Seventh Uncle was initially reluctant. With a dozen or so young lads and lasses, all at the age to eat heartily, cooking a meal for them was quite an undertaking. He wasn’t like Jian Xiaokang on the mountain, who had two trusted helpers at this time. Seventh Uncle sourly noted: he didn’t even have any employees! But Brother Xiaosun, having finally received approval, rushed into the kitchen, tending to the fire and sorting vegetables, while piling up compliments and ending with a lament: they came with twenty people, and now there were only eleven left... Cooking for eleven people is so simple. A big iron pot with some water. Mix in bits of pork, vermicelli, and radish, and stew cabbage and tofu... it’s like making pig feed. It’s even easier than pig feed. When feeding pigs, we have to chop up pumpkins and sweet potatoes, ensuring nutritional balance. People are different; they’re naturally balanced and can eat anything. If there’s really no meat, even a few drops of sesame oil will do. Goodness! In all his years as a chef, Seventh Uncle had never seen anyone so humble. People didn’t even make explicit requests, yet it sounded like they were ready to toss a broken bowl at his feet. The old man pursed his lips, feeling it wasn’t right to treat guests from afar ... Forget it, forget it! Only eleven people; let’s make a hearty dish for lunch. No need to trek up to the mountain canteen, lest they see what others don’t have and feel awkward. Just set up a large table in the yard and stew a pot beneath it; with this weather, it won’t feel cold at all! Brother Xiaosun was quickly sent off to the storeroom for fish and dried beans, while Qiaoqiao went with a basket to pick peppers in the greenhouse, grabbing a basket of cilantro and green onions and garlic on the way. By the time Brother Xiaosun relayed the news, Seventh Uncle had already decided on four dishes and a soup for lunch. As for the dog owners... After a brief stupor, they held their phones, gazing at the identical expressions of joy on their companions’ faces, suddenly cheered: "Little ones! Today, mom/dad/sis is really benefiting from your luck! Woohoo, it’s just chores, right? I’m super good at doing chores!" Meanwhile, far away in Mountain City Changle Residence, at high noon, another full house of guests and luxurious cars packed the place. "Oh boy!" Tourists who saw great reviews online and painstakingly reserved a spot now sat in their taxi, dumbfounded: "Is that place ahead, with all the luxurious cars parked, Changleju?" "Is it really this popular? No wonder those who booked say it’s lucky... Is this all hype?" "It’s definitely not just hype." The driver sighed from the side: "Many out-of-towners specifically come to eat here. They say the culinary skills here are outstanding; people from all over, with varied tastes, come and all end up falling in love with it." "As long as you can eat a little bit of spice, and don’t insist on extra spicy." "Also, don’t just look to the right, take a look to the left. This place used to be called Leisure Kitchen, and was quite famous locally." "After Changleju’s old place got renovated, within a month it outdid the rest, even the waiters left. They’ve taken over this place too, and now it’s getting remodeled into a tea house, relocating that part to here." "In the future, one side will focus on dining, while the other is solely for the teahouse." "Look! The tea house hasn’t even opened yet, the road barrier in the middle has been removed, the sidewalk lines are painted... even the government acknowledges its drawing power." "Imagine how good the food must be!" Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩 The driver narrated with such emotion that a curious passenger asked, "Driver, how do you know so much? Have you eaten there?" The driver sighed: "How could I have? I can’t even get a reservation. Initially, many camped outside early morning just to queue, but then the owner switched to a reservation system... But listen!" The driver spoke animatedly: "Late last year, I was waiting at the crossroads just ahead when two wealthy folks came out. In the dead of winter, dressed in mink and short skirts, legs exposed... Could they dress like that if they weren’t rich?" The passenger thought, you sure know how to go off-topic! But his speech had such a rhythmic cadence, with Shan City’s unique accent, that the entire family listened in silence. "After their meal, they suddenly quarreled, tossing the gift box at my car. Just imagine, wasn’t that an unwarranted calamity for us men? So, I grabbed it, preparing to say something, but the two just drove off with no word!" "Ah ha!" The driver grinned widely: "I scored some good stuff cheap!" "Inside, there wasn’t much—half an ounce of tea leaves, six big strawberries, and three packs of hand cream or something? Oh, that strawberry! My child ate five in one go at home, leaving only one, and if not for blood ties, the little girl wouldn’t have given it up. When we took a bite out of it with her mom, she cried with each bite." "Oh my goodness!" The driver let out a long sigh, reminiscing: "So delicious! Never had anything like it in my life! No wonder people aspire to be rich, the wealthy lifestyle is just too good." "Really? Can a strawberry taste that good?" The couple in the back was skeptical. The young passenger in the front perked up: "I know, I heard online this gift box is their entry-level VIP gift box, you get it after spending 50,000 – Driver, I saw on a certain platform that each box sells for 20,000, and they still can’t get them!" "I always thought it was the shop’s marketing." Well, just having a meal costing over 50,000, they probably don’t lack for money! "That tea, even with money, you can’t buy it, it’s limited—30,000 a pound!" The driver was shocked: "Just that thing for 20,000?!" "I gave that tea to my dad! The three packs of hand cream were so little, my wife used them up quickly, and later she even searched for that brand, saying it was particularly good..." "No wonder my dad kept asking where the tea was bought..." He said he found it, no matter how many times he was asked, always saying he found it. His father was furious during the holidays, giving him the stink eye. The driver was caught in a mix of pride and regret, while the congested traffic ahead gradually eased. He quickly maneuvered through a gap, making a big U-turn at the next section, finally dropping the passengers off at the now-barricade-cleared entrance of Changleju. At this moment, it was exactly eleven-thirty, and the parking spaces at the entrance were already full. The family of three disembarked, both curious and impressed, and couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious: "How much would a meal cost here?" The young man checked his mobile order: "It is a bit pricey, a basic entry-level three-person meal—what a strange name. Anyway, it’s the cheapest one, with the most online reviews and purchases, 1,188 yuan."