The dating reality show host just wanted to give up, but the rich girl fell for him.

Last night's "small restaurant survival meeting" lasted only five minutes before it was unanimously approved.

Because if the rules aren't changed, that old Tsinghua professor in the corner, who can barely even turn over, might really have to be sent to the emergency room today.

Their core demand in this courtyard house is to give up and abandon their current situation.

To implement this concept, Lin Mo set the business hours to noon.

The reason is perfectly valid: I can't get up in the morning, and getting up early will deplete my energy.

At noon on the third day, sunlight pierced through the ginkgo trees at the entrance of the alley, scattering dappled gold across the ground.

The autumn wind carried a hint of coolness, but the scene outside Lin's Restaurant was bustling with activity.

The long queue resembled a dragon, winding its way from the steps all the way to the curb.

Although the gates were closed, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd outside.

"It's already 11:50, why isn't the owner opening yet? Doesn't he need to prepare the ingredients?"

"I started queuing at six in the morning and stood in the cold autumn wind for six hours!"

"I watched a video of that soup online yesterday, and it made my mouth water so much that I ate two dry steamed buns in the middle of the night. I have to have it for lunch today!"

The guests outside were getting impatient.

The clock had just struck noon.

In the courtyard, Lin Mo let out a long yawn right on time.

He was dressed casually today, and his hair was still a bit messy, like he had just woken up.

The relaxed feeling emanating from him was as if he wasn't going to open for business, but rather preparing to take his bird for a walk at the alley entrance after lunch.

She was standing beside him, carrying a small blackboard about the size of her palm.

She wore no makeup today, only a plain trench coat, but a sly smile played on her lips.

That was her "masterpiece" written in white chalk last night.

"Are you ready, Boss Lin?" Jiang Ruoyun raised an eyebrow.

Lin Mo smiled noncommittally and reached out to pull open the bolt on the front door.

"Squeak—"

As the heavy, black lacquered wooden door slowly opened inward, the alleyway fell silent for a second.

Everyone craned their necks, their eyes fixed intently on the two people inside the threshold.

Lin Mo did not bring out a menu, nor did he greet the guests warmly.

He simply took the small blackboard from Jiang Ruoyun's hand and slowly hung it on an iron nail next to the door frame.

After hanging it up, he took a half step back to check if the position was correct.

The young men at the front of the line quickly joined them.

"Boss, we're finally open! What's your specialty for lunch today? Bring one out quickly!"

Lin Mo patted the chalk dust off his hands and pointed to the small blackboard.

His voice was calm and detached from any hint of sarcasm: "See for yourselves."

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw that the handwriting on the blackboard was neat and elegant, but the content itself was chilling.

[This restaurant has no fixed menu; you eat whatever the owner cooks.]

To ensure safety, only twenty tables are allowed each day, at lunch and in the evening.

First come, first served; no reservations accepted.

At the very bottom of the blackboard, there is a slightly smaller line of supplementary instructions.

The rest of you, disperse.

The alley was deathly silent for a full three seconds, then erupted into a huge uproar.

"What do you mean? Only twenty tables?"

"I've been queuing all morning, without even having breakfast, and you're telling me I might not get a turn today?"

One hot-tempered man yelled at the top of his lungs, "Boss, do you even want to keep this shop open? You're not even willing to make money?"

Lin Mo looked at him, smiled gently, and looked apologetic.

"Money is a good thing, but life is more important. My wrist is still sore."

His tone carried a confident clarity, as if he were stating a universal truth.

"But the rules are written here. If you can't accept them, there's a steamed bun shop to the left after you go out. The buns are pretty good."

A chorus of curses and swears erupted from the crowd.

"What kind of lousy shop is this, acting so arrogantly! Do they really think they're the imperial chefs?"

"Let's go, let's not eat anymore! You've spoiled this bad habit!"

Dozens of people, drawn by novelty and quick to anger, turned and left, leaving a large empty space in the alley.

Lin Mo remained completely calm, even leaning back slightly to find a comfortable position against the door frame.

That's exactly the effect he wanted—to automatically filter out those unreasonable outsiders.

But half of the people in the group not only didn't leave, their eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Several art students carrying drawing boards gathered together, their faces full of excitement.

"That's what you call an artist's temperament! So classy!"

"To dare to put 'for survival' in the store rules, and to only slowly open the doors at noon, this owner is absolutely a genius!"

Those seasoned foodies nodded in agreement.

Good steel should be used where it counts. This kind of private kitchen, which only serves twenty tables a day, is definitely made with exquisite craftsmanship.

The first person in line was a young man wearing an expensive watch and carrying a briefcase under his arm.

He clutched a luxury car key in his hand, looked at the blackboard, and let out a cold laugh.

"Boss, you're pretty good at marketing."

The young man stepped forward and pulled out a thick wad of bright red cash from his bag.

With a "snap".

He slammed the wad of cash heavily on the threshold of Lin's Restaurant.

"I'll book all twenty tables today."

The man raised his chin, his tone exuding an arrogant air of wealth.

"My buddies will be here soon, you can clear out the rest of you."

Upon hearing this, the people in line behind immediately objected.

"Why should I?! Don't you know about first come, first served?!"

"So what if you have money! I've been braving the cold wind all morning!"

Faced with the crowd's outrage, Lin Mo didn't even flinch.

He glanced down at the stack of cash, which amounted to about ten thousand yuan.

Then, he extended a long, slender finger, pressed it on the money, and slowly pushed it back.

"Sorry, one table per person."

Lin Mo raised his eyelids, his gaze calm as still water, yet carrying an undeniable force.

"Keep the money somewhere else. If you want to eat, go inside and find a seat."

