Mountain and Sea Canteen

The second day of business was just as successful, even better than the first.

Starting in the evening, Golden Crow moved the grill outside the shop. The aroma of the grilled skewers was so irresistible that it wafted down the entire street. He even offered free samples to passersby, which managed to attract quite a few customers.

The only one suffering was Jia Zhiwen from the neighboring Fuduo Supermarket. He had planned to go out for barbecue with his wife that evening, but Zhou Xiu had an unexpected work dinner and couldn’t join him. She also warned Jia Zhiwen not to go alone and enjoy the barbecue by himself.

Sitting in his store, Jia Zhiwen could smell the tantalizing aroma of the skewers drifting in. He stared blankly, feeling like every second was torture.

After finishing the accounts, Ying Linglong happily opened the Mountain and Sea Forum and registered an account named “Mountain and Sea Canteen in Business.” She then posted two videos that the Cave Mirror had helped film and edit.

The two videos showcased the making of Baby Bok Choy Vermicelli Fish Ball Soup and Baihua Chicken. With the Cave Mirror’s filter, even ordinary ingredients seemed to glow.

In her profile, Ying Linglong wrote: “Mountain and Sea Canteen offers private catering, group banquets, birthday parties, and gatherings for Yaoguai. Fair prices and exquisite craftsmanship. You may bring your own ingredients. Interested parties, please DM.”

After editing, she casually browsed the forum and was drawn to a highly popular post.

One loses ten times the amount: Breaking news! Big updates on Yaoguai intel!

One loses ten times the amount: Gudiao¹ snatched two pedestrians during rush hour to eat, but after one bite, he let them go. When asked why, Gudiao said, “Workers have it too tough.”

One loses ten times the amount: According to square-dancing aunties, KFC sells mutant chickens with four wings and six legs. The Nine-tailed Fox went there specifically to order a four-winged, six-legged chicken but was chased out by the manager with a mop.

Jin Business Club Customer Service 002: That’s nonsense! Our Gudiao clan is law-abiding and hasn’t eaten humans in a long time.

Huiting Home Decor: Oh! Isn’t this the Cunning Critter? Didn’t your last account just get banned? Is this your fortieth or so alt?

Jufu (discounts on express delivery, find me): Cunning Critter’s here! Keep talking! I love hearing it.

Can’t See Me (message me for inquiries, won’t answer calls): Don’t believe the Cunning Critter, don’t spread the Cunning Critter.

One loses ten times the amount: Suan Ni² applied for a security job and asked the HR if the company needed stone lions at the entrance. If not, it’s fine-he could just take the salary without working.

One loses ten times the amount: @Huiting Home Decor, sorry, I’m not the Cunning Critter, and this is my only account.

True to Ten Times: @Huiting Home Decor, I heard the Cunning Critter introduced a lot of business to you. Why aren’t you grateful at all? Instead, you’re being so rude when talking about her.

Huiting Home Decor: You little brat, I haven’t even settled the score with you yet! You’ve been telling everyone that the places I’ve lived in are going to be demolished. All my clients are asking which neighborhood I live in now, and it’s pushing away the customers who actually want home decorations!

True to Ten Times: Oh, so that’s what happened.

Ying Linglong burst out laughing. “The Cunning Critter is really something.”

Golden Crow immediately became alert. “Did she mention me on the forum?!”

He had gone to the Cunning Critter to buy Jiarong Grass Oral Liquid, but not only did the oral liquid prove useless, he also ended up being scammed out of his money.

To make matters worse, Golden Crow had confided in the Cunning Critter about the time he was struck by lightning, though he had used the classic “I have a friend” line. But who was he fooling?

“The Cunning Critter won’t tell anyone about your feathers being struck by lightning,” Ying Linglong said confidently.

Golden Crow: “How do you know?”

Ying Linglong told the truth: “Because it’s real.”

Golden Crow was speechless: “…”

He felt even angrier now. What to do?

Seeing Golden Crow’s face darker than the bottom of a barbecue grill, Ying Linglong pulled out two ten-yuan bills. “Here, some pocket money for you. Go buy some lollipops.”

Golden Crow gritted his teeth. “Who likes lollipops?”

“I saw it. The owner of the supermarket next door walked back and forth in front of the store a dozen times yesterday evening just to get free samples of grilled skewers. Didn’t he end up giving you a handful of lollipops?”

Ying Linglong pretended to reach for Golden Crow’s pockets. “Let me see how many are left.”

Golden Crow clutched his pockets and quickly backed away. “Of course, I haven’t eaten any! Who likes that kind of stuff only human kids eat?”

Hmph, Ying Linglong sneered. I bet there’s not a single one left! Golden Crow actually has a sweet tooth, but he’s too embarrassed to admit it. Next time, I’ll make desserts right in front of him and torment this stubborn duck.

Golden Crow sulked over to a corner of the room, turning his back to Ying Linglong. Soon, the sound of crinkling candy wrappers could be heard from the corner.

Ying Linglong turned her attention away and saw Chongming sneakily peeking out from behind the door. The moment their eyes met, he flashed her a bright smile.

Ying Linglong felt her pockets and handed him twenty dollars, warning him repeatedly, “Don’t go buying cheap baijiu to drink. If the customers smell alcohol on you again tomorrow…”

Chongming agreed eagerly, “I won’t buy any alcohol.”

Ying Linglong frowned suspiciously. Was he really going to be that obedient?

