At noon, not only workers and students came to the Eighth Cafeteria, but also a large group of military training instructors.

The instructors received special treatment. Since the contract to serve them meals had been signed long ago, Luo Huai’an had asked Big Fish to prepare all their meals in advance and put them on the table.

Because the time was short and the weather was hot, the dishes were not cold, and the instructors could eat hot meals as soon as they arrived. Luo Huai’an arranged a set meal for each of the instructors that had two meat and two vegetable dishes. This included the braised pork dish—the best selling dish in the Eighth Cafeteria.

Due to their long association, the instructors had more or less heard of the reputation of the Aero U cafeterias before coming to the university, and they were all a little apprehensive.

But after finishing the meal, they finally understood one thing: they had found a treasure!

Instructor Li took a big bite of the braised pork, his teeth breaking through the gelatinous skin and reaching inside. The mellow and delicious taste exploded in his mouth like a bomb, tender and chewy, mellow and fragrant.

Instructor Li ate with relish and couldn’t help but look at Instructor Zhang, the team leader. “I heard from Old Su and the others that the food in Aero U cafeteria is terrible. But if this braised pork is terrible, then there’s no good braised pork in the world!

“The top chef in our mess kitchen is said to be a retired chef from a big restaurant, but even he can’t make it taste this good.”

Instructor Zhang raised his head, fully convinced himself. “I consulted with the Chancellor, and he said that Eighth Cafeteria wasn’t open at this time last term, and the operator hasn’t been replaced yet. The dishes we’re having today were prepared by the new operator.”

Instructor Li suddenly realized. “So that’s how it is. I didn’t participate in military training for Aero U last year.”

At this moment, Instructor Zhang suddenly curled his lips and smiled, “When you and I go back, remember to describe the taste of the braised pork in detail. That way they will know what they have missed.”

Instructor Li couldn’t help but smile when he thought of that scene; he lowered his head happily to continue eating.

… …

After their meal, Instructor Li stood up along with his colleagues. When he saw the window selling mung bean soup, he suddenly realized something.

It turned out that almost every student in his squad bought their drinks here in the mornings.

Instructor Zhang saw him staring at the window, “You want a drink? If you want, I’ll buy you one. I happen to have a meal coupon here.”

Instructor Zhang was also a little thirsty, and since he didn’t have a water cup with him, he walked over and bought two tall cups of mung bean soup.

When Instructor Zhang received the mung bean soup, he was amazed at its appearance, “It’s really beautiful.”

A large, transparent cup filled with chilled Suzhou-style mung bean soup, its ingredients clearly separated and undulating like a dance. Because it was chilled, it felt cool and comfortable in his hand.

Instructor Zhang couldn’t help but take a sip. As the cool mint water entered his mouth, he was stunned. “This is too delicious.”

If air conditioning was a physical way to cool down, then Suzhou-style mung bean soup was a magical way to cool down. Its clean, clear, cool, smooth texture, sweet and diverse flavors, and refreshing mint aroma soothed away any restlessness caused by the summer heat.

Compared to Instructor Zhang’s astonishment, Instructor Li had a complicated feeling about mung bean soup.

The case was solved. No wonder those freshmen were so resilient. It turned out it was because of the mung bean soup in the Eighth Cafeteria!

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

Mung bean soup was beautiful and refreshing. It served as a summer antidote, satisfied the palate, and was a great way to share photos and social media posts. It was a three-in-one beverage, making it a favorite among freshmen.

Today, Luo Huai’an received a friend request through the community group, with the note ‘Tan Mengmeng, monitor of Class 1, Department of Chinese Language and Literature’.

After being approved, Tan Mengmeng politely sent a message: [Boss, can we do a group purchase of mung bean soup? Everyone in my class really wants to drink it.]

There was no reason to refuse a deal that came to her door, so Luo Huai’an thought about it and agreed: [Sure, how many do you want?]

Tan Mengmeng was overjoyed, and the classmates around her who saw Luo Huai’an’s reply were also very excited. “Great, the boss agreed!”

[40 orders each time, twice a day, for a total of 80 tall cups.]

[Okay, but we have limited staff in the store, so you’ll need to come get it yourself.]

[That’s fine. My classmates and I will come to pick it up at noon and in the evening.]

After Luo Huai’an and Tan Mengmeng reached an agreement, the other party sent a deposit.

At this time, she received another friend request on her phone. This person was added through the WeChat business card, and the note was ‘Instructor Zhang’.

The friend request was approved, and the other party directly stated his purpose: he also came to order mung bean soup.

The students were tired, and so were the instructors. This year, with temperatures even hotter than usual, the instructors were extremely exhausted. Instructor Zhang, after trying the Suzhou-style mung bean soup in the Eighth Cafeteria, recognized its merits and requested the purchase authorization from his superiors. He was gratified to receive a positive response.

Luo Huai’an racked her brains for a while, then she agreed.

… …

After this, something happened that shocked many people. The good-looking drink became popular even among the instructors!

The instructors from dozens of formations on the open grounds all had a tall cup of the same drink in their hands.

During a break, Instructor Li clutched a tall cup of Suzhou-style mung bean soup in his left hand, while the students sitting cross-legged opposite him each held a cup. The students furtively glanced at him, whispering to each other, practically doubling over with laughter.

When Instructor Li saw their sneaky look, he couldn’t help but snort and his old face turned red.

In fact, after Instructor Zhang bought the mung bean soup through group purchase, he didn’t want to drink it. After all, it seemed like he, as an instructor, would secretly observe what the students were eating then would buy it himself. It looked suspiciously like he was following the trend.

However, when the cool mung bean soup filled his throat and the heat in his body gradually disappeared, he could only sigh.

Anyway, just lie down and enjoy it!

Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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Chapter 15.5 — Pepper Pancakes Part II
Chapter 15.6 — Pepper Pancakes Part II
Chapter 16.1 — Pepper Pancakes Part III
Chapter 16.2 — Pepper Pancakes Part III
Chapter 16.3 — Pepper Pancakes Part III
Chapter 16.4 — Pepper Pancakes Part III