Chapter 34 Taking from the people and using for the people, Heaven…
At this moment, a crowd had already gathered in front of the small restaurant, with the queue stretching onto the sidewalk.
Two helpers had placed a stack of plastic stools at the door early in the morning. The diners didn't hesitate and helped themselves, quickly dividing up all the stools. Those without seats stood.
Because there was no queuing system, they even learned to maintain order themselves, queuing up according to first come, first served, and no one dared to leave.
Usually, the fish restaurant starts lining up around 6 PM, and sometimes as early as 5:30 PM. But today, for some reason, the restaurant was closed. Through the glass, I could vaguely see people sitting inside. I asked the staff at the door and learned that the owner had treated people to dinner and would be opening later.
So they waited outside for more than half an hour.
No wonder Lu Xiaoqi was met with a barrage of resentful stares as soon as she stepped out.
"So it's Boss Lu." A regular customer recognized her and immediately smiled. "Boss Lu, has Chef Song come up with any new dishes today?"
Lu Xiaoqi is the administrator of the diners' group. Everyone in the group knows that she is actually one of the owners behind the restaurant, so wouldn't it be good to build a closer relationship? Besides, Song Sao Fish Restaurant's menu isn't fixed. Whatever the chef buys at the market each day is written on the blackboard. If someone knows how to order, they might even be able to order a hidden dish.
Therefore, it is necessary to ask one more question.
Lu Xiaoqi quickly recommended today's new dishes: "Yes, we have braised carp and abalone in fermented rice wine today. But the abalone needs to be marinated for a while, so I don't know if she will sell it to you. You may have to wait a few more days."
But she got to eat it. The abalone had a rich, sweet flavor, and a unique taste of saltiness with hints of fermented rice wine. It was delicious.
The regular diners all looked at her with envy.
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled and decided to stay and help entertain the guests. She was a lively person and felt very comfortable in such a crowded setting.
On the contrary, Su Jun, after coming out of the store, didn't care about his noble demeanor at all. He sat down on the steps in a daze, probably still processing the long string of history he had just heard. He looked like his whole body was about to break.
Lu Xiaoqi glanced at him with some sympathy. Those distant histories, for her and the people of this era, were merely a few lines in a history book—something to laugh, rant, and rave about, only to be forgotten in the blink of an eye. But for them, it was connected to their family, friends, and every precious memory.
She understood this feeling and didn't disturb him, giving him time to calm down.
There were several girls in the queue, and she saw them secretly pointing their phones at Su Jun, whispering amongst themselves:
Wow, so handsome!
"I told you we could see beautiful women and handsome men here, right? You trusted me, didn't you? Besides, the food is delicious! You were complaining at first!"
"It was my fault. From now on, you'll be my only sister... Why do I feel like he's an actor? Look at his hair."
"I think so too. Are people in the entertainment industry really living such good lives now?"
"Bullshit, I see a lot of ugly people on TV, and none of the famous ones are handsome. I don't know where the eyes of the capitalists are."
Lu Xiaoqi listened with a smile and said to the system, "Listen to the voices of the people. We can't neglect this aspect when promoting traditional culture. We should have more of these in the future."
System: "That depends on the player's luck."
She hummed a few times and then fell silent. It was really just a joke with the system; the people of Xiangjia Village, for example, weren't exactly good-looking, but they were still very useful, generating a lot of traffic for her with each sacrificial ceremony. Even the elderly and children among them, who lacked any skills, were treated equally by Lu Xiaoqi.
Although wages may vary, labor itself is neither noble nor lowly.
By nine o'clock, Song Wu Sao had finished preparing the dishes and closed the shop. Around eight o'clock, there were still people waiting for a table. She asked someone to tell the diners before they reluctantly left, and then told her to buy more dishes the next day.
"We don't mind if you go to the market to buy it temporarily; you can wait."
Sister-in-law Song laughed heartily: "The market is already closed at this time. Don't worry, I'll buy more tomorrow."
She wasn't the kind of chef who just stayed in the kitchen; she would often come out to ask everyone how the food tasted and if they liked it. She was very kind and friendly, like a helpful neighborhood auntie. Even the most introverted person would find themselves chatting with her.
