Food: Selling Boxed Meals at a Construction Site

When Xu An got up at five o’clock, he called Aunt Hong and the others to tell them about the extra work from Victory Supermarket.

The three of them had no objection to the extra income. They readily agreed and began discussing how to divide the 330 pounds of fruits and vegetables.

At seven o’clock, Xu An received a message from Lu Shengnan. It contained only a single sentence.

’Thank you for being a lifesaver, Boss Xu!’

Xu An just smiled when he saw the message and didn’t reply. ’Just a mutually beneficial arrangement.’

Although he had made his decision yesterday, he’d thought about coming to the shop and telling the boss first thing today. ’If I tell him a day sooner, maybe I’ll get the money a day sooner.’

But when he arrived at the shop and saw Xu An, it was as if Zhang Dezhen’s mouth had been superglued shut. He just couldn’t bring himself to speak.

His mind raced. ’Maybe I should just see how sales go today. See how much money the 130-odd pounds of braised meat will bring in...’ Then another thought struck him. ’Under the profit-sharing plan, my cut from this batch would be dozens of yuan—enough to cover a whole day’s rent, utilities, and food. It would hurt to miss out on that!’

He hesitated and agonized until eight o’clock. After all the prepared vegetables and meat were in the pot, Zhang Dezhen gritted his teeth, walked out the back door of Shop No. 1, and went into Shop No. 2. He found Xu An, who was just killing time, looked at him earnestly, and said, word by word, "Boss, I choose the second option!"

’He decided that quickly?’

Xu An had planned to ask Zhang Dezhen what he was thinking in two or three days. Since he had already decided, all that was left was to sign the contract.

He led Zhang Dezhen back to Shop No. 1, took out two pre-drafted contracts from the cash register drawer, glanced over the contents, and handed one to Zhang Dezhen. "Look over the terms of the contract. If there are no issues, just sign it and add your thumbprint."

With that, Xu An picked up a pair of scissors from the desk, took the remaining contract in his hand, cut it to shreds, and threw it in the trash.

Zhang Dezhen skimmed through the contract, then picked up a black pen, signed his name, and added his thumbprint.

After watching Xu An sign his name and affix the company seal, Zhang Dezhen finally let out a sigh of relief. He then asked hesitantly, a little embarrassed, "Boss... does the contract... start today?"

"It’s effective as of today." Xu An placed the contracts in the cash register drawer, locked it, and smiled at Zhang Dezhen. "From now on, the more you sell, the more you’ll earn!"

"Heh heh, thank you, Boss!"

With the contract signed and a definite answer from Xu An, a great weight was finally lifted from Zhang Dezhen’s shoulders. Grinning foolishly, he returned to the kitchen to continue simmering the braised dishes.

After signing the contract, the once-ordinary braised dishes now transformed before Zhang Dezhen’s very eyes into tempting stacks of cash...

Watching Zhang Dezhen leave, Xu An decided against going back to Shop No. 2 to idle. Instead, he sat down behind the cash register, staring blankly at the computer screen.

The words of President Lu, the head of Victory Supermarket, from last night echoed in his mind: the Black Swan Hotel had broken the rules.

Knowing they had broken the rules, it all clicked for Xu An. He finally understood why the Black Swan Hotel, a place of their stature, would launch an eight-yuan meal combo with three dishes and a soup.

’They knew I was also in the running. They’ve looked into my background and are coming straight for me, their most threatening opponent!’

Xu An’s first reaction was to report them!

If he could prove the Black Swan Hotel broke the rules, he could get their bid disqualified, and the catering contract for the expo would be securely in his grasp.

But he had no proof. And without proof, he couldn’t report them.

’Maybe I could try contacting the other four hotels... sound them out, see if there’s a chance to work together...’

Just as Xu An was mulling over the possibility of an alliance with the other four hotels, Liu Daxi appeared silently before the counter. Expressionless and in a monotone voice, he said, "Boss, you got a minute to talk outside?"

’Liu Daxi wants to see me? Is there a problem with the team?’

’Or does he think this place is too small for him and wants to jump ship?’

’This is a critical time, don’t pull this on me now!’

Though Xu An was panicking internally, his expression remained calm and collected. He put on a picture-perfect smile and said in a clear, steady voice, "Of course. After you, Master Liu."

The two didn’t go far, just to the shade of a roadside tree outside Shop No. 1. Once Xu An had stopped, Liu Daxi slowly began to speak.

"I received a call yesterday." Liu Daxi suddenly turned to stare at Xu An. "It was from the head of the Black Swan Hotel. He invited us to join them and said they would even create a new department for us."

’Speak of the devil,’ Xu An thought. ’I was just worrying about this, and now it’s actually happening...’

’No, wait!’

"Master Liu, when did the head of the Black Swan Hotel contact you?" Xu An thought of a possibility, but he wasn’t entirely sure.

Xu An’s reaction threw Liu Daxi for a loop. ’This isn’t going according to script,’ he thought. ’Shouldn’t the boss be panicking? Why is he asking such an irrelevant question?’

"Yesterday afternoon, sometime between three and four."

’Between three and four... That was right after the bidding presentation ended. The Black Swan Hotel made a move that fast?’

’My conversation with the old man had only ended about three hours before that. Could there be a mole?’