After helping Lin Xue for two days, Song Lili returned to school because it was Monday.
She hasn't been to the hot pot restaurant for the past two days, but she needs to go and check it out to feel more at ease.
She went there at noon after class, when the store was packed with people.
Song Lili was already used to this kind of scene, so she went straight to the kitchen.
Recently, she appointed two people to take charge of the store when she was away.
Outside, Qiao Lin was left to handle things; he was more quick-witted and had a better ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
In the kitchen, the woman surnamed Gong was a local woman in her thirties with several children. She was very steady and reliable, so we put her in charge of the kitchen.
Qiao Lin glanced at it, but was busy, so she went to the kitchen.
"Sister Gong, how's today? Is there anything you need?" Song Lili asked.
She doesn't have time to buy things every day, so Zhang Shengtian has others do the shopping after he arrives. These past two days, since Zhang Shengtian isn't here, Sister Gong has been temporarily in charge.
"No, we've bought everything that was missing. Things are stable now, and I know roughly how much we need each day. If anything is missing, I'll have someone buy it for me," Sister Gong said, looking up.
Sister Gong is processing meat. "It's this meat that's being consumed so quickly. When things get busy, we can't keep up with the demand."
"People come here for the meat. They cook meat as soon as they arrive, eat their fill, then have a few bites of vegetables, and then leave."
"There aren't many people who eat a lot of vegetables," Sister Gong said with a sigh. "Everyone's craving them."
Yes, these days, meat is in short supply. Ordinary families can only afford to eat meat a few times a year. Those who are better off can eat meat more often, but it's impossible to eat it every day.
Most of the people who come to eat hot pot here are students, and their living conditions are not very good. Some people come from other places after hearing about it, but they all come for the meat.
Song Lili also understood this day.
"It's alright, as long as it's not wasted, let them enjoy their cravings."
No matter how much a person can eat, their appetite is limited; it's impossible for her to lose money.
She might earn less, but she doesn't care about immediate gains or losses.
She wants to expand Chenhui Hotpot, and reputation is very important. Once everything recovers, she will be the first to seize the market, and at that time, when people mention hotpot, they will think of Chenhui.
At that time, what she was selling was the brand.
"By the way, Sister Gong, make sure the employees have good food every day, so they are well-fed and have the energy to work hard."
"I know, you've told me this several times." Sister Gong rubbed her hands together happily. "It's such a blessing for us to have a boss like you."
Song Lili smiled but didn't say anything. She was only doing this for herself, so she didn't want to hypocritically admit it.
Meanwhile, in the lobby, some people stared wide-eyed at Song Lili as she entered the kitchen, their eyes wide with disbelief.
She stared in shock at the kitchen door, unable to come to her senses for a long time. How could Song Lili be here?
And what about her? How could she not have changed? She almost didn't recognize her, and when she saw Song Lili, she felt a little flustered.
She grabbed a passing waiter and asked in a trembling voice, "Who was that person who just went in?"
Qiao Lin was caught off guard and was startled. He thought the guest had some request and was about to ask when he heard this question.
He looked at the customer in front of him with a puzzled expression, noticing her tense and somewhat distorted face, and frowned.
"Who went in just now? I'm asking you." She gritted her teeth and asked again.
Qiao Lin glanced at her and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about, but if she can get into the kitchen, then she must be one of our staff members."
He didn't see Song Lili go in, so he didn't know, and answered the question with neither humility nor arrogance.
"Staff? Waiter?" He finally released Qiao Lin's hand, saying it with a mix of sarcasm and mockery.
Then, with a disdainful look, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, this is none of your business. You can leave now."
Qiao Lin glanced at the woman in front of him one last time before leaving, but he thought to himself, "Is this person crazy?"
The man sitting in front of the woman, who was also around thirty years old, looked at her strangely and asked, "Luo Juan, what's wrong?"
That's right, this person is Luo Juan, the Luo Juan who ran away from Hongqi Village back then.
"It's nothing. I just saw someone who looked familiar, so I asked them a question," Luo Juan said casually. "Okay, that's enough. Let's eat. This hot pot is pretty good."
"Yes, it tastes great, and you can eat as much as you want. I think a lot of people come here just for the meat and eat until they're full."
At this time, eating meat to one's fill would be unthinkable to many people.
The man shook his head. "This boss is terrible at business. Won't he lose money like this?"
"Why do you care so much? You're paying for the food, whether they make a profit or not is their business. It just means the owner is an idiot. But what does it have to do with us?"
"Eat quickly, and we'll get two more plates of meat later. I haven't had enough yet."
"good"
Song Lili was unaware that an old friend had already seen her outside, and she was still trying to find out what had happened in the past two days.
Having learned enough about the kitchen, he came out to ask Qiao Lin about what had happened earlier.
As soon as she came out, she ran into Qiao Lin. "Perfect timing, I was just looking for you. How have things been these past two days? Everything's going smoothly?" she asked casually as she flipped through the ledger.
Qiao Lin was surprised. "Sister Lili, when did you arrive? I didn't see you."
"You were busy when I arrived, so you went to the kitchen."
"I see. Things have gone smoothly these past two days, nothing's happened, just like before," Qiao Lin then explained the situation.
Song Lili listened attentively, nodding occasionally. "That's good. You did a good job. You'll get a bonus when you get paid."
"Thank you, Sister Lili, you're truly the best boss in the world." Qiao Lin grinned happily. Now they knew that the thirty yuan they had mentioned was the base salary.
If you do well, you get not only a perfect attendance bonus but also a cash prize, which makes everyone incredibly happy.
"Alright, stop joking around. Focus on your work, and you'll definitely make lots of money." Song Lili chuckled.
Qiao Lin is in his early twenties, still a big kid, so he can be a bit mischievous at times, but Song Lili likes him very much.
He is very capable, but he still needs more training before he can stand on his own.
She was stunned and looked at Qiao Lin as if he were a younger brother.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll do a good job and won't let you down." Qiao Lin gave a playful salute, smiling broadly.
Just as Song Lili was about to say something, she turned around and suddenly saw a familiar person.
It was quite unexpected that we would meet here, and in this way.
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