Lu Xiaoqi always felt that Song Wusao's talents should be expanded to include another one.
"Is it unnecessary to offer set meals now?" she suggested.
The original reason for introducing the set meal was to meet a weekly goal of collecting 100 likes as quickly as possible. However, given the current queue length, removing the set meal won't have any impact at all, and might even increase the average order value.
The average price per person for à la carte dishes is between 80 and 120, but the price of set meals has always remained between 30 and 50.
Unexpectedly, Sister-in-law Song shook her head: "Let's continue."
Lu Xiaoqi was puzzled.
Zhao Feiyan chuckled softly from the side, "Fifth Sister-in-law probably just feels that these young people have it tough too."
Sister-in-law Song sighed, "I think they really have a hard life. They're out all day, busy from morning till night, and they don't even get a decent meal. These set meals don't take up too much of my time, so I'll keep them."
Her shop initially gained popularity thanks to people working nearby; one person introduced two, two introduced three, and word of mouth spread gradually. Office workers don't have much time at lunchtime, so many prefer affordable set meals; several regular customers only order set meals.
Sister-in-law Song remembers it all.
“Although life is better now, the level of hardship is still about the same.” She chatted with these diners and found that many of them started work at nine in the morning and didn’t get off work until nine at night, and didn’t get home until ten. Sister-in-law Song felt a little sorry for them.
Lu Xiaoqi was so moved she almost cried: "If there had been a store like this next to my old job, I definitely wouldn't have quit!"
For the sake of delicious food, nothing else is unbearable.
Sister-in-law Song smiled and said, "Our shop will only be open for three months. If you really want to quit, you'll have to quit after three months."
Lu Xiaoqi then remembered that this store was a limited-time pop-up store.
Three months later, we still have no clue what to do...
Unable to think of anything else for the time being, Lu Xiaoqi simply took Su Jun back first.
The once bustling entrance to Song Sao Fish Restaurant finally quieted down. The male owner next door, seeing this, gave a disgruntled snort and returned to his shop. Compared to the commotion, his shop was deserted—it was a fast-food business, and evening customers were always less frequent than during the day.
The male owner admitted he had initially misjudged her; he hadn't expected this unassuming middle-aged woman to be such a skilled chef. He'd become envious of her customer traffic and decided to try and attract some customers himself. Occasionally, he successfully lured in some people who didn't want to wait in line, but after eating there once, they never came back.
His business is still slow.
The male boss knew about Song Wu Sao's contract with the young couple from before, and he thought maliciously, "Anyway, it's only for three months. I want to see what you'll do after three months."
Although he knew that as long as one had good skills, one could go anywhere without fear, he was very happy to think that they would have to start all over again and face a lot of troubles again.
It's as if thinking like this will make his business improve.
......
"What are you planning to do today?" Lu Xiaoqi asked Su Jun.
She once again took on the roles of kindergarten teacher and nanny, delivering breakfast to people.
Su Jun had clearly recovered from yesterday's shock, his emotions had stabilized, and he had regained his original gentle and refined demeanor. He nodded to Lu Xiaoqi: "If Miss Lu doesn't mind, I'd like to read some books first, and then take a look around the surrounding area."
Lu Xiaoqi waved her hand: "Of course I don't mind. Shall I take you to buy a phone first, and then some clothes?"
Su Jun felt somewhat embarrassed: "How could I possibly accept this?"
Lu Xiaoqi: "Don't worry, it will be deducted from your salary, your wages. Just think of it as an advance payment."
There are many shops near Wuliu Road, and Lu Xiaoqi led him to a mobile phone shop at the street corner. There are several brand counters there, as well as services that specialize in repairing and applying screen protectors to mobile phones.
A daringly dressed young woman walked by, revealing her long legs. Su Jun turned his head away embarrassedly, only turning his gaze back after she had passed. Lu Xiaoqi thought to herself that it was fortunate it wasn't the height of summer, otherwise Su Gongzi would have to walk close to the wall the whole time he went out.