"No, next one."

The rich kid was publicly humiliated, and his face instantly turned bright red, as if he had been slapped in the face out of nowhere.

He had always made his way in the restaurants big and small in the capital by spending money, and had never suffered such humiliation before.

"Fine! I'd like to see what kind of delicacies your shabby shop can produce!"

He grabbed the money, stormed into the courtyard, and plopped down at the most conspicuous square table in the middle of the courtyard.

"Hurry up and serve the food! If you don't make it to my satisfaction, I'll ruin your business today!"

Jiang Ruoyun sat behind the abacus at the front desk and gave him a cold glance.

"Smash a signboard? Go ask around in Nanluoguxiang, who dares to cause trouble here?"

Her tone wasn't harsh, but her innate air of superiority effectively suppressed the arrogance of the rich second-generation.

Lin Mo ignored this little incident.

He turned and went into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and began feeding the "blind boxes" for the day.

Flames leaped up from under the stove, and the iron pot heated up.

Ten minutes later, a steaming dish was served on the rich kid's table.

There was no elaborate plating, nor expensive tableware.

On a white porcelain plate, there is a simple dish of stir-fried greens.

To be precise, it's stir-fried bok choy with pork cracklings.

The bright green vegetable leaves glistened with oil, and a few pieces of golden-brown, crispy fried pork cracklings were scattered among them.

"this one?"

The rich kid's eyes widened as he pointed at the plate of green vegetables, his voice rising eight octaves.

"I paid to come here, and this is what you serve me? Are you trying to fetch a beggar?!"

Lin Mo was wiping his hands with a towel when he heard this and replied indifferently.

"We don't serve beggars here, we only serve food. Try a bite before you decide."

The surrounding diners all turned their attention to this, waiting to see what would happen.

The rich kid gritted his teeth, picked up his chopsticks, and, as if venting his anger, grabbed a piece of rapeseed and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Click."

The crisp, tender vegetable stalks snapped between your teeth.

The next second, the anger on his face froze, and his pupils dilated slightly.

This is not your ordinary stir-fried vegetables!

The unique, rich, and extremely savory aroma of lard perfectly enveloped every leaf of vegetable.

The natural sweetness of rapeseed, when stimulated by high temperatures and oil, bursts forth with an unimaginable deliciousness.

That small piece of pork crackling was the perfect finishing touch.

It's crispy and melts in your mouth when you bite into it, the aroma of fat explodes in your mouth, but is instantly neutralized by the refreshing taste of vegetables.

It's not greasy at all, just incredibly fragrant.

"Gulp."

The rich kid swallowed it, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Without saying another word, the chopsticks in his hand vanished in a blur.

A bite of green vegetables, a bite of white rice.

Less than three minutes.

He scraped the last bit of soup off the bottom of the white porcelain plate with rice.

Not a single drop of oil was left; they even licked the plate clean.

Everyone around was stunned.

This reversal happened so fast! The person who was just yelling about smashing the signboard is now practically ready to eat the plate.

The rich kid let out a loud burp, and all traces of arrogance vanished from his face.

He even wiped his mouth with a tissue, feeling somewhat ashamed.

Then, he silently took out his phone and took a picture of the empty plate.

My fingers flew across the keyboard as I posted a message on WeChat Moments.

[A legendary little restaurant in Nanluoguxiang—a plate of vegetables there made me kneel in awe! The owner has a big temper, but his cooking skills are truly amazing! I'm in awe!]

After sending the payment, he obediently scanned the code to pay, stood up, bowed slightly towards the kitchen, and slunk away.

With this vivid example, the customers at the back of the line were even greener on the outside.

The speed at which people were grabbing seats was like a slash in seconds.

The twenty tables were snapped up in less than ten minutes.

Those who failed to get a ticket could only beat their chests in frustration and secretly vow to line up again at midnight the next day.

As evening falls, the afterglow of the setting sun shines on the rooftops of the courtyard house.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, swirling up a few fallen leaves, and the alleyway quickly returned to tranquility.

The door of Lin's Restaurant has been hung with a wooden sign that reads "Closed Today".

In the courtyard of the backyard, the kettle on the clay stove was making a bubbling sound as it boiled.

Lin Mo lay leisurely in the rocking chair, holding a cup of freshly brewed tea in his hand.

The aroma of tea rose gently, blurring his handsome and serene face.

Without the smoke and fire of the previous two days, there's no need to swing the iron pot and let sparks fly.

After serving twenty tables, I felt completely relaxed.

Not only did they make money, but they also didn't get tired. In fact, Wang Cunchan even hummed a little tune while washing the dishes today.

This is the lifestyle he wants.

Jiang Ruoyun tiptoed and sneaked from the front hall to the backyard.

She held a stack of neatly arranged bills in her hand, a satisfied smile on her face.

Although only twenty tables were served, the average order value was surprisingly high because of Lin Mo's blind box rule of "you eat whatever the boss makes".

This kind of reverse marketing, where the customer doesn't pander to them but is instead treated like a god, made the eldest daughter of the Jiang family extremely happy.

She walked to the stove and poured herself a cup of tea.

"call--"

Jiang Ruoyun breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the small bamboo chair next to Lin Mo.

"Boss Lin, you're smart. You're really enjoying yourself today."

She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and felt the warmth slide down her esophagus, bringing her immense pleasure.

however.

She had just swallowed the tea.

Lin Mo suddenly turned his head, his deep eyes looking at her with a half-smile.

The autumn wind in the courtyard seemed to pause for a moment.

"Miss Jiang, the accounts for today are settled."

Lin Mo put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a deeper meaning than he usually did.

"However, I have a private matter I'd like to settle with you privately."