Chapter 700: Chapter 699: Appetizing Complimentary Soup

Ideals are enchanting, yet reality is quite stark.

Servants and graduates ascended the mountain with Xia Yu, and although it was the scheduled opening time of 6 PM, a full quarter hour later, not a single customer had shown up at the mountaintop restaurant.

The graduates were either chatting or scrolling through their phones at the tables on the first floor.

Finally, Shigong Xiaoci Lang, who had been observing the scene, couldn’t help but stand up and walk over to the outdoor kitchen in the center of the Skywell.

He watched as Xia Yu bustled about non-stop during that quarter hour and asked,

“What are you busy with if no customers are ordering?”

Xia Yu looked up.

“Preparing!”

He replied with a smile, “Some dishes on the menu are quite complex; it’s always good to have things ready in advance!”

In front of him were ten identical pots, each wafting a rich aroma.

It was the sauce for Mapo Tofu!

“Click!”

Shutting off the valve, Hozoi Midori, who was waiting nearby, placed ten white ceramic plates down, and Xia Yu one by one picked up the pots and poured, whoosh, the red sauce into these plates.

Yuchuan Meisha and her sister, Yuchuan Ayaka, then brought over some quaint wooden food boxes, placed the plates inside them, and it appeared charcoal was burned beneath the hidden compartments, as a charcoal scent wafted out.

It was a simple insulation measure.

A while later,

“Didn’t you advertise?” Shigong Xiaoci Lang asked again, glancing towards the empty stone stairway where, under the setting sun, the street lamps lit up prematurely, illuminating the path from the mountain top all the way down to the High Platform Area.

The view was wide open, yet still no customers in sight!

“Advertise?” Xia Yu shook his head.

Shigong Xiaoci Lang chuckled in disbelief, amusement in his tone, “Chef Xia, don’t tell me you think that opening so inconspicuously, customers will pinpoint this location as if they had ears catching the wind, without needing any advertisement?”

“A hidden gem fears the secluded alley; in this era, advertising is necessary!”

“Exactly! Advertising is essential!”

Xia Yu followed his words.

Shigong Xiaoci Lang saw the smile on his face and immediately shut his mouth.

It seemed that the young chef was already prepared.

In fact, Xia Yu wasn’t foolish; opening a restaurant in such a remote location without any publicity was indeed a guaranteed failure, not to mention reaching any sales targets.

Down the mountain, in the High Platform Area.

As the crowd from the Central and Corridor Areas dispersed, the patronage in the High Platform Area was still uninterrupted, with a stream of small cars heading this way, visible from the packed car and bus parking lot, reflecting the restaurant’s flow of customers.

“This is Si Yingshi’s restaurant, right?”

Known as the “Curry Princesses” in the Japanese Food Industry, the two sisters, Chitben Orin and Chiben Natsuka, dressed in formal dinner attire, chose to dine here.

They had made a reservation in advance but just as they were about to enter, they bumped into a silver-haired young man hurrying out.

Si Yingshi was in a rush.

“Hey!”

Seeing the Outstanding Chief not even greeting them, Chiben Natsuka called out discontentedly, “What are you off to do?”

“Ah…” Hearing her, he stopped in his tracks, looked back to see who it was, and immediately bowed in apology, “Respected ladies, please go in and take your seats first, I’m off to complete a task assigned by a teacher, I’ll be back soon!”

The two women noticed the bunch of colorful flyers tightly clutched in the Chief’s hand.

Chiben Natsuka didn’t say much more, pulling out a flyer, which Si Yingshi did not resist, “What is this?”

Hmm?

Both sisters’ eyes narrowed at the same time.

The flyer was a typical restaurant flyer, depicting a mountainous building as the backdrop and inclusive of a chibi caricature of a young chef:

“Xia’s Chinese Restaurant grand opening!”

“Dine with this coupon and enjoy priority seating and a 10% discount!”

“Address: 100 meters north of the Far Moon School District, in the High Platform Area.”

This was the information on the front.

On the back, however, were two menus:

“Standard version (12 dishes): ‘Soul-Calming Noodles,’ ‘Galaxy Noodles,’ ‘Fierce Ice Fresh Carving Mountain,’ ‘Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu,’ ‘Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove Tofu Carving,’ ‘Extreme Spicy Black Curry Rice’…”

“Exclusive version (12 dishes): ‘Jile Four Gods Porridge,’ ‘Gold and Jade·Simple Version,’ ‘Cattle, Pig & Bird Blood Sausage,’ ‘Golden Smile,’ ‘Four Divine Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Suppressing Dumplings,’ ‘Ultimate Giant Panda Magic Tofu’…”

They weren’t entirely sure before, but upon glimpsing these two menus, the Chiben sisters were dumbfounded for a long while.

“Lord Si!”

Chiben Natsuka, incredulous, her voice trembling, “Is this, is this really a promotional dining coupon for Chef Xia’s restaurant?”

“Yes, the teacher tasked me with distributing these hundred flyers.”

Si Yingshi scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed—having an Outstanding Chief distribute flyers was indeed a bit humiliating.

But the other members of the Outstanding Ten were likely busy too.

With this thought, Si Yingshi felt reassured.

“Tap tap tap…”

The sound of hurried footsteps.

In a blink, the Chiben sisters had sprinted off, their gown and high heels hardly suitable for running, yet they somehow managed to dash with the speed of athletes.

“Just as I thought!” Si Yingshi himself pulled out a flyer, looking at the two menus on the back, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Many dishes were being revealed for the first time.

