Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu looked at the murky, yellow-brown liquid before him, with white foam floating on top.

"Drink up, don't be shy."

The ragdoll cat said enthusiastically, "You said it yourself, as long as I make it, you'll definitely drink it."

Ma Lu, upon hearing this, reached for the cup and brought it close to his face a few times, only to put it back down, then turned to look at Liliem standing beside him.

"How about you try it first?"

"No, thank you."

Although Liliem hadn't seen the process of making this "drink," she could guess quite accurately just from the sound and quickly waved her hands, saying, "I'm not thirsty right now."

"I know this might look a bit nasty, but trust me, it actually tastes quite good. There was a time I was quite addicted to it myself."

After the ragdoll cat finished speaking, it stuck its head into the cup and took a big gulp. When it raised its head again, its whiskers were fringed with white foam.

"You see, this is definitely not cat pee."

"Uh... are you saying that you drink your own creations?"

"Exactly, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing wrong, it just sounds a little weird," said Liliem.

"Hey, don't look at me like I'm some kind of freak. It's not like I chose this cross-world superpower for myself."

The ragdoll cat protested, "I'd also like to have those cool abilities, like flying in the sky or shooting lasers from my eyes, or lifting a bull. But that's life, it doesn't always give you what you want!"

"I can understand that," Ma Lu soothed the excited ragdoll cat, "If you think about it, the ability to pee out beverages isn't too bad."

"Where's that not bad?" the ragdoll cat retorted as it slumped in its chair, its head drooping despondently.

"That little girl was right, I'm starting to think I'm a complete idiot. No one but an idiot would be addicted to drinking their own waste. I'm truly pitiful; my cat life is nothing but a tragedy."

"I'm sorry," Liliem quickly apologized, "That wasn't my intention, Mr. Cat."

"Then why won't you guys drink the beverage I made?"

"I'll drink it right now." Ma Lu once again picked up the cup and brought it to his nose to smell. Surprisingly, it smelled quite pleasant.

It didn't have the expected stench, but rather a rich malt aroma, and there was even a hint of buttery flavor.

As if he had made a firm decision, Ma Lu lifted the cup to his lips, with both Liliem and the ragdoll cat watching with wide eyes, holding their breath, waiting for his verdict after tasting.

However, at the last moment, Ma Lu put the cup down again and said seriously, "I feel this might be a bit unfair to you."

"What's unfair?"

"After all, this evaluation determines whether you stay in my shop or not. If I'm the one judging it, personal feelings might interfere. So I think it would be more appropriate to find a more impartial and objective third party as a judge."

"Who's the third party? That little girl?" The ragdoll cat licked off the foam from its face and turned to look at Liliem.

Her heart tightened, but thankfully Ma Lu still had some integrity and didn't sell her out. Hearing this, she said,

"We can go together across the street to find Boss Wang; he's drunk many beverages and is a beverage expert. He will surely be able to give an accurate and fair evaluation."

Boss Wang is the owner of Love Home Grocery, his name is Wang Feng, and he can sing "Blooming Life." Unfortunately, he's not good at it, and no one invites him to be a coach.

His grocery store had been here for over a decade, mainly catering to the nearby communities.

After the Universe Infinite Canteen opened, it became incredibly popular and brought in a wave of new customers, which in turn improved the business for many nearby stores.

Among them, Wang Feng's Love Home Grocery benefited the most.

Not to mention anything else, the dozen sets of plastic tables and chairs Wang Feng had purchased six months ago were a rare misjudgment. So far, he had sold less than four sets, and the rest took up space in the store.

At this rate, Wang Feng reckoned it would take him two years to sell them all; however, on the opening day of Universe Infinite Canteen, they had snapped up all his stock of tables and chairs.

Wang Feng even regretted not stocking more and considered driving to the wholesale market overnight.

But Ma Lu soon came back to him, not only returning the sold tables and chairs but also enthusiastically instructing him on recycling and reusing them.

Since then, Wang Feng sold tables and chairs and added an 80% buy-back service.

Now, patrons of Universe Infinite Canteen only had to spend two to three yuan for a seat, saving quite a bit of money compared to before.

And Wang Feng didn't have to restock anymore, saved on costs, and by selling a table multiple times, he achieved a recycling loop, making money while doing practically nothing.

More importantly, both parties contributed to the environmental cause, reducing global carbon emissions.

It was a win-win-win situation, and Wang Feng had great respect for Ma Lu for coming up with the idea.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As soon as he saw Ma Lu come in, he didn't bother with the edge-skirting video anymore and immediately put down his phone, stood up, and greeted him warmly.

"Boss Ma, what brings you here today? Looking to sell something?"

"Not selling today..." Ma Lu began to say, but then, seeing the stuffed cat at his feet gazing longingly at the cigarette shelf behind Wang Feng, changed his mind and continued, "Give me a pack of Yuxi."

"Sure, 23 yuan." Wang Feng turned to get the cigarettes.

"And a lighter, please. How much is it?"

"We're neighbors; the lighter is on me." Wang Feng then fished a plastic lighter out of the table drawer.

After scanning the code to pay, Ma Lu said to Wang Feng, "By the way, there's another thing, Boss Wang. Our store has developed a new beverage and we're looking for people to taste it. Do you have time?"

"Of course, I have time," Wang Feng replied, his interest piqued, "I love beverages the most. Where's your drink?"

Ma Lu placed the cup filled with an unknown liquid in front of Wang Feng. He was about to introduce it when the latter grabbed and gulped it down without a second thought.

"Um..."

"Delicious," Wang Feng set down the cup and praised.

"Really?"

"Really, this is the best drink I've ever had in my life. It tastes a bit like beer, but the malt flavor is much stronger than regular beer, and there's a creamy, buttery richness to it that's very special."

Wang Feng smacked his lips, savoring the aftertaste, "The most amazing part is it doesn't have the bitterness of ordinary beer, making you want to drink more. What's this drink called?"

"Um... Cat Pee Beer?"

Wang Feng paused, then burst into laughter, "Boss Ma, you're quite the joker. Is this name inspired by that what, Civet Coffee?"

"Something like that."

"I used to wonder why your restaurant is so successful. Now I get it; even the beverages are given such attention to detail. Other small eateries on this street just sell wholesale, ready-made drinks, but you even develop your drinks in-house. That's really meticulous." Wang Feng remarked with emotion.