The Empress's First Time Eating at a Buffet

Inside the Hot Pot and BBQ Buffet Restaurant

It was dinner time, and the restaurant was packed, buzzing with a lively, noisy atmosphere. People were constantly moving up and down the aisles, grabbing dishes and food. The bubbling sound of the hot pot mingled with the laughter and chatter of the diners, the aroma of cooking food and the scent of grilled meat filling the entire establishment.

"So this is a self-serve hot pot and BBQ..."

Long Yue stood at the entrance, watching the crowd of people coming and going, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

In the end, she had honestly assessed her situation and given up on that high-end restaurant, opting instead for a well-rated buffet.

She had only just earned her first significant sum of money, and still owed rent and money for a computer. Restaurants where a bowl of plain congee cost a hundred yuan were simply not something she could afford...

Moreover, there was still a whole month until her next payday. She didn't want to spend all her money on one meal and be broke for the rest of the month.

Compared to the lavish and opulent restaurant from earlier, this buffet, while lacking some of the sophisticated luxury, exuded a more down-to-earth, vibrant atmosphere.

This lively, common folk vibe was actually quite nice...!

"Hello, how many people?"

A server standing at the entrance greeted her with a smile.

"Three," Long Yue replied.

"Alright, it's 288 per person. The hot pot broth is an additional fifty, and there's a fifty deposit per person, which will be returned if you don't waste food."

The server smiled and led Long Yue and her companions to the service counter.

"Oh, okay... Do I need to place my order here?"

Long Yue stood at the service counter, pointing to the mobile phone in her hand and asking doubtfully.

This was her first time buying something in person.

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

Now, her money was in her own bank account, and she didn't have any cash on her, so for a moment, she wasn't sure how to pay.

The server at the counter responsible for payment was taken aback by the question. She pointed at Long Yue's phone.

"No need, ma'am. Just open your payment QR code and scan it here."

"Payment QR code...?"

Long Yue furrowed her brow slightly and instinctively turned to Lin Fan for help.

This was clearly beyond her capabilities...

Lin Fan stepped forward and slowly guided her, step by step, on where to tap to open the payment QR code.

"First, open this chat application, then tap the plus sign in the top right corner. There's a 'Payments' option there."

"Yes, open that. The jumbled mess that pops up, like a maze, that's the payment QR code. From now on, just show this when you buy things."

"Oh! Is that all? It's so convenient!"

"This Empress is increasingly impressed with the mortals here."

Long Yue couldn't help but exclaim with genuine admiration.

In the Immortal Realm, purchases were either made with spirit stones or through bartering. Something like paying with just a pattern was incredibly convenient and magical!

When going out, you didn't need to carry any money at all; all you needed was a mobile phone!

The server at the counter was bewildered by Long Yue's actions, her eyes constantly studying her with curiosity, as if she were a rare specimen.

This lady was so beautiful, her attire wasn't bad, and she didn't look like someone who had just come down from the mountains. How could she not even know about QR code payments...

She thought the only people her age who didn't know how to use QR code payments were the elderly in their seventies and eighties...

Zhou Yan, standing nearby, was equally shocked.

Couldn't find the book by searching the title? Try searching for the author instead, perhaps they just changed their name!

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

As expected, sister-in-law has never paid with her phone herself. She must be the young lady of some prominent noble family!

Amidst his shock, his previous guess became even more certain.

Precisely because she was a noble lady, she never had to go out and buy things herself, and naturally, she wouldn't understand QR code payments!

"Beep!"

Long Yue presented her phone with the QR code to the machine, and 1064 yuan was automatically deducted from her bank account.

It was her first time completing an offline payment with her phone, and she felt an inexplicable surge of excitement, a sense of pride in having learned and mastered another skill in this world...

In the past, if she suddenly lost over a thousand yuan, she would have been heartbroken, but this time, she didn't even blink.

Compared to that high-end restaurant where ordering a few things could easily cost tens of thousands, this little over a thousand was practically a bargain!

After paying, the three of them walked into the restaurant, instantly blending into the noisy and lively atmosphere. The air was filled with a mixture of the restaurant's music and the conversations of the diners.

The first thing that caught their eye was the seafood section at the entrance, where various live fish, shrimp, and shellfish were neatly arranged in water or on ice.

A few steps further inside was the meat section, stacked layer upon layer. Various cuts of beef and lamb were lined up side by side, and the refrigerators were full of beef and lamb rolls.

Beyond that were the fruit section, dessert section, cold dish section, beverage section, and the cooked food section that children loved the most, among others. It was a dazzling array of choices, leaving one overwhelmed.

Long Yue's eyes darted back and forth, taking in the various foods around her. She asked in disbelief, "Lin Fan, can we… can we really eat all of this?"

"Of course. As long as you don't waste anything, you can eat as much as you want."

Hearing this, Long Yue darted in front of Lin Fan, looked up at him, her expression eager, and pressed further, "It's okay even if I eat it all?"

At her words, the surrounding onlookers couldn't help but chuckle.

This was the first time anyone had ever said they were going to eat everything at a buffet.

If these words had come from a child, it would have been understandable. Children are innocent and can be a bit naive. But hearing them from a young woman was just too amusing.

"Little girl, if you can eat everything here, then that's your talent."

"Eat as much as you want at a buffet. No one will say anything as long as you don't waste food."

"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 teasing from the crowd, Long Yue furrowed her delicate brows, a look of confusion on her face.

Did she say something funny?

"As long as you can eat it, you can eat anything here however you like."

Lin Fan smiled and gently placed his palm on Long Yue's head, leading her directly towards the condiment station.

"But before that, let's make a dipping sauce."

As everyone knows, when it comes to hot pot, the first thing you do is prepare your preferred dipping sauce.

A delicious dipping sauce basically determines the flavor experience of your hot pot meal.

As the saying goes online, a good dipping sauce is so tasty it could even make a shoe sole delicious!

Looking at the dozens of different condiment combinations before her, Long Yue was momentarily at a loss.

This was her first time eating hot pot, and she had no idea how to mix a dipping sauce.

The only seasonings she recognized were the basic ones like salt and pepper from the kitchen. She hadn't even heard of most of the other condiments