Universe Infinite Canteen

Early in the morning, Ma Lu was whizzing on the toilet, reveling in the liberating sensation of relief, his body feeling lighter for it.

He glanced at the time on his wristband, it was only 8:30 A.M.

Today he and Old Wang didn't need to go out to set up their stall, but that didn't mean there weren't plenty of things to do.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After brushing his teeth, Ma Lu went downstairs for a bowl of tofu pudding for breakfast and took the chance to pick up his business cards from the print shop.

On the left side of the card was the restaurant's name, Universe Infinite Canteen, with Ma Lu's own name on the right, and on the back, he noted his position—owner—in bold, black font, followed by the standard phone number and address.

Ma Lu had no immediate plans to entertain foreign guests, so he couldn't be bothered to include any English on the back of the card, simply riding it out with Pinyin.

The layout was just a standard template borrowed from the print shop; he printed five boxes for a total of one hundred yuan.

He had initially wanted to print menus like other restaurants do, but since he couldn't be certain of the ingredients, Ma Lu eventually dropped the idea, planning to handwrite them weekly if all else failed.

After tidying up a bit, he and Old Wang headed to the restaurant, and even before they entered, they saw three people waiting by the roadside.

Ma Lu was surprised, as he had said to meet at 10 A.M., and it was only 9:40 now.

He could understand why He Xiaoqian would come early on her first day to work to make a good impression, but Ma Lu had absolutely no idea why the other two were also so eager.

Especially Shen Yue, Ma Lu asked curiously, "Why did you come over too?"

Shen Yue sighed and said with a doleful face, "Of course, it's because I owe... ah, no, it's because I was captivated by your personal charm and wanted to contribute to your swift rise to success."

"Then you're quite the good person," he replied.

Ma Lu then looked at Han Feifei, who stood beside Shen Yue, dressed in grey sportswear and carrying a travel bag, looking ready to tackle a hefty task.

"Just an 80% discount, and it's not like you're short on cash; do you really need to go to such lengths?"

"Quit the chatter, what do you want us to do?" Han Feifei said, warming up her wrists.

"Well... first, wipe down the tables and chairs inside, then clean the stains off the windows. If there's still time, mop the floor. Old Wang and I will tidy up the kitchen and come help you guys later."

"Okay," Han Feifei nodded, then opened her travel bag, taking out a pack of masks and two pairs of work gloves to hand to Ma Lu.

She also distributed masks and gloves to the yawning Shen Yue and He Xiaoqian, rolled up her sleeves, and headed into the fray.

Everyone was busy till one o'clock in the afternoon when Old Wang cooked up an athlete's mixed vegetable medley to replenish their energy.

In the afternoon, officials from the Industry and Commerce Bureau came for an on-site inspection, mainly to check whether the front hall and kitchen were separate, how many sinks there were in the kitchen, whether the smoke extraction equipment complied with regulations, and if there were freezers and sterilization cabinets...

Since Ma Lu also planned to sell cold dishes, he needed a separate cold dish room with its own air conditioning and sink.

Ma Lu had already thoroughly researched these requirements before the renovation, so he didn't run into any obstacles, and the inspection went smoothly. After that, he just had to wait to pick up the license.

Having sorted out the kitchen, Ma Lu and Old Wang also came out to help, the five of them working until eight o'clock in the evening before finally taking a break.

If it weren't for Old Wang cooking another mixed vegetable medley halfway through, everyone might have collapsed from exhaustion.

But the end result was rather pleasing.

The once dingy-looking windows were now clean and clear, the large patches of grease on the floor were gone, and even the second-hand tables and chairs had been revitalized, shone like new. Your journey continues with empire

Han Feifei had also bought a fortune tree from the flower market and placed it behind the checkout counter, adding a touch of green to the restaurant while hoping for good luck.

By now, the bet had lost all suspense.

Han Feifei not only worked swiftly herself, unafraid of climbing high or stooping low, but she also brought her own cleaning equipment and managed everyone's tasks including Ma Lu's with clear precision, significantly boosting efficiency.

So Ma Lu was fully convinced and readily admitted, "You win, I admit I underestimated you. From now on, whenever you dine at Universe Infinite Canteen, you'll get a twenty percent discount."

Han Feifei removed her gloves and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, "As long as you haven't forgotten your promise."

After saying that, she motioned for Shen Yue to come over.

The latter begrudgingly approached and took out her health certificate, which she had just obtained last week, and handed it to Ma Lu.

"What does this mean?"

"If the restaurant is short-staffed in the future, you can call on me to do some part-time work."

"Hmm?"

"Sigh, I'm in too much debt, I need to work off my debts."

"Then why don't you become a tutor? The hourly rate here won't be as high as for tutoring."

"Of course, it's because... the food here is good. Speaking of which, if I work here, there's a meal for staff, right? Uncle Wang prepares it, doesn't he?"

"Indeed."

Hearing Ma Lu's words, Shen Yue finally felt a bit consoled. Han Feifei then continued, "Your restaurant is bigger than I imagined. Isn't it a bit insufficient to have only Uncle Wang in the kitchen?"

"Old Wang doesn't like to be disturbed when he's cooking, and his serving speed is much faster than an average chef. He should be able to handle it."

"That's good then."

Having dealt with the restaurant's hygiene, the next day Ma Lu didn't call He Xiaoqian or Shen Yue, but with Old Wang, they moved a new batch of kitchen equipment, mainly freezers, into the Phasic Space.

This way, they could store some special ingredients or High-Dimensional Artifacts, and even if they left the restaurant at night, they didn't have to worry about the secrets of Universe Infinite Canteen being discovered.

In addition, Ma Lu had also purchased a batch of new phones, upgrading the desktop breeding farm from Level 1 straight to Level 3.

This was because the total weight of the ingredients in the breeding farm was close to reaching the 2000-pound limit, and creatures like the Self-Destructing Jumping Mouse, Link Hedgehog, and Crocodilian Bullet Ant were highly fertile.

The Black-Breasted Chicken population had grown from the original four to twenty-six, so at least Ma Lu wouldn't have to worry about chicken meat going forward.

As the number of animals in the breeding farm increased, the overall growth rate kept rising. Now, an additional two hundred and forty to fifty pounds of meat could be produced daily, which seemed to be enough for the restaurant's use.

As for the profits of the week, since they spent the last two days cleaning up the new shop, they effectively only sold for four days.

Thankfully, due to the high prices, they still had an income of 138,600 yuan, with costs amounting to only 543.9 yuan, profiting 138,056.1 yuan.

Ma Lu's bank savings had reached 600,000 yuan, and he hadn't yet decided how to use this money, whether to continue upgrading equipment or to buy a car and enjoy it for a time.

Additionally, the place he had rented before was becoming a bit too small with all the stuff crammed in, and it was also a bit far from his shop, inconvenient for the commute. Ma Lu was considering moving, but there was no rush, as he still had half a year on his contract.

After dealing with the shop's business, Ma Lu turned his attention back to this shopping trip.