Although food delivery platforms took a large cut from merchants’ orders, many merchants still chose these platforms because they provide recommendations, while self-apps receive no traffic at all.

Although the Eighth Cafeteria has already trended on social media twice, Luo Huai’an was actually a little worried that no one would use the off-campus version of the app.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to do what she could to promote it. So she opened her social media group and posted the link to the off-campus version of the Eighth Cafeteria delivery app, asking everyone to help spread the word.

The 1st community was full and very lively. Everyone here was a foodie who gathered because of the Eighth Cafeteria, so they have a lot in common. These top students even sometimes chatted about their studies in the group.

When they saw the off-campus version of the delivery app, they all thought the owner had added new dishes. But when they clicked on it, they found that it was empty, and the title even said ‘Mountains and Seas Little Cafeteria Off-Campus Delivery Version’.

The students in the group chat immediately erupted: [Seriously?! I understand the Eighth Cafeteria doing on-campus and off-campus delivery, but I don’t understand why they’re doing off-campus delivery. Boss, are you abandoning us?!]

[The Eighth Cafeteria is extremely crowded during mealtimes now; please stop creating competitors for us!]

[Your Majesty, please reconsider!]

Luo Huai’an touched her hair. The stir-fries and other dishes made in the Eighth Cafeteria were in high demand every day, and there was no waste, unlike other Cafeterias that had to dump the food into the kitchen waste bins after mealtimes.

Luo Huai’an knew that the school market had not been fully captured yet, but how could the unscrupulous boss’s eyes be fixed solely on this small piece of land?

After some thought, Luo Huai’an replied in the group chat: [Don’t worry, everyone. We’ve got more staff at the shop. The Cafeteria’s supply will absolutely not decrease; it will only increase. The Eighth Cafeteria at the university will always prioritize the university; takeout is just a supplement. Off-campus takeout will absolutely not significantly affect the school. 

Moreover, offering takeout isn’t without its benefits. If you live in Fuyuan District, you can order takeout when you go home on weekends. In short, I hope everyone will support us and share this message.]

The students breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the keywords ‘will not affect the cafeteria’s supply’, and their anxiety subsided.

[Since the cafeteria’s supplies are increasing, I’m relieved.]

[Chinese people don’t lie to other Chinese people, boss, please don’t lie to me.]

Upon seeing the last reply, Luo Huai’an’s hand trembled slightly as she replied with a cute kitten emoji, then said: [You’re right.]

The students were immediately reassured after receiving her affirmative reply. Some enthusiastic students even forwarded the app link to their WeChat Moments to promote the Eighth Cafeteria.

Luo Huai’an looked at her phone and thought to herself, although she had agreed to that person’s promise, she was a divine beast, not a human, so even if she broke the promise, it wasn’t her fault.

Luo Huai’an touched her non-existent conscience; thankfully, she had no intention of breaking the contract. After all, her cafeteria was located on campus, and it would be putting the cart before the horse if she only cared about the off-campus market and neglected the on-campus market.

Luo Huai’an put away her phone, preparing to create menus for both on-campus and off-campus food delivery app for tomorrow. The arrival of the thirty little birds had significantly increased the efficiency of the Eighth Cafeteria.

Luo Huai’an still remembered the message she saw on the delivery app yesterday. The message complained that there were too few food options available on campus, only large chicken leg rice and bamboo tube rice.

After thinking for a moment, Luo Huai’an opened the administrator account of the in-campus version of the cafeteria’s app and uploaded all the prices and pictures of the cafeteria’s existing dishes, including stir-fries such as braised pork and the recently added wontons.

As for off-campus takeout, Luo Huai’an wanted to create a new dish, a signature dish symbolizing a successful start, just like before.

As for what to do, she had no idea, because she knew how to cook so many dishes, and had mastered all the major cuisines.

She couldn’t think of anything after thinking about it for a long time, so she opened the message feedback section of the app to see if anyone had any requests for food.

A short while later, she found a related comment: [Boss, shouldn’t we have some spicy food in this scorching summer? The cafeteria doesn’t have a single spicy dish; it’s so frustrating for spice lovers.]

Seeing this, Luo Huai’an nodded and replied below: [Received! Cat nodding jpg.]

When Luo Huai’an thought of spicy food, the first thing that came to mind was hot pot. However, the various ingredients for hot pot were prone to becoming soggy during transportation, affecting the flavor, so they were not very suitable for being offered on food delivery platforms.

Luo Huai’an then decided to make boiled sliced meat.

After making her decision, Luo Huai’an went to the kitchen and asked Second Fish and the other Fishies to help him, intending to test whether her cooking skills had become rusty.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the name ‘Boiled Meat Slices’ didn’t include the word ‘spicy’—it was actually a truly spicy dish.

Many people thought that boiled sliced meat meant soup with meat slices; it was actually not boiled in water but scalded with oil containing broth.

Mythical Beast Cafeteria translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

---

T/N: I originally thought to adjust the chapter title to ‘Spicy Boiled Meat Slices’ because the name of the dish is NOT accurately descriptive at all. But then the text itself explained the discrepancy so it’s all good 😅

About ‘meat’. Pork is technically 猪肉  (pig meat), but Chinese kitchens and menus simply use 肉 (meat) to mean ‘pork’ by default. So this dish is almost always pork. If the dish uses beef instead, it would say it specifically—boiled beef slices.  

The dish says ‘meat slices’ but in Chinese cuisines and menus, 猪肉  almost always uses pork. If it uses beef instead, the dish would say it specifically.

Enjoying my translations? Check out my PATREON. You can get advance access to all ongoing translation works, single work only, or bundled works. Or just leave a tip! Thank you for your support.