She found it amusing to herself, and with a slightly mischievous glint in her eye, she wanted to see Young Master Su make a fool of himself.
However, after this happened a couple more times, Su Jun actually became more at ease. This time, he had the mindset to see the world, from the cars on the street to the streetlights, and even the green belts along the roadside.
"Were these flowers and plants planted by the street vendors? Why are they so neatly arranged?"
Lu Xiaoqi casually said, "How could that be? Of course, the government planted them." Then she remembered and smiled, "That's actually within the scope of Professor Yuwen's research."
Su Jun raised his eyebrows: "The imperial court planted them? This entire city is planted? And where did the money come from?"
Bianjing also has many flowers, trees, and shrubs, many of which were left over from when the city was originally built, giving it a wild and natural feel. A large portion of these belong to various gardens, which are owned by powerful and wealthy people. In addition, the imperial court would pay to plant trees along the main roads of the city for summer shade, but it is rare to see such a large number of exotic flowers and plants neatly planted along the roads, and it seems to be planted along every road.
How much would that cost?
Lu Xiaoqi replied matter-of-factly, "It must come from taxes."
Seeing the confused look on Su Jun's face, she chuckled and explained, "Our tax policy here is of course different from yours back then. You can read a book about it later; I don't know much about it either. But in general, it's about taking from the people and using it for the people. For example, these green spaces are meant to make the air in the city fresher, and to make life more comfortable for people living in the city."
She simply pointed to the surrounding area and said, "All the public facilities you see, such as roads, streetlights, traffic lights, bus stops, etc., are built by the government and come from tax revenue."
Making residents' lives more comfortable is something the government should be doing, isn't it?
In Lu Xiaoqi's mind, this was simply a matter of course.
They had reached the street corner; a short distance further would be the city center of Qinghe. Su Jun looked in the direction she pointed. The wide road suddenly rose abruptly in the distance, with bridges spanning the flat ground. The motorcycles he had seen before traveled on these roads in an orderly fashion. On both sides of the road, towering buildings, far exceeding his expectations, stood side by side.
He felt a little dizzy from looking at it, so he looked away and his gaze fell on Lu Xiaoqi's face.
Su Jun was taken aback. It was an expression of frankness, directness, and self-righteousness, almost naive. People say that Bianjing is full of "proud commoners with sleeves tucked in their sleeves," living the most comfortable lives, but in the past, when he traveled around Bianjing, he couldn't recall ever seeing such an expression on the faces of those people.
He lowered his eyes, and the bitterness and resentment he felt yesterday seemed to have faded a little.
Ultimately, God is fair to the people of this land.
"Boss, give me another phone, I want the same kind as before." When she arrived at the phone store, Lu Xiaoqi tapped on the counter.
The shop owner knew her well and laughed, "Why are you here to buy a phone again?"
"I have a lot of friends, and it's cheap here too," she said vaguely. "Then could you give me a discount?"
"Don't worry, I'm giving you the lowest price." The shopkeeper handed her a new phone. Lu Xiaoqi turned it on and tested its smoothness, then handed it to Su Jun, "Take a look."
Su Jun took it, looking at it from left to right. He clearly had a lot of questions, but there were too many people around to ask, so he could only nod slightly, looking very aloof.
When Lu Xiaoqi returned after paying, she saw him standing at the phone repair counter, staring intently at the young man repairing the phone, revealing all the intricate parts inside.
"It's truly ingenious." After coming out, Su Jun exclaimed in admiration, holding his brand-new phone, "So that's how it works inside?"
“It’s very complicated.” Lu Xiaoqi remembered his mechanical talent and quickly added, “You’re not allowed to take it apart. If you want to take it apart, you can buy one and take it apart yourself later.”
She doesn't have the money to buy him a second one right now.
Su Jun coughed softly, his eyelashes fluttering: "...How could this be?"
Lu Xiaoqi was skeptical: "It would be best if it didn't."
She then took Su Jun to Xinhua Bookstore and bought several books. The sheer volume of books made Su Jun almost unable to move, and he then deeply understood the openness to knowledge and the cultural level of the people here.
