"Alright, everyone. Our shop has run into a bit of a problem. The planting and breeding bases of our original ingredient supplier were attacked by mutant beasts and suffered heavy losses. They can’t provide us with the usual quantity of ingredients, so the shop can only supplement our stock with some local ingredients."
"As for the taste, you don’t need to worry. Our shop remains true to its mission and will do its best to maintain the original flavor. However, the texture will be a little lacking. To make up for this, all our set meals will be reduced to 90 Star Coins, and there will be additional discounts on snacks like our marinated meats, spicy hot pot, and mint water. We hope for your understanding."
Shen Lu’s explanation was perfectly reasonable. It was an unavoidable disaster that the supplier’s bases were attacked by mutant beasts. With the ingredient supply cut off, it was completely normal for a business owner to purchase local ingredients to fill the gap.
Most of the customers were understanding. After all, she had lowered the price. A small sacrifice in texture was a fair trade.
However, a few sharp-tongued customers refused to accept Shen Lu’s explanation, loudly demanding that Shen Lu give them free food.
"You opened this shop in the middle of nowhere. If your food wasn’t decent, do you think I’d come all this way to eat?"
"A price drop? A price drop isn’t enough. It has to be free!"
"That’s right, give it to us for free! You can start charging again when you’re using the original ingredients!"
"Don’t think we’re being unreasonable. Look for yourselves! This bok choy, it’s all wilted. You can tell at a glance it’s low-quality. Did I pay money to eat this kind of stuff?"
"Exactly! Even a dog wouldn’t eat this stuff!"
The group went back and forth, playing off each other, their words calculated to stir up the crowd.
After all, they weren’t just fighting for their own benefit; they were demanding Shen Lu provide free food for everyone. If they succeeded, wouldn’t everyone else get a free ride?
The temptation of a free meal from Little Deer Cuisine was immense. The onlookers instinctively fell silent, their eyes fixed eagerly on the clamoring group and the besieged Shen Lu.
Although Shen Lu didn’t have a photographic memory, she recognized faces she’d seen many times before.
These troublemakers were customers who had only recently started showing up frequently.
And they always came in a group of four or five, but one of them would always order a meal and ask for it to-go without eating.
Shen Lu didn’t allow people to buy takeout for others, but if you ordered your own portion and wanted to take it to-go, that was fine.
A different person would get the takeout each time. Having seen it happen so often, Shen Lu had memorized their faces.
Seeing the troublemakers, Ye Fan sent Shen Lu a message asking if he should intervene.
Shen Lu told them to hold off for now. Even if she had to deal with these people, now wasn’t the right time.
Their arguments were complete nonsense, but they were undeniably tempting.
Most of the customers in the shop had fallen for their act. They thought the troublemakers might actually win them a free meal. They didn’t say it out loud, but their eyes were cheering them on.
If she just had Ye Fan and Lin Zhou throw them out without a word, the shop’s satisfaction rating would plummet in an instant.
"Everyone, please quiet down. May I say a few words?"
Shen Lu began to speak slowly. Her voice wasn’t loud, but she used the shop’s speaker system, easily drowning out the clamorous shouting.
The loudest man spat defiantly and glared at Shen Lu, a look on his face that said, ’You’re using technology? You don’t fight fair.’
"The shop isn’t just mine. There are six employees here, and behind them are six families. I’m sure everyone who goes to work does so to earn money and provide a good life for their families."
"Today, these customers are asking me to provide food for free. To be honest, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but I have to think about my employees. At the same time, I also have to think about all of you."
The man’s eyes bulged, and he let loose a stream of curses. "Bullshit! That’s absolute bullshit! You talk as if you’re some kind of saint. What, do you give all the money you earn to your employees? You don’t take a single cent for yourself?!"
"And you say you’re thinking about us! If you were really thinking about us, you wouldn’t be charging money at all! A set meal used to be 120 Star Coins. Even though you dropped the price a bit, it’s still 90 Star Coins!"
"90 Star Coins! You think that’s cheap?! There are plenty of people in the Lower City District who don’t even make that much in a day, yet one of your set meals costs 90 Star Coins! You’re a black-hearted merchant! Why even run a restaurant? You should just go rob people on the street!"
It took all of Shen Lu’s willpower not to have Ye Fan punch the man twice.
’He’s just spouting whatever he wants, isn’t he?’
The 120 Star Coins she charged for a set meal was far below market price. If it weren’t for her shop’s remote location, its lunch-only hours, and its purchase limits, she would have completely disrupted the market.
Otherwise, the other restaurant owners whose profits she’d be cutting into would have torn her to shreds and fed her to the dogs.
Besides, her ingredients were nutrient-rich and had the effect of soothing and healing the Spiritual Sea. Based on that alone, adding another zero to her set meal price would still be a fire sale.
Shen Lu took a breath, her smile never wavering, and refuted him word by word, "If I sell things without charging money, giving them away for free as charity, how long do you think this shop can stay open?"
"Only if my shop operates in a healthy and orderly manner can it survive for a long, long time. And the longer Little Deer Cuisine survives, the more food I can provide for everyone."
"So, I’d like to ask, what are the motives of you few here, trying to incite me to provide free food? Are you trying to make my expenses exceed my income, forcing the shop to shut down? Are you trying to make everyone lose the only place where they can eat a satisfying meal at the most reasonable price?"
"In the end, who wins? And who really benefits?"
Those words struck the crowd like a thunderclap.
That’s right. If Little Deer Cuisine didn’t make a profit, how could it pay its employees? How could it buy ingredients?
If Little Deer Cuisine went out of business, where would they go to eat a 120 Star Coin set meal? And this wasn’t just a meal of plain vegetables; it came with fragrant meat, too.
At any other restaurant, you could never get such a delicious and substantial set meal for 120 Star Coins.
And taking a step back, so what if the owner of Little Deer Cuisine was making a profit?
At this price, with this portion size and these ingredients, she couldn’t be making much. It was probably just hard-earned wages.
It was a moment of clarity for the crowd. Someone started to voice their support for Shen Lu.
"The boss is right! Free isn’t an option. She definitely has to charge!"
"Yeah! It’s not like she lowered the quality of the food on purpose. It’s common for mutant beasts to attack planting bases. If anyone’s to blame, it’s the mutant beasts. What does it have to do with the boss?"
"Boss Shen, don’t listen to these clowns! They’re obviously just shameless thugs. Throw them out! Don’t let them ruin the mood for the rest of us!"
"This shop can’t close down! At least not until I win the life-sized Brother Xing standee!"
"I don’t think you should lower the price at all. Just keep the original..."
Before the person could finish, someone next to them clapped a hand over their mouth.
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