"Thank you, Auntie, I’ll just grab something quick to eat. I have other things to do later."
Dou Wenjing had originally planned to deliver the documents and then leave work. But the enthusiasm from Director Shen’s family gave her an inexplicable urge to work overtime.
It was too late to go to the Administrative Service Hall now, but she could visit the property management company for the shop units to get the landlords’ phone numbers. She planned to call them during dinner to test the waters. If they were willing to sell, she would proceed directly to negotiations. If they weren’t selling, or if their stance was ambiguous, she would need to devise alternative strategies. Regardless, she had to acquire those shops as soon as possible to complete the task assigned by Director Shen.
Dou Wenjing came quickly and left just as fast. She ate a small bowl of wontons and a small bowl of hand-rolled noodles before hurriedly grabbing her bag and leaving the restaurant. Even though she wanted to eat more, this rare opportunity to make a good impression was more important; she couldn’t miss it.
"This young lady seems very capable," said Han Shuzhen, watching Dou Wenjing’s departing figure.
Shen Guofu replied with a smile, "Indeed, she’s not only shrewd and capable with strong business skills, but she also possesses good management experience. Among the several departments under the Finance Department, the tax office she’s in charge of is the best managed and the most assertive. The other department managers in Finance are all scared of her."
Now that Lin Ji’s Food had established a company, it would inevitably expand into a larger restaurant in the future. There would be too many things to deal with then. For instance, with online marketing, you couldn’t expect chefs to cook and simultaneously use their phones to post promotional articles online, could you? There would also be employee attendance assessment, maintaining relations with major clients, wage distribution, social security payments, and so on. All of it would require someone to oversee everything. This person was Dou Wenjing. In time, she would become the general manager, taking charge of the overall situation. His son-in-law could then focus on his culinary research in the kitchen, without being troubled by petty matters.
Of course, these were just his personal thoughts. He wouldn’t interfere with how Lin Xu managed the store. He was simply planning ahead, wanting to introduce his son-in-law to a trustworthy managerial talent early on.
Shen Guofu’s family took a can of lard home with them. Lin Ji’s Food, meanwhile, welcomed the first wave of customers for the evening.
Yue Liyue and his roommates were the first to come over. They ordered today’s new dish, Black Bean Sauce Steamed Chicken, and a portion of Stir-Fried Chicken Chunks, as well as Black Bean Sauce Chicken Feet and Tomato Egg Noodles.
"Wow! Delicious, delicious! This is the exact flavor I was looking for!"
"Indeed, it’s really tasty, on par with the Stir-Fried Chicken Chunks."
"I thought only our Zaozhuang spicy chicken back home was delicious. I didn’t expect steamed chicken to be this good."
"If we’re talking delicious, it has to be our Northeastern Braised Chicken with Mushrooms. Eat the meat first, then soak some rice in the soup. I can eat two big bowls by myself!"
Watching these guests devour their food, Lin Xu curiously asked, "What’s with you guys and chicken today?"
Yue Liyue replied, "We didn’t draw the phoenix in the card draw, so we’re eating chicken to vent our frustration... Boss Lin, do you know of any powerful temples in Beijing? We’re thinking of going to pray. We’ve tried drawing hundreds of times and still haven’t succeeded. The fans in today’s live stream were laughing their heads off!"
Go to a temple to pray? Your idea is quite unique.
Lin Xu pointed to Dundun and said, "Just pray to Dundun here; Dundun is a fortune cat that can bring good luck."
"Really? Don’t mess with me, Boss Lin!"
Just as Yue Liyue finished speaking, Geng Lele, swinging her mushroom haircut, walked into the store. She bowed her head in earnest and touched her forehead to Dundun’s, muttering to herself, "Holy flame, ever so bright, holy flame, ever so shining, all my disciples, MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW... Dundun, our mid-month assessment results are being announced soon. You need to ensure I’m number one in the whole school!"
Yue Liyue said with a grin, "With all these superstitious activities instead of studying hard, be careful you don’t even make the cutoff for a first-tier university in next year’s college entrance exam."
After rubbing Dundun’s big head, Geng Lele replied, "What do you know? Dundun can bring good luck."
Just as she said that, her phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw it was her homeroom teacher on the line.
"Hello, Teacher, did you need something?"
A middle-aged woman’s voice came through the phone, "Geng Lele! Did you forge my signature to skip class again?"
The girl with the mushroom haircut opened her mouth to concoct an excuse when the homeroom teacher’s voice came again, "Come back early. You got first in the whole school in this practice exam, scoring over ten points higher than the last one and nearly ten more than the second place... The principal wants to talk to you during the evening self-study session, so don’t forget the time..."
WOW!!!! Really number one?
Geng Lele immediately responded, "Alright, Teacher, I’m going to have a bowl of noodles and then I’ll be back. Don’t lock your office door later; I’ll bring you some Chicken Feet that I guarantee you’ve never tasted before!"
"My goodness, child, you giving me less trouble would be better than any treat you could bring!"
After hanging up the phone, Geng Lele hugged Dundun and gave him several kisses.
"I told you it would work! I got first in my grade! You all should praise me for being smart... No, no, no, you should praise Dundun for being effective. Our Dundun is the Holy Master of the Meow Meow Sect!"
Everyone looked at the girl with amazed eyes. For more than half a month, she had been forging her homeroom teacher’s signature to skip classes. Even when she hadn’t been skipping, she wasn’t really attending class. Lately, she had been teaching herself design software, helping the restaurant design a full set of tableware, and had even used her hacking skills to expose one of Grandpa Gao’s online alts.