With a skeptical attitude, the girl ordered a serving of fried rice with her boyfriend first.
Although the boy's mouth was watering uncontrollably, but the price of 68 yuan quickly brought his rationality back to normalcy.
Sheng Jiu deftly lit the fire and fried the rice.
As the eggs slid into the wok, the enticing aroma almost overwhelmed the young couple, immersing them in a sea of delicious food.
Just then, a young mother entered with her little daughter, clearly another customer drawn in by the enticing smell.
As the young mother entered, Sheng Jiu was just pouring the crab meats into the wok.
Carrying the unique freshness of the ocean, they bloomed to their fullest in that instant, carried by the drifting smoke.
The young mother involuntarily took a deep breath, then called out, "Boss, how much is the fried rice?"
Sheng Jiu was working and didn't hear her, but Ares subtly tapped the table, gesturing for her to look at the menu on the wall.
The young mother's pupils contracted when she saw that a serving cost 68 yuan.
So expensive?
She instinctively hesitated.
The little girl, clinging to her mother's leg, looked up at her with her adorable little face and asked, "Mommy, can we have fried rice? It smells so good!"
The young mother looked away, steeled her resolve, and said, "Let's go home to eat. Mommy's fried rice is delicious too."
The little girl was a little unhappy, but being sensible, she didn't argue and followed her mother with a pout.
The moment the door opened, the aroma wafted further with the air.
Diners who had originally planned to eat other foods now all focused their attention on Restaurant Sheng Ji.
Diners who frequently eat on this street know this restaurant. It used to sell mostly home-style stir-fries.
The taste is neither good nor bad, its main selling point is its affordability.
However, the restaurant is currently closed.
Is this a sign that they've reopened and are working on new dishes?
Some regular customers instinctively turned a corner and went inside.
The newcomers were two elderly men who often played chess together. After they came in, they asked with a smile, "Who's in charge of cooking now?"
Sheng Jiu had just finished cooking a serving of rice and brought it over to the young couple: "The Crab Fried Rice is ready, please enjoy."
After setting it down, Sheng Jiu replied to the two men, "Hello, guests, I'm in charge now."
The two elderly men didn't recognize her. Seeing a young, unfamiliar face, they exchanged a glance, a hint of doubt in their eyes. Could this food... possibly be good?
But the aroma was undeniable.
There's a young man sitting over there, eating without even looking up.
A young couple is also gulping down their food.
How about... they give it a try?
Both of them are retired for a few years, the kind who have money and free time.
For them, a serving of fried rice for 68 yuan is something they can enjoy when they're craving something, something that won't affect their lives.
One of the older men quickly waved his hand: "Two servings of fried rice, please."
Sheng Jiu smiled and replied, "Okay, please wait a moment."
The young couple had originally planned to order one serving each to taste the seasoning.
However, after the fried rice arrived, they started taking spoonfuls from each other, and almost got into a fight, breaking up on the spot.
"You promised to give me the last bite!" the girl felt wronged.
The boy also felt innocent: "I thought you were full. Usually, if you're full, you wouldn't eat the last bite!"
The girl snapped, "Bullshit! Don't you know how much I eat?"
The boy said one thing but meant another: "...I don't know."
The old man watching from the side chuckled, "Just order another one serving. Young couple shouldn't argue, it hurts your relationship."
Upon hearing the old man's words, the girl immediately raised her head and said loudly, "Little Boss, give me one more, no, two more servings of fried rice!"
After receiving Sheng Jiu's response, the girl breathed on her boyfriend and said, "They're all mine, I won't give you a single bite, I'll make you drool!"
The boy also lost his temper and immediately raised his chin and shouted, "Little Boss, give me two servings of rice bowls!"
After saying that, he chuckled and said, "I'll try something different and see who gets hungry first."
Girl: ...
Break up, break up now!
The couple didn't break up in the end because the girl wanted to try what a 28 yuan rice bowl tasted like, and the boy wanted to eat more Crab Fried Rice.
Ares had teammates waiting to be fed, so he had to hurry back.
He tried bringing his teammates along, but they…
They couldn't even see the restaurant's entrance, let alone get inside.
Ares managed to eat a little something to fill his stomach before carrying his things upstairs to the second floor.
Before leaving, he peeked into the kitchen and greeted Sheng Jiu, "Little Boss, I'm off now."
Sheng Jiu was making rice bowls. Hearing the voice, she didn't stop her work and responded loudly.
Ares quickly carried his things and retraced his steps back to their newly moved camp.
Yesterday's camp was destroyed by the crab meat... oh no, by the Zerg.
The good news is that none of them suffered serious injuries. Otherwise, without medicine, their fate would likely have been grim.
Minor injuries, given their strong mental fortitude, healed quickly on their own.
Seeing Ares return, his teammates stared at him expectantly... at the food he was carrying.
Although they were all exhausted from a night of fighting, but they still had plenty of energy.
So, without Ares's help, everyone pitched in and quickly opened the lunch boxes.
"My rice bowl, my favorite!" Xie Yi, being young and unable to keep secrets, happily grabbed ten servings of rice and ran to the side.
The teammates showed no camaraderie while eating.
If they didn't grab their food beforehand, they wouldn't even be able to squeeze in to lick the plates clean!
When Yuan You noticed the new dish, he asked curiously, "What kind of rice is this?"
They recognized the rice, and they recognized the eggs, but...
What was that other kind of translucent, white, soft flesh?
Ares didn't know what to say.
Should he tell them, "These are the Zerg we killed all night last night?"
But he couldn't bring himself to lie to his teammates.
Seeing Ares remain silent, everyone forgot about showing off their food and looked curiously at the Commander.
Ares, under the gaze of his teammates, pursed his thin lips: "It's... the meat of the Frosty Water Magical Crab."
Teammates: ?
Xie Yi had stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth, leaving only a little space to chew. Hearing this, he was so frightened he didn't dare move his mouth.
He looked at Ares, then at the rice in his hand, carefully confirming that there was no crab meat in it, before finally reassured and continuing to chew.
The only girl in the team, Shang Ying, is a dashing girl who is over 1.8 meters tall. Seeing her teammates' blank expressions, she laughed loudly, fearlessly stepped forward, took the Crab Fried Rice, and prepared to show off.
If the captain dared to take it back, it must have been verified that it wasn't poisonous.
Besides, they're already in this situation, what's there to fear about poison?
They need to survive first before they can wait for rescue!
Seeing Shang Ying's action, Yuan You's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously reached out: "The Zerg are poisonous!"