Chapter Sixty-Five: Is This Why You Scared the Child to Cry?
When Lu Xianbei first became a waiter at Liao Zhai Tavern, she initially refused. She considered herself an introverted person, and doing such an exposed job made her somewhat shy.
However, once she got the hang of it and got busy, she found that the job, aside from dealing with customers who were Spiritual Ability Users and Urban Legends, was actually not much different from the tasks she did as a child helping out at Luxi Chuancaiguan.
When customers arrived, she warmly welcomed them and recommended suitable dishes based on their needs.
When customers left, she cleaned the tables to prepare for the next guests.
The only frustrating thing was that Lu Xianbei really couldn’t smile now. Offering a smile was simply impossible.
Fortunately, those Urban Legends and Spiritual Ability Users didn’t seem to mind a moody waiter serving them.
Thus, Lu Xianbei not only didn’t feel out of place but also reminisced about those difficult yet fulfilling and happy days, almost as if reliving old dreams.
Back then, her father hadn’t yet acquired the house next door, Luxi Chuancaiguan hadn’t expanded, and it was just a small restaurant the size of a sparrow.
The little restaurant usually opened in the evening. When Lu Xianbei returned home from school in the afternoon, it was just the right time for the evening rush.
Neighbors who were too lazy to cook dinner, working professionals renting nearby, and students dining alone would flow into the small restaurant at that time.
Faced with so many customers, Lu Ming sometimes found it a bit overwhelming, so Lu Xianbei would consciously run to the restaurant to help out after dropping off her school bag before doing her homework.
Although running dishes back and forth was somewhat tedious and tiring, Lu Xianbei didn’t dislike it, because the atmosphere in the restaurant made her feel warm and happy.
In fact, that little restaurant was the epitome of the small store she always dreamed of opening.
The dishes at the small restaurant were delicious and fairly priced, and most of the customers who came in were familiar faces with whom she could chat, creating a very pleasant atmosphere, reminiscent of a neighborhood canteen.
During dinner hours, one could often see Grandpa Zhang at the corner sitting at the same table as middle school students from the adjacent street, endlessly lecturing them on the importance of studying, as if he had suffered losses from a lack of education himself.
Or there were young people just starting their careers, gathering with uncles who had several houses on Mudan Street, ordering a few bottles of cheap beer and a couple of snacks, and sharing their troubles over drinks and food.
The young people talked about the hardships of the workplace, while the uncles spoke of their late wives with fond nostalgia, seemingly on completely different wavelengths yet somehow managing to relate to each other.
There was also a young couple, both very busy with work and having no time to cook, who would come to the little restaurant for dinner almost every day without fail.
That was practically the time when they communicated the most throughout the day; after dinner, they would go back to their respective jobs.
This state of affairs continued until the little restaurant expanded into Luxi Chuancaiguan, with no changes at all. Until later, when Lu Ming went missing, and Luxi Chuancaiguan closed its doors, those former customers vanished without a trace.
Lu Xianbei only saw one of the young men from that couple once, when she had just regained her vision and was packing up at the old house with Bai Kai.
The young man smiled at Lu Xianbei from a distance and said warmly, “After such a long time, I finally see your family has opened the door. You have no idea how long I’ve been craving this. Sadly, I’ve come several times but found no one.”
“By the way, when will your restaurant reopen?”
Lu Xianbei looked at the young man, fell silent for a long time, then lowered her head and squeezed out, “Sorry, my father isn’t coming back. The restaurant probably won’t open again.”
After saying that, realizing the atmosphere was heavy, she hurriedly changed the subject, “But if you don’t mind that my cooking isn’t as good as my father’s, I could cook a meal for you for free.”
“Oh, right, is it still the same old favorites? I remember you like Mapo Tofu, and the lady likes Spicy Beef, right?” “That would be great,” the young man said, leaning slightly as he replied, “Just Mapo Tofu will do.”
“Hmm?” Lu Xianbei tilted her head.
The young man grimaced slightly and shrugged, “We broke up, not long after your family’s restaurant closed.”
Pulling her thoughts from the memories, Lu Xianbei stood in front of Hu Boss, who said seriously, “So, Hu Boss, I’m serious about working as a waiter.”
Hu Boss crossed his arms in front of him and looked Lu Xianbei up and down, saying curtly, “So, is this why you scared the customer’s child to cry?”
As he spoke, Hu Boss recalled the earlier incident in the tavern where a child was crying about “eating kids!” and felt a throbbing pain in his forehead.
Although Liao Zhai Tavern did indeed have dishes made from childhood Urban Legends, these dishes weren’t listed on the menu and were considered hidden items. Lu Xianbei awkwardly turned her head away, avoiding Hu Boss’s gaze, mumbling, “How would I know what Gu Qiqi did behind the scenes that was so immoral?”
“It’s already infamous to the point that just a name can scare a child to cry. I’m also quite wronged!” Hearing this, Hu Boss shook his head in resignation, “Well, I won’t pursue this further since you handled other guests well today.”
“However, next time you see a table with a child, just don’t go near them. Leave it to Ying Ningning.”
As for Gu Qiqi’s bad reputation, it was merely to frighten children. For most customers at Liao Zhai Tavern, it wasn’t worth mentioning. Most wouldn’t mind that their waiter was a Witch who indulged in Urban Legends.
So, just avoid tables with children.
“Got it.” Lu Xianbei nodded.
Seeing this, Hu Boss turned to glance inside the now-empty tavern, checked the time, and finally looked at Lu Xianbei, raising an eyebrow, “Alright, come with me.”
Then, he took a step towards the kitchen.
Are we finally getting to the point? Watching Hu Boss’s back, Lu Xianbei’s eyes brightened slightly as she caught up a few steps and asked, “Boss, are we starting today’s lesson now?”
Hu Boss glanced at Lu Xianbei from the corner of his eye and frowned, “What’s the rush? Culinary skills can’t be learned in a day.”
“I won’t teach you today; first, you cook a dish for me to taste and show me your basics.”
“Cook a dish?” Lu Xianbei asked in a daze, “What dish?”
“Anything you like!” Hu Boss replied, “Just make your best dish.”
Her best dish? Lu Xianbei furrowed her brows slightly, then tilted her chin slightly upwards, proudly declaring, “I have plenty! Just watch!”
“Really?” Hu Boss smiled at Lu Xianbei, “Then I’ll be waiting to see.”
