"Chef Mao, you're so generous!"
Hearing Chef Mao's words, the customers were impressed. One by one, they gave him a thumbs-up.
In their eyes, Chef Mao was looking out for them.
To set the price so low... it was truly for the common people.
Chef Mao accepted their praise with a happy smile.
Soon, customer after customer bought the instant noodles—either eating them on the spot or packing them to go.
The limited stock of instant noodles was quickly sold out.
"Sorry, sorry! The instant noodles are sold out for today. Please come back tomorrow."
Seeing people still lining up, Chef Mao hurriedly announced, "In a few days, we'll start mass production."
He planned to find a partner today to build a specialized machine—starting with a simple prototype, then scaling up for mass production. That was when the real sales boom would happen.
"Huh? Gone already?"
"Sigh... I'm too late. I heard there were noodles that were super convenient, so I rushed over. Didn't expect them to be sold out."
"Chef Mao, will you have more tomorrow? Save some for me! And make extra!"
"Damn, I realized one block isn't enough. But two blocks is too much."
"Exactly! I felt the same way. One bowl didn't fill me up, but halfway through the second one, I was stuffed."
Hearing that the instant noodles were out of stock, the customers in line looked disappointed.
Those who hadn't tasted them were eager to try.
Those who had tasted them wanted to buy more to take home.
But the stock was gone.
"There will definitely be more tomorrow."
Chef Mao smiled at their complaints. "But sales are first-come, first-served. I can't break the rules and reserve them for anyone. That wouldn't be fair."
If he started reserving noodles for people, running the business would become a headache.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon. The crowd at Wanmin Restaurant gradually thinned out.
By 1:00 PM, the last lunch customers had left. In the afternoon, few people came to eat—it was downtime before dinner.
"Dad, it's quiet now. Let's go to the Jar Shop."
Seeing the empty restaurant, Xiangling looked at Chef Mao eagerly. "Didn't we say we'd go thank the shopkeeper? Plus, we can open a few more jars. If we pull another recipe, Wanmin Restaurant will make a fortune!"
"Yes."
Chef Mao nodded.
Even without Xiangling reminding him, he was planning to go.
Right now, his heart was filled with gratitude for the young shopkeeper.
It was only the first day of selling instant noodles, and business was already exploding. The news was spreading fast—everyone was talking about Wanmin Restaurant's new food. He was thrilled.
He knew this wasn't even the peak yet. Once word really got out, it would be mayhem.
And all of this was thanks to that young shopkeeper's Jar Shop.
Thinking of this, Chef Mao closed the shop, and he and Xiangling hurried excitedly toward Felix's store.
"I thought I'd unlock the Exclusive Jar today, but I'm still short by over a dozen."
Meanwhile, at the Jar Shop...
Felix lay on his lounge chair, checking the sales counter. He was still 19 jars short of the 100-jar milestone. He sighed slightly.
He needed to sell 19 more to reach 100.
Yesterday, aside from Childe buying 10, and Keqing and Ningguang buying 15 between them, only a few scattered customers like Chef Mao had bought one or two.
Then, until nightfall, only two other people had come in.
So he was still 19 short.
But Felix wasn't anxious. The jars would sell eventually; it was just a matter of time.
If he got lucky today, he might unlock the Exclusive Jar by evening.
"Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper!"
Just as Felix was thinking this, an urgent voice called out from outside.
Hearing the familiar voice, Felix lifted his eyelids slightly.
He recognized Chef Mao.
Sure enough, Chef Mao walked in quickly, his face flushed with excitement.
And he wasn't alone. Beside him was a girl dressed in fiery red and gold, her fair skin glowing in the sunlight. She radiated a vibrant, energetic aura.
It was Xiangling.
"Shopkeeper, thank you so much!"
The moment he entered, Chef Mao rushed over to Felix, speaking excitedly. "If not for you, I would have forgotten to take the slip of paper from that jar yesterday. That paper turned out to be a gourmet recipe! Thank you! Today, I brought my daughter specifically to thank you—and to buy more jars."
Chef Mao knew that without the jar, he never would have obtained the recipe.
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