"That's a great idea, but I'm afraid we won't have enough additives for them." Gu Bai was kind of satisfied with the solution. He wouldn't want to let them leave if he had a better choice. They were the fans and customers who supported him. It didn't seem right to send them away.
"Rest assured, Master Xiaobai. I've made a lot since you taught me how to make additives. They should be enough for them," Fang Weixuan said with regret.
He spent every minute making the additives since he had the recipe and made a lot for himself. However, now was the time for him to share.
Fang Weixuan did feel regret for his decision, but he told himself to cheer up because it was for the sake of Xiaobai. He could make more in the future, anyway.
Without Master Xiaobai, he wouldn't have been able to make any additives.
"I appreciate your efforts," Gu Bai thanked him sincerely.
"No problem," said Fang Weixuan with a smile.
The guards "borrowed" all possible stores and installed tables and chairs as soon as possible. Meanwhile, they didn't forget to buy more ingredients.
Thanks to Fang Weixuan, they had great manpower today. If there were only the two of them here today, they wouldn't be able to deal with all the ingredients even if they worked all day.
The ingredients were piled up, and that was no exaggeration. If any of the customers could see the scene in the kitchen, they would be too surprised to shut their mouths.
The official opening time was at 10 a.m. Most customers had gotten seated in different stores obediently under the guards' guidance or threat. As for those who had nowhere to go, they could only stand outside the restaurant waiting, but the roads were clear enough for the cars to pass.
As soon as it was 10 o'clock, Fang Weixuan came out of the kitchen. Since Gu Bai didn't want to show his face, Fang Weixuan had to stand out since he was the main chef in the restaurant as well.
"Thank you, everyone, for attending the opening ceremony of the first branch of Blue Star Restaurant. You are welcomed to taste the chaffy dish we made for you, and I wish you a happy time eating!" The fans cheered as Fang Weixuan's voice fell.
Although some fans were disappointed that they couldn't meet Gu Bai, they were consoled by the chaffy dishes.
They knew Gu Bai didn't want to be disturbed in real life, considering he didn't even show his face on his live stream.
Everyone knew that Gu Bai was young and he came to the Central Star to study. With so many fans, his life would be affected if people knew what he looked like, so they understood him.
Of course, people might have an attitude if it were someone else they were talking about. Lucky for Gu Bai, his dishes had soothed everyone to be nice to him.
They could calm down as long as they had dishes to eat.
After the speech, Fang Weixuan finished the ribbon cutting to officially open the branch. Then he welcomed the customers to get in for meals.
Since many customers had gone to other stores, he only needed to invite some customers to the branch, and the ceremony was over in this way.
The chaffy dishes were served one after another, followed by the ingredients.
Most of the customers here were fans who had watched Gu Bai's previous live stream before, so they were more familiar with the manners when eating the chaffy dish. Without Fang Weixuan's reminding and instruction, they put the ingredients into the pots.
The red and spicy broth, the strong-flavored sauces, and the natural tastes of the ingredients satisfied the customers. Even if they had tried them on the live stream before, it felt so good when they could eat these things for real.
They couldn't help thanking their parents for providing them with life on the Central Star. Without them, they wouldn't be able to eat the chaffy dish in Gu Bai's first branch.
They had to come more time because the food here was so good.
The rich ones had decided to eat here three times a day, and the poor ones made up their mind to earn more money so that they could eat here at least once a month.
Xiaobai's dishes seemed to have magic. They couldn't accept nutrient fluid anymore as long as they ate here once.
The spectacular scene appeared again at the opening ceremony. And the one on the Central Star was much grander.
People were either eating without saying anything or fighting for the things they wanted to eat. Those who were waiting outside the restaurant tried their best to stretch their necks while looking toward the inside, wishing someone could finish soon and leaving their seats for them.
However, very few people came out until noon. Most customers were still eating even if they were full, seeming like they hadn't eaten anything for centuries.
Those who came here today boasted and promoted Xiaobai's restaurant on Starnet all the time right after they got home.
