Chapter 471: Finally, A Customer
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With a single step out of the training space and back into reality, Qi Han glanced around at the completely renovated shop. Compared to before, it looked brand new, and a satisfied expression immediately appeared on his face.
If nothing unexpected happened, slacking off for a week in a shop like this would actually be pretty nice.
However…
Thinking of the modified Side Quest 10-1 that Ru Yi had forced upon him, Qi Han's expression turned bitter.
He never expected Ru Yi to tamper with the side quest just to stop him from slacking off!
What a miscalculation, he had forgotten about Ru Yi. His grand "lie low and get rich" plan was clearly doomed.
One thousand returning customers.
On Douluo Continent, that would have been easy. But in Mingdu City, where he had zero reputation and had to start from scratch, it was already quite difficult. To make matters worse, in order to slack off more comfortably, he had deliberately chosen this shop location—practically in the outskirts of Mingdu City—making the quest many times harder.
What a tragedy.
Sighing softly, Qi Han casually picked up a menu from one of the tables and flipped through it.
Because the renovation style had changed, the menu cover had also been redesigned to match. However, its contents still included a directory and detailed descriptions of every dish.
If old customers from Shrek City were here, they would be surprised to find that although this menu still contained many dishes, a noticeable portion was missing compared to before.
All 3 Star and 4 Star recipes were gone.
Even though Ru Yi had ruined his "lie low" plan by modifying the quest, Qi Han still had no intention of introducing 3 Star and 4 Star recipes on the Sun Moon Continent.
On one hand, the special effects of those dishes were far too powerful, he had no intention of strengthening potential enemies. On the other hand, the heavenly phenomena caused by those dishes were too conspicuous and would undoubtedly bring him unnecessary trouble.
Not only had he removed the 3 Star and 4 Star recipes, Qi Han also decided to revert to his previous operating schedule: opening twice a day and canceling breakfast and late-night hours.
Lunch and dinner would be more than enough.
After pushing open the door of Han Shi, he rested his chin on his hand and sat in the dining area, idly taking out Sun Moon Continent Ingredient Encyclopedia from the system storage and flipping through it.
There probably wouldn't be any business at noon today.
Time to slack off.
Who knew when he'd manage to reach one thousand returning customers?
"So boring…"
…
"So boring…"
The princess, now dressed in casual attire, strolled through the most bustling district of Sun-Moon Avenue with her hands clasped behind her back, yet there was little joy on her face.
When she was younger and bored, she would often run to Sun-Moon Avenue—the closest and liveliest street to the imperial palace—to go shopping.
At first, she found it interesting. But after so many years, she had walked through Sun-Moon Avenue countless times. She could even recite which shop stood where from memory. Wandering there no longer brought her much pleasure.
Under normal circumstances, she only left the palace about once a month. In that case, she wouldn't mind whether it was interesting or not—just getting out for some fresh air was enough.
But today was her birthday. She wanted something different.
So…
"Maybe I should explore another district?" she mused, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her chin.
"Hm? I've got it!"
Her eyes lit up.
"I'll hide in some remote district and pretend to go missing. When Third Brother finishes handling his affairs and comes looking for me, I'll scare him to death!"
"Hehe~ I'll make him search all over Mingdu City. Serves him right for not spending my birthday with me…"
"Let me think, where should I go… How about Mingke Street? It's the farthest and most remote from Sun-Moon Avenue. Third Brother would never guess I ran off there."
"It's a bit far though… oh well, I'll just fly there using a flying spirit tool!"
…
"As expected, no business."
Seeing that lunchtime operating hours were about to end and not a single customer had even stepped in to take a look, Qi Han closed the ingredient guide and sighed softly.
He should've known better than to choose such a remote location. Now he was reaping what he had sown.
Forget it. Time to close up…
With that thought, Qi Han patted Pururu, who had been dozing beside him, and stood up to head toward the door.
"Huh? There's a shop here?"
The sudden voice from outside made him pause mid-step.
"Han… Shi… what a strange name. Is it a place to eat? I'm just getting a bit hungry."
The voice drew closer, and its owner stepped inside. "Hello, is this place—oh? Are you closing?"
Qi Han glanced at the lock he had just picked up. After two seconds of silence, he casually stretched his arms as if exercising. "No, I've just been sitting too long. Thought I'd move around a bit."
He took a closer look at the girl before him. She wore casual clothes made of fine fabric that were clearly expensive. Her skin was a rare wheat tone in this Douluo world where pale skin was considered beautiful. Her features were delicate, carrying a hint of wildness and playfulness.
Deciding to skip the topic quickly, Qi Han asked, "Hello, what would you like to eat?"
"You're the boss? Then why don't I see a chef?" The girl curiously looked around the shop. "And this decoration… it looks kind of strange… strangely nice."
"I'm the chef as well," Qi Han explained.
"Oh?" Hearing that, the girl carefully examined him before grinning. "So how's your cooking? I have a very picky palate. I don't even like the food made by imperial chefs."
Qi Han didn't take her last sentence too seriously, but he still replied earnestly, "The food I make should be a little better than what imperial chefs prepare."
"Wow, that confident?" The girl's eyes were full of disbelief, but she still sat down and picked up Han Shi's menu. "Let me see what you've got in this place—whoa, that's expensive!"
She bared her teeth slightly. "Can I report you for running a scam shop?"
"Fair prices. Worth every coin."
"Fine, I'll take a closer look." With that, she began studying the menu with great interest.
Seeing that she didn't immediately turn around and leave, Qi Han let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Finally, a customer on the first day of business.
He poured a glass of water and placed it beside her, then sat across from her and patiently waited for her choice.
After a series of muttered comments like "That looks so delicious," "This one looks pretty," and "I want to try this too," the girl finally closed the menu.
"It says here in the directory that wasting food will get you blacklisted and permanently banned from dining here?"
"Yes," Qi Han nodded seriously.
"What a strange rule." She puffed out her cheeks. "This is the first time in my life I've seen a restaurant with such a weird rule!"
Despite her complaint, she quickly listed the dishes she wanted.
"I'll have one Dongpo Pork Knuckle, one Bodhi Vegetarian Dish, and one Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish!"
"Alright, please wait a moment." Qi Han nodded and turned toward the kitchen.
This girl really didn't hold back when ordering, she picked the expensive ones without hesitation. Qi Han very much welcomed more customers like this.
Watching his departing figure, the girl casually picked up the water glass beside her and took a small sip.
Hm?
Her eyebrows lifted slightly as her gaze locked onto the glass in her hand.
Why did this water taste sweeter than any water she'd had before?
Was it her imagination?
She took another sip, then dismissed the thought.
This water was indeed sweeter than any she had ever tasted.
If even the water was this special, could the dishes in this restaurant really be extraordinarily delicious?
The girl suddenly felt a hint of anticipation for the three dishes she had ordered.
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Latest Chapter: Chapter 505: Qi Han's Choice[1]
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