Chapter 345: Not Even Worthy of Eating Her Leftovers

Shen Lu smiled. "Of course, not every table gets this kind of treatment."

Hearing this made Xue Can feel incredibly pleased.

Shen Lu then asked how the food tasted and if there was anything that needed improvement.

Everyone, of course, said it was great, and it truly was. With top-quality ingredients and meticulous cooking, it would have been strange if it tasted bad.

Before leaving, Xue Can settled the bill.

The meal came to nearly 5,000 Star Coins, and that was after Shen Lu had given them a discount.

It was certainly expensive, but considering the food could heal and soothe one’s Spiritual Sea, a mere 5,000 Star Coins was actually far too cheap.

After all, a single treatment session at a hospital cost tens of thousands, and that was just for one person.

Averaged out, this meal was less than 500 Star Coins per person. When you looked at it that way, they were the ones getting a bargain.

The moment the payment went through, Shen Lu clearly saw her weekly mission progress change from 0 to 10.

’Yes!’

’Looks like I was right. Even customers I find myself count.’

’As long as they eat the food and pay for it, the transaction is considered complete.’

Shen Lu let out a long sigh of relief. ’This clever girl managed to spot the bug.’ With only one day left until the deadline, Shen Lu immediately sent a message to Xue Can, inviting him to come for lunch again tomorrow. Just like today, she would provide car service.

This time, however, he had to bring more people—at least 20.

Xue Can was happy but also felt for Shen Lu, "20 people? Isn’t that too many? You’ll be exhausted."

Shen Lu: "I won’t be tired. This is also an experiment for me so I can make adjustments based on the actual situation. So don’t worry, just bring them over. And please, make sure it’s no fewer than 20 people."

If there were any fewer, she wouldn’t complete her weekly mission, and there would be a penalty.

After finalizing tomorrow’s plans, Shen Lu went to eat her lunch, humming a little tune.

The food was ready. There was still a lot of the braised beef brisket and stewed beef steak left over, and Shu Meng stir-fried some vegetables to go with them. With a full spread of five dishes, everyone ate with great satisfaction.

Shen Lu filled a plate with food and took it to the iron-sheet house.

Yang Jing had been awake for two days and could eat something with more flavor. Shen Lu plated some braised beef brisket and two kinds of vegetables, creating a balanced and nutritious meal.

As soon as she entered the house, Shen Lu instinctively held her breath.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t a Superpower User, so she couldn’t hold it for long. After a few seconds, she had to breathe normally again.

Still, Liu Qiang had cleaned the house a bit, and the air smelled much fresher.

Smelling the fragrant beef, Liu Yaozu’s mouth started watering uncontrollably. His eyes were practically glued to the plate in Shen Lu’s hands.

"Sister, Sister!"

He called out to Shen Lu desperately, "Let me have a bite, just one bite, please?"

The past two days had been torture for him, driven mad by the delicious smells.

If Shen Lu hadn’t come to deliver food, his craving might not have been so intense.

But Shen Lu came every day, bringing a different variety of dishes each time. And today, she’d brought fragrant braised beef brisket. How could he possibly resist? How was he supposed to control himself?

Shen Lu smiled. "If you were willing to work, Brother, I’d give you two bowls, let alone one bite."

Liu Yaozu retorted, unconvinced, "But she hasn’t been working either! Why does she get to eat every meal?"

"Mom worked diligently every day before, and the big boss saw it all. When he found out she was sick, he specially asked me to deliver these meals."

Shen Lu fabricated on the spot. "If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for not leaving a good impression on the big boss. The big boss hates slackers the most."

Liu Yaozu was at a loss for words, his defiant attitude deflating. "That’s not true... Sister, just sneak me a little bite. You don’t say anything, I don’t say anything, and no one will ever know."

A part of Liu Yaozu thought Shen Lu was lying to him—this whole "big boss" thing had to be made up. But at the same time, there was nothing he could do. Believing her or not didn’t change his situation, so he could only play along.

"How could I do that? I’m not one for deception," Shen Lu refused with a straight face.

A sarcastic smile touched the corner of Yang Jing’s mouth. She whispered to Shen Lu that she could eat by herself and didn’t need to be fed.

Shen Lu was happy to be saved the trouble and let Yang Jing eat on her own.

Yang Jing ate her meal, one bite at a time, keenly feeling two searing gazes upon her.

She didn’t need to look up to know who was watching.

A wave of satisfaction washed over Yang Jing.

Before, it was Liu Yaozu and Liu Qiang who ate while she was the one watching with longing eyes. Now, the tables had turned. She was the one eating, and they were the ones watching with longing eyes.

’This feeling really isn’t bad at all.’

In truth, Yang Jing couldn’t finish so much food. Having gone hungry for years, her appetite wasn’t large, but she still forced herself to eat every last bite.

She wanted to get better quickly, and she also didn’t want to leave any leftovers for Liu Qiang and his son.

’Those two don’t even deserve to eat my scraps.’

Carrying the empty bowl, Shen Lu returned to the kitchen. After a short rest, she took out thirty catties of beef shank, planning to braise all of it.

’If it doesn’t sell out tomorrow, I can always save it for myself. The braised meat from this Advanced recipe is just too delicious.’

Soon, the killer aroma of braised meat once again wafted from the kitchen.

Xiao Lang was watching TV in the dormitory. His little nose twitched a couple of times, and he sighed like a little adult, "Sister Shen is making braised meat again."

Sang Yue, who was sitting next to him, sniffed twice as well upon hearing him but didn’t smell any braised meat.

"Are you sure? I can’t smell anything."

Xiao Lang glanced at her. "I’m a Superpower User, Sister."

His awakened ability was an Olfactory Superpower, so of course he could smell things an ordinary person like Sang Yue couldn’t.

Sang Yue had been at the restaurant for some time, but she didn’t know the others very well, and no one had told her that Xiao Lang was a Superpower User.

Hearing this, she was very surprised and looked Xiao Lang up and down.

’This Little Douding is actually a Superpower User?’

"I won’t!" A loud wail erupted from Dormitory No. 2. "I want to go back! I miss my mommy!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Deng Xuan ran out, wiping her tears. Deng Ying, her face ashen, caught up to her younger sister and grabbed her arm.

"Xiao Xuan, what is wrong with you!"

Deng Xuan struggled, twisting her arm and crying, "Mommy, I want my mommy! I don’t want to live here anymore!"

A flicker of exhaustion and disappointment crossed Deng Ying’s eyes. She suddenly let go. "Fine. Then go back."

"I will go back! You’re not nice to me at all!" Deng Xuan’s lower lip trembled, and she tried to run outside again.

Seeing this, Sang Yue hurried forward to hold the child back. "How can you go outside in this situation? It’s too dangerous! Be good, Xiao Xuan. If you’re feeling wronged, you can tell me, okay?"

"Waaaah." Now that someone was comforting her, Deng Xuan cried even louder. "My sister is mean! She yelled at me!"

Deng Ying’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

’I’m mean?’

’I only said a few words to her, and this is how she treats me?’

Sang Yue was always impulsive. She instinctively sympathized with the underdog and, without trying to find out the truth, immediately started criticizing Deng Ying.

"Xiao Xuan is just a child. Can’t you talk to her nicely? Why did you have to yell at her?"

Deng Ying was already in a bad mood. Being lectured by an outsider who didn’t know the truth made her temper flare.

"What does this have to do with you? Do we need an outsider like you meddling in our family’s business?"