(BL) Reborn as Lycan's Emperor's abandoned Beta concubine?!

Chapter 9: 9. Second day and duck chef problems

SECOND DAY OF THE CAPITAL FESTIVAL

XAVIER

I thought yesterday was already chaotic. I was wrong, because apparently, selling out before sunset and creating the longest line in the festival was not enough. The next morning, the festival hadn’t even started yet, and people were already waiting. I arrived at our stall before sunrise. The streets were still quiet, most merchants were only beginning to set up their decorations. The musicians weren’t playing yet. The festival gates weren’t even fully opened, and yet there was already a line. I stopped walking.

"..." I looked at the people standing in front of my empty stall, then I looked behind me, then back at them. "Am I seeing things?"

"No."Ana, carrying a basket of ingredients, looked up.

"There are actually people waiting."She smiled.

"Before the festival starts?"I asked.

Hin calmly nodded while arranging the tables.

"Three hours before."Hin said and smiled.

"Three hours?"I stared.

"Chef Wei!"A young man near the front noticed me.

The entire line turned.

"Chef Wei is here!" One of them gasped.

"The bun chef arrived!" Another one joined.

"The oven is coming!"The third one added.

"The buns are coming!"A kid gasped happily.

"The oven is coming?"I froze.

As if summoned by their words, several workers arrived behind us pulling the wagon carrying the giant clay oven. The crowd cheered.

"They are cheering for my oven."I blinked.

"Your oven has fans now."Ana laughed. "I didn’t know an oven could become famous."

"Master Wei, yesterday people called it a miracle."Hin tilted her head.

"I built a celebrity oven."I groaned.

"I came early today."As we prepared the stall, customers kept talking.

"Yesterday I waited two hours."One of them said.

"I heard they sold out."Another one added.

"My neighbor bought one and refused to share."Third one grinned.

"He refused?" Second one asked.

"He said it was too precious."Third one shook his head.

"It’s just a bun."I covered my face.

"Just a bun?"Several people immediately looked offended.

"I mean..."I quickly lowered my hand. I looked at the crowd. "A very good bun."

"Exactly."A child nodded seriously. "Chef Wei understands."

The nearby chefs were already watching, the same chefs who laughed yesterday, the roast duck chef looked at the line forming before opening.

"..." The noodle master looked at the crowd.

"..." The pastry chef slowly turned toward them. "Is it just me..."

"No." The roast duck chef sighed. "It’s happening again."

"What?"I asked.

"The bun disaster."He said.

"The bun disaster?"I asked.

"Yesterday destroyed our sales." The pastry chef looked toward my stall. "And today it hasn’t even started."

Inside the stall, I checked the first batch. The dough was soft, the filling was ready and the aroma already filled the small cooking area.

"You know..."Ana smiled proudly.

"What?"I asked.

"When you first came here, you wanted to disappear."She said.

I paused. That was true, I wanted a quiet life. No palace, no attention, no trouble. Just cooking. I looked outside at the villagers, the customers, the children waiting excitedly. Hin serving tea while smiling. Huan watching from nearby with that merchant expression.

"Yeah." I smiled slightly. "That plan didn’t work."

"No, it really didn’t."Ana laughed.

The festival bell hadn’t even rung yet. The official opening announcement had not started, but the line had already reached the fountain. A guard walking through the street stopped.

"Is the festival open?"He stared.

"No."Another guard answered.

"Then why is there a line?" The first one asked. He looked toward my stall. "The bun chef."He said.

"Of course."The second guard sighed.

I opened the oven, steam rose into the morning air.

The familiar scent spread across the street. Immediately, the crowd became louder.

"They’re ready!"One of them screamed.

"The buns are ready!"Another one joined.

The first customers stepped forward and I realized something. Yesterday wasn’t a lucky accident, the capital didn’t just like the buns. They had been waiting for them.

I picked up the first tray.

"Alright." I smiled. "Let’s make some more."

By the time the festival officially began, the longest line in the entire capital was already waiting at one small wooden stall. A stall with a strange clay oven, a chef with snow white hair and meat buns that everyone was suddenly talking about, and somewhere among the crowd, someone important was starting to hear those whispers again.

"Chef Wei..."One of them said.

"The mysterious chef from the village..."Another one

By midday, I had already accepted one important fact. The festival was no longer normal, at least not around my stall. The line for buns was still massive, and people from other stalls had started sending curious looks in my direction. Especially one particular stall, the roast duck chef he had been watching me all morning. Finally, when there was a small break between batches, he walked over.

"Chef Wei." He began.

"Yes?"I looked up.

"I have a problem."He crossed his arms.

"A problem?"I blinked.

"My roast duck sales are terrible today."He pointed toward his own stall.

I glanced behind him and he wasn’t lying. Yesterday, his stall had been one of the busiest, today, most people were waiting for buns.

"I’m sorry."I scratched my cheek.

"It’s not your fault."He sighed. "Your buns are simply too popular."

"I don’t think I can compete with you."I smiled awkwardly.

The older chef stared at me, then he laughed.

"That’s why I came here."He said.

"Huh?"I asked.

"I still have many ducks prepared."He pointed toward the crates beside his stall.

I looked at the ducks, then back at him. A thought appeared, slowly, and my chef instincts activated.

"Can I borrow some?"I asked.

"Borrow?"The duck chef blinked.

"Yes."I said.

"What are you planning?"He asked.

"Something new."I grinned.

"No."Ana immediately recognized that expression.

"You don’t even know what I’m making."I looked at her.

"I know that face."She said.

"What face?"I asked.

"The face you make right before creating another problem."Ana grinned.

"She is correct."Hin nodded.

"I don’t create problems." I groaned. "Okay, sometimes."

"I want to see what happens."The duck chef laughed.

I already knew that it’s going to be delicious.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!