I'm an intern; to put it bluntly, I'm here to do odd jobs and work for free. If I were in a better restaurant, I might get some salary or something, but unfortunately, with this place, I probably won't get a single penny.

"Sigh, this is really exhausting." Su Luo knew that this situation was not unique. She figured that the main purpose of the internship was to teach people how to conduct themselves in society and to help them better understand the world.

Since that's the case, Su Luo had no choice but to go to the kitchen by herself.

After asking for directions to the kitchen, Su Luo headed there at a leisurely pace. What difference would it make if she went faster? Since she was being made to embarrass herself, there was no point in going any faster.

------------

Chapter 255 Rocman

After Su Luo walked in, even though some people had already seen her, they pretended to be busy and didn't see her, continuing with their own things. Although they were very busy every morning, they shouldn't be unable to say a word. This was clearly meant to embarrass Su Luo.

What's so special about this? I was planning to show off, but unfortunately, I'm shameless enough to face people like you without batting an eye or blushing. I even have a great appetite for it.

Looking at her own situation and then thinking about Chuangzhen's, Su Luo suddenly felt that it was so unfair. It was one thing for them to have two people, but why was their store manager so kind? Was this what they called "other people's stores"? The two stores were clearly not that different.

Full of ambition, Su Luo walked into the kitchen. Seeing their indifferent attitude, she naturally understood what was going on, but she didn't show it on her face. What others did was their business; she couldn't get angry, it wasn't worth it.

"Hello everyone, I'm Su Luo, an intern from Far Moon." Su Luo said, her expression unchanged, as if no one else was around.

Naturally, no one responded to Su Luo's polite words.

No one answered, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, but Su Luo still wore a professional smile.

"I don't know what I can do?" Su Luo looked around and saw that no one responded to her. At most, a few people glanced in her direction, some even expecting to see Su Luo's awkward expression. However, it was clear that they were destined to fail.

Su Luo's words were like a stone thrown into the Dead Sea, not causing a ripple. Everyone was still busy with their own things, as if they hadn't heard Su Luo's words, or even that Su Luo didn't exist.

Seeing that they didn't respond, Su Luo didn't feel awkward. She found a comfortable spot to stand or lean against and watched them busy at work.

Time slips away quietly.

"Ha," Su Luo thought to herself, feeling bored as she watched, and yawned, looking drowsy.

Unable to bear it any longer, Su Luo said to everyone, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

Seeing that they were still doing their own thing and no one seemed willing to speak up, Su Luo turned around and left without a second thought.

However, it was clear that since some people had gone this far, they wouldn't let Su Luo off the hook. Just as Su Luo stepped out of the kitchen, a voice rang out behind her: "Hey, kid, where are you going?"

"Little brat?" Upon hearing this title, Su Luo's forehead creased with a big "well" sign. He hated being called a brat or a little kid the most.

Su Luo clenched her fist, but in the end, she held back.

"What? Is there something you want?" Su Luo asked with a disdainful smile as she turned around. She looked towards the source of the voice and saw a young man standing there. He was handsome with delicate features and a gentle smile, just like a gentleman.

Of course, Su Luo didn't think this person was really a gentleman. Although everyone in the kitchen seemed to be getting along well, if you looked closely, you would find that everyone was looking at the young man with slightly unsteady eyes. It was obvious that they were looking at him with fear. He must be the temporary person in charge here. After all, Yoshida had mentioned that the head chef had gone into seclusion.

"Are all the people from Totsuki this arrogant?" The young man had a gentle and refined smile on his lips, speaking with composure. This stark contrast made him even more repulsive than those who openly displayed their arrogance. He was simply a hypocrite. However, he was the person in charge here, and no one dared to say anything to him.

Arrogant? Arrogant my foot! Where did you hear that? I, Su Luo, disagree.

Before Su Luo could say anything, the young man said again, "I don't care if you're from Totsuki or anywhere else. Since you're here, you have to listen to me."

"I'm the head chef here, and I'm in charge of this place now. You can just call me Lord Rocman." Rocman stood there quietly, his expression like that of someone high above.

Seeing his expression and those words, Su Luo couldn't help but frown. He didn't dislike people who thought they were superior, but he disliked people who had no real ability but still acted arrogantly.

Head chef? More like sous chef, and a person in charge? Ridiculous, it's only temporary, isn't it? Su Luo smiled, suddenly feeling this person was just there to be funny, but still said, "Yes, Lord Rocman~"

After hearing what Su Luo said, Luo Keman nodded in satisfaction. It wasn't that Su Luo liked to back down, but the more you provoke this kind of person, the more embarrassed he will make you. Besides, they had only just arrived. If things got too tense, then it would be over for the time being. So for now, the only option was to retreat temporarily. As for the final outcome, that was uncertain. In short, it was a matter of who would have the last laugh.

Roman was very satisfied with Su Luo's performance, so he turned his head and said to one of the people over there, "Cisco, give him your work, and you go over there to process the ingredients."

“Yes, Lord Rocman,” said the man named Cisco.

Su Luo didn't say anything and walked over directly. During the handover, Cisco even taught Su Luo how to do it very seriously, and even gave a few demonstrations. It seems that the people here are actually quite nice, but with Rocman here, they don't dare to do anything to resist.

Seeing Cisco teaching Su Luo, Rocman frowned and scolded, "Cisco, what are you doing there? Go do your own work."

“Lord Rochman, I just wanted to teach you…” Cisco didn’t dare look Rochman in the eye and stammered as he tried to explain.

However, before Cisco could finish speaking, Rochman retorted sarcastically, "Does a top student from Far Moon need someone like you, a menial worker, to teach him?"

Upon hearing this, Cisco's face flushed red, and he was speechless, whether from shame or anger, it was hard to tell. In the end, however, he could only helplessly slump down and say, "Yes, Lord Rocman."

------------

Chapter 156 Making Things Difficult and Rolling Out the Dough

Clearly, when Rocman said those words, everyone else was quite unhappy, but no one said anything or stood up for him because they were all afraid of losing their jobs. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been putting up with this.

"Go ahead, I can manage here." Although Su Luo was very unhappy with what he said, he still held back. He patted the man named Cisco and said.

"Cisco, what are you still standing there for? Get back to work!" Before Cisco could say anything, Rocman's shout came from the other end.

"Yes, Lord Rochman." Cisco said this with a sense of frustration, but without hesitation, he went straight to the position he was assigned to.

Su Luo's job wasn't exactly simple, but it wasn't difficult either. It involved rolling out dough with a rolling pin. In front of Su Luo, someone was kneading the dough until it was smooth. After the dough was rolled into a strip, someone grabbed a piece of dough from one end and threw it at Su Luo without even looking in her direction. The person kept doing this very quickly. However, since Su Luo had just taken over, after hesitating for a while, they decided to slow down a bit, afraid that Su Luo wouldn't be able to keep up. Although these movements were very slow, achieving this level of skill wasn't something that could be done simply by having good cooking skills.

If you observe carefully, you will find that each movement is almost identical, like a humanoid machine that keeps working. Each dough ball is almost the same weight, and each movement is very regular. Although it looks very simple, it is absolutely impossible to do without more than half a year of practice.

The whole process looks like a complete assembly line, from cleaning and processing the ingredients, kneading the dough, rolling out the dough, to the finished product being steamed, and finally served by the waiters.