Chancellor Wen and the other school leaders all had strange expressions.

The month-long military training already felt excessively long to the students, and the Chancellor’s inbox was frequently flooded with complaints about it. Students hoped that the Aeronautics University of Jiangcheng could follow the example of neighboring institutions like Jiangcheng University and shorten the training period. However, due to historical reasons, AU’s heavily militarized management made shortening the training impossible.

Chancellor Wen actually felt that one month of military training was a bit too little, but a year of military training… that would be too insane. If the students heard what they said here, the Eighth Cafeteria might be demolished overnight.

Instructor Zhang looked at Chancellor Wen with hope, hoping he would approve extending the military training. A year wasn’t realistic, but extending it to two months was certainly feasible.

But Chancellor Wen coughed lightly, not satisfying his expectations, and changed the subject, skillfully practicing Tai Chi¹, “By the way, it’s meal time now, and you haven’t eaten yet. Since you’re in the Eighth Cafeteria, why not try the food here?”

Truth be known, Chancellor Wen came here not only to discuss business but also to have a meal.

The sweet and sour carp he had once glimpsed had left an indelible impression on Chancellor Wen, and he was filled with curiosity and also a bit of uncertainty. 

Could Luo Huai’an’s cooking really be as good as her sweet and sour carp, able to support the entire cafeteria? Was signing a contract with Luo Huai’an really the right decision?

However, Luo Huai’an became a little worried after hearing his words. After a while, she said, “But now there are no more meat dishes, only vegetarian dishes are left.”

It was the hottest time of the year, and the heat was still on, so the dishes were still piping hot. But the meat dishes were so popular that they were sold out early, leaving only the three vegetarian dishes.

The school leaders who came here had all tasted the sweet and sour carp, and although they were a little disappointed that there were no meat dishes, they had already come and had no intention of leaving without eating. 

As for Instructor Zhang, he didn’t care; he wasn’t picky about food, and he just wanted to catch up with his old regimental commander.

So everyone stayed.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

Big Fish originally thought that the vegetarian dishes wouldn’t sell out, and he was confident that he’d get to try some more later. As it turned out, everyone started buying up all the vegetarian dishes. Big Fish’s figure grew increasingly forlorn, his movements of wiping the table growing more melancholy.

Luo Huai’an was delighted to see that everything was sold out. She observed the employees’ work today and found it was generally good, with no problems. She praised the little Fishes. Then she sent them to the kitchen to eat, where there were portions reserved for them.

After all the little Fishes finished eating their meal, they looked dazed.

“Am I dreaming? There’s such delicious food in this world. It’s ten thousand times more delicious than seaweed and kelp.”

“Why are the greens stir-fried in garlic so crispy? When I was serving the food earlier, I couldn’t understand why the guests were so excited. Turns out it’s because the food is so delicious.”

Third Fish took a bite of the shredded potatoes and was astonished by the taste. His tongue felt strange and hot, almost numb. This feeling of having his mouth out of control frightened him, “My mouth is on fire!”

When his younger brothers and sisters saw him like this, they were very scared.

“Eldest Brother, are you okay? Don’t scare me!”

“Eldest Brother, please don’t die!”

“Can you please leave your phone to me when you die?”

“You wish, the phone is mine.” Third Fish was upset but he did not forget to protect his phone, so he glared at Twentieth Fish fiercely. The other party immediately trembled and stopped talking.

Luo Huai’an was counting the money she earned today when she heard the chaotic noise and walked over.

Seeing Third Fish’ condition, she couldn’t help but feel a little worried, so she began to check on him. But after looking left and right, she couldn’t find anything wrong. “You’re not sick.”

Third Fish’s eyes welled up with tears, “But my mouth feels weird.”

After Luo Huai’an found out what he had eaten, she didn’t know what to say. “Haven’t you ever eaten chili before?”

The little Fishes all shook their heads, indicating no.

Luo Huai’an suddenly realized and explained, “Chili peppers are a kind of plant. They may hurt your mouth a little, but they are delicious. I didn’t add many green and red peppers in this, so it can only be considered slightly spicy. You may find it a little hard to accept the first time you eat it, but it should be fine after a while.”

Third Fish heaved a sigh of relief when he realized his life was not in danger, and then he stopped eating the hot and sour potato shreds. Chili peppers were the devil, he realized; he didn’t want to eat them anymore.

He then ate the delicious stir-fried vegetables beside him, but something strange happened. The refreshing, crisp, and sweet vegetables were like white moonlight, while the pungent, sour, and spicy shredded potatoes were like a cinnabar mole. He had the white moonlight, but he couldn’t forget the cinnabar mole.

Luo Huai’an had blanched the potato shreds before making hot and sour potato shreds. The potato shreds were light, refreshing, crispy, and did not stick to the pan. She also added a little peppercorn when stir-frying them, which created a spicy taste that was the finishing touch, instantly enriching the taste of ordinary potato shreds.

The finished shredded potatoes were full of sour and spicy flavor, with the right softness and hardness, and an undeniably crispy texture.

Seeing that he didn’t touch the hot and sour potato shreds anymore, Twentieth Fish sneaked over, holding out his chopsticks, “Eldest Brother, I think this is quite delicious. If you don’t want to eat it, give it to me.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stretched out his chopsticks, it was pressed down on the spot.

Yu San glared at him and said, “Who said I don’t want to eat it? I definitely want to eat it.”

Then he ate the hot and sour potato shreds in three or two bites. His face turned red and his neck became thick because of the spiciness, but he still tried to swallow it all anyway.

The unprecedented spicy experience gave him a thrilling and exhilarating feeling. Because he ate too quickly and the weather was hot, he was surprised to find that after finishing everything, he had beads of sweat on his forehead.

The hot and sour potato shreds were so sour and spicy that he felt warm all over, as if he was soaking in a hot spring.

Third Fish felt like he had been baptized and have opened the door to a new world. He couldn’t help but walk to Luo Huai’an and said, “Are you going to make hot and sour potato shreds again tomorrow?”

Luo Huai’an thought about it and nodded. “There will be shredded potatoes, and there will also be new dishes prepared for the freshmen.”

She has set a small goal for herself: seduce all the freshmen tomorrow!

Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

---

If you’re enjoying my translations, do consider buying me ko-fi and get access to advance chapters as reward. Thank you for your support! ☺️

Chapter 10 — The Only New Variable Is The Eighth Cafeteria
Chapter 11 — Eat In Front Of The Freshmen During Military Training
Chapter 12.1 — Suzhou-style Mung Bean Soup
Chapter 12.2 — Suzhou-style Mung Bean Soup
Chapter 12.3 — Suzhou-style Mung Bean Soup
Chapter 13.1 — Suzhou-style Mung Bean Soup Part II
Chapter 13.2 — Suzhou-style Mung Bean Soup Part II
Chapter 13.3 — Suzhou-style Mung Bean Soup Part II
Chapter 14.1 — Pepper Pancakes
Chapter 14.2 — Pepper Pancakes

1. Tai Chi is a form of martial arts that has since evolved to a wellness, exercise routine involving slow, meditative movements. In this context, it means to gently throw the topic of conversation back to the other person without agreeing or refusing.
   ↩︎