Chapter 205: There’s No Problem the Boss Can’t Solve
Chapter 205: Chapter 205: There’s No Problem the Boss Can’t Solve
It was impossible to get the tons of ingredients Fu Cheng wanted, but several hundred pounds wasn’t a problem.
And they were top-quality ingredients, no less.
A large truck pulled up to the entrance of Little Deer Cuisine, and Shen Lu went to accept the delivery on Fu Cheng’s instruction.
In addition to the bok choy, potatoes, fish, and chicken breast that Shen Lu needed, there were also things like eggplant, green beans, and tomatoes to fill out the order.
After all, Fu Cheng didn’t know which ingredients Shen Lu needed, and Yan Zhen De was even more in the dark. So, they had naturally just thrown in a bit of everything available.
Shen Lu and the staff moved the ingredients, taking a full half-hour to get everything inside.
Once the large delivery truck had driven away, Xin Yu cautiously asked Shen Lu where all the ingredients had come from.
"They look so fresh, like they were just pulled out of the ground. They still have dirt on them."
Shen Lu, however, didn’t satisfy his curiosity. "Move faster. We need to hurry, or the customers will arrive before the food is ready."
Time was indeed tight. With less than two hours to go, half the ingredients still needed to be prepped and cooked.
Shen Lu didn’t have time for anything fancy; she just quickly filmed a few cooking clips to have something to post.
It wasn’t even 11:30, but a huge crowd of customers had already gathered outside. Wang Daguo went into the back kitchen to report the situation.
Shen Lu’s hands never stopped moving as she ladled the last of the braised pork into a large metal basin.
"I know," Shen Lu said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Okay, go ahead and take the cooked dishes out."
Xin Yu and Deng Ying nodded, and together with Wang Daguo, they carried the dishes to the serving window of the fast-food section.
"The number of customers has grown, so we need to change our kitchen’s workflow," Shen Lu said, turning to Shu Meng and Song Zhigao. "I have to be at the front desk to manage the lottery, so I’ll need you two to continue cooking. This will prevent customers from waiting in a long line only to leave hungry."
She could have done this sooner, but she’d been worried because they hadn’t been with her for long and weren’t yet familiar with her specific methods. However, they were both experienced chefs, and after this trial period, they now basically understood her standards.
Their cooking might not be a perfect match for Shen Lu’s, but it was at least eighty percent of the way there—definitely good enough to sell.
Shu Meng chimed in, "Don’t worry, Boss Shen. I’ll be sure to do a great job."
Song Zhigao glanced at her but said nothing.
"Sister Cai will be busy at the window with Xin Yu and Deng Ying. Most of the ingredients are prepped, but if something runs out, you’ll have to chop it yourselves. Okay, I’m going to the front desk. Find me if you need anything."
Shen Lu walked off as she spoke, heading to the changing room to switch out of her chef’s uniform. After quickly fixing her hair, she went to the front desk.
Wang Daguo had already opened the doors, and customers flooded in like a tidal wave.
"I’m gonna be the first to buy food! Don’t even think about getting in my way!"
"Who wants to fight you? I’m not even here for the food."
"Just four more check-ins and I can enter the lottery! I’m so excited!"
"Brother Xing’s life-sized cutout is going to be mine! Once I win it, I’ll sleep with it every night, hehe~"
"Drop dead! How dare you defile my Brother Xing!"
...
Seeing a fight break out in the crowd, Shen Lu had Lin Zhou use their superpower to remove the two girls.
The two girls were in the middle of a heated argument when their bodies suddenly felt light and their vision blurred. Before they could react, they found themselves standing outside the restaurant.
Wang Daguo reprimanded them, his face dark. "No arguing or fighting in the restaurant. You two broke the rules. Since this is your first offense, you’re banned from the restaurant for the day."
"What?! I’m innocent! She started it! If you’re going to punish someone, punish her!"
"It’s because you have a dirty mouth! Saying you’ll sleep with Brother Xing’s cutout... He’s everyone’s Brother Xing! I won’t allow you to be so filthy!"
"What’s it got to do with you? If I win the cutout, I can do whatever I want with it!"
"Someone like you with a mind full of garbage would never win Brother Xing’s cutout! Ptui!"
"You’re freaking asking for it! How dare you spit at me! Watch me slap you silly!"
"Ah! Sir! Look, she’s hitting me!" one of the girls cried, quickly ducking behind Wang Daguo and putting on a damsel-in-distress act.
Wang Daguo, who had seen the entire exchange, was left speechless.
"Alright, that’s enough. I don’t care what either of you think. If you want to eat here, you follow our rules. Otherwise, don’t come in."
Wang Daguo had no time to argue with them. After saying his piece, he turned and went back inside.
The crowd today was massive, a veritable sea of people. Wang Daguo squeezed his way back through, struggling to maintain order.
Shen Lu was pinned to the front desk, THUMP-THUMP-THUMPing stamps for check-ins and issuing new cards. She was so busy her head was spinning, and she didn’t even hear the system’s notification that her mission was complete.
Even with the kitchen cooking nonstop, all the food was sold out by 2:30 PM. There were still plenty of people who hadn’t eaten, with the line snaking from the serving window all the way outside.
Shen Lu felt a headache coming on. She had no choice but to go out and explain the situation to everyone, persuading them to leave.
"I’m so sorry, we’re out of ingredients for today. Please come back earlier tomorrow."
"Sorry, everyone! The restaurant is only open for lunch, so there’s no need to wait around."
"Everyone, please listen. Don’t crowd the store, we need to close up."
After talking herself hoarse and promising a free cup of mint water to everyone, she finally managed to persuade the crowd to leave without her customer satisfaction rating taking a hit.
Shen Lu sighed, patting the star-shaped lamp on the desk.
Only three stars were lit on the lamp, no more. If even one person had left a bad review today, she would have lost the three-star rating.
’This is really like walking on thin ice.’
Wang Daguo led Xin Yu in cleaning up outside, while Cai Su and Deng Ying washed the dishes. After tidying up the front desk, Shen Lu walked into the kitchen to find Song Zhigao and Shu Meng cooking the staff meal.
They had each made a dish, and Shu Meng had prepared an additional egg drop soup with minced pork.
Shu Meng glanced at Shen Lu a bit nervously. She remembered Shen Lu telling her that the staff meals didn’t need to be so plain, but her meat dishes weren’t as good as Song Zhigao’s, so she’d decided to make a soup to curry some favor.
Shen Lu nodded at her in approval.
She genuinely didn’t mind the staff eating a little better. The staff meals were made with common local ingredients anyway, so it didn’t cost many Star Coins.
Receiving this affirmative feedback, Shu Meng broke into a smile. ’This is great,’ she thought. ’Not only is Boss Shen not upset, she’s actually encouraging me.’
Shen Lu served herself some food and took it upstairs, while the others sat down to eat in the fast-food section.
As Song Zhigao was eating, he suddenly said, "The boss is really something else. That truck that delivered ingredients this morning is the type used for government logistics procurement."
Xin Yu let out a surprised "Huh?" "How do you know that?"
He had been too focused on moving everything to notice the truck.
"I used to work at a restaurant in the Upper City District and saw one by chance," Song Zhigao said, taking a sip of soup. "So, does Boss Shen have government connections?"
"I don’t know," Xin Yu said with a chuckle. "All I know is, the boss is amazing!"
Wang Daguo wiped his mouth. "The boss has always been amazing. There’s no problem she can’t solve!"