Chapter 18

Qian Jianing unwrapped the bundles of cash she made during the day, sorted them by denomination, set aside a thousand yuan bound with a rubber band and placed it in the box, and put the rest in the usual money tray for buying groceries or making change.

“Qian Xiaomi!” Treasure Bowl suddenly asked in a cutesy voice, “Doesn’t counting money feel especially amazing?”

Qian Jianing seriously reflected on how she felt earlier and nodded in full agreement. “Extremely satisfying—felt totally relaxed after counting.”

Hearing her answer, Treasure Bowl was very pleased. “When you were counting money just now, your eyes were sparkling. You’ve got the makings of a money-grubber, and you totally have my spirit.”

Was that a compliment? Qian Jianing hesitated, but then remembered how Treasure Bowl took pride in being stingy—so in his eyes, being obsessed with money was probably the highest praise. Looking at his chubby little face solemnly “praising” her, Qian Jianing’s hands itched to reach out, and she couldn’t help stepping closer.

Treasure Bowl noticed Qian Jianing smiling and leaning toward him again, her gaze fixated on his pudgy cheeks, and he immediately backed up two steps, covering his face with his chubby little hands. “One kiss was enough. Don’t push your luck. If you dare kiss me again, I’ll charge you!”

Qian Jianing burst into hearty laughter. “Are all treasures from the Immortal Realm this adorable?”

Hearing her call him adorable, Treasure Bowl reminded himself to stay composed, but he still couldn’t hold back a grin. “Of course not. I’m the cutest!” Then he added, “And also the richest!”

“I believe that,” Qian Jianing nodded. “With your methods of raking in money and never spending, even most gods can’t compete.”

Treasure Bowl couldn’t hide the joy and pride on his face. He rubbed his cheeks hard to compose himself, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked off with an air of seriousness. “Even if you’re flattering this god, I won’t gift you anything. But since you’ve been working diligently lately, I’ll open the exchange system for you.” Checking her virtual currency balance, he said, “You now have five thousand virtual coins. Is there anything you want to exchange for?”

This was the first time Treasure Bowl had talked about exchanging things, and Qian Jianing was understandably curious. “What can I get with that amount?”

“Not much, of course—just some small trinkets,” Treasure Bowl rummaged in his little pocket and finally pulled out a small booklet, tossing it to her. “These are all under five thousand coins. See if there’s anything you want. If not, you can save up for later.”

Flipping it open, Qian Jianing found dozens of items listed, including her current kitchen’s automatic dishwasher cabinet, which cost five thousand coins. The auto-cleaning device also cost five thousand. She instantly felt like she had made a great deal.

There was all kinds of weird stuff—“Fairy Tears” (one drop), “Yutu’s Tail Fur” (two strands), and other strange things that seemed useless, as well as treasures for beauty and skincare like “Immortal Nectar” (a mouthful), or a bamboo leaf to increase height…

Qian Jianing eyed Treasure Bowl. “You have quite the selection for prizes.”

Treasure Bowl bit into a red fruit with a crisp crunch. “Some came from playing cards, some I picked from trees, and some I picked up off the ground. My belly can hold everything from both the Immortal Realm and the human world. Might as well fill it up. You never know when something will come in handy.” He glanced at Qian Jianing with admiration for his own foresight. “Look at that—we’re putting them to use, and just in time to exchange these… junk—” He caught himself mid-sentence and rephrased with a more appealing term, “Just in time to exchange these treasures for you.”

A vein popped on Qian Jianing’s forehead, but knowing Treasure Bowl’s habits, she held her tongue. Even if things like this were trash that no god wanted back in the Immortal Realm, they were considered cheat codes in the human world. She had no reason to complain. She flipped a couple more pages and spotted an interesting item. “‘Malice Detection Device’? What does this do?”

Treasure Bowl finished the fruit and carefully put the seed into his pocket before explaining leisurely, “This was also made by Food Elder. Install it in your shop, and it can automatically detect the emotions of your patrons. You can view their level of dislike or affection for the shop on the control panel. If a malicious customer enters, it notifies you immediately and can activate a countermeasure system. It also records clients’ actions in your shop from all angles and can automatically generate a video or whatever playback format is used in your era.”

