Free Web Novelu Yibei initially refused to be a waiter at the Liao Zhai Tavern. She considered herself someone who easily got stage fright, and this kind of public-facing job made her a bit shy.
However, once she actually started working and got busy, she realized that, aside from the customers being Psychic and urban legend, the job wasn't much different from what she did helping out at Lus Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant when she was little.
When guests arrived, she would greet them warmly and recommend suitable dishes based on their needs. freēwebnovel.com
When guests left, she would clear the tables and prepare for the arrival of the next table of guests.
The only annoying thing was that Lu Yibei genuinely couldn't smile now. Smiling service was impossible.
Fortunately, those urban legend and Psychic didn't seem to mind that the waiter serving them had a perpetually sour face.
So, not only did Lu Yibei not feel uncomfortable, she instead recalled those difficult but fulfilling and happy days, feeling like she was reliving an old dream.
Back then, Old Dad hadn't yet bought the house next to the old residence, and Lus Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant hadn't expanded; it was still just a small restaurant the size of a sparrow.
Small restaurants usually started operating in the evening. When Lu Yibei returned home from school in the afternoon, it was usually right around the peak hour for dinner customers.
Neighbors too lazy to cook dinner, office workers renting nearby, students eating alone—all sorts of customers would continuously stream into the small restaurant during that time.
Facing so many customers, Lu Ming was somewhat overwhelmed on his own, so Lu Yibei would almost always go to the restaurant to help out after coming home every day, putting down her schoolbag, and before doing her homework.
Although the job of serving dishes was a bit tedious and tiring, Lu Yibei didn't dislike it because the atmosphere in the restaurant made her feel warm and happy.
In fact, that small restaurant back then was the closest thing to the small shop she had always dreamed of opening.
The food at that small restaurant was delicious, and the prices were fair to young and old alike. Most of the customers who came were familiar faces she could chat with, so the atmosphere was always good, giving it a feeling of a neighborhood canteen.
Every dinner time, you could often see Old Man Zhang from the street corner sitting at the same table as middle school students from the next street, tirelessly nagging the students about the importance of studying, looking as if he had suffered from being uncultured.
Or, young people just starting [N O V E L I G H T] out in society would gather with the Uncle who owned several houses on Peony Street, order a few bottles of cheap beer and a couple of appetizers, and then, fueled by the drinks and food, pour out their grievances to each other.
The young people would talk about the hardships in their careers, and the Uncle would talk about his longing for his deceased wife. They seemed to be on completely different wavelengths but somehow always managed to connect in their conversations.
There was also a young couple, both very busy with work, who didn't have time to cook. They would come to the small restaurant to eat dinner together almost every day, without fail.
That was almost the most time they spent communicating in a day. After finishing dinner, they would both have to go back to their respective jobs.
This situation continued without any change until the small restaurant expanded into Lus Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant. It wasn't until later...
Lu Ming went missing, Lus Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant closed, and those former customers also disappeared to who knows where.
Lu Yibei only saw the male in that young couple once, when her eyes had just recovered their sight and she went back to the old residence with Bai Kai to pack things up.
The male smiled at Lu Yibei from a distance and said warmly, "It's been so long, I finally saw your place open. You don't know how long I've been craving this food, but I came several times and no one was here."
"Speaking of which, when are you guys going to reopen?"
Lu Yibei looked at the male, silent for a long time, then lowered her head and squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, "Sorry, my father isn't coming back. This restaurant probably won't open again."
After speaking, she seemed to realize the atmosphere was a bit heavy and quickly changed the subject, asking, "However, if you don't mind my cooking not being as good as my father's, I can make you a meal for free."
"Oh, right, is it still the usual? I remember you liked Twice-Cooked Pork, and Miss liked Sour Soup with Fatty Beef, right?" "That would be great," the male bowed slightly and said, "Just a portion of Twice-Cooked Pork is fine."
"Huh?" Lu Yibei tilted her head.
The male gave a bitter smile, shrugged, and said, "We broke up, not long after your restaurant closed." ---
Pulling her thoughts away from her memories, Lu Yibei stood before Boss Hu and said seriously, "So, Boss Hu, I'm serious about the waiter job."
Boss Hu crossed his arms over his chest, looked Lu Yibei up and down for a while, and said irritably, "So, this is your reason for scaring a customer's child to tears?"
As he spoke, Boss Hu recalled the young urban legend who had been crying and screaming "Eating children!" in the tavern just now, and he felt a throbbing in his temples.
Although Liao Zhai Tavern did have dishes made from young urban legend, those dishes weren't on the menu; they were hidden items. Lu Yibei guiltily turned her head away, avoiding Boss Hu's gaze, and mumbled, "How was I supposed to know what kind of wicked things Gu Qianqian has been doing behind the scenes?"
"Her bad reputation has actually spread to the point where just her name can scare a young urban legend to tears. I'm also very wronged!" Hearing this, Boss Hu shook his head helplessly, "Fine, considering you served the other guests quite well today, I won't pursue it anymore."
"However, next time you see a table with children, don't go there anymore."
Just leave it to Ying Ningning and them." freēwēbnovel.com
It seems Gu Qianqian's bad reputation is only enough to scare children at most. For the guests who frequent Liao Zhai Tavern, it's not worth mentioning, and most guests won't mind that the waiter serving them is a Demoness who devours urban legend raw.
So, just avoid tables with children.
"Got it," Lu Yibei nodded.
Seeing this, Boss Hu turned and glanced around the tavern, which no longer had any customers, then looked at the time, and finally looked at Lu Yibei, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Alright, come with me?"
With that, he took a step and walked towards the kitchen.
Is it finally time to get down to business? Looking at Boss Hu's back, Lu Yibei's eyes brightened slightly, and she followed him in a couple of steps, asking, "Boss, are we going to start today's lesson?"
Boss Hu glanced at Lu Yibei out of the corner of his eye, pursed his lips and said, "What's the hurry? Cooking isn't something you can learn overnight." "I won't teach you today. First, make me a dish to taste so I can see how your foundation is."
"Make a dish?" Lu Yibei asked blankly, "What dish?"
"Whatever you want!" Boss Hu said, "Make whatever you're best at."
Best dish? Lu Yibei frowned slightly, then lifted her chin slightly, saying proudly, "There are too many! Just you wait and see!"
"Is that so?" Boss Hu smiled at Lu Yibei, "Then I'll look forward to it."
