Shokugeki No Douluo Dalu (Patreon)

Chapter 45: The Boss is Back!

"Ying Shuang, I'm leaving!" Glancing at herself in the mirror, tidying up her slightly messy hair and adjusting her skirt, Fu Ya turned her head and smiled at her best friend, who was lying on the bed without any grace, resembling a lazy fish.

"Hey, Fu Ya, how many days has it been? Why hasn't that bad boss returned?" Ying Shuang pouted, a hint of resentment appearing on her face.

It had been so many days since they last ate at the small restaurant.

She missed the Dongpo Pork Knuckle, Tomato Beef Brisket, Egg Fried Rice, Smashed Cucumber, Braised Pork Stomach with Chicken, and Qinan Fruit Juice! That rotten boss, that bad boss, why isn't the restaurant open yet!

"It's already been ten days. I think the boss should be back soon." Fu Ya recalled carefully and spoke softly, her eyes filled with hopeful anticipation.

Before the boss left, he did say that he would be back within ten days.

Ying Shuang's eyes lit up mischievously as she glanced at Fu Ya's well-proportioned figure. "You too, why do you bother going to the restaurant every afternoon and evening? It's so troublesome."

"What's wrong with that?" Fu Ya glared at Ying Shuang with a mix of anger and amusement, then turned her body away from her, refusing to let her see. "The restaurant isn't far away. I just go there twice a day, it's not a big deal."

"Fine, I can't argue with you." With no legs or navel to see, Ying Shuang rolled her eyes in a helpless manner and resumed her lazy fish state. "Go on then, I hope that rotten boss opens the door soon."

"Bye~" Fu Ya stepped out of the dormitory with light footsteps.

Leaving only Ying Shuang alone in the dormitory, her eyes lifeless, she stared at the ceiling, gradually becoming hollow.

"Sigh, I want to eat Egg Fried Rice."

"Sigh, I want to eat Egg Fried Rice."

Zhou Long smacked his lips twice, picked up his chopsticks, and picked up a piece of grilled meat, putting it into his mouth. Originally, he used to love grilled meat, eating three bowls of it with rice in one go. But now, it didn't taste as good.

With the vigorous promotion by the Tang Sect Speed Hall Master Zhao Yunsheng, chopsticks had unsurprisingly replaced forks as the new utensils in the Tang Sect's cafeteria.

Although the utensils had changed like the small restaurant, the chefs' skills... Let's not talk about it.

"Yes, I also want to eat it."

Tai Lei, with a scruffy beard, sat nonchalantly across from Zhou Long, his table piled high with empty plates as he enjoyed his meal.

Tai Lei pretended to be happy, pretending to enjoy his food.

His laughter was only a mask, a protective coloration.

Who could come to this pig-like cafeteria when they could eat at Qi Han's small restaurant?

It was said that Old Blockhead had lost his appetite again these past two days. It wasn't a recurrence of his old illness; it was just that the food in their own cafeteria was hard to swallow compared to the delicious food at Qi Han's small restaurant.

"This old blockhead is no match for me. I won't eat this pig food. It's just a temporary measure."

"I've long seen through that Qi Han kid. He must be an enemy of our Tang Sect, deliberately closing the restaurant for ten days to starve us and seize the foundation of the Tang Sect."

I, Tai Lei, have already seen through everything! Hmph.

While mumbling something unintelligible while chewing his food, Tai Lei's movements with his chopsticks remained swift as he shoveled large mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

Glancing at Speed Hall Master Zhao Yunsheng, Zhou Long's expression twitched. He didn't know if he had lost his mind or why he ended up sitting across from this old geezer.

Oh no, that's not right. He sat here first, and then the old geezer sat in front of him. This is torment! After breaking through to the Spirit Emperor level, he secluded himself for a while to absorb his Spirit rings. When he came out, he was eager to thank Qi Han at his small restaurant and finally taste the Egg Fried Rice he had been longing for.

But to his surprise, when he went there, Qi Han had already gone to the Forest of Kai Lai.

Calculating the time, it had been half a month since Zhou Long last had Qi Han's cooking.

Half a month! Do you know how I survived these past two weeks?

This is torment! "Um... Hall Master Tai?"

"What's the matter?"

"Why are your chopsticks... on my plate?"

"Huh? My bad, I didn't pay attention. So what if I picked up two pieces of meat for you with my chopsticks?"

"It's fine, please continue."

Standing in front of the familiar entrance to the small restaurant, Fu Ya's gaze became somewhat lost.

The entrance of the small restaurant still had the notice that Qi Han had posted ten days ago before leaving:

Gone for ten days to gather ingredients and create new recipes. There will be new dishes available upon my return.

Luckily, Qi Han had added that last sentence, enticing the hungry customers who had been longing for his food. Otherwise, his customers would have gone crazy.

It was already the tenth day. The boss should be back by now, right? Fu Ya took a deep breath and walked up to the door, lightly knocking on it.

This action had been repeated many times in the past few days, and each time, Fu Ya's mood would go from anxious anticipation to disappointment.

Several breaths passed, but the door of the small restaurant remained closed.

Hasn't he come back today either? A dimness appeared in Fu Ya's bright eyes, but then she seemed to remember something and regained her composure.

No, he must be coming back! It's already the tenth day, and the boss said he would definitely return within ten days, so he should come back today.

Perhaps he didn't hear it.

Should I knock again? Then let's knock again.

Taking a deep breath, Fu Ya reached out her hand and knocked on the door again, this time with a slightly stronger force. She even used her Spirit power to amplify the sound of knocking, hoping that the boss would hear it if he was inside the small restaurant.

A few more breaths passed, but there was still no response from inside the restaurant.

He really hasn't come? A faint disappointment appeared in Fu Ya's eyes.

It was already noon on the tenth day. Could it be that the boss will only return in the afternoon?

Then... I'll come back in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, yes, in the afternoon.

The boss will definitely come back in the afternoon! "Oh? Fu Ya, what are you doing here?"

A familiar voice came from behind.

Was it just my imagination?

"Fu Ya?"

It's not my imagination!

It's the boss!

Fu Ya's eyes instantly lit up, she quickly turned around, and a smile appeared on her face. "Boss, you're back."

Although she didn't understand why Fu Ya was so happy, seeing the beautiful girl's smile as soon as she returned home was definitely a pleasant sight. Qi Han also smiled, "Yes, just came back. We'll start opening tomorrow."

Using the key to open the door, Qi Han turned his head and looked at Fu Ya, who was still standing at the door. "Come in, let's have a staff meal."

Huh? Fu Ya's face blushed slightly. "Boss, the restaurant isn't open today."

"Since you're here, you might as well taste my new dishes."

New dishes?

Fu Ya didn't want the boss to spend money, but her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. "Then I'll help the boss taste them."

Qi Han nodded and turned to enter the kitchen. In a corner where Fu Ya couldn't see, a sinister smile appeared on his lips.

Let Fu Ya be the guinea pig and taste the Exploding Fatty Intestines and Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower!

Because Qi Han hadn't decided on the prices for the three new dishes yet, the system hadn't updated the menu for him.

Looking at the menu on the wall, which was no different from before, Fu Ya began to speculate with anticipation about what the boss's new dishes would be.

Whatever it is, it must be delicious.

Thinking this, a happy smile couldn't help but appear on Fu Ya's face.