Qian Jianing was quite tempted. Running a restaurant, you couldn’t avoid envious rivals. If someone threw a fly into the food or claimed to have food poisoning, it’d be hard to explain. Having something like this would make things much easier. But she looked at Treasure Bowl suspiciously. “Why do I get the feeling this is a part ripped from a celestial kitchen device? You didn’t take it apart to sell to me, did you?”

Treasure Bowl averted his eyes guiltily. “Absolutely not something I dismantled!”

Qian Jianing’s skeptical look deepened. Treasure Bowl reluctantly explained further. “Although Food Elder originally meant it to be part of the kitchen device, he forgot to install it. So technically, it’s not part of the whole set. Do you want it or not?”

She hesitated at the 3,000-coin price tagged under the “Malice Detection Device.” It was useful, but still expensive. She wasn’t sure if it was worth spending that much virtual money.

Seeing her uncertainty, Treasure Bowl couldn’t help but throw in a hint. “You know beings like me have sharp sixth senses. I feel you need this.” He pointed at the booklet and continued to pitch. “And such a great item—only 1,000 coins. A bargain! No way you’ll regret it. Just get it.”

Qian Jianing instinctively looked down. At some point, the listed 3,000-coin price had turned into 1,000. She pursed her lips and smiled, revealing deep dimples. “Treasure Bowl, thank you!”

“What’s there to thank!” Treasure Bowl’s chubby face turned red, and he awkwardly turned away. “It was originally part of the set anyway—I still profited.” He pulled out a small bead from his pocket. “Let me activate it for you.”

Qian Jianing nodded, and Treasure Bowl casually tossed the bead aside—it passed through the wall and disappeared. Then he fished out a candy and handed it to her. “You did well today. Here, have a sweet. Eat up and go sleep early.”

Once Treasure Bowl vanished from the spot, Qian Jianing popped the candy into her mouth. It was surprisingly tasty—had a bit of a chocolate flavor.

Standing up and grabbing her towel to get ready for a wash, she suddenly realized the soreness in her body had completely vanished. Strength surged through her limbs, just like when Food Elder gave her porridge to transform her body. The effects were incredible.

Qian Jianing smiled quietly. Turns out all Celestials had sharp tongues but soft hearts. So adorable.

****

Lying in bed, Qian Jianing thought she’d sleep soundly through the night but as soon as she closed her eyes, she found herself back in that familiar shrouding mist. Her eyes lit up and she eagerly navigated through the fog, quickly finding the maroon-colored door. She shoved it open. “Food Elder!”

“Food what now?” A burly, dark-faced man growled, “I’m Ni Wuge.”

“Brother Wu…” Qian Jianing glanced at his weathered face and offered an awkward smile. “You Celestials are really down to earth. But Brother Wu, I’m kinda young. Calling you ‘bro’ doesn’t feel respectful. How about I call you Uncle Wu?”

His face darkened even more, and his beard twitched. “My name is Ni Wuge.”

At hearing the name, Qian Jianing almost facepalmed. She pondered for a moment before carefully saying, “Master Ni.”

{T/N: His name “Ni Wuge” (倪五哥) sounds like a nickname.” She mistook “五哥” as a title (like “Brother Wu”) rather than part of his actual name. So instead of realizing “Wuge” was his given name, she thought he was being called “Brother Wu” }

Hearing her avoid calling him uncle or brother, Ni Wuge seemed much more satisfied. With a wave of his arm, a chubby little doll popped into his grasp. “I’ll teach her for seven days. However much she learns depends on her ability. But once the teaching ends, you’ve gotta return my axe.”

“I’ll return it for sure—I find it too heavy anyway,” Treasure Bowl said casually and jumped down from Ni Wuge’s arm, walking over to Qian Jianing. “Although your body has already been upgraded by Food Elder and is much stronger than a regular human’s, based on your current workload, it’s still under a lot of stress. To avoid damaging your body and disrupting our money-making plan, you’ll start training with Brother Ni today to enhance your physical fitness.”

Qian Jianing’s mouth twitched. She really wondered who on earth gave him that name—what a cheeky pick.

Ni Wuge didn’t give her time to ponder. Sometime during their conversation, he had swapped his coarse robe for a short tunic, and the familiar kitchen and sofa in the room were gone—only an empty space remained.

