Panda finished the noodles in his bowl, then got up and went outside the kitchen. He asked Lin Xu, who was rolling out dough, "Boss Lin, that three-in-one hand-pulled noodles... is the shop going to serve it?"
His question indeed reminded Lin Xu. Previously, he had only focused on satisfying his beautiful classmate's request, forgetting that many customers actually shared Shen Jiayue's dilemma. Their appetites weren't large, but they wanted to taste a bit of everything. For such customers, the three-in-one hand-pulled noodles were perfectly suited.
He thought for a moment and said, "Yes, we'll start serving it today. A small bowl will be 30 yuan, and a large bowl 34 yuan, to satisfy those who want to try everything but have small appetites."
Upon hearing this, Panda immediately became interested. "Then give me another large bowl of the three-in-one. I want to indulge once more today."
Lin Xu agreed with a smile. This fellow just said his appetite wasn't big and he'd only have one bowl for now. Once he started eating, it was a bit hard to stop. I truly envy such an appetite.
He first went to the electronic blackboard by the door to add the prices for the three-in-one hand-pulled noodles, then promptly returned to the kitchen to continue rolling out dough. Che Zai was responsible for boiling the noodles and adding the toppings. With this division of labor, the kitchen's efficiency was significantly boosted.
As noon approached, the number of customers in the shop also increased.
Shen Jiayue finished her noodles, satisfied, and snapped a photo of the empty bowl. She posted an update under the Lin Ji's Food topic: "First time at #LinJisFood eating noodles, first time doing an empty bowl check-in! Hope #LinJisFood gets better and better, the boss becomes even more handsome, and earns more and more money!"
No sooner had she posted it than comments started appearing below.
Genius Girl Loves Food: "Did you kiss him yet? [Smirk][Smirk][Smirk]"
Little Yueyue from the Shen Family: "Kissed him, kissed him several times, can't get enough! [Shy][Shy][Shy]"
Genius Girl Loves Food: "No way? You really kissed him? [Shocked][Shocked]"
Struggling to Save Money for Hair Transplant: "OMG! First time I've seen Genius Girl speechless! Marking the occasion."
Lin Ji's Boy Yue Liyue: "Marking the occasion +1."
The Eighteen-Year-Old Boy with White Hair: "Marking the occasion +2."
Panda Brother: "Marking the occasion +3."
Soon, those who had previously been left speechless by Geng Lele rushed to mark the occasion, and Shen Jiayue couldn't stop laughing. The fans of Lin Ji's Food are just too cute!
She put away her phone. After saying goodbye to Lin Xu, who was busy in the kitchen, she walked out the main door of Lin Ji's Food.
"Cousin, it's me, Yueyue. Where are you? I have a favor to ask..."
After leaving Lin Ji's Food, Shen Jiayue rubbed her overstuffed belly, planning to do some jumping jacks later to burn off calories. But before heading back to exercise, she needed to sort out the live broadcast for her restaurant visit.
With such delicious food and such a handsome boss, I, Shen Jiayue, will NOT allow him to remain unknown!!!
"Boss, a bottle of beer!"
"I need six over here!"
The introduction of Tiger Skin Chicken Feet caused a surge in beer sales. The beers in the refrigerated display were snatched up immediately, and then everyone started going for the unrefrigerated ones. By twelve-thirty, even the reserved stock of beer had sold out. This forced Lin Xu to urgently buy ten crates from the small supermarket across the street. He also called Ou Hua, asking him to hurry over with more beer and to bring a large-capacity beer refrigerator.
In this sweltering heat, it's the perfect time for ice-cold beer. I definitely need to meet the customers' demands.
Sorting out the beer was easy, but the Tiger Skin Chicken Feet in the restaurant were limited. At one o'clock, the nine hundred or so Tiger Skin Chicken Feet prepared in the morning were completely sold out. Normally, they wouldn't have sold out this quickly. But some customers, after trying them and finding them delicious, would buy ten or twenty to take home to their families when leaving. This caused the restaurant's stock to decrease rapidly.
"Damn! I was just enjoying my drink, how come they're gone already?"
"Boss, can you make more this afternoon?"
"Exactly, make more! These Tiger Skin Chicken Feet taste amazing."
"Boss Lin's culinary skills are simply divine; everything he makes is delicious."
"Can't you limit how many each person can buy? If someone buys them all at once, then there's none left for the rest of us!"
The customers discussed this enthusiastically. Only after Lin Xu repeatedly promised to make more in the afternoon did everyone quiet down.
But not long after, "What? The Diced Eggplant and the Tomato and Egg toppings are also gone?"
"And there aren't many Oil-poured Noodles left either?"
"Goodness me, I need to hurry and get another bowl."
"I'll have another bowl too."
At one-forty, all the noodles in the restaurant were sold out.
Lin Xu took off his chef's hat and asked Che Zai, "How do you feel?"
Having been busy since eleven o'clock, both of them were almost completely soaked through their chef's uniforms.
Che Zai, following Lin Xu's example, took off his hat, his tanned face brimming with excitement. "Although it's a bit more tiring than before, it feels so fulfilling. The customers are also very friendly. I really work atmosphere!"
While the two were chatting, Old Gao walked in through the door. "Boss Lin, are you done with the rush? Can we go see the apartment now?"
This really is a good time to see the apartment. There were still quite a few customers eating noodles in the restaurant, so they couldn't go clanging and banging around cleaning the kitchen without affecting everyone's appetite.
Lin Xu said, "Sure. We'll have to trouble Old Gao to lead the way then."
He asked Che Zai to watch the restaurant, then followed Old Gao to the residential complex behind to look at the apartment. The name of this residential complex was "Happiness Sunshine," which sounded very dated. They swiped a card to enter the main gate of the complex. Lin Xu followed Old Gao to the entrance of Building 3, Unit 3, and they took the elevator to the 16th floor. This was the top floor of the entire residential complex. Back then, this was already considered a high-rise; from the 16th floor, one could even see the Forbidden City in the distance. But now, it was obscured by the densely packed tall buildings surrounding it, making the 16-story building seem dwarfed by comparison.
They arrived at the door of apartment 1604. Old Gao took out his keys and opened the door. Immediately, a wave of heat rushed out from inside.
"A family of three lived here previously. They rented it for eight years, then bought their own home and moved out. After they left, I had the plumbing and wiring redone and replaced the furniture and appliances. Boss Lin, if you're missing anything or need anything specific, just let me know. I'll get it all ready for you."
Lin Xu expressed his thanks and began to carefully inspect the apartment.
「Back at the restaurant.」
Che Zai served himself a bowl of noodle soup. Sitting behind the cash register, he sipped it slowly while playing on his phone. He was just about to post an update in the Lin Ji's Food discussion topic to share his feelings about his first day at work when he suddenly received a private message.
A netizen named "Northeast Little Sweetie" asked him a question: "Excuse me for asking, but what's it like working at Lin Ji's Food?"
Che Zai, brimming with thoughts he was eager to share, immediately typed out several hundred words and sent them. He covered everything, from the boss treating him to lamb offal soup for breakfast, to the pay increase, and the atmosphere in the restaurant.
Not long after he sent it, Northeast Little Sweetie asked another question: "What's the boss like? Does he try to pass off substandard dishes or sell leftovers?"
Che Zai immediately replied, "Sell leftovers? The restaurant sells out every meal! If the boss and I hadn't eaten a bowl of noodles beforehand, we definitely would have gone hungry this afternoon."
Northeast Little Sweetie was tempted: "Then... are you guys still hiring? I just beat up my boss and I'm looking to switch to a different restaurant."