Chapter 305: You Weren’t Scammed, Were You?
Chapter 305: Chapter 305: You Weren’t Scammed, Were You?
The sudden announcement of a performance review hit them out of the blue, and Xin Yu, Wang Daguo, and Cai Su were all a bit stunned.
’Punishment for poor performance?’
’What kind of punishment would it be?’
’A pay cut, or... getting fired?’
Instantly, all three of them tensed up.
At the same time, they felt a pang of relief that they were at the shop and heard the news right away. This gave them more time to practice than Shu Meng and Deng Ying.
"Boss, what will I be tested on?" Wang Daguo asked Shen Lu curiously after their meal.
He had never actually cooked anything since he started working for Shen Lu; he only did odd jobs.
"You’ll be tested on your usual duties. Wang Daguo, your salary is the lowest in the shop right now. Do you feel that’s unfair?"
"Not at all. I just do unskilled labor, so it’s only right that my pay is lower," Wang Daguo replied with genuine simplicity.
He wasn’t just saying that to please Shen Lu; he truly believed it.
This job was leagues better than his previous temp work. It was easy, safe, and even paid a little more. He had nothing to complain about.
As for his inability to cook, he chalked it up to his own lack of talent, not any unwillingness on Shen Lu’s part to teach him.
As she asked, Shen Lu had activated the Good and Evil Judgment Device. The heart above Wang Daguo’s head was a steady red.
It was proof that Wang Daguo wasn’t lying.
Shen Lu wanted to pat his shoulder, but Wang Daguo was so tall she had to settle for his arm. "Give me some time to look into a few things, and I’ll arrange a new role for you."
"Okay."
This wasn’t the first time Shen Lu had said this, and Wang Daguo never once doubted her words.
It was just that Shen Lu had never followed up. ’This must be a really tricky and difficult problem,’ he thought, ’or else the boss would have sorted it out long ago.’
While gutting fish that afternoon, Shen Lu’s mind was on the delivery service.
’They say farmers live and die by the weather. Who would have thought I’d end up in the same boat?’
’I have to get this delivery service up and running. But how? And where would I even get the equipment? That’s the big question.’
Shen Lu opened the main group chat for the Commerce Association. She wanted to see if there was any news about that delivery platform and, while she was at it, check what everyone else was doing on a day with no customers.
Good and Best Supermarket: This is a disaster. The wind almost blew the roof off my supermarket! Luckily, I caught it in time and had it reinforced. Crap, there goes ten thousand Star Coins, just like that.
Brother Zheng: What kind of roof costs ten thousand Star Coins? You didn’t get ripped off, did you?
Good and Best Supermarket: The materials were 1,000, but labor was 9,000!
Good and Best Supermarket: Who’s going to do the work in this weather if you don’t pay a premium?
Zhou’s Electronics Store: You’re lucky you got it fixed. I was too cheap to pay last year and tried to patch it up myself. A support pillar ended up breaking, and half my warehouse stock was ruined.
Old Fan’s Restaurant: *Sigh.* Not a single customer today. I’m so idle I’m starting to panic.
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Are you guys even competent? Still waiting for that nonexistent delivery platform to launch? Too bad, we at Jiaoyao Garden have already made our move.
Old Fan’s Restaurant: What do you mean?
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Our restaurant has always offered delivery. What can I say? My place is in a high-end district. All my customers have Light Brains, so they can order from me directly.
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Oh, right. Your restaurants cater to the paupers who can’t afford Light Brains. I guess it would be hard for you to get a delivery service going.
Your Wardrobe: @Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang Yo, yo, yo, here to bark like a dog again?
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Liu Xiaoyan, you’d better watch your mouth! I don’t care if you’re a woman, I won’t hold back!
Your Wardrobe: Oh yeah? Show me. I’d love to see you "not hold back."
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Heh, a real man doesn’t argue with a woman. I’ll just pretend you’re passing gas.
Your Wardrobe: Heh.
’Okay, I see now,’ Shen Lu thought. ’This "Your Wardrobe" person is a real top gun. Every time she shows up, she goes in with guns blazing, roasting anyone who rubs her the wrong way.’
After a moment’s thought, Shen Lu clicked on Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang’s profile picture.
Little Deer Cuisine: @Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang How do you handle deliveries in this weather?
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: ?
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Little Deer Cuisine?
Little Deer Cuisine: Yes, is there a problem?
Jiaoyao Garden Old Zhuang: Heh, of course not. How would I dare? If the great Boss Shen gets angry, you might kick me out again.
Even through text, Shen Lu could practically hear the passive-aggressive sarcasm in his tone.
Shen Lu remembered. ’Isn’t this the crater-faced guy who was whining in my shop yesterday?’
’So petty.’
Shen Lu pursed her lips and closed the chat window.
She finished prepping the remaining crucian carp, then placed it in the System Warehouse along with the portioned chicken and the pork she had minced for meatballs. After that, Shen Lu went to the greenhouse in the backyard to check on the sun-drying radishes.
Shen Lu collected half of them and left the rest to continue drying. Those needed to be completely dehydrated before being stored; they could be rehydrated by soaking them before eating.
She mixed the half she’d collected with chili paste and packed it into a jar to make spicy dried radish.
With that done, her work for the day was mostly finished. Shen Lu took off her gloves and chef’s coat, planning to have some tea and rest until it was time to start making dinner at five.
Just as she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw Fu Cheng wheeling himself down.
The bad weather had forced Fu Cheng to postpone his physical therapy session at the hospital. After lunch, he had gone back upstairs, saying he would do some exercises on his own.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, noticing his solemn expression.
"Something’s wrong with Xiao Lang."
"Huh?" Shen Lu didn’t understand at first, but Cai Su, who was next to her, immediately paled and ran anxiously back toward the dorms.
Fu Cheng and Shen Lu hurried after her. They found Xiao Lang lying on his back on the living room floor. Blood was pouring from his nose, and his small body was wracked with irregular convulsions.
"Xiao Lang! Xiao Lang, what’s wrong with you?!" Cai Su collapsed to her knees, reaching out to pull her son into her arms.
"Don’t move him yet," Fu Cheng said, stopping her. "Let me check on him first."
Cai Su froze, her eyes brimming with tears as she watched her son continue to twitch.
Fu Cheng moved closer to Xiao Lang, bent down to feel the side of the boy’s neck, then lifted an eyelid to check his pupil.
"It’s superpower overuse. It’s not a major issue; we can handle it."
"Really?" Cai Su asked, full of worry.
"This is a common condition for new Superpower Users. It happened to me, too, back in the day." Fu Cheng straightened up. "Let’s use some saline to clean up the blood first. Leave the rest to me."
"Huh? You?" Cai Su asked, confused.
Shen Lu quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Fu Cheng’s recovery has been going well. He should be able to help Xiao Lang, no problem."
"Oh, okay." Cai Su gave an embarrassed, uncertain smile.
She knew Fu Cheng had been a Superpower User, but his injuries were so severe. She remembered when she first met him; he was comatose for days at a time and looked like he could die at any moment.
Cai Su had assumed that while he’d managed to survive, his superpower was likely gone for good.