My Exclusive Dream World Adventures

Chapter 99: 099 Fifty copies
 

Swoosh.

Chen Xu pulled down the rolling shutter door, flipped the switch, and the LED light hanging from the eaves came on, illuminating the open space in front of the door clearly visible.

“Alright, today’s goal is to break even.”

Wrapped in a red down jacket, Chen Ziqi exhaled a puff of white breath, clasping her hands together. After saying that, she went to move tables and chairs out, placing them on the open space in front.

Today was the noodle shop’s third day of business. The first day saw six customers with a turnover of ninety yuan. The second day had eight customers, with a turnover of a hundred and fifty, the extra thirty yuan coming from the newly introduced tea eggs, priced at two fifty each—it was ridiculously expensive.

Upon learning the pricing of the tea eggs, she discarded her previous speculation. Chen Xu’s profit margin was definitely more than a hundred percent. The cost of one egg was at most fifty cents, factoring in various seasonings and gas expenses, it would cost no more than seventy or eighty cents. Selling them for two fifty yuan, the profit margin surpassed three hundred percent.

With a scientific attitude, she specially checked Chen Xu’s shopping receipts. They showed that the noodles he used were twenty yuan for a box, with a net weight of 2.5 kilograms, containing thirty noodle cakes in total.

Figuring this out, the cost of a bowl of noodles was absurdly low.

Discovering this truth, she felt that her concern for him was superfluous. Theoretically, as long as turnover reached two hundred yuan, he definitely wouldn’t make a loss.

Of course, it still didn’t seem worth it; the two of them might as well have been working for free.

“Eh, it’s you again.”

Just as Chen Ziqi finished setting up the tables and chairs, she saw the man who had waited for them to open the door yesterday, and this time, he brought his girlfriend.

It was Yanqing. He said to Liu Bing, “See, I wasn’t lying to you. This noodle shop only opens for the late-night crowd, not until the evening.”

Liu Bing exclaimed with surprise, “So there really are such odd noodle shops, huh.”

“Humph.”

Chen Ziqi cleared her throat loudly, indicating she had heard their conversation, and came forward to ask, “What would you like to eat?”

Yanqing couldn’t help but retort, “Is there anything else here?”

“Look over there, the latest product our store has introduced—tea eggs, as well as seafood noodles,” Chen Ziqi said, pointing to the wall.

Yanqing and his partner looked over and saw a small blackboard with three items written in chalk and their prices listed beside them—signature pork noodles, fifteen yuan for a medium bowl, twenty for a large. Seafood noodles, twenty yuan for a medium bowl and twenty-five for large.

He asked, “You have large bowls too?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Chen Ziqi blinked and answered, “You didn’t ask before.”

Yanqing was somewhat speechless, “I’ve never seen anyone do business quite like you.”

“So, are you going to eat or not?”

Yanqing swore that if it weren’t for his girlfriend holding onto him, he would have turned around and left. To endure such treatment just for a bowl of noodles?

“Miss, two large bowls of the pork noodles, please,” Liu Bing said, and then she pulled him to sit in a spot sheltered from the wind.

Damn, so this is what it feels like to sass someone. Especially seeing how they have to swallow their pride and not dare to retort. Amazing.

She lit up with the look of someone discovering a new realm.

The noodles were brought out soon after.

It was Yanqing’s third visit, and he was finally going to taste the shop’s noodles. He was somewhat excited, not that he was eager to eat them, but purely out of curiosity—as to why his girlfriend loved such bland-looking noodles.

When the bowl of noodles was placed before him, he couldn’t help but want to comment, “This is a large bowl? Isn’t it the same size as the medium one from last time?”

“The noodle portion is increased, and there’s an extra slice of meat. More value for your money,” Chen Ziqi replied.

“Shouldn’t you at least use a larger bowl?”

“Good idea,” Chen Ziqi said, and with that, walked away.

Listening to her dismissive tone, Yanqing felt an almost irresistible urge to flip the table. What kind of service was this?

Across from him, Liu Bing had already started eating, visibly enjoying each bite, which made him swallow his frustration once again. No matter what, the most important thing was that his girlfriend was satisfied and full.

He looked at the bowl of noodles before him, picked it up, and took a sip of the broth. His expression subtly changed.

Objectively speaking, it was delicious, akin to fresh chicken soup but lighter, which instantly whetted the appetite.

Under these circumstances, selling a bowl of noodles for fifteen yuan really wasn’t too expensive.

He picked up his chopsticks and tried the noodles; they weren’t as bad as he had imagined. Accompanied by the soup, they really tasted good.

“Boss, do you have any chili pepper?” he asked after a few bites, having found the flavor to his liking.

“No,” Chen Ziqi replied without looking up.

“Huh?” Yanqing initially wanted to say something else but, sensing the situation, wisely shut his mouth. Even without chili pepper, it was palatable.

……

Time ticked past eleven, and Chen Ziqi, yawning, eyed the bustling barbecue stand next door, then glanced back at her own empty shop, pouting and muttering, “What’s so great about barbecue? These people don’t know what’s good for them. Our noodles are so fantastic.”

Chen Xu, who had been looking at his phone by the doorway, looked up, blew on his hands for warmth, and said, “It’s too cold today, let’s close up early.”

Chen Ziqi shook her head, “No, we’re only fifty yuan from breaking even. If we stay open a little longer, someone will definitely come.”

As she spoke, a man walked in.

“See,” Chen Ziqi leapt up with excitement, “Hello, what would you like?”

The man, about thirty years old with a round face, was bundled up tight. He glanced at the small blackboard and said, “I’ll have a medium bowl of the pork noodles.”

“Alright, coming right up,” Chen Ziqi responded with a sweet smile and scurried off to the kitchen.

In a moment, she came back out with the noodles, “Here’s your order, enjoy.”

The man looked at the bowl of noodles, and just by his expression, Chen Ziqi could tell he was a picky customer.

The man observed it for a few seconds, picked up his chopsticks, and didn’t eat right away. Instead, he watched the noodles for a couple of seconds and gently broke them with a little force. Then, he put down the chopsticks, lifted the bowl, sniffed it, and finally tasted the broth.

He closed his eyes as if savoring the taste, and his initially indifferent face showed a marked change.

Chen Ziqi, standing beside him, was dumbfounded. What was going on here?

Could he possibly be looking for trouble?

“Boss!”

The man opened his eyes, which were shockingly bright. He set down the bowl and yelled out.

“What do you want to do?”

Chen Ziqi, mistaking him for a troublemaker, was on the alert.

Then the man said firmly, “Pack fifty of these noodles to go.”

“Eh?”

Chen Ziqi was stupefied.

Pack up, fifty orders?

Did she hear that right?

What on earth was happening?