Chapter 45 Nightmare Perfume

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The morning sun tore through the fog left over from last night, the sky gradually cleared, and the quiet streets gradually became lively with the sounds of people.

Having prepared today's meals, She Ning pushed open the restaurant's door and put the sign she had taken down when she closed the store yesterday back out. Now that the three-day trial operation period had passed, the sign had changed from displaying a 10% discount to showing the daily menu and pricing.

Their restaurant offers large portions, affordable prices, and delicious food, and has already gained a reputation in the surrounding area in just a few days.

"Give me a pound of braised pig's trotters and half a pound of chicken giblets, plus extra braising sauce, to go." The shop door had barely opened when a customer came in, and he skillfully went inside to order.

"Young boss, are you all alone? Where are your parents?" After looking around and not finding She Hongmei, he handed the lunchbox to She Ning and asked.

Luo Zhiqiang, who often comes here to eat, naturally recognizes She Ning.

She Ning also remembered him; he was the first customer when the new store opened, and he came almost every day after that. She had seen him several times.

"She had to go out for a bit." Taking the lunchbox from him, She Ning skillfully scooped out pig's trotters and chicken giblets from the braising pot, drained the braising liquid with a slotted spoon, weighed them, and then looked up and asked, "Do the pig's trotters need to be chopped?"

"Cut it, but don't cut it too small." Luo Zhiqiang nodded, looking at her with satisfaction.

As expected of the restaurant he favored, many places sell braised food by adding braising liquid to increase the weight, but this restaurant never does that. From Boss She to Little Boss She, they always give you a solid portion.

"Can I cut it into six pieces?" She Ning asked, gesturing to show him the size of the pig's trotter.

“Okay.” Luo Zhiqiang looked at her and saw that she asked the question quite confidently. He walked over and stood outside the kitchen glass, watching her.

In the kitchen, She Ning placed the pig's trotters on the cutting board for cooked food, took out a cleaver, and with a swift stroke, cut the pig's trotters in half. Then, with a few quick "snap, snap, snap," she deftly cut each side of the trotters into three pieces, each piece being the same length.

The whole process was smooth and quick; in less than a minute, all the pig's trotters were cut up and placed in his lunchbox.

Luo Zhiqiang was surprised that she was so good at knife skills. Then he watched as she filled his lunchbox with two large spoonfuls of braising sauce before closing the lid. The bright red braising sauce submerged the pig's trotters and almost overflowed the lunchbox.

As expected of a biological mother and daughter, they are just as honest as Boss She.

"Here's my business card. My name is Luo Zhiqiang, and I'm the sales director of the First Canned Food Factory." After taking the lunchbox, Luo Zhiqiang took out a business card from the breast pocket of his blue shirt and handed it to her, saying sincerely, "If your mother comes back, please give this to her."

After several days of investigation, he felt that She's Restaurant was a very good partner and that Boss She was an even better business partner.

Luo Zhiqiang had originally planned to come and have a detailed chat with Boss She today. He left an hour early this morning, but the bus broke down on the way to town, which delayed him for more than two hours. When he finally arrived at the shop, he found that Boss She was out on business.

He thought to himself, "This is a bit unlucky. I'll make an appointment in advance next time."

“I’ll be out of town for the next couple of days. You can take my business card and go to the factory to check it out first, or I can take you there when I get back.”

"Young boss, you must tell them for me, I really, really like your braised food!" Looking at his silver watch, Luo Zhiqiang knew it was almost time for his train to arrive. Without further ado, he quickly finished his instructions, picked up his lunchbox, and ran out.

After watching his figure disappear through the door, She Ning looked down at the business card he had handed her. On the beige rectangular cardboard, in black lettering, were the words "Xiahe Town First Canned Food Factory, Sales Director Luo Zhiqiang," along with a contact number and the specific address.

She Ning knew this factory; the currently popular soybean paste and slightly spicy fermented bean curd were produced there. However, according to her memory of the original novel's plot, this cannery, which was famous throughout half of the southern province, seemed to have gone bankrupt in 1997 because the factory director passed away and the younger generation who took over managed it poorly. It was then acquired by the 18-year-old female protagonist at a low price as a gift for her coming of age and also the first step for her to become the richest woman.

She hadn't thought about the original book's plot for a long time, but because of this, She Ning remembered the She family's fate in the original book, and a surge of resentment welled up in her heart. That scumbag Liu Jianguo!

"Ah Ning, what are you daydreaming about?"

Early in the morning, Zheng Ling, who was waiting at the door, pulled her away. After the two finished discussing the agency matter, She Hongmei returned and saw She Ning standing in the middle of the store, staring blankly at something. She gently patted She Ning's shoulder and asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, Mom. A guest asked me to give this to you." Coming back to her senses, She Ning handed her the business card and repeated what Luo Zhiqiang had said.

"Is that the tall, thin young man? Okay, I'll ask your Aunt Lihua to come along and check him out." She Hongmei clearly remembered him too, and carefully put away the business card. She said cheerfully.

She was very proactive. After the restaurant closed in the afternoon, she rode her bicycle to take She Ning home, and then rode her bicycle to find Guan Xiuhua to discuss something.

"Don't wait for me to eat, you guys eat first." She was as swift as the wind, her voice carrying far as the pedals of her Phoenix brand bicycle sparked.

