Chapter 111: ‘(Specialty) Standard Restaurant’!
The three beverages each possessed distinct properties.
[Chrysanthemum, Goji Berry, and Tangerine Peel Tea (Gradually dispels internal dampness for 10 hours post-consumption; Mold Resistance increased by 20%)
Beverage Attribute: Positive Mood increased by 10% for 12 hours post-consumption. Suggested Retail Price: 3 City Coins (based on a 300 ml serving).]
[Ginger and Jujube Tea (Perceived body temperature increased by 2°C for 10 hours post-consumption, continuously driving out the chill.)
Beverage Attribute: … Suggested Retail Price: 3 City Coins (based on a 300 ml serving).]
[Mint and Lemongrass Tea (Repels mosquitoes and insects for 2 hours post-consumption; Mold/Fungal Resistance increased by 10% and Heat Resistance increased by 5% for 10 hours post-consumption)
Beverage Attribute: … Suggested Retail Price: 3 City Coins (based on a 300 ml serving).]
It was currently July, and temperatures were hardly low.
When the rainy season struck, logic dictated an environment of sweltering humidity.
Yet the specific requirements for the time-limited quest covered everything from defending against bleak chills and expelling cold to resisting moisture and preventing flus.
A heat-induced flu was still a flu.
Ling Jing chose to account for both damp-cold and muggy heat.
The effects of these three drinks offered warming, cold-dispelling relief on one hand, and moisture expulsion and insect repellent on the other.
Since she had no clear idea what tomorrow’s rainy season would look like in practice, she would put the trio up for a trial run.
Any shortcomings could be amended or expanded to target specific ailments.
The three beverages were poured into newly purchased insulated beverage dispensers.
She bought two thousand tall, disposable paper cups with a capacity of 350 ml.
360 points.
Caicai had far too much on its plate right now. During rush hours, there would be no time to wash cups, and the sanitizing cabinets couldn’t hold that many anyway. Disposables were simply far more convenient.
As for where the three dispensers should go… Ling Jing planned to place them alongside the self-serve items like the roasted sweet potatoes and corn.
Before setting them down, however, she decided to restructure the interior layout.
—When the shop was small and patrons were few, cramming every type of food into a single shared space was fine.
Once traffic surged and the menu expanded, it only invited chaos.
Take the big-pot stew currently resting in the front display window, for instance.
It was one of the earliest stews Ling Jing had crafted, yet by all classifications, it belonged upstairs among the made-to-order dishes.
New patrons who wished to order hot entrees had to hike up to the second floor just to eat, which was hardly welcoming to first-timers.
With enough points in hand and the Cashier Box now equipped with a split-terminal feature, Ling Jing was ready to expand.
To be precise, she was going to purchase additional storefronts.
Under [Storefront Expansion], purchasing a small ‘annex’ identical in size to the original ‘Simple Restaurant’ cost 1,000 points.
The exact cost she had paid when upgrading the original establishment.
She bought two.
Placing them to the left and right flanks of the Chinese Restaurant.
Thump—
Flanking the two-story gabled main building, single-story wings materialized on either side.
Each wing bore a sign one size smaller than the main ‘Chinese Restaurant’ signboard.
Both annexes were joined flush against the central two-story structure, seamlessly connected via newly opened interior doorways.
Altogether, the venue took on the distinct air of an antique, neo-Chinese tavern.
Ling Jing clicked into [Storefront Decor & Layout].
The four Malatang skewer tables and the sauce station were routed into the newly built left wing.
The wing’s smaller signboard was inscribed: “Malatang Skewers.”
A satellite Cashier Box was stationed right beside the entrance.
All the self-serve staples—the roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes, rice porridge, sweet corn, chestnuts, and the ready-to-eat display cases—were relocated to the right wing.
Benches were arranged flush against the walls, while the cleared central space was fitted with long benches.
