Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Chapter 109 is hard to swallow.

Diners weren't particularly interested in Duofu Restaurant, which was opposite Zhiweixuan.

They all came specifically for Shen Qing, and more importantly, they were all well-off, so the slogan of "cheap and plentiful" was simply not attractive to them.

However, some people were drawn to the words "pickled radish".

"If you can't get Shen Niangzi's pickled radishes, why not try this place's?"

"That's right, I'm really craving it. Even if it doesn't taste as good as what's in Madam Shen's shop, at least it will satisfy my craving."

"..."

A few people entered Duofu Restaurant.

Qian Duofu was all smiles. Although only a small number of people entered the restaurant, it was still better than his previous restaurant.

"Sir, what would you like to eat? Our food is reasonably priced, please order whatever you like."

He eagerly laid out his menu in front of the guests.

The customer didn't even look at it, and said directly, "Bring me a serving of pickled radish!"

"Sir, what would you like to order? The pickled radish is complimentary."

"I don't want anything else, just sell me a serving of pickled radish." The customer clearly only wanted the pickled radish.

Qian Duofu frowned, and after a long pause, said, "Oh, I see. Then I'll treat you to today's pickled radish. Be sure to come over another time if you'd like to eat it!"

Since it's just opened, it's good to attract customers so that business will be easier in the future.

After saying that, he ran to another table to order food.

To everyone's surprise, the customers at that table also said, "I'd like a serving of pickled radish."

"Wouldn't you like anything else?"

"don't want."

"...Then I'll give you the pickled radish for free..."

Next table.

"A serving of pickled radish!"

"Free pickled radishes..."

The same conversation happened four or five times, and Qian Duofu was completely dumbfounded. By the time he reached the next table, he knew how to do it all by himself.

"You want pickled radish too, right?" His voice was gloomy, clearly showing his displeasure.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"It's free for you..."

"Shopkeeper, you're so kind!"

Qian Duofu was speechless. After all that, it turned out that all these people had come here to eat pickled radishes.

I don't know what's so delicious about pickled radishes.

He had a long face and was very unhappy.

But I still had to serve the pickled radish on the table.

The entire small bowl was piled up like a small mountain; it was quite a large portion.

Qian Duofu sighed. Oh well, it's just a few big radishes. As long as these customers remember the good things about Duofu Restaurant, the business will definitely flourish in the future.

Just as I was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang out:

"What is this?! It tastes awful!!"

One customer spat out the radish from his mouth, his brows furrowed tightly, as if he had been hurt.

"No wonder it was free! This radish is sour and bitter, with a harsh, unpleasant spiciness—it's awful!"

Qian Duofu suddenly became furious: "This is a free snack, I didn't charge you anything. Besides, this is how pickled radishes taste, don't be ungrateful!"

"I wouldn't eat your pickled radish even if you paid me. It can't compare to Madam Shen's pickled radish at all. You really can't have high expectations of street vendors!"

After saying that, the guest stopped arguing, put down his chopsticks, and left.

Qian Duofu was completely dumbfounded, and his face turned red with anger.

Pickled radishes always taste the same, sour and unpleasant. This person is really going too far!

"My restaurant doesn't welcome customers like you!!" He chased after him to the door and shouted at the top of his lungs.

I didn't expect to encounter such a troublemaker, but thankfully the other guests were all fine.

Just as he was thinking this, he turned around and saw another customer also spit out the pickled radish.

"It's hard to swallow, it's hard to swallow!!"

Before Qian Duofu could react, another customer stood up: "This is awful! It's a complete waste of radishes."

"Pickled radishes, oh, I miss Lady Shen's pickled radishes so much~"

"I knew I shouldn't have come in!"

"This is not as good as the wonton shop next to Zhiweixuan. Their wontons can satisfy your craving."

"..."

Disappointed diners poured out of Duofu Restaurant.

Qian Duofu was dumbfounded. It was just a pickled radish, what could be so different about it?

And that wonton shop, why is its business so good?

Qian Duofu hurriedly grabbed a customer's sleeve and asked, "What's so good about the wontons? Why don't you try some of the other dishes in my shop?"

"Aunt Wang's wontons are no ordinary ones; they were made under the guidance of Madam Shen."

The diner waved his hand, giving him an expression that said, "You don't understand."

He then pulled out his sleeve and headed straight for the wonton shop across the street.

Qian Duofu was stunned. Good heavens, after all that effort, renting a shop and hiring a lion dance troupe, he hadn't made a single penny and had even lost the equivalent of a few radishes' worth of money.

He was incredibly unlucky!

"That wonton shop...was it guided by Madam Shen?"

"In that case? What if I go and ask them for advice..."

With a quick thought, Qian Duofu instantly came up with an idea.

That's right! As long as he gets some guidance from Madam Shen, Duofu Restaurant's business will be fine!

There will be plenty of hard-earned money then.

Qian Duofu became more and more excited as he thought about it. He rushed out the door, only to find that Zhiweixuan was already closed when he arrived.

Not only was the door closed, but there was also a sign hanging at the entrance.

Upon closer inspection, wow, the sign said it would be closed for two days.

"This Lady Shen is too willful! Why is she taking a break when she has so much money to be made?"

"Is she just not interested in money? I'd love to be the one earning it!"

Qian Duofu sighed, sighing again and again.

There's nothing we can do but try again tomorrow. Maybe we'll get some business if Zhiweixuan is closed tomorrow.

He returned to his shop dejectedly.

......

Shen Qing returned home, packed her things, and then eagerly opened the system to settle the account.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, you have successfully completed this week's stinky tofu sales task!]

[Ding—Shop reputation increased by 20 points. The shop's total reputation is currently 50 points. Reaching 100 points will unlock the achievement of being renowned throughout the county.]

[Ding—Please select a random dish for next week.]

The system screen flickered rapidly, and after the image froze, the system's voice sounded again:

[Ding—Next week's random food selection has been chosen: Deluxe Instant Noodles!]

Instant noodles?

Deluxe instant noodles?

She never expected that next week's random food would be instant noodles.

That's quite a range, really random.

"What flavor is the instant noodles?" she couldn't help but ask.

Instant noodles also come in different flavors, such as spicy beef noodles, pickled cabbage noodles, and shrimp and fish cake noodles.

To make a deluxe version of instant noodles, you naturally need to match different soup bases and ingredients according to different tastes.

[Ding—Instant noodle flavor will be randomly selected daily.]

Well, it really is strangely random.