He mainly bought history-related books, but Lu Xiaoqi also gave him a book on tax law and a book on introductory accounting.
"This tax law book might clear up a lot of your confusion, and this one too," Lu Xiaoqi said, brazenly adding her own opinion, "you can try learning it. It's always good to have more skills, right?"
Su Jun nodded blankly: "Miss Lu is absolutely right."
He took the book, and Lu Xiaoqi was secretly delighted.
System, please grant her an accountant position as soon as possible!
Let's add a legal counsel, an HR person, and a purchasing agent...
Hiring is urgently needed.
Soon after, she received the system's weekly task notification: "Player, please start building your logistics department team within one week and recruit at least two employees. Reward: 10,000 yuan."
Lu Xiaoqi said coldly, "Tell me, are you monitoring my thoughts?!"
The system remained calm: "This is simply the optimal priority solution calculated by the AI based on the player's current environment and the problems they face."
She then snorted and stopped arguing with it.
Since it was the most urgent matter recognized by the system, Lu Xiaoqi naturally put it first. She paid to post job openings on recruitment websites, mainly looking for finance, human resources, and social media specialists. She also posted recruitment information in various groups.
She also posted it in the regular customer group. This group already has more than two hundred people, and as far as she knows, it contains all sorts of people, truly a hidden gem.
After seeing her message, the group responded enthusiastically:
"Boss Lu, could you please recommend a restaurant that offers priority reservations?"
"Boss Lu, I've forwarded this for you. Remember to let us know in the group if there are any new dishes."
"Boss Lu, I know a headhunter. I'll ask around for you. If it works out, I don't have any other requests, except that I could buy some of the crispy fish that Chef Song fried last time? My kids are really craving them."
Lu Xiaoqi was moved. What kind of selfless heroes were these? Not a single person asked for the meal to be waived!
Are the crispy fried fish really that delicious? Then she wants to eat some too.
Over the next few days, Lu Xiaoqi interviewed several people, encountering all sorts of oddballs, but also finding a few decent candidates. They were all satisfied with the salary and benefits she offered, but all backed out when they heard that the job required working in Qinghe Ancient Town, Anping County.
That's in the county, after all. It's not far, and it's not as fun as the city.
Young people don't want to leave the city, while middle-aged people often have families and careers and don't want to go too far from home.
Lu Xiaoqi was at her wit's end.
She lay on the bed and let out a few loud, cathartic screams. Who would have thought that what seemed like the simplest task would be so difficult to complete?
"System, as long as someone joins, it's fine, right?" She rolled her eyes.
The system, having already engaged in a battle of wits with her, suddenly said in a low voice, "Only those whose resumes, experience, and abilities match and pass the review can complete the task. Players can't just randomly pick two people from the street to complete the mission."
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled awkwardly: "How could you possibly just pull two people off the street..."
You should at least find a friend to impersonate you.
But this path has clearly been blocked by the system.
With only two days left, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, and idly scrolled through her phone. Then she saw someone had tagged her in the regular customer group:
"Boss Lu, what's your relationship with Qinghe Ancient Town? Why are you helping them with recruitment?"
This clearly indicates that the person did not watch the live-streamed ritual.
Lu Xiaoqi thought for a moment and replied in the group: "I forgot to tell everyone that our company is the new operator of Qinghe Ancient Town. Chef Song is actually our company's head chef. This fish restaurant is a limited-time store, and it is currently only scheduled to be open for three months."
The group fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a burst of activity:
"Aaaaaah, what kind of terrifying ghost story did I just hear?"
"What do you mean it'll only be open for three months? Does that mean it'll close down after three months? Please, no! Where am I supposed to eat lunch then?"
"The sky has fallen for the child..."
Lu Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Everyone can come to Qinghe Ancient Town to eat then. After it opens, Chef Song's fish restaurant will move in. It will be bigger and can seat more people."
"Qinghe Ancient Town? Tears well up in my eyes, it's so far away. My child wants to eat Chef Song's cooking every day."
"I knew it! With Chef Song's amazing skills, how could he open such a small shop? Turns out he already had a better place waiting for him."
"Qinghe Ancient Town is indeed quite far. And, will we need to buy tickets?"