These items rarely required a proper dining table; outfitting the room with benches maximized seating capacity and kept the customer flow moving.
The big-pot stew was cleared from the glass display cases, leaving them entirely filled with pickled white radish.
The three freshly brewed hot beverages were also placed within the right-hand annex.
Another satellite Cashier Box was positioned at its door.
The overhead sign read: “Snacks / Beverages.”
Inside the main central hall, the vacated floor was filled with additional two-top and four-top dining tables.
From now on, both the first and second floors of the main building would be dedicated entirely to hot, made-to-order meals.
Ling Jing purchased two new menu boards from the System Mall, mounted them inside the ‘Malatang Skewers’ and ‘Snacks / Beverages’ annexes, and clearly listed their offerings.
The menu boards across the main building’s floors were recalibrated as well: Malatang skewers and light snacks were wiped clean, making room for the big-pot stew and the two fresh soups she had simmered tonight.
[Congratulations! Your business entity now possesses two or more distinct dining zones and has become a ‘(Specialty) Standard Restaurant’!]
[Congratulations! Please claim your reward for unlocking additional business entity attributes!]
Oh?
Not an upgrade, but an attribute unlock.
It seemed moving beyond a Standard Restaurant required far more floor space than what she had just added.
Attribute unlocks were not a mandatory prerequisite for upgrading the restaurant either.
They were purely supplemental.
In other words, a host bound to the management system could stick to selling a single product—roasted potatoes, for instance.
And simply scale up that single operation.
Morphing from a roasted potato cart into a small potato shack, a large potato diner, and eventually a potato franchise chain…
It all came down to personal choice.
Ling Jing was quite intrigued by the unlock reward.
She tapped to claim it.
[Congratulations! You have received a Free Item Card x1!]
A Free Item Card?
Ling Jing read the card’s description carefully.
[Free Item Card: Grants an additional copy of any system item you already own, completely free of charge (drag and drop to activate).]
An additional copy, entirely free…
Any item at all?
Ling Jing’s gaze drifted toward Caicai.
Caicai: Σ(⊙▽⊙)!
…
A few moments later.
Caicai stared at the new partner beside it—Wangwang.
Its large eyes blinked twice, turning to Ling Jing with bubbling excitement: “Boss, could you say what I’ve become one more time? ヾ(?▽?*)”
Ling Jing smiled gently. “Floor Manager.”
“Yay! (^▽^)”
“Starting tomorrow, Wangwang handles the second floor, while Caicai oversees the first floor—including restocking food and drinks across both the left and right wings, as well as attending to the guests.”
Wangwang: “Understood! (•̀_•́)”
Caicai: “Understood! (≧▽≦)”
Ling Jing: “…”
Do all service-class automatons love using text emoticons this much?
She chuckled softly.
In the kitchen, the mutton broth had finished simmering.
Fufu had successfully logged the cooking procedures for both new soups.
Preparations for tomorrow’s business hours were virtually complete.
Ling Jing rolled her neck and shoulders, pushed open the restaurant’s rear door, and stepped out onto the farm grounds.
Having reaped so many beast and plant cores from her foraging spree, it was time to spend them.
Still… there was one detail that lingered in her thoughts.
During tonight’s excursion, she had naturally encountered mutant rice stalks and mutant wheat.
The wheat hadn’t converted straight into flour, nor had the rice turned directly into polished grains as it had before.
Once cleansed by the white light, an option prompt had appeared over the rice stalks.
Rice: [System has detected you possess a ‘Livestock’ facility. You may now choose whether to retain byproducts generated during food conversion (can be used to produce animal feed).
Method 1: Retain polished rice only
Method 2: Retain polished rice along with rice hulls, bran, broken rice, and straw]
Ling Jing had naturally selected Method 2 on the spot.
Yet it had failed to process.
A notice had flashed across the panel:
—[You lack a ‘Silo’.]
She recalled seeing silos listed under the structures tab on the farm interface.