“I first went to battle at fifteen. Died at fifty-five. I spent more than half my life on the battlefield. The techniques I’ll teach you may not look elegant, but they’re the refined results of killing ten thousand enemies.” He gave her a piercing glare. “Take them seriously and someday you could kill a full-grown man with a single strike.”

Qian Jianing gulped. “I don’t need to kill… Just being able to knock him down is enough.”

Ni Wuge cast a displeased glance her way and nearly scolded her for lacking ambition. Then, remembering she wasn’t one of his soldiers, he swallowed his disapproval. “I’ll teach you a set of fists. Watch closely.”

With a loud shout, he launched into action. Just like he said, the moves were plain but powerful. Qian Jianing didn’t understand martial arts, but she could tell his punches were fierce and forceful. After finishing 108 moves, Ni Wuge performed a closing gesture and exhaled deeply. “Now, you perform it so I can see.”

Right then, Qian Jianing felt deeply thankful for the immortal candy. It had not only improved her memorization speed but also allowed her to recall and reproduce every movement perfectly. After copying all the moves, she wiped her brow and waited for praise—only to hear an angry roar.

“What is that? All form, no presence! Where’s your qi? Without qi, you’re just flailing your arms!”

On the verge of tears, Qian Jianing protested, “Master Ni, I don’t know how to use qi.”

Ni Wuge suddenly remembered she was a mortal. Scanning around for the missing Treasure Bowl and finding none, he pulled out a little porcelain bottle and tossed it to her. “What a hassle. Here, have some wine. After two sips, you’ll understand.”

Qian Jianing fumbled to catch the bottle, uncorked it carefully, and took a swig.

Thud! She collapsed straight to the floor.

Ni Wuge was speechless. “One little bottle and she’s out cold? Her alcohol tolerance is pathetic…”

Ding ding ding…

The alarm rang.

Qian Jianing opened her eyes, dazed. She couldn’t remember what exactly happened. She’d gone to that mysterious space, learned a set of punches from Ni Wuge, and he gave her a bottle of wine to feel the qi…

Then…

Nothing. She rubbed her forehead. “Did I get drunk?”

“You *know* you got drunk!” grumbled Treasure Bowl from within her consciousness. “You silly Dadan. You drink anything someone gives you without checking if you can even handle immortal wine! Good thing it was a low-grade brew from a street stall. If it were Food Elder’s, you’d be out for a hundred years!”

Qian Jianing nervously scratched her nose. “He said I’d feel the qi after a sip. I didn’t think too much…”

Treasure Bowl rolled his eyes. “You do have dumb luck. That wine may be crude, but it’s great for mortals to gain strength and guide qi into the body. Try now—see if you can sense it?”

Qian Jianing held her breath and focused. She touched her belly. “I feel a warm sensation in my lower abdomen… is that it?”

“I wouldn’t know,” admitted Treasure Bowl frankly. “Each martial immortal has their own path to divinity. Their methods and styles differ. Just finish seven days of training with Ni Wuge. Next time, I’ll find someone more elegant—uses a fan while fighting.”

Qian Jianing’s eyes sparkled. “Can he do qinggong and float over water?”

“What’s that?” Treasure Bowl’s chubby face twisted in confusion. “Floating over water? That’s nothing for immortals. Floating on clouds is easy.”

That’s the generation gap talking!

Qian Jianing gave up on the topic and stood up, taking a deep breath. “Brand new day, time to make money! Make money! Make money!”

***

At 7:00 a.m., Wang Dong groggily opened his eyes, pulled out a cigarette and took a couple drags, then kicked a chair to wake the people sleeping in the video hall. “Alright, time’s up. Go home to sleep.”

A couple young guys yawned and got up, stumbling out. Wang Dong called to Li Qiang, “Did the day shift guys arrive yet? I’m waiting to go home and crash.”

“They’re here, cleaning the small rooms,” yawned Li Qiang as he came in. “Wang Bro, you eating at home or grabbing a bite out?”

“I’ll eat out. Go round up the guys—we’ll go get those big steamed buns.”

There was a bun shop on East First Street that they often visited. The group wandered over, but instead of running into Old Zhao, they saw a long line in front of a newly opened restaurant.

Wang Dong craned his neck to peek inside the yard. Quite a few people were waiting. He scratched his head, puzzled. “Lining up for breakfast? That’s nuts.”

