CHAPTER 698: CHAPTER 697: START (PART 2)

The next day.

At a little past eight in the morning, the Yuchuan sisters, Ayaka and Meisha, hurried back from beyond the shopping street, each pulling a suitcase.

"Phew—"

They dropped two suitcases full of clothes and daily necessities in front of the restaurant, without even pausing to wipe their sweat, rushed indoors, and just bumped into the young store manager who was coming down from the second floor with a suitcase in hand.

"Hmm, you’re both back?"

Ignoring the sisters’ slightly resentful looks, there was no helping it. To attract a big crowd at the "School Festival," a small team needed to be formed. Otherwise, with insufficient hands, Xia Yu had no choice but to summon the sisters traveling in Kanagawa Prefecture overnight.

The Yuchuan sisters both noticed the suitcase in Xia Yu’s hand.

This was a toolbox, not a suitcase.

"Boss Xia, what’s this?" Meisha asked in surprise.

"I’m working, what else would I have you come back for?"

Xia Yu chuckled.

"Working?"

Ayaka’s eyebrows knit slightly, "The plan was to reopen the small shop on December 10th, and there’s still a full week left!"

"Come with me and you’ll understand—"

Without further explanation, Xia Yu gestured to the sisters who had just put down their luggage; at that moment, a small van parked right outside the small shop, its driver rolled down the window and waved, "Get in!"

The driver was Ichise Hui.

Still quite baffled, the Yuchuan sisters were pulled into the car by Xia Yu. Before closing the door, Xia Yu shouted towards the faint silhouette inside the store, "Aunt Qing, could you please take care of their luggage?"

"No problem!"

A lazy voice responded.

Thus, the van started up, leaving the shopping street and speeding along the morning streets of Tokyo.

Inside the van.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Xia Yu asked.

Both sisters shook their heads.

"Here!"

Xia Yu handed a small bag to Meisha, "Eat something to fill your stomachs for now. Once we get to the campus, you can buy fresh, hot breakfast at many School Festival stalls."

A rich aroma of beans filled the space inside the vehicle.

In the rearview mirror, Ichise Hui looked astounded. He had eaten breakfast but was enticed by the unusual fragrance, taking deep breaths that even made his stomach cramp.

"Wow!"

Meisha saw small, whole black pancakes in the bag and immediately pulled out one, revealing her pearly teeth as she began to nibble on it. Barely in her mouth, she couldn’t help but take a bigger bite, and then a large bite, her pretty face contorting, "Delicious! So fragrant! Is this tofu lees cake? But why is it so tasty!"

Tears welled up in her large eyes, "Having such pancakes for breakfast makes me so happy!"

She cheered in a sweet voice.

Seeing this, Ayaka secretly swallowed and also took one unattractive black pancake, tearing off a bite and exclaimed in surprise, "This isn’t ordinary tofu lees... Fantasy Ingredients?"

"Did the IGO organization release some black Fantasy Soybean variety?" she pondered.

Compared to her sister, Ayaka was much more knowledgeable.

Her delicate tongue stirred in her mouth, drooling, a sweetness effortlessly piercing her heart with a strangely thrilling power.

"Black Fantasy Soybeans? Hmm, it’s a new crop from our farm, you’ll soon understand the truth!"

Xia Yu then chuckled lightly.

No wonder the Yuchuan sisters were surprised and shocked; they were out traveling and hadn’t been aware of his recent success in researching the "Great Magic Panda Tofu" recipe.

Interestingly.

"Great Magic Panda Tofu" was one of the main recipes he specially prepared for the "School Festival" stall.

For regular guests, he used ordinary tofu to make affordable versions.

For important guests, he used an advanced, perfected version with two types of Fantasy Soybeans, one white and one black, a striking contrast sure to captivate a slew of important guests and aggressively rake in money.

"Right!" Xia Yu, munching on a tofu lees cake, asked Ichise Hui at the driver’s seat, "Was that piece of land negotiated successfully?"

He and Ichise Hui had their eyes set on a piece of land outside the Far Moon Campus, which was located near Far Moon and not too remote. It was accessible by highway, so transportation was decent.

Ichise Hui shook her head, "The main issue is funding."

He glanced at the rearview mirror.

"At present, the farm does not have strong profitability. The funds in the development account are all from your personal wallet... those billions of yen..."

He didn’t finish his sentence.

Ah!

Xia Yu was also quite frustrated.

From April to the end of the year, half a year had passed. It seemed his culinary skills had improved by leaps and bounds, yet the little money in his pocket hadn’t rolled into a huge snowball.

For top special chefs, especially those about to venture into Qilin Realm, this was a significant life failure!

A mere few billion yen might seem a lot to ordinary people, but for Xia Yu, who wanted to step by step turn the kingdom of gourmet in his mind from a blueprint into an actual monopoly and consortium, describing it as "a drop in the bucket" would be an understatement.

"Keep this matter as confidential as possible, but keep in touch with the land seller... Give me a month to prepare the funds!" Xia Yu gritted his teeth.

Farm expansion was urgent, and securing funds was just the first step.

Ichise Hui nodded, though there was a hint of hesitancy in her eyes.

To the side, Yuchuan Ayaka’s eyes sparkled, seemingly brewing some clever ideas.

...

The business van drove straight into the High Platform Area and stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Nearby shops without students were relatively quiet.

A wide stone stairway leading to the mountaintop was barricaded and bore a sign:

No bystanders allowed.

Looking up from the base of the mountain, the scenic tower was imposing with its flying eaves and grand structure.

Xia Yu got out of the car and took the Yuchuan Sisters up the mountain.

Hozoi Midori was busy commanding people, arranging kitchen equipment, and turned her head as she heard footsteps.

"How are things?"

Xia Yu asked upon arrival.

"All the tables and chairs are arranged. The building has six floors, each with the same number of tables, and at the same time, it can accommodate a maximum of 180 rounds of guests."

As a scenic spot at a high point in the academy, the building was indeed spacious. Each floor had 30 tables, and the space still felt open, without the congested and narrow feel of a typical pub.

Inspecting each floor, Xia Yu was very satisfied. Each table had four chairs, and there were many wooden chairs neatly stacked below; extra seats could be added when there were more guests.

"This scale is much larger than our branch!"

Yuchuan Meisha’s eyes were filled with awe.

"Our Xia’s branch, at best, consists of only 10 private rooms based on a small and exquisite route," Xia Yu said with a smile. "But this building is a real Chinese Restaurant!"

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew.

The old-fashioned lanterns that hung on every floor swayed in the wind.

"Are these lanterns electric?" Xia Yu asked.

Hozoi Midori nodded, "These were all decorated by Miss Tiqie’s team."

Not just the lanterns.

When Xia Yu had just ascended to inspect the building, he noticed that each floor was also equipped with numerous utensils and calligraphy decorations. Thus, a previously vast and empty scenic tower was transformed into an elegant restaurant filled with Chinese ambiance.

"After dusk passes and we open the doors for guests, all these lanterns will light up, surely brightening the entire Far Moon Campus!"

Thinking this, even in the cold winter air, Xia Yu found that his whole being, from the inside out, was warming up.

This was his first public guest hosting since the competition.

It was time to test the so-called chef’s brand, to see just how many customers he could draw in.

Celebrity chef.

Culinary skill was one thing, but another standard was also crucial—

The ability to attract money!