The Cantonese-style, big, crispy chicken leg rice bowl was very convenient, and every day, it sold out almost immediately the moment it was made available online. 

Qing Niao delivered these big, crispy chicken leg rice bowls to every corner of the university campus, and this also helped spread the good name of the Eighth Cafeteria.

More and more people now know that the Eighth Cafeteria has recently undergone a major transformation.

These days, the homepage of Aero U’s community forum frequently featured posts about the Cantonese-style, big, chicken leg rice bowls. There were also many discussions about the many changes in the Eighth Cafeteria.

[My roommate once told me that the food at the Eighth Cafeteria was delicious, but I didn’t believe her. Then today I took a bite of the big chicken leg, and I was so excited! I never imagined I’d be able to eat such a perfectly normal, incredibly delicious meal from the university cafeteria. Please, Eighth Cafeteria, keep it up! I’m begging you!]

[Agree times my ID number. The students have suffered in the university cafeterias for far too long; the Eighth Cafeteria is practically a living Bodhisattva, rescuing countless suffering students.]

[I’ve been eating at the nearby food street for three years, and I’m really tired of it. Plus, I occasionally get diarrhea because of hygiene issues. The changes at the Eighth Cafeteria have given me a glimmer of hope. Please don’t stop, keep coming up with new dishes! My wallet can handle the pressure, don’t worry.]

[I’m so envious of this year’s freshmen. They just started school and the new cafeteria opened. I’ve eaten a ton of lemons; I’m dying of sourness.]

Because the Eighth Cafeteria has become so popular recently, with several posts about it appearing on the homepage of the university’s forum every day, the administrator had to create a separate section for it.

… …

More than two hundred servings of Cantonese-style crispy chicken leg meals were sold every day. Although the quantity was increased, the students were still not satisfied.

The online community for the Eighth Cafeteria alone already has more than 400 members, and it’s almost reached its member limit. These 400-plus members were all loyal regulars at the Eighth Cafeteria, and more than 200 servings of crispy chicken leg rice bowls were not enough to satisfy their cravings.

Looking at the crispy chicken leg rice bowl that everyone was posting in the university forum’s Eighth Cafeteria section, they felt like they’ve eaten giant lemons, so sour.

Someone who was lucky enough to be able to buy the crispy chicken leg rice bowl was overjoyed and invented a new Versailles¹ method of showing off—compete for the title of ‘biggest chicken leg’.

Zhang Jiusi posted a picture of the big chicken leg from his meal: [If I say my big chicken leg is second best, no one dares to claim to be first.]

The chicken leg in the photo was indeed larger than average, bigger than an adult’s hand, and glistening with oil, making it look incredibly tempting.

Many viewers below expressed envy, jealousy, and resentment, angrily typing in response: 

[This chicken leg is ridiculously big, abnormally big. Let me suffer for you.]

[I can’t even get a single piece of crispy chicken skin, while others have already bought gigantic chicken legs. Boss, don’t you have any conscience? Hurry up and stock more big crispy chicken leg rice bowls!]

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

Luo Huai’an occasionally searched for reviews of the Eighth Cafeteria on forums, and that’s how she came across this post. 

She was somewhat worried; the market was too big, but their current production of the big, crispy chicken leg rice meal was insufficient. They couldn’t earn more money, which actually saddened her.

She wished there were more supernatural beasts doing free labor!

Just as she was frowning and thinking hard, Qing Niao returned from doing the food delivery.

Qing Niao had the same expression as her, looking rather dejected.

Luo Huai’an asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Qing Niao’s eyebrows drooped, and his voice sounded a little aggrieved, “I don’t know why, but Chancellor Wen won’t let me deliver his meals inside. He only lets me hang the delivery bag on the doorknob. Does he not like me?”

Qing Niao was once the messenger of the Queen Mother of the West. He represented her when made deliveries and was almost universally loved. Qing Niao has never encountered anyone who disliked him, and Chancellor Wen’s reaction made him feel somewhat frustrated and disappointed, doubting whether his previous judgment had been wrong.

Luo Huai’an: “…”

Luo Huai’an wiped her face, unsure how to explain the situation without frustrating Qing Niao. 

After thinking for a while, she came up with a compromise, “Chancellor Wen probably doesn’t dislike you. He might have asked you to hang the delivery on the doorknob because it’s inconvenient with other people inside his office.”

Upon hearing this, Qing Niao’s eyes lit up, and he regained his energy. “So that’s how it is, I understand now.”

After Qing Niao left, Luo Huai’an frantically pulled out her bag and rummaged through it to find the Eighth Cafeteria’s contract.

She looked at the contract period and the Chancellor’s signature, checking them repeatedly, and only then did she breathe a long sigh of relief, putting her worries behind her.

With this contract in place, even if Chancellor Wen regretted letting her run the cafeteria and employ non-human staff, he wouldn’t be able to get rid of her.

Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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FOOTNOTE:

1. Versailles —basically to ‘humble brag’. Complaining about something but actually showing off. ‘Oh this Chanel bag my rich boyfriend gave me is so useless, it’s too small to use for groceries.’. ↩︎