Universe Infinite Canteen

As the boy deleted his positive review in a huff, the atmosphere inside the restaurant once again became lively.

Moreover, this little interlude opened up possibilities for the other diners.

Especially those who had been waiting for a long time after coming for the reputation but still hadn't gotten their meals, they started to tell He Xiaoqian they could squat outside to eat as well.

After all, when they used to buy snacks from The Universe's Number One Snack Stall, there weren't any tables or chairs provided, so they didn't think squatting to eat was inappropriate.

However, Ma Lu still pointed them in the right direction, telling them that for just 30 yuan, they could buy a folding table and four plastic chairs from the general store across the street.

Then, after eating, they could resell those items to the next customer in need, so each group could secure seating for just three to five yuan.

What's that, you ask why Ma Lu didn't do this himself? Well, that's because he's a law-abiding, orderly proprietor, of course.

Although there weren't many cars or people on this side road, if Ma Lu himself set up a row of tables and chairs outside, it would undoubtedly be an encroachment on the public way.

On the contrary, if it's the spontaneous action of the customers, it has nothing to do with him, at most it's like a roadside picnic.

Nevertheless, Ma Lu still reminded those who wanted to eat outside to pay attention to cleanliness, not to dirty the road, to be safe, not to set up on the street, and to remember to return the bowls and chopsticks after eating.

So, a group of people who had been waiting inside the restaurant rushed out.

In reality, once the initial preparation of the noodles was aside, Old Wang could make Fragrant Yearning Konjac Noodles very quickly.

He could serve up 12 bowls in one go every 10 minutes, and once the issue of insufficient seating was resolved, the increase in turnover was swift.

Later on, He Xiaoqian became so busy she could hardly keep up, so Shen Yue, the temp worker, also joined the team, mainly responsible for cleaning up bowls and wiping down tables.

After Ma Lu promised to treat her to a bowl of Konjac Noodles after the rush, she abandoned her previous half-dead demeanor and became incredibly diligent, even polishing the Fortune Bamboo on the cashier's desk until it shone.

Thus, the first three dishes on the menu of Universe Infinite Canteen had made their appearance one after another.

The last dish, the soft and fluffy Konjac Cake, took the longest because it required baking and refrigerating.

Han Feifei and Hebei Big Brother and others waited nearly an hour for the final dish, and by that time they were pretty much full.

However, upon seeing the small cake in front of them, they couldn't help but be amazed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Unlike the elaborate and ornate designs of ordinary cakes, the cake in front of them looked very simple.

Square and forthright, it resembled a block of marble, with the cake's surface sporting only simple lines and color blocks, as clean as a Mondrian painting.

"Is this... an Opera Cake?" Han Feifei raised an eyebrow.

"What's an Opera Cake?" Shen Yue asked, curious.

"Opera Cake originated in the 1960s, invented by a French pastry chef. It swept away the previous era's trend of increasingly extravagant cakes with more and more decorative patterns, embodying minimalism in pastry making.

"But this doesn't mean Opera Cake is easy to make—it has a unique structural layering and a rich flavor profile, which also tests the maker's skill deeply."

After finishing her explanation, Han Feifei looked towards Ma Lu, "Did your place hire a pastry chef as well?"

"Nope, Old Wang made it as well," Ma Lu said.

Upon hearing this, Han Feifei couldn't help but slightly change color as well. "A chef, to master so many styles and varieties of cooking skills, that's extremely rare."

Although her stomach was already telling her she couldn't eat any more, with such delicacies in front of her, Han Feifei couldn't resist slicing off a spoonful.

Bringing it in front of her eyes, she could clearly see that this piece of cake, less than 5cm in size, had a whopping eleven layers, which meant that each layer was less than 5mm thick and with no discernible difference in height to the naked eye.

Han Feifei couldn't help but sigh once again at Old Wang's superb culinary skills.

Then she put the spoon in her mouth, and in that instant, it felt as if autumn melted in her mouth.

Han Feifei closed her eyes, feeling the breeze of an autumn day brushing through her teeth, the maple leaves falling from the treetops, the branches curved under the weight of the fruit in the fields, the fragrance of the soil, and the konjac breaking through the earth... These flavors bloomed on her taste buds layer by layer, making her comfortably let out a soft groan.

"This is my favorite dish of the day," declared Han Feifei after putting down her spoon.

She didn't even feel like sharing with Shen Yue and asked for a box to take away the piece of cake.

.........

Previously, due to renovations and cleaning, Ma Lu and Old Wang had ended their stall three days early, which left many who couldn't get their snacks eagerly awaiting their new store.

Eagerly anticipated, the opening, despite the high prices, did not deter many people's enthusiasm.

Ma Lu began business at 11 am, originally planning to close at 2:30 pm for a break and then reopen at 5 pm.

But due to the overwhelming crowd, they worked nonstop from 11 am until 9 pm, with nearly 300 bowls of Fragrant Yearning Konjac Noodles sold and more than 400 portions of the spinach cheese chicken breast roll.

The konjac cake, being a bit softer, fared slightly less because not many people were willing to spend 198 on a dessert, selling only 45 portions.

Ma Lu, in retrospect, felt that there was a bit of a misstep with this cake. Discover hidden stories at empire

Mainly because it took a rather long time to cook; even with Old Wang's quick hands, it required considerable time to complete.

Also, customers waiting a long time was not conducive to table turnover, like previous customers Han Feifei and Hebei Big Brother, who had sat in the restaurant for over an hour.

This time could have actually accommodated three to four noodle-eating customers.

Of course, this was also because it was the restaurant's first day, so the influx of people was high, but once customer traffic stabilized, it should not be a big issue.

Even though diners continued to come after nine, Ma Lu was not running a late-night canteen, and the day's reception had already far exceeded capacity, with some condiments and basic ingredients running out.

Therefore, He Xiaoqian apologized to those who came later before closing the gates of the restaurant.

As usual, Ma Lu did a rough calculation of the day's profit, with total revenue amounting to 135,664, expenses of 2,352.1, leaving a gross profit of 133,311.9.

Seeing this number, Ma Lu was taken aback himself.

He then casually transferred a bonus of 1,000 yuan to He Xiaoqian, who was nearly exhausted, and 800 yuan to Shen Yue, who had come to help.

Shen Yue, numb from wiping tables until he seemed no different from a walking corpse, mechanically going through the motions until he saw the transaction record on WeChat, which revived his spirits a bit.

"Ah, is the wage really this much?"

"It's not a wage, just a bonus. The regular employees are paid monthly, but for temporary staff like you, let's settle wages every week," Ma Lu said.