Zhang Cheng nudged his arm and nodded at the sign on the door. “Wang Bro, isn’t this the place Zhao Dazhuang talked about yesterday? Should we go handle our business first?”

“Forget it.” Wang Dong slapped the back of his head. “I can barely keep my eyes open. You’ve got way too much energy.” Looking around, he spotted Qian Jiafeng handing out number tickets. He waved him over. “Kiddo, what’s with the line? You need a number to eat?”

Qian Jiafeng grinned. “We give out 100 spots each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’re four breakfast numbers left. Want them?”

Wang Dong glanced at the line and asked, “What number are you on now?”

“Fifteen!”

“Damn! Ninety-six would take two hours!”

Wang Kun laughed. “No wonder Zhao Dazhuang’s pissed. This place gets more customers in a morning than he does in a week.”

Li Qiang sneered. “Jealousy’s real. The girl hadn’t opened her shop yet and he didn’t have this many customers either. Now that his business is bad, he blames her.”

Wang Dong looked at the long line and scratched his hair, annoyed. “If we wanted to make trouble, we’d have to line up too?”

The guys exchanged glances. “We might need to come early to get a number.”

“This is a joke…” Wang Dong muttered, puffing a smoke ring. “Talk about losing momentum.”

Though he preferred to stroll in and make a statement, seeing 90+ grandmas, uncles, aunties, and teens ahead made cutting the line a sure way to get beat up. Never underestimate the combat prowess of middle-aged ladies. When angry, they were deadlier than Shaolin monks—with long fingernails.

With a deep sigh, Wang Dong pointed to the meekest guy of the group. “Li Qiang, come early this afternoon and get a number. We’ll meet at five to handle this. Still gotta work tonight.”

They looped around two streets before finally finding Old Zhao’s bun shop. They ordered fifteen buns and six bowls of tofu pudding. After scarfing it all down, everyone went home.

After arriving home, Li Qiang flopped onto his bed and slept straight through until three in the afternoon. Just as he yawned and was about to go back to sleep for another nap, he suddenly remembered what Wang Dong had instructed. He quickly got out of bed, splashed some water on his face, and hurried over to East First Street.

People in Zibo City generally kept regular routines. Regardless of whether they were office workers or freelancers, most families had dinner around six in the evening. Li Qiang originally thought that by arriving early, he might be the first in line, but when he got to Qian Xiaomi’s shop, he was surprised to find people already lining up.

After standing under the scorching sun for half an hour, Li Qiang finally got number ten from the little boy who was handing out tokens. Rubbing his face, he found a stool under the shade near the courtyard gate, sat down, and leaned on his arms to continue dozing off.

By the time Wang Dong and his crew arrived, dozens of people had already gathered at the shop’s door. They circled around a bit before finally spotting Li Qiang, who was sleeping soundly against the wall under the canopy. “Hey, stop sleeping. Let’s grab dinner first—we’ve still got a job to do.”

Li Qiang lifted his head with a yawn and handed the token he’d been gripping tightly to Wang Dong. “Got number ten.”

Wang Dong took the token, glanced at the still tightly-closed door, and his expression clouded. He turned toward the crowd to find Qian Jiafeng, who was handing out tokens, and shouted, “Why hasn’t the door opened yet? I’m waiting to eat!”

Qian Jiafeng craned his neck and shouted back, “We open at 5:30. It’s almost time, just wait a little longer.”

Wang Dong looked at the chubby guy, who resumed handing out tokens to newcomers, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Staring at the reddish-brown door, he grumbled discontentedly, “What kind of crappy place is this?”

The rest of the group exchanged glances in helplessness. They’d caused trouble at other places before, but this situation was the most awkward yet. Normally, with their usual temperament, they would have already kicked the door in to start something, but this time, all of them suddenly abandoned that idea. Seeing such a long line of people, they had a strange feeling—if it came to a fight, they weren’t sure they’d be the ones doing the beating.

Li Qiang scratched his head and voiced what was on everyone’s mind. “Feels like this job might not be so easy.”

Wang Dong was frustrated, but at the moment, there was really nothing they could do except wait for the shop to open. He lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, then leaned in and whispered to the others, “Later, when we’re about done eating, find a couple of dead flies on the ground and toss them in the leftover dishes.” A cold smirk curled at his lips. “I don’t believe people won’t be grossed out if they find flies in their food.”