"I understand." She Ning replied loudly, cupping her hands to her mouth. Only after she could no longer see She Hongmei did she smile slightly, turn around, and walk into her house.

Around six or seven in the afternoon, as dusk settles, it's the time when people go out for dinner.

Hongye Restaurant's huge kitchen was bustling with activity. A row of large stoves flickered with flames, oil sizzled in the pots, and steam billowed out. Several chefs were busy at the stoves, occasionally tossing the pots and adding seasonings.

In the back row were kitchen helpers washing and chopping vegetables; everyone was working enthusiastically.

"The dry pot rabbit is ready."

"Water snake porridge can be served."

"The Dragon and Phoenix Soup is ready too."

...

One dish after another was cooked and then immediately carried to the corresponding dining table.

Inside the private room, a man with a beer belly held a wine glass, occasionally taking a sip of baijiu, dominating the table and pontificating.

"If you ask me, the most delicious dish at Master Hong's restaurant is the raw monkey brain."

"First, smash a hole in the skull of the live monkey, pour hot oil over it, and then use a silver spoon to scoop out the brain. The taste is... tsk tsk, it's unforgettable."

"It's a pity we're out of stock lately, otherwise I'd show you what I'm made of."

As he spoke, he leaned back lazily in his chair, squinted his eyes, and showed a slightly regretful expression on his face.

His status in the private room was clearly the highest. As he spoke, everyone around him raised their glasses to flatter him, their smiles obsequious. One of them raised his glass and said, "Master Lin, I'd like to toast you. You are truly knowledgeable and worldly. We hope that Master Lin will show us more of the world in the future. Don't you all agree?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"We hope that Master Lin will show us more of the world in the future." The crowd echoed, all flattering him.

"Sure, sure." The man lay back in his chair without even lifting his eyelids. He raised the cup in his hand, swirled it, and lazily invited, "They don't have monkey brains, but their braised civet cat and water snake porridge are pretty good. You guys can try them later."

"Thank you, Mr. Lin."

"Master Lin is mighty!"

Hongye Restaurant was booming, with lights on in every private room. Standing atop the tree, She Ning could see the entire restaurant from the cawing of the crows.

Eating monkey brains raw is an extremely cruel thing. The monkey is still alive when it is eaten, and the process is accompanied by the monkey's extremely painful screams.

"System, do you have any items that can trigger nightmares?" She Ning suppressed her anger and asked in a cold voice.

"The convenience store information has been updated. Please check it yourself." The system did not provide a direct answer.

Understanding its meaning, She Ning opened the convenience store interface, and sure enough, among the newly appeared redeemable items, there was an item called Nightmare Perfume.

The dreamy pink liquid swayed in the glass bottle, as if it were alive.

She Ning clicked on its annotation.

Nightmare Perfume

Note: The Forest Witch's masterpiece can trap people in a nightmare loop until atonement is complete. (Range of mass destruction)

Number of uses: 10

"System, thank you." After reading the annotation, She Ning said softly, and without waiting for the system to respond, she spent 50 points to directly redeem the Nightmare Perfume.

The 12-hour transformation time for the ever-changing gloves was almost up, and the dishes were being served to the various private rooms one after another. They seemed to still have some shame, as each of them hid inside their private rooms, not daring to come out and eat openly.

The countdown to the end of the transformation time is on: 10, 9, 8...

1.

On the system, the countdown on the "Ever-Changing Gloves" interface reached zero, followed by a sharp scream and the sound of an iron lid falling to the ground inside the private room.

On the round table, in the white dish with the lid off, the braised civet cat had turned into braised slugs, the water snake porridge had turned into earthworm porridge, and some raw food had all turned into gray-black slugs, crawling in the dish and leaving sticky mucus in their wake.

Looking at the wriggling worms in the dish and the earthworm porridge they had drunk, the people in the private room couldn't help but lean on the table and vomit.

When Mr. Hong was told that someone was playing a prank, he thought it was a prank and hid the gold in his hand. He pushed the door open and went out. When he saw the shop assistant looking panicked, he realized the seriousness of the matter.

He told the clerk to go ahead, then turned around, locked the door, hung the key on his belt, and hurried over.

Most of the people who come to eat at his place are people he can't afford to offend.

"Master Lin, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll have the chef come over right away to apologize to you." His obese body swayed as he took one step at a time. After being slapped, he bent over at a ninety-degree angle and bowed his head repeatedly, not even caring about the pain on his face.

Wiping his hands with a white, damp handkerchief, Lin Guoming pushed away the person supporting him. With his beer belly protruding, he walked up to Hong Qiang and stared at him for a while. Hong Qiang was almost numb with fear when Lin Guoming suddenly kicked Hong Qiang's knee hard.

With a "thud," Hong Qiang was forced to his knees. A sharp pain shot through him, his face turned pale instantly, and cold sweat broke out.

Just as he was in so much pain that he was about to faint, he heard Lin Guoming's light, airy voice.

"Hong Qiang, Hong Qiang, you look great today."

Having witnessed how Lin Guoming could punish people while speaking like that, Hong Qiang was immediately startled awake. He steadied his obese body and lowered his head, begging for mercy on the ground, showing none of the arrogance he had shown in front of the tall man.

"Mr. Lin, it really wasn't me. Please believe me. Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to do such a thing."

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The author's note: Reject illegal trade and do not illegally consume or utilize wild animals.

Protecting wild animals is everyone's responsibility.