Chapter 49 - The Empress's First Time at a Buffet

Inside the hotpot and barbecue buffet restaurant.

It was peak dinner time, and the restaurant was packed, with no empty seats. It was a scene of lively noise and chatter; people moved back and forth in the aisles, getting food. The sound of bubbling hotpots mingled with the joyful chatter and laughter of the patrons, and a bustling, smoky atmosphere accompanied by the aroma of grilled meat filled the entire establishment.

“So this is a hotpot and barbecue buffet...”

Long Yue stood at the entrance, watching the crowd moving in and out, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

In the end, she had honestly recognized her own situation, given up on that high-end restaurant, and chosen to come to a well-rated buffet restaurant instead.

She had only just earned her first pot of gold, and she still owed money for rent and the computer. A restaurant where a bowl of plain congee cost one hundred was truly not a place she could afford to eat at…

Moreover, with a whole month until the next payday, she really didn't want to spend all her money on one meal and have to "eat dirt" for the rest of the month.

Compared to the magnificent restaurant from before, while the buffet place lacked some of the luxurious atmosphere of the upper class, it had much more of the lively, bustling feeling of the mortal world.

This lively, down-to-earth atmosphere is actually quite nice…!

“Hello, how many in your party?” the waitress at the entrance asked with a beaming smile as she walked over.

“Three,” Long Yue replied.

“Okay, it's 288 per person here, with an additional fifty for the hotpot base. There's also a fifty-yuan deposit per person, which will be refunded to you after your meal if there is no waste.”

The waitress smiled and led Long Yue's group to the service counter.

“Oh, okay… Do I need to place the order somewhere?”

Long Yue stood at the service counter and pointed at the phone in her hand, asking with confusion.

This was the first time she had ever bought something outside.

Previously, she had always bought things directly online, and the payments were automatically deducted from Lin Fan's bank card.

Now all her money was in her own bank card, and she wasn't carrying any cash, so for a moment she was a bit unsure of how to pay.

The waitress at the counter in charge of payments was taken aback by the question and pointed at her phone.

“No need, ma'am. You just need to open your payment QR code and scan it here.”

“Payment QR code…?”

Long Yue's delicate brows furrowed, and she subconsciously turned her head to look at Lin Fan for help.

This problem was clearly beyond the scope of her knowledge...

Lin Fan stepped forward and, step-by-step, showed her where to tap to open the payment QR code.

“First, open this chat software, then tap the plus sign in the top right corner. There's a 'Receive & Pay' option there.”

“Right, open that. The messy, maze-like thing that pops up is the payment QR code. In the future, you just need to show this when you buy things.”

“Oh! That's all it takes? How convenient!”

“This Empress is more and more impressed with the mortals here.”

Long Yue couldn't help but let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.

In the Immortal Realm, you either used spirit stones to buy things or had to barter with items. To be able to pay with just a pattern like this was simply too convenient, too magical!

You really don't need to carry any money on you when you go out; all you need is a phone!

The waitress at the front desk was completely baffled by Long Yue's actions, her eyes curiously sizing her up, as if looking at some kind of rare species.

This lady is so beautiful, her clothes aren't bad, and she doesn't look like a child who just came out of the mountains. How could she not even know about QR code payments…

These days, she thought the only people who didn't know how to use QR code payments were grandmas and grandpas in their seventies or eighties…

Also shocked was Zhou Yan, who was standing to the side.

Sister-in-law doesn't even know about QR code payments…

As expected, sister-in-law has never paid for anything herself with her phone. She must be the precious young miss of some great, influential family!

Beyond his shock, he became even more certain of his previous suspicions.

It's precisely because she's a precious young miss that she has never needed to go out and buy things for herself, so naturally, she wouldn't understand QR code payments!

Beep!

Long Yue held up her phone, and the QR code she displayed was scanned by the machine. 1064 yuan was automatically deducted from her bank card.

Completing an in-person payment by herself with her phone for the first time, a strange flutter arose in her heart. She suddenly felt a sense of pride, as if she had learned more about this world and mastered a new skill…

In the past, if she had suddenly lost over a thousand yuan, her heart would have bled from the pain, but this time she didn't even bat an eye.

Compared to that high-end restaurant where a casual order would cost tens of thousands, this one-thousand-plus was simply a bargain!

After paying, the three of them walked into the restaurant together and were instantly immersed in the noisy and lively atmosphere, their ears filled with a mixture of the restaurant's music and people's conversations.

The first thing that caught their eye was the seafood section placed at the entrance, with all kinds of fresh fish, shrimp, and shellfish neatly arranged in water or on beds of ice. Walking a few steps further in was the meat section, stacked layer upon layer, with all kinds of steaks and lamb chops arranged in neat rows, and the freezers full of beef and lamb rolls. Further back were the various fruit, dessert, cold dish, and beverage sections, as well as the cooked food section that children loved most. It had everything one could wish for, a dazzling sight to behold.

Long Yue's eyes darted back and forth, sizing up the various foods around her, and she asked in disbelief:

“Lin Fan, th-these… can you really eat as much as you want of all of them?!”

“Of course. As long as you don't waste it, you can eat as much as you want.”

Hearing this, Long Yue darted in front of Lin Fan, looked up to gaze at him, and with an urgent expression, pressed:

“Even if I eat every last bit of it, it's okay?”

As soon as these words were out, the nearby patrons couldn't help but be amused.

It was the first time they'd heard someone in a buffet restaurant say they were going to eat all the food.

If such words had come from the mouth of a small child, it would be one thing. After all, children speak without reservation, and it's normal for them to be a bit naive. But to see it come from the mouth of a young lady was just a bit too funny.

“Young lady, if you can eat everything here, then that's your skill.”

“It's a buffet; you can eat as much as you can. As long as you don't waste it, no one will say anything to you.”

“I'm not looking down on you, but with your appetite, you'll probably be full after two slices of bread, hahaha.”

“…”

Listening to the crowd's teasing remarks, Long Yue's delicate brows furrowed in confusion.

Did I say something very funny?

“As long as you can eat it, you can have as much of anything here as you like.”

Lin Fan smiled and gently placed his palm on Long Yue's head, leading her straight toward the sauce station.

“But before that, let's make a dipping sauce first.”

As everyone knows, whenever hotpot is involved, the very first thing to do is to mix a dipping sauce to your liking.

A tasty dipping sauce basically determines the flavor experience of your entire hotpot meal.

To use a saying popular online, with a good dipping sauce, even a slipper would taste delicious!

Looking at the dozens of different sauces and condiments before her, Long Yue was stumped for a moment.

This was her first time eating hotpot; she had no idea how to mix a dipping sauce.

Currently, the only things she recognized were the basic kitchen staples like oil and salt; she had never even heard of the other condiments…

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