After the last table of barbecue customers left, the sky had completely darkened. Ying Linglong locked the shop door and turned around, only to find the lights inside inexplicably off. In the pitch-black space, something suddenly leaped out…

A glowing set of dentures.

Ying Linglong double-checked-it was indeed a set of dentures floating in the air, emitting a kaleidoscope of colors like a lantern.

The glowing dentures sneered as they floated toward her.

Ying Linglong calmly clenched her fist and gave the owner of the dentures a solid knock on the head, mimicking the exact way the Cave Mirror had once hit her.

Chongming mumbled, “Why did you hit me?”

The lights turned on, and Chongming removed the glowing dentures he had just bought, grinning from ear to ear. “This is so much fun! Human toys are amazing!”

Ying Linglong: “…”

She shouldn’t have given him that twenty yuan.

At five in the morning, Ying Linglong woke up on time.

For someone running a breakfast business, this wasn’t considered early.

Chongming, however, got up even earlier than Ying Linglong. By this time, he was probably already at the market.

Ying Linglong had taken him grocery shopping a few times and noticed that while Chongming had little experience buying ingredients, he could see a faint spirit energy in fresh produce. The longer the food had been sitting or the more it had spoiled, the weaker the spirit energy became.

Once he learned to identify freshness, the only thing left was pricing. Teaching Chongming to understand the price range of various vegetables and meats in the entire market required experience. Plus, with seasonal changes and varying harvest times, the price differences could be significant. This skill of judging fair prices couldn’t be learned overnight.

But Ying Linglong had the Cave Mirror. When Chongming went shopping, he pretended to be on a call, but on the other end was the Cave Mirror. If a vendor tried to overcharge the inexperienced Chongming, the Cave Mirror wouldn’t be fooled.

For the past few days, the task of grocery shopping had been entirely handed over to Chongming.

Ying Linglong would list the ingredients needed for the next day the night before, and Chongming would follow the list. So far, he hadn’t made any mistakes.

Chongming effortlessly walked into the shop carrying two large baskets, glancing up at the menu written for the day.

The featured dishes were Hand-Shredded Crab Roe Rice and Old Ginger Chicken Soup.

But the boss hadn’t asked him to buy any crabs.

“I found a shop selling river delicacies on the Mountain and Sea Mall and ordered some hairy crabs,” Ying Linglong said as she organized the ingredients Chongming had bought. “Di Jiang should have delivered them by now. Go and get them.”

Chongming nodded and left without another word.

Ying Linglong thought about building a small storage room in the back of the old shop as she deboned the chicken legs. The current kitchen space was limited, and she had already pickled a lot of vegetables. She also wanted to ferment some rice wine, make homemade sausages, and cure some ham, but there simply wasn’t enough room.

Deliveries from Di Jiang were also inconvenient. If they could designate a small storage area, Di Jiang could drop off the goods directly without having to sneak around every time.

This wasn’t a difficult task. They could ask the Lili brothers to handle it, and it would be done in half a day.

The real issue lay elsewhere. Money-why did everything seem to require spending money?

The Hand-Shredded Crab Roe Rice was a dish Ying Linglong had decided on only after confirming there were customers interested in it. Hairy crabs weren’t cheap, and if they didn’t sell, her business, which was just starting to pick up, could take a nosedive.

Ying Linglong priced the Hand-Shredded Crab Roe Rice at 388 yuan per serving, and the portion wasn’t large. Even with rice, an adult would only feel about 70% full.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t make it a hearty portion and just raise the price. Customers coming for crab roe would prioritize flavor over price. However, Ying Linglong considered that crab roe was inherently cold in nature, and those with sensitive stomachs might feel uncomfortable if they ate too much.

Since she couldn’t guarantee that every customer knew their own body’s limits or had the willpower to stop themselves from indulging in such a delicacy, she decided to keep the portions smaller to avoid any issues later.

After placing the plump hairy crabs belly-up in the steamer and steaming them, Chongming began the meticulous task of dismantling the crabs.

The crabs from the shop “Yousang Yan” were of top-notch quality-each one heavy, with a bluish-green back and a glossy sheen. The area where the shell met the belly was plump and bulging, clearly packed with rich crab roe and creamy crab paste.

However, “Yousang Yan” wasn’t as affordable as “Youyu Fishery.” In fact, their prices were even higher than the market rate. But after Ying Linglong tried one of the crabs herself, she had to admit it was the best crab she’d ever tasted. The money was well spent.

Chongming, seemingly immune to the allure of food, calmly began dismantling the crabs. As he lifted the back shell, the steam carrying the crab’s savory aroma wafted out, revealing the glistening, vibrant red crab roe inside.

First, he used the handle of a spoon to scoop out the bright orange roe, followed by the snowy white crab meat. The hard shells were like thin paper in his hands. With a gentle squeeze, the crab claws cracked open, and with a deft peel, the tender meat fell out.

The dismantled crab meat gradually piled up into a small mountain in the bowl, while the shells formed a separate heap.

These cleaned crab shells, minus the mouth and eyes, would be boiled down to extract crab oil, adding an even richer flavor to the Hand-Shredded Crab Roe Rice they were about to prepare.

Footnote:

Gudiao(蛊雕): A mythical beast from Chinese mythology, known for its bird-like appearance.
Suan Ni(狻猊):A mythical creature from Chinese mythology, resembling a lion.