"Have a drink?"

Shen Guofu looked at the message from Tan Yajun and frowned slightly.

Drinking isn't a problem, but I've already promised my wife we'd have dinner at Lin Ji tonight. My daughter isn't working overtime tomorrow, so I have to go home early to trick her into eating coarse grains. Today, I can finally enjoy dining at Lin Ji again. How could I miss that? Besides, it seems my wife also bought a scratching post for Dundun and a small mat for it to sleep on at the cashier's desk. I want to see if the little guy likes them.

Thinking this, he declined his old friend's drinking invitation, "I've got some things on my end tonight. Let's wait a couple of days. I'll make the arrangements then, and Old Tan, just don't give me a hard time when the time comes."

Alright, in a few days, after my little rascal has had her fill of coarse grains, I'll bring her along, invite Old Tan and his wife, and we'll all have a meal together at Lin Ji. At the same time, I want my daughter to learn a thing or two from Brother Lin. Stop scamming your own parents all the time! Go earn money from outsiders if you're so capable!

「In the rest room of the Audit Bureau.」

Seeing the message from his old friend, Tan Yajun was somewhat surprised. Old Shen has never refused a drink before. I was ready to have a few drinks with his son-in-law's cooking today, but he can't make it and even took the initiative to reschedule. What does this mean? Is he planning an engagement? No, that can't be right. It shouldn't be so soon.

Tan Yajun thought for a while. It's probably because their parents are going to meet, so Old Shen isn't in the mood to drink. Once they've met, Old Shen will likely find time to host a dinner and announce that his daughter is seeing someone. He might even bring Boss Lin along for everyone to meet. Well, any parent with a daughter would want a son-in-law who can cook and earn money. He's basically the template for a perfect son-in-law! Since that's the case, I might as well wait to drink at Old Shen's happy occasion. But if his son-in-law isn't cooking then, I won't approve!

「In the restaurant.」

Lin Xu brought the chicken, which had been marinating for over half an hour, to the workstation next to the stove, preparing to deep-fry the pieces. He set up a wok, poured oil into it, and turned up the heat. While waiting for the oil to heat up, he carefully picked out the Scallion and Ginger used in the marinade. These could easily burn if added to the oil, making the entire pot of oil taste burnt, so they need to be removed beforehand.

When the oil was about sixty percent hot, he scooped up the marinated chicken pieces with a large spoon and dropped them into the wok, one spoonful at a time. Then, he stirred with the spoon in the same direction to separate the chicken pieces in the oil. The oil needed to be hot when the chicken pieces were first added; this way, their surfaces would fry dry instantly, locking in the moisture. Once the surfaces had turned slightly golden, he turned down the heat, allowing the oil temperature to drop slightly. He used an immersion frying method to cook the chicken slowly. This method had the advantage of producing juicier chicken with a more tender taste.

After the chicken was fried, he lifted it out and began to fry the next batch. Once all the chicken had been fried, he increased the oil temperature to seventy percent hot. He poured the chicken pieces back into the wok in batches for a second frying. Second frying helps remove excess fat while making the chicken's surface crispier and tastier.

After removing the chicken pieces again, Lin Xu pinched one to taste. Hmm, the skin is crispy, and the chicken inside is flavorful and delicious. Especially the parts with skin, fried to a crispy and fragrant perfection. If I just sprinkled some spicy seasoning on this, it would become dry-fried chicken pieces. Unfortunately, I'm too busy to bother with that now. Otherwise, I'd definitely plate it and try to snag some rewards from the system.

After frying the chicken, Lin Xu also fried some green beans. He then soaked some dried chili segments and started making dry-fried chicken and dry-fried green beans.

While he was busy, one of the four temporary workers, a man named Ma Zhiqiang, came over and quietly said to Lin Xu, "Boss, I don't need the pay for these few days..."

Hmm? What does he mean by that? Lin Xu thought.

"I want to stay in our restaurant," Ma Zhiqiang continued. "I like the atmosphere here; it feels better than any other place I've worked before."

He wants to stay? Ma Zhiqiang was the youngest of the four temporary workers, around thirty years old. He was very diligent and would sometimes even wipe down the workbench and stove after finishing his tasks. He was a person who couldn't sit still. What boss wouldn't like such an employee?

Lin Xu said, "The restaurant really does need another person. If you want to join, just come to work with Che Zai and the others tomorrow. As for the wages for these few days, you should take what you've earned. It's your rightful pay... But the regular salary won't be as high as temporary work, though."

Last night, after returning home, Ma Zhiqiang had specifically invited Che Zai, Niu Chuan, and Xu Xinhua for drinks at a night market stall to express his desire to stay at the restaurant. All three had encouraged him to give it a try.

Unexpectedly, the boss agreed right away. Ma Zhiqiang said gratefully, "Temporary work isn't available every day. If one can have a stable job, who would want to live so precariously?"

Since that was the case, Lin Xu then said, "Then you can stay. Just like Niu Chuan and Master Xu, the probationary salary is eight thousand yuan. After a month, we'll sign an official contract, and we can renegotiate your salary then."

With that, Lin Xu went back to making the dry-fried chicken and dry-fried green beans.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhiqiang secretly pumped his fist. Clearly, being able to stay at the restaurant excited him greatly.

「Five o'clock in the afternoon.」

Shen Jiayue, Che Zai, and the others were about to deliver the group meals when Tan Yajun's assistant, Yuan Fei, drove the Audit Bureau's Audi and slowly stopped at the restaurant entrance.

"Boss Lin, are you busy now? I've come to settle the group meal charges for the past three days."

Settle the account so soon? Lin Xu was a bit surprised.

Not only was he surprised, Yuan Fei was as well. It's normal for such transactions to be delayed for ten days to half a month. But just after Director Tan finished today's training, he urged me to settle the accounts, and he even emphasized that it's better to overpay than to underpay.

Lin Xu calculated based on the 312 people specified in the contract. Lunch was 40 yuan per person, and dinner was 80 yuan per person, making the daily meal cost 120 yuan per person. Multiplied by 312 people, that's 37,440 yuan. The training lasted three days, so multiplied by three, the total is 112,320 yuan.

Revenue of 112,320 yuan in three days! Even after deducting the cost of ingredients, labor, utilities, and all other expenses, the profit is still very substantial. This group meal business is indeed lucrative.

As he was thinking this, Yuan Fei said, "Boss Lin, I think you calculated it wrong. Take the boxed lunches, for example. There were 335 servings on the first day, 337 on the second, and 340 today. That's a total of 1,012 servings for three days, costing 40,480 yuan. The evening meals were different as well..."

He punched numbers rapidly on a calculator and worked out the total amount for the three days of meals. "The total is 123,560 yuan, is that correct? We already paid a deposit of 40,000 yuan, so we still need to pay you 83,560 yuan."

Lin Xu was speechless. I've seen people bargain down, but this is the first time I've seen someone bargain up! Such a flurry of calculations, and the result is an extra ten thousand yuan. Is this how you guys at the Audit Bureau usually work? I'm genuinely worried about your future!

As he was muttering to himself, Yuan Fei transferred 83,560 yuan. "Don't forget to issue an invoice, Boss Lin. We still have to book this."

Lin Xu nodded. Just as he was about to agree, the system's notification suddenly echoed in his mind:

"Ding! Daily revenue has broken one hundred thousand for the first time. Completed Hidden Task: [Daily Earnings of One Hundred Thousand]. Reward: One Perfect Level meal product draw. Draw now? (Y/N)"

What? Another chance for a draw?

Lin Xu rubbed his hands, looking towards Dundun, who was sprawled over the cash register, fast asleep...

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