Posts about Blue Star Restaurant were everywhere on Starnet and other forums.
In short, Gu Bai and his little restaurant became popular again in a day on the Central Star, and its influence was bigger than ever. More people knew about it since today.
Every day after that, the entrance of the branch was always full of people.
Of course, these were all later stories.
At 10 p.m., Gu Bai and Fang Weixuan finally said goodbye to all the customers and felt exhausted.
"This is terrifying. We have to implement the membership system. Otherwise, we will soon die for this," Fang Weixuan said in fear.
It was the first time he felt the enthusiasm of the customers.
It was not the first time he opened a restaurant, but he used to leave the issues to the professional managers and employed chefs most of the time. All he needed to do was to inspect them from time to time.
Although he was so tired that he wished he could sleep right away, he had a lot of fun and had a sense of achievement, satisfaction, and belonging.
It was probably the concept called the combination of pain and happiness.
"I'll come over tomorrow, but from the day after tomorrow, you will have to run the business here alone. Say no if you have to. Just don't suffer as much as today," Gu Bai reminded him.
They should pay more attention to their physical condition instead of how much money they had earned. The money wouldn't be worth it if they got sick.
"Master Xiaobai, don't worry. I won't. In fact, I think you should take a day off tomorrow before your military training. I'm afraid this would be too much for you," Fang Weixuan reminded Gu Bai.
It was a sincere reminder from a senior who had graduated years ago. Only those who had suffered from military training could know how miserable it was.
What Fang Weixuan said only made Gu Bai more curious.
He didn't take the military seriously at the beginning because his life after doomsday was much more horrible than the so-called training, yet he still made it to live there for ten years. Therefore, he assumed that it wouldn't be a problem for him to bear it for a month.
Since Fang Weixuan was so considerate, Gu Bai accepted his kind offer and didn't go to the restaurant the next day. He posted on Facebook, saying that he would have to go to military training next month, so he left the business to Fang Weixuan. Also, he made the rule that the restaurant would only accept 100 customers a day, so he hoped the fans could obey the rule.
Soon after his post was sent, many people clicked "like" and commented.
[Xiaobai, are you going to get trained? For a month? Like you won't appear in the restaurant today? I wanted to see you! If I had foreseen this, I would have joined the crowd to eat the chaffy dish no matter how hard it was yesterday.]
[The chaffy dish yesterday was amazing! I can't stop thinking about it, so I came here today again, and I'll order the chaffy dish.]
[I made it yesterday to eat there, too! Oh, my! It's worth being remembered for so long. It tasted great! I'm short of words right now to show how I feel, but I'm thrilled.]
[I was a little late yesterday. The line was several blocks away from Xiaobai's restaurant. I knew I wouldn't compete with others, considering how small I am, so I left. The restaurant will be there anyway, so I thought I had many chances to go there. But why is this? Xiaobai is going to do military training, and the restaurant only entertains 100 customers per day? That's killing me!]
[I have no time for this. I'm lining up right away. I hope I will be lucky to have dishes there today.]
[I'm coming, too!]
[Save the trouble. We have much more than 100 people here lining up. I've been here for long, and then they just told me they only accepted 100 people. I, uh...]
[Oh, stop it, will you? Although we won't eat today, Fang has given each of us a number plate, okay? We can come here tomorrow with it and don't need to line up by then.]
[Come on, man. Didn't we agree to keep it a secret? Why do you expose the information to everyone? With so many people waiting for the number plates, we have no idea when we will be able to eat here the next time. D*mn it, man!]
[I'm sorry! I shouldn't have leaked it!]
[Thank you for your reminder. I'm on my way now.]
[I'm already on my way. Why are there so many rich people on the Central Star? Aren't you going bankrupt if you eat in a restaurant every day?]
[Sis, I'm afraid you have a wrong conception about rich people. Rich people don't go bankrupt for eating in a restaurant frequently. If they do, it means they are not rich at all.]
[100 people a day, and that requires appointments. You guys are so rich! I'm jealous of you! And I mean all of you rich people!]