The Eighth Cafeteria has been open for more than ten days now, and the number of customers was steadily increasing, as was the amount of money being made. Luo Huai’an was very happy.

Today, as she flipped through the calendar, she suddenly realized that Teacher’s Day was approaching.

She suddenly remembered a consumer trap she’d seen in an online get-rich-quick schemes tutorial —linking consumption to holidays. The currently popular Double 11, Double 12, and Women’s Day sales were prime examples of this marketing tactic, designed to make people want to spend money during holidays.

Luo Huai’an couldn’t help but think that for Teacher’s Day, the cafeteria should offer something special to make money, or rather, to make the students happy.

After much thought, Luo Huai’an had an idea: why not make pastries? Pastries were very portable; they could be eaten not only in restaurants but also outside, and even given as gifts.

She chose two pastries called ‘candies’ from the recipes taught to her by the Kitchen God: Dragon Beard Crisp and Egg Yolk Crisp.

After purchasing all the ingredients, Luo Huai’an returned to the kitchen to prepare to make the first pastry: Dragon Beard Candy.

Dragon Beard Candy was said to have been a snack enjoyed by emperors and was a royal delicacy. It was originally called Silver Thread Candy, but was later renamed Dragon Beard Candy by the emperor, and has a history of over two thousand years.

When Luo Huai’an heard the Kitchen God say this name, she couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘Silver Thread Candy is such a nice and fitting name, why change it to Dragon Beard Candy?’

Azure Dragon’s whiskers were not attractive at all.

Luo Huai’an began making dragon beard candy while feeling melancholy.

So much time passed, and Azure Dragon has become a top idol in the human totems and mythical beasts—truly an enviable status. In contrast, Pixiu was a nobody; many people couldn’t even pronounce her name, which made one want to shed a tear of sadness.

While feeling melancholy, she channeled her heartache into motivation and earnestly began making dragon beard candy.

So what if he’s a top-notch human totem? Money was the only thing that mattered. She would definitely become the richest supernatural beast with her skills.

Luo Huai’an added a little honey to the maltose and simmered it over a low flame. Once the maltose became very soft, she took it out and kneaded it repeatedly on a white board, rolling it into thin strips and then stretching it repeatedly.

Dragon beard candy was a dessert made with skill; only those who have undergone professional training could stretch maltose to the thinness of a strand of hair.

Fortunately, Luo Huai’an was different from ordinary people. She didn’t feel tired and was skilled enough to carefully pull the maltose into thousands of strands like dragon’s beard—which was how the dragon beard candy was made.

When photographer Zhang and his staff arrived at the Eighth Cafeteria, Luo Huai’an had just finished making the dragon beard candy.

After hearing the noise, she brought out the dragon beard candy and walked out of the kitchen. She walked over to the photographer Zhang in surprise, wondering why they had brought a camera into the cafeteria.

“What are you here for?”

“We’re here to film the Eighth Cafeteria.”

When photographer Zhang saw the dragon beard candy in Luo Huai’an’s hand, his eyes lit up instantly. “What is this? It looks so beautiful!”

Dragon Beard Candy has a beautiful name and a beautiful appearance.

Dragon beard candy was made of soft and dense silver threads, thin in size, and as white as snow.

Luo Huai’an placed the dragon beard candy in her hand on the table and said, “These are dragon beard candies I made. Why are you filming the Eighth Cafeteria?”

Photographer Zhang explained the leader’s arrangements and then said, “This promotional video will not only be shown to the students, but will also be posted on our school’s official WeChat account.”

Luo Huai’an was overjoyed to hear this. What was this if not free advertisement? Which meant she was practically getting paid for it, too. So she couldn’t wait to ask, “When will you start shooting?”

“We can start shooting now.” Photographer Zhang pointed to the large camera lens slung over his shoulder and asked the question that mattered most to him. “What were you just doing? Can we film it?”

Luo Huai’an was much more enthusiastic than before, and smiled, saying, “Of course, these are dragon beard candies I made.”

Photographer Zhang had never eaten dragon beard candy before, and this was the first time he had seen this kind of dessert, so he couldn’t help but lean closer.

Dragon Beard Candy was made of snow-white silver threads, with thousands of strands. When a breeze blows, the threads will slowly sway, making it look absolutely ethereal.

Photographer Zhang was stunned, swallowed hard, and said from the bottom of his heart, “Can I try one?”

“Take it.”

Photographer Zhang picked up a piece of dragon beard candy, examined it carefully for a while, and felt that it was a work of art. The more he looked at it, the more reluctant he was to eat it. After a long while, he finally made up his mind to stuff the dragon beard candy into his mouth.

A delicious sensation he had never experienced before burst forth in his mouth.

The first impression of dragon beard candy was its crispness. The countless strands of dragon beard candy entering the mouth were like eating fluffy, sweet snow.

After taking a bite of the distinct strands of dragon’s beard candy, it broke with a snap and melted into maltose in the mouth. This texture was something the photographer had never experienced before—a melt-in-your-mouth sensation.

With just a few chews, one could taste the sweetness of the dragon beard candy.

The wonderful qualities of maltose were brought to their fullest potential, achieving a leap from the ordinary to the extraordinary in both texture and taste.

Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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Dragon beard candy was created some 2000 years ago and used to be solely enjoyed by the imperial family. These days, it has turned into street art food but the craft is slowly dying from lack of skilled artisans. 

While it looks like cotton candy, dragon beard candy is slightly chewier and has a more nougat-like texture. It also has only about 19% sugar compared to 97% for cotton candy. Dragon beard candy is often filled with a mixture of peanuts, sesame seeds, and desiccated coconut (although the one Luo Huai’an makes doesn’t seem too have any fillings).

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Here are this story’s scheduled postings for the various Patreon Tiers:
… Devoted 2nd Male Lead
Chapter 36.2 — Dragon Beard Candy
Chapter 36.3 — Dragon Beard Candy
Chapter 37.1 — Staying at Aero U for Love
Chapter 37.2 — Staying at Aero U for Love
Chapter 38.1 — Salted Egg Yolk Pastry Trends on Social Media
Chapter 38.2 — Salted Egg Yolk Pastry Trends on Social Media
… Awakened Villainess
Chapter 38.3 — Salted Egg Yolk Pastry Trends on Social Media
Chapter 39.1 — Salted Egg Yolk Pastry
Chapter 39.2 — Salted Egg Yolk Pastry
Chapter 39.3 — Salted Egg Yolk Pastry
Chapter 40.1 — Come Work for Me
Chapter 40.2 — Come Work for Me
… Unattainable White Moonlight
Chapter 40.3 — Come Work for Me
Chapter 41.1 — Bluebird Delivery
Chapter 41.2 — Bluebird Delivery
Chapter 42.1 — Internal Competition in the Teaching Profession
Chapter 42.2 — Internal Competition in the Teaching Profession
Chapter 43.1 — Goldfish-Tail Wontons