“Beep! Beep! Beep! Malicious intent alert! Malicious intent alert!” As Qian Jianing was completing final preparations for dinner, a warning buzzed in her mind. A vision of Wang Dong’s group huddling together and conspiratorially whispering appeared before her eyes, and their voices could be clearly heard.

Qian Jianing clenched her fists upon hearing their plan, but when she heard them suggest tossing flies into the food, she couldn’t help but laugh. Flies? Ha—did they think her immortal-grade kitchen gear was here for decoration?

She grabbed a chalkboard labeled “Today’s Menu,” hung it on the wall, adjusted her outfit before the glass, and went out to open the door.

“Numbers one through ten, please come to the dining hall,” Qian Jianing said as she stepped aside and made an inviting hand gesture. The guy at the front of the line grinned from ear to ear. “Finally made it in time today. Qian Xiaomi, what delicious stuff are you making?”

Qian Jianing flashed a dimpled smile. “Today we have six cold appetizers, ten braised dishes, and twelve hot entrees. You can pick whatever you like from the menu.”

He had only asked casually; upon seeing the spacious dining hall, he excitedly dashed in and picked a seat right by the kitchen’s glass window. Turning back, he called out to his family, “Dad, Mom, Xiaomei, let’s sit here.”

Wang Dong and his five underlings entered the restaurant gloomily at the back of the line, surprised to find that it was actually pleasantly cool inside. Ever since summer began, he hadn’t felt this comfortable.

The group found the most secluded table and had just sat down when Qian Jianing’s crisp voice echoed through the hall: “There’s chilled sour plum juice on your tables, free for everyone to enjoy.”

Feeling parched, Wang Dong eagerly poured himself a full glass and downed it in one gulp. Smacking his lips, he was surprised—it actually tasted pretty good.

Setting his glass down, Wang Dong noticed his earlier rage had mysteriously vanished. He glanced at Qian Jianing, who was taking orders, and muttered, “This little girl really knows what she’s doing. Even the drink’s not bad.”

Wang Kun craned his neck to look around and frowned slightly. “Big bro, I don’t see any flies here.”

“That’s impossi—ble…” Wang Dong trailed off as the truth dawned on him. He quickly scanned the dining hall: the walls were pristine white, the tiles gleamingly clean, and the tables covered with crisp, spotless cloths. There wasn’t a single fly—hell, not even a fly’s leg in sight.

He couldn’t resist standing up and peering into the kitchen through the floor-to-ceiling window. Logically, the kitchen should be the dirtiest place, full of raw meat and food waste, breeding grounds for flies and cockroaches. But this kitchen was spotless: washed and drained ingredients neatly arranged in a row, brining pans sparkling without a single stain, dishcloths freshly laundered and drying on racks, and even the floor looked cleaner than the sheets on Wang Dong’s own bed.

Wang Dong was dumbfounded. “Damn, how can a restaurant be this clean?”

Li Qiang scratched his cheek and couldn’t help but say, “I was at Zhao Dazhuang’s place yesterday—at least twenty to thirty flies buzzing around inside. I thought all restaurants were like that.”

They hadn’t thought much of it before, but now, seeing such a clean restaurant, even recalling Zhao Dazhuang’s fly-infested joint made them a bit nauseous.

“It’s clean and all, but her prices are way too high,” Wang Kun said, pointing at the chalkboard. “Bro, look at that menu—it’s daylight robbery!”

Wang Dong finally looked at the day’s menu on the wall. The cheapest dish was sweet and sour radish at one yuan. Zhao Dazhuang’s braised intestines were only 1.2 yuan.

Wang Dong’s face darkened. “I thought she was all that. Turns out she just wants a big one-time score.”

All the while, Qian Jianing was listening in via her malicious intent tracking equipment. Once other tables had finished ordering, she made her way to table ten. “What would you like to eat?”

Faced with her fair, pretty face, Wang Dong suddenly relaxed. He had at least a hundred ways to deal with a girl like her. So what if there were no flies? Plenty of other ways to stir up trouble. And expensive menu or not, it’s not like he planned on paying anyway.

“I’ll take the cold-sliced pork knuckle, meat-stuffed sausage, three-cup chicken, Dongpo pork, hot-sliced duck, stewed ham, and a plate of goose breast. Six beers too.” Wang Dong finished his order and glared at her. “Make it quick. Don’t waste my time.”

