Her demolition compensation has vanished? Two buildings have disappeared out of thin air? Lin Xiaoman, a top chef from New Oriental, goes from landlady to a chef pushing a boxed-meal cart overnight.
Then she finds a wooden sign carved with rules in her car...
"You must make a purchase to enter, or the staircase will 'invite' you to settle your bill."
"Anyone who knocks on the landlord's door at midnight must cook a full Manchu-Han banquet as an apology."
"Failed a task? Sorry, the money in your wallet now belongs to me."
It turns out the missing buildings haven't gone far at all. Instead, they've become her very own rule-based horror world! Only this world doesn't kill people, it just "takes their money." Anyone who dares break the rules will have the cash in their pockets transferred to her bank account in seconds, down to the last coin.
A fox-eared boy offers glowing scales in exchange for food? Deal!
A Black Tortoise with a shell offers a thousand-year-old tortoiseshell as rent? Accepted!
A ghost chef from the Republican era wants to trade a secret recipe for a room? Sold!
She's so broke she doesn't care if you're a big shot from the Classic of Mountains and Seas or a visitor from the underworld. If you want to come in, you have to obey two ironclad rules:
1. Eat well, drink well, and don't cause trouble.
2. Try to skip the bill? Then get ready to have your wallet drained dry!
And so Lin Xiaoman's rule-bound little restaurant becomes a bizarre fixture in this world where realms have merged:
A Taotie black dog steals chili peppers and loses three months' allowance to pay for them as restitution.
A mermaid girl spills fish soup, and the pearls she just earned instantly become the balance in Lin's account.
Even the clockmaker next door barges in and starts swearing, only to be fined into bankruptcy on the spot. He has no choice but to stay and fix clocks to pay off his debt...
"Warning! You have violated the rules. All assets will be deducted, effective immediately!"
Don't get the wrong idea. This isn't a shady shop. I'm just a little short on cash!