With classic dishes from the Sapporo competition already alluring enough, the addition of many other delicacies that the outside world was already drooling over, like the ‘Jile Four Gods Porridge’ which appeared briefly during the summer top-rank evaluation…

He was tempted.

“I want to go too!” Si Yingshi secretly exclaimed, but then looking back at his own restaurant, he shook his head and forcibly suppressed his craving, “No, the restaurant needs me!”

…

A while after the 6 PM opening, the sound of footsteps finally traveled up the stairway.

Waiting at the stairway entrance, the two Tiqie Mansion maids in charge of welcoming bowed low, “Welcome!”

The Chiben sisters ran all the way to the front of the six-story pagoda.

“Is this the place?”

“Quick, let’s go in!”

The two of them barely caught their breath before rushing inside.

Whoosh—

Upon entering, their view expanded into a circular interior that resembled a Tulou building; in the center, there was a skywell furnished with a kitchen counter, charcoal stove, and bellows.

“Welcome!”

Hearing the greeting, Xia Yu stopped what he was doing and turned to greet the two familiar faces standing at the door.

A maid came over to lead the Chiben sisters to a seat on the inner side of the first floor.

“Please enjoy!”

Another maid brought over a tray, presenting them with two lacquered bowls.

These weren’t just any beverages but rather two bowls of soup, dense in color. According to Western banquet standards, this wasn’t typical for an appetizer, but Xia Yu had his own sequence of serving, unconcerned about conventional rules.

“This is complimentary!” Xia Yu approached, placed his hands on the first floor’s railing, and winked at them.

“A complimentary…appetizer soup?”

The Chiben sisters exchanged glances.

Complimentary items are often considered lower in quality.

Chiben Natsuka frowned slightly, discontented, “I don’t want any complimentary items, nor do I plan to eat it. Let’s order directly—bring out the best dishes on your menu!”

Bang!

She slammed the dining voucher on the table, pointing to the menu on the back, she gasped out, “I want to order—”

“Stop!”

Xia Yu waved his hand to interrupt, “First try the soup, then we can discuss the menu. I have some rules for ordering; I will explain them in a bit.”

His tone allowed no question.

Chiben Natsuka glared at him, “Since it’s complimentary, I can choose not to eat it!”

“Just take the order, I want the main course! The main course!”

She pounded on the table, expressing her impatient emotions.

“Here, you must follow my rules,” Xia Yu stated calmly, arms folded.

“Sister!”

Chiben Orin called out softly, setting an example by nodding smilingly at Xia Yu and then gently holding the small lacquered bowl. As the scent of the soup hit her nose, her expression changed.

“It seems, quite exceptional!”

She murmured.

Gulp!

Her rosy lips touched the edge of the bowl, and she took a small sip. The taste of freshness flooded her mouth, producing a joyful hum from her nose; she felt surrounded by shrimp, clams, and mussels as if deep in the ocean, with seaweed binding her limbs.

A flagfish broke the surface, gently bumping into her exposed smooth backbone, eliciting a comfortable moan.

Her eyes shone with surprise; unable to resist, she took a few more sips, feeling warmth spread throughout her body.

As the flavor of the ocean merged in her mouth.

Suddenly, Chiben Orin’s eyes widened in shock as she saw a large, slimy tentacle emerge from the deep dark sea, wrapping around her tightly.

“Boom!”

The tentacle pulled her into the deep sea.

At that moment, a bowl of hot soup warmed her body, the heat circulating within, yet Chiben Orin’s face showed no tranquility; instead, her eyes emitted a tangible light of appetite.

“I want to eat—” she murmured anxiously, “Right now, my stomach feels like it could hold an entire ocean!”

Seeing this, Chiben Natsuka also drank the seafood soup.

“How about it, are you satisfied with the complimentary item?” Xia Yu asked with a smile.

“Another bowl, please!”

Chiben Natsuka’s eyes were filled with a fierce hunger, staring intently at him, her beautiful eyes flickering with intense desire—

Please don’t misunderstand; this is the craving to eat.

“I can pay, a million! Just one more bowl is enough!”

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu spread his hands, “No more, every customer only gets one bowl. Be careful, too much appetite can consume you!”

“Dammit!”

The temperamental tyrannical female CEO slammed her fist on the table, displaying none of the etiquette expected from a refined lady; her agitated, hungry demeanor completely dominated by appetite.

“Then I want to order—”

She again pointed to the exclusive menu on the dining voucher, but she was interrupted once more.

The sound of hurried footsteps grew closer.

“Chef Xia, Chef Xia!”

“Is this really the Xia’s Chinese Restaurant managed by Chef Xia?”

“Just go in and see!”

The noisy voices shattered the mountain’s tranquility.

This is bad!

The Chiben sisters exclaimed in unison, “Chef Xia, we’d like to order first, please serve us the dishes first!”

“No problem!”

Xia Yu turned away; coincidentally, a crowd flowed in through the wide-open door, their excited cheers echoing, “We want to order!”

Servants dispatched from Tiqie Mansion swiftly got to work and began attending to guests.

Within just a few minutes, both the first and second floors of the restaurant were abuzz with activity.

“Chef Shigong, thank you for your help.” Xia Yu placed the last dish on the tray; it was a meal for the Chiben sisters’ table, a total of six dishes. His ordering rules were simple: one person could order up to three dishes, and the Chiben sisters had each chosen different ones.

Shigong Xiaoci Lang listened to the echoing sounds within the building.

The hungry, desiring atmosphere deeply impressed him.

Just a single appetizer soup had dominated the guests’ appetites. Shigong had no doubt that, without ordering limits, the avid diners would gorge themselves until their stomachs burst.

“Impressive!”