Qian Jianing didn’t move, and cautiously asked Treasure Bowl, “Does he have enough money on him to pay?”

“Totally!” Treasure Bowl answered quickly. “He’s got ten big bills in his pocket.”

At that, Qian Jianing glanced at Wang Dong’s pants pocket and gave a faint smile. “Alright, please wait.”

Wang Dong instinctively covered his pocket, feeling that her smile was oddly perceptive—like she’d seen right through him.

After she walked away, Li Qiang, sweating nervously, whispered, “Bro, those dishes you ordered aren’t cheap. I counted—it’s over sixty yuan.”

The place was full of people, and Wang Dong didn’t want to say too much. He just rolled his eyes and said, “Shut up and eat your food.”

Qian Jianing soon brought over the cold dishes and braised items. Wang Dong was plotting his next move as he casually picked up a slice of goose breast and popped it in his mouth—then froze mid-bite.

Normally, Wang Dong preferred offal or fatty meats. He’d never even tried something as refined as goose breast. He ordered it just because it was expensive and he wanted to take advantage.

But once he tasted it, the aromatic, tender texture blew him away. He couldn’t resist picking up another piece. The others were also having their first taste of such premium food. Even their usual habits of smoking, drinking, and downing meat fell to the wayside as they quietly gobbled up the food. A whole plate of goose breast was polished off by six guys in under three minutes. Just as they looked up, another plate arrived, and all of them simultaneously reached out with their chopsticks again.

Wang Dong picked up the last slice of crispy, fragrant duck and smiled with satisfaction. The others looked at the now gleaming plates in stunned silence. Wang Kun, always the quick one, recovered first and nudged Wang Dong’s arm. “Bro, bro…”

The duck fell from Wang Dong’s chopsticks due to the jostle, and he angrily kicked Wang Kun away as he scrambled to retrieve it from the tabletop.

Seeing how clean the tablecloth was, he had zero qualms about shoving the duck into his mouth and closing his eyes in bliss. “This duck is amazing—the more I chew, the better it tastes. Perfect with beer.” Only then did he remember he’d ordered beer. Seeing the still-full glasses, he eagerly knocked one back.

Wang Kun looked at the now completely empty plates and was on the verge of tears. “Bro, did you come up with a way to skip the bill yet?”

It hit Wang Dong like a cold slap to the face—and he finally remembered why they were there in the first place. Stroking his chin, he looked at the utterly spotless table for the first time feeling stumped. His original plan had been to order extra, and after eating most of it, claim the food was bad, smash a plate, and make a scene. But now the plates were cleaner than if a dog had licked them—no one would believe they didn’t like the food.

Though he’d crashed joints before, Wang Dong had never faced a situation this tough. The guys sat sullenly at the table. This girl’s cooking was just too damn delicious—it made them forget what they even came for.

“Um, Brother Wang…” Zhang Cheng spoke up timidly.

Wang Dong thought he had a new plan and sighed with relief. “Whatever it is, spit it out. Don’t waste time.”

Zhang Cheng glanced at the wild duck rolls on the next table. “What if we order one more dish and think while we eat? An empty table looks suspicious, and we’ve still got beer to finish.”

Wang Dong downed the rest of the beer and a hint of viciousness crossed his face. “If worst comes to worst, we just smash the place. Let’s see what she, a little girl, can do about it.” The others looked hesitant. “Bro, if we really smash the place, we can never come back to eat.”

“Yeah, let’s talk it out. She’s a high school student and seems reasonable.”

“Actually, this isn’t on her. Zhao Dazhuang’s cooking isn’t even in the same league as hers. His place is filthy—I worry I’ll get food poisoning.”

Wang Dong chuckled bitterly. “You weren’t complaining before. Yesterday you were shouting about how great his stir-fry was.”

Wang Kun chuckled sheepishly. “I hadn’t seen the good stuff before. I’ll never talk like that again.”

Wang Dong had been in the scene longer than the others and had tried most restaurants in Zibo City. He used to think they tasted great—until today. After eating Qian Xiaomi’s food, all the rest suddenly felt like pig slop. But her prices were sky-high.

“I know what you’re all thinking.” Wang Dong sneered. “Like you guys can actually afford to eat this stuff?”

