Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 90: Watching the Shop

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

“I think that werewolf is just messing with us, trying to use this as an excuse to eat and drink for free,” Ma Lu complained to Old Wang during their afternoon food stall shift.

However, Old Wang had a different opinion this time.

“He’s right. Creating dishes that move the diner is indeed the responsibility of a cosmic chef. I actually wanted to tell you this last time: higher-star dishes aren’t necessarily better.”

“Huh? But high-star dishes are definitely tastier than low-star ones,” Ma Lu said, rubbing his chin.

“The taste rating is just a reference, a general evaluation metric. But people’s food preferences are actually quite diverse.”

“I get that. It’s like how some people like spicy food, some like sweet, some regions have lighter flavors, and some go heavy on oil and salt, right?”

“Exactly,” Old Wang nodded.

“But that werewolf never told us what flavors he likes beforehand. I still think he just wants to freeload.”

Ma Lu handed a packaged Earth Dragon Roujiamo to a young associate professor sporting the same balding hairstyle as Old Wang, who was standing at the snack stall.

This dish was rated one star lower than the Flame-Hearted Earth Dragon Stuffed Orange, mainly because the latter took more steps to prepare, required a longer cooking time, and used the Lava Giant Lizard’s second stomach—a rare ingredient that they were running low on, making it unsuitable for the food stall.

Thus, Ma Lu had designated the 【Earth Dragon Roujiamo】 as the dish of the day.

(Translator's Note: Roujiamo is a street food originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province and widely consumed all over China. In the United States, it is sometimes called a Chinese hamburger.)

Old Wang fished another piece of braised meat from the pot, sliced the tender, fragrant Earth Dragon meat, added a spoonful of broth, and placed it inside a golden, crispy bun fresh from the oven. He continued,

“No, even if we knew his taste, it would only help us further satisfy him. But as he clearly stated, what he wants isn’t just satisfaction but to be moved.”

“Is there a difference?” Ma Lu wrapped the bun in parchment paper and handed it to the next customer.

“Satisfaction can be achieved by simply being tasty enough, but to move someone, it requires sincerity.”

“Sincerity?” Ma Lu frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Simply put, it means customizing a dish specifically for the diner, considering their species, life experiences, or special emotional states during special moments,” Old Wang explained. “This is one of the basics for a cosmic chef. If my sector wasn’t damaged and the data was intact, it would be easy to accomplish. But now…”

“I get it,” Ma Lu snapped his fingers. “So the dish we choose needs to have a connection with the werewolf, right?

“It’s like what movie buffs often say: it’s not the movie that moves you, but the familiar life behind it.”

“Yeah, that’s basically it.”

“Then I think I have a direction…” Ma Lu said, continuing to wrap and hand out three more Earth Dragon Roujiamos.

During this time, he even took a photo with a girl dressed in Hanfu who had come specifically to try their food.

Since Universe’s Best Snack Stall became popular, such requests had increased. As long as it didn’t interrupt business, Ma Lu didn’t mind; after all, despite the shared name, he wasn’t the one running the streets.

(Translator's Note: The MC’s name is 马陆 which sounds like 马路 which means street/road)

As for more personalized services, like one-on-one photoshoots or exclusive interviews, those were available for an extra fee.

These days, diversified business models are all the rage. If Ma Lu didn’t have too many unspeakable secrets, he would’ve started live streaming by now to ride the wave of popularity.

In fact, an MCN company had approached him recently, and out of curiosity, Ma Lu skimmed through the contract they offered. He couldn’t help but think that even the slaves in 18th-century American sugar plantations might have had it slightly better.

After all, slave owners at least had to provide food, shelter, and sometimes even arrange marriages for their slaves, while most MCN companies are basically trying to profit without investing anything.

Not only do they take a cut, but they also swallow account ownership and advertising rights, and they don’t even offer a base salary. They lure people in with promises of "professional training" and "traffic support," but in reality, they just leave the contracted streamers to fend for themselves.

At most, they might throw some training materials scraped off the internet for self-study, buy some fake followers to like and comment, and call it a day.

The rest is just a gamble—sign enough people, and some are bound to hit it big. That’s when these MCN companies start leeching off them.

What? You realized it’s unfair and want to terminate the contract? Sorry, the hefty breach of contract fee is waiting for you.

...

Since Ma Lu had made a detour to Jin Xin Hardware earlier, Universe’s Best Snack Stall opened later than usual today, and it wasn’t until nearly 7 p.m. that they sold all 1,000 Earth Dragon Roujiamos.

Priced at 23 each, the total income was 23,020, with an extra 20 earned from taking photos. The cost was 211.6, leaving a profit of 22,808.4—successfully breaking the 20,000 mark!

Without a second thought, Ma Lu pulled out his phone and immediately ordered the rowing machine, but he didn’t head home right away because he had an appointment later to check out a shop.

Since deciding to open a store, he had been scouting locations everywhere, having already viewed over forty properties, each with its own set of issues.

The shop Ma Lu was checking out this time was not far from Civil Aviation University, just 1.4 kilometers according to Gaode Maps, situated on a side road between three residential communities—a typical neighborhood store.

The listing had just been posted less than 24 hours ago when Ma Lu found it online two days earlier.

He contacted the person who posted the ad to get more information.

The space was previously a hotpot restaurant that reportedly did well, but the owner had family issues and didn’t renew the lease when it expired.

The total area was 90 square meters, a bit larger than Ma Lu had planned.

But that’s how it goes when looking for a shop—finding the perfect fit is rare, so if it seems close, it’s worth taking a look, especially since it doesn’t cost anything. Ma Lu made an appointment to see the place.

They arrived just in time.

Ma Lu rode his tricycle, taking Old Wang along, and they reached the location in under seven minutes.

They found the hotpot restaurant named Wang’s Copper Pot Hotpot between a massage clinic and a tobacco and liquor store.

The lights were on inside, and a white Mercedes GLC was parked out front.

Ma Lu parked his tricycle in front of the GLC, and just as they got off, a middle-aged woman with a modern hairstyle and carrying an LV bag stepped out of the store, shouting at them and Old Wang.

“Hey, hey, hey, you can’t park here!”

Ma Lu pointed at the white Mercedes, “But isn’t this car parked here?”

“This is our store; our car can obviously park here.”

“I’m here to look at the shop.”

The middle-aged woman glanced suspiciously at Ma Lu and Old Wang.

“You must be Ms. Chen. I spoke with you on the phone,” Ma Lu said calmly.

“Oh, so you’re that Little Ma from the other day.”

The middle-aged woman suddenly seemed to recall but still didn’t invite Ma Lu and Old Wang inside immediately. Instead, she added,

“Let me be clear first, the rent here has always been 17,000 a month, not a penny less. I’m not desperate to rent it out; in fact, Boss Zhang is coming over to see it later too.”

Previous

Next