Lu Xiaoqi: "We will be launching an annual membership for existing customers, so please look forward to it."
These regular customers will definitely spend money after they come, so the annual pass could be discounted. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be the first batch of annual pass customers in the ancient town.
After hearing her explanation, the diners, though still upset, had no choice but to accept the situation. After all, Boss Lu had said that the restaurant was only open for fun because the ancient town was currently closed and Chef Song was at home with nothing to do.
What other options do they have?
I guess I'll just have to follow Chef Song when the time comes.
It's only a half-hour drive to Qinghe Ancient Town, so going once a week isn't out of the question... Many people are already making plans.
The next day, just as Lu Xiaoqi was anxiously counting down the days until the task was completed, someone suddenly contacted her. It was a very active member of the regular foodies group, who was actually volunteering himself:
"Boss Lu, would you like to consider me? I have ten years of HR experience and a little knowledge of finance. I just left my job last week."
Chen Yingying, who contacted her, didn't pay much attention to such a small job posting. With her qualifications, she could easily find a decent job in Qinghe City, and she was planning to take a break anyway.
But after seeing what Lu Xiaoqi posted in the group yesterday, she suddenly felt a little tempted...
Anping County is quite nice; it's a bit far away, which helps her escape her parents' pressure to get married. Besides, she's been researching Qinghe Ancient Town these past few days, and from the videos online, the company there seems to have potential if managed well. If the salary and benefits are right, it might be a good choice.
In short, Chen Yingying would never admit that she was interested in Song Sao Fish Restaurant because it was going to move back to the ancient town.
Lu Xiaoqi immediately asked Chen Yingying to meet and chat, asking her if she wanted coffee or tea.
Chen Yingying: "Song Sao Fish Restaurant is fine, we can have lunch there too."
She hasn't been able to get a seat for several days!
Lu Xiaoqi: "...Okay."
Racing against time, she immediately made arrangements for lunch and asked Sister-in-law Song to reserve a table for her. However, when she arrived at the shop, she found it packed with people—more than twice the usual number.
She stared in disbelief: "How come there are so many people all of a sudden?"
A familiar customer lamented, "We can only eat here for a little over two months. Every meal we have is one less we can enjoy, so we naturally have to come more often."
That's probably what everyone in the group was thinking. Especially the office workers who work nearby; they felt like the sky was falling. Song Sao Fish Restaurant has practically become their canteen lately. So everyone came at noon today.
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled: "Everyone is welcome to come to Qinghe Ancient Town in the future. There's plenty to do and plenty to eat, isn't that great!"
She didn't dare linger and quickly went into the shop.
"Boss Lu, over here!"
Chen Yingying had been waiting for a long time.
The two enjoyed their meal together and had a pleasant conversation. Chen Yingying was very satisfied with the salary offered by Lu Xiaoqi, and even a little surprised. She had originally thought that the salary would be lower in the county than in the city, especially since room and board were included. This meant she could save a lot of money.
She took a bite of Song Sao's fish soup, her eyes squinting as she ate, looking quite content: "Boss, will we be eating this for lunch from now on?"
Lu Xiaoqi: "...You're overthinking it. Working meals are probably not going to be possible. Fifth Sister-in-law won't be in charge of the canteen, she'll probably be in charge of the restaurants in the ancient town."
Chen Yingying thought for a moment, then said cheerfully, "That works too."
It's so close by, and there's no entrance fee. I can just sneak out for lunch whenever I feel like it. I can even get the owner to offer an employee discount – perfect!
Chen Yingying was very satisfied and immediately arranged a start date with Lu Xiaoqi.
One new employee was hired.
That evening, Lu Xiaoqi even hummed a song while taking a shower, looking very cheerful.
The system couldn't stand it anymore: "Player, allow me to remind you that you must recruit two people to complete the mission. Tomorrow is the last day. If you cannot complete the mission for ten consecutive weeks, you will not be able to obtain the basic maintenance function of the ancient town."
This is already the sixth weekly task.
Lu Xiaoqi raised her eyebrows smugly: "Don't worry, I had a plan."
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