The group instantly deflated. Wang Dong looked around and saw each of them go sheepishly quiet. With a cold snort, he picked up a plate.

Li Qiang quickly stopped him. “Wang bro, calm down. I just had an idea. Think: we eat out every day, spending about twenty yuan daily. What if we come here once every three days? The cost would even out. We can cook at home the rest of the time.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Zhang Cheng nodded, flashing Li Qiang a thumbs up. “Li Qiang might seem slow usually, but he’s sharp when it counts. It’s a good plan! Plus, we don’t need to order any beer—they’ve got free drinks! We’ll save enough to get an extra dish.”

Wang Dong was so amused by these penny-pinchers that he nearly wanted to kneel in admiration. “Alright, shut up, all of you. If word spreads, I’ll lose all my reputation.”

Watching customers leaving the restaurant after paying, he hardened his heart and called Qian Jianing over. “Boss, bill please.”

While clearing plates, Qian Jianing had already heard their conversation loud and clear. She smirked, grabbed a set of chopsticks, and walked over. “That’ll be sixty-nine yuan. Thank you for your patronage.”

“Sixty-nine?” Wang Dong scoffed, cocking an eyebrow with a thuggish attitude. “I’ve eaten at so many places and never seen prices like yours.”

Qian Jianing swept her gaze across the empty plates and chuckled. “And I bet you’ve never had food this good either.”

Before Wang Dong could respond, she added coolly, “Think it through. Cause trouble now, and you’ll never be welcome back again.”

Wang Dong’s tongue brushed against his teeth—he could still taste the juicy duck. He hesitated. Wouldn’t be a shame to never eat it again?

He fell silent, while the others grew restless, winking at him: “Bro, take it easy. Let’s talk this out.”

“Yeah, think of the big picture.”

Qian Jianing slammed the chopsticks onto the table. “Well? Are you paying or not? There are more customers waiting.”

Wang Dong looked up, eyes flashing dangerously. Qian Jianing tensed, instinctively gripping the chopsticks. With a snap, they splintered in half and splinters flew in the guys’ faces.

Wang Dong winced as a piece hit his cheek. He clumsily caught the piece of chopstick that fell, then froze as he noticed the jagged, splintered edge.

These chopsticks, though wooden, were dense and heavy—clearly top quality. Even with one hand, he doubted he could break one in half, much less a whole bundle.

Placing the broken chopsticks aside, Wang Dong forced his facial muscles into a smile. “What I meant was—it’s almost a loss to sell such good food at this price, don’t you think?”

Qian Jianing chuckled. “It’s fair enough. Gotta charge what it’s worth, right?”

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.” Wang Dong quickly counted out seven bills and placed them on the table. “Here’s the money.” Seeing her expression still sour, he quickly added, “Your place is so clean—not a single fly. Way better than others.”

Qian Jiafeng, sensing tension, hurried over. Qian Jianing handed him the money. “Go get one yuan change.”

He hesitated, afraid they might hurt his sister. But she nudged him. “Go on—we’ve got other guests waiting.” He gave the group one last look and, seeing they no longer seemed threatening, turned back toward the kitchen.

With a half-broken chopstick in hand, Qian Jianing recalled something Ni Wuge had said yesterday about luck. She applied pressure with her fingers and smiled slightly, “I’ve got a bad temper and a fierce personality. Even the flies know better than to show up around here.”

Wang Dong watched in shock as a half-broken wooden chopstick in Qian Jianing’s hand turned into wood chips and then into powder. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead: Didn’t I already pay? Can’t we just talk this out? Why did it have to escalate to physical intimidation?

Qian Jiafeng placed seven large bills into the cash box, took out one yuan, and ran over to Wang Dong’s table. As he placed the money on the table, he used his body to shield Qian Jianing. Though he wasn’t as tall as his sister, their parents had told him: since his sister was a girl, it was his job to protect her.

Seeing Qian Jianing being pushed a meter away by her younger brother, Wang Dong finally let out a sigh of relief. This chubby kid is actually pretty decent, he thought. He knows his sister has a violent streak and even acts as a buffer. Picking up the money from the table, Wang Dong silently lined up against the wall and slipped past Qian Jianing. Not until he had bolted out the front door did he collapse against the wall outside, panting, “Damn, that girl is terrifying.”