Food: Selling Boxed Meals at a Construction Site

Liu Zhaowen woke up feeling broken. By the time he got back to the office, processed his emails, and reviewed the documents, he was in utter despair. And then he opened the chat with the client...

His gaze drifted to the window. The tree outside was really something. It had exactly two main branches, just the right number, and they were the perfect size to accommodate his head, satisfying his urge to go hang himself.

’Just perfect!’

After mustering his courage and communicating with the client all morning, he had six full pages of notes to show for it. Liu Zhaowen felt utterly drained, body and soul, and was in desperate need of some good food to recharge.

Duck feet had been dancing in his head all night. Today, he had to have them!

He barely managed to hold out until noon. The second the clock struck twelve, Liu Zhaowen shut off his monitor, pushed his chair in, and bolted for the elevator. He emerged at the bus stop near his office building just in time to catch the bus heading to Zijing Road Station.

He arrived at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant at 12:40 PM. The place was still packed, but not as ridiculously so as it had been when he left last time.

Liu Zhaowen didn’t even bother checking for a seat inside. He ordered a large serving of braised delicacies and a lunch set, then went to join the other workers, squatting in the shade of a tree to eat.

To cope with the explosive growth in customers, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant hadn’t rented a new space. Instead, they had placed a number of styrofoam boxes by the entrance, giving impatient customers a place to set their food down while they ate. The workers, in particular, seemed to appreciate it.

Back when Xu’s Fast Food was just a stall selling lunch boxes, everyone would squat in the shade, holding their rice bowls while their other dishes sat on the ground. Having a box to use as a makeshift table was a definite improvement.

It was Liu Zhaowen’s first time dining this way, and he found it surprisingly novel. Maybe it was because the man across from him was eating with such gusto, but the meal he’d normally spend twenty minutes on was gone in just over eight.

’So satisfying!’

After setting down his disposable chopsticks, Liu Zhaowen stood up and went inside to grab the apple cider vinegar he’d added to his order for one extra yuan. The line of people waiting outside had all but vanished, offering a clear view of the Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant’s entire storefront. His eyes were drawn to a bright red poster that Xu An had put up on the door just that morning.

’Xu’s Braised Shop - Grand Opening Soon! Now hiring one (1) Store Manager. Hours: 2 PM to 10 PM. Salary: 3,000 yuan.’

Liu Zhaowen’s eyes lit up when he saw "Xu’s Braised Shop." The hours were right up his alley, too. The only problem was the salary—it was a little low. ’My current salary is 3,800 a month!’

’No! That’s not the right way to look at it!’

’My current job is supposed to be nine-to-six, but since I started, working until nine or ten at night has been the norm. I’ve even pulled three or five all-nighters. Aren’t those hours way longer than the job at the braised shop? If I worked there, I could eat whenever I wanted and as much as I wanted, couldn’t I?’

The thought had barely formed when images of his parents materialized in his mind’s eye.

’Wenwen, since you don’t want to work at a big company, why don’t you try for the civil service exams? Look at your auntie’s kid—he got a job in a government office. He gets off at four in the afternoon, and his job is so relaxing...’

’Wenwen, there’s no future in being a little store manager! The other day I was talking to your Great-Aunt Er, and she knows a wonderful girl—pretty, great figure, and a gentle personality. If you’re just some store manager, how am I supposed to introduce you!’

Liu Zhaowen shivered at the mere thought and quickly abandoned the unrealistic fantasy. He hurried back into the shop, grabbed a can of apple cider vinegar, dropped it in his bag, and headed straight for the bus station.

「Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant.」

After closing up for the day, Xu An and Uncle Guosheng sat in a corner of the shop, comparing brochures for several different food trucks, trying to see which one best suited the needs of Xu’s Fast Food.

As the two were deep in discussion, someone came and stood by their table, casting a shadow that suddenly dimmed the light. Xu An looked up. It was Li Xindong.

"Xu An, I’m heading over to the school to register this afternoon. I thought about it and figured I should let you know," Li Xindong said, a bashful expression on his face, but his eyes shone with anticipation for the future.

"Okay. Do you need money for registration? Do you have enough on you? If not, I can..."

Li Xindong cut him off before he could finish. "I have enough. I’ve earned a good bit delivering food lately, and I made a decent amount selling those Jumping Fish, too. I’ve got enough for tuition."

"Alright, as long as you have enough. If you run short, just let me know. Don’t be a stranger about it." Xu An knew his old friend’s personality and didn’t press the issue, simply offering the reminder.

Li Xindong nodded and left the restaurant. He got on his bicycle and started pedaling toward the school.

The moment Li Xindong walked out the door, Xu An felt a flicker of unease. But the feeling was immediately swept away by something Uncle Guosheng said, vanishing without a trace.

In the end, Xu An and Xu Guosheng narrowed down the dozen or so food truck models to their top three. If the dealership had any of those three in stock, they would be the top priority.

Once they had a plan, Xu An and his uncle prepared to head out to the dealership to pick out a food truck. Just then, Zhang Dezhen approached them hesitantly. He cleared his throat and asked, his voice tinged with embarrassment, "Boss, I just saw the hiring poster on the door... the one for the manager of the braised food shop..."

Seeing Zhang Dezhen’s hesitance, Xu An said readily, "Do you have a friend to recommend? Feel free to bring them by to check it out."

"No." Zhang Dezhen took a deep breath and blurted out what was on his mind. "Boss, could I work there?"

"Hmm? That storefront is tiny and has no kitchen equipment. It’s fine for selling things, but you won’t be able to actually cook the braised dishes there," Xu An said, a polite refusal. ’Maybe it’s time to give Zhang Dezhen a raise,’ he thought. ’But he also gets a cut from the braised food sales, so his total earnings aren’t low. I’ll wait and see. Once the braised shop opens, if the revenue isn’t great, I’ll give him a raise. If his share is decent, then we’ll leave it.’

"Boss, that’s not what I meant," Zhang Dezhen quickly explained. "I mean, after I finish my shift here in the afternoon, I want to go work at the braised shop."

His voice trailed off toward the end, as if he himself found the request embarrassing.

’Hmm... The shift here at Xu’s Fast Food ends at 2:30 PM, but the braised shop shift starts at 2:00 PM. It’s a twenty-minute-plus bike ride from here to there. By the time he finishes his shift here and gets over there, it’ll be nearly three...’

Seeing that Xu An looked like he was about to refuse, Zhang Dezhen hurriedly added, "Boss, my main tasks here are usually finished by ten or so. The rest of the time, I’m just helping out around the shop. By 1:30, the customer flow slows down. Nanny He and the others can manage. I could leave at 1:30 to head over there..."

As he spoke, he realized it didn’t sound right. Busy or not, he was asking to leave an hour early, which was still ditching work. But then, a flash of inspiration struck him. "Boss, I’ll take just five thousand in total for both jobs!"

This move of offering to take a pay cut left Xu An speechless. Still, he asked with concern, "But that means you’d be working from six in the morning until ten at night. Can your body handle that?"

"No problem!" Zhang Dezhen slapped his chest, which resounded with a loud THUMP-THUMP, to show how sturdy he was.

’Zhang Dezhen has been working here for almost half a month, and I’ve seen how he performs. I can’t find a single fault with him. Since he thinks he can handle it, I might as well let him give it a try.’

"We’ll be using a cash register over there. If you can learn how to operate it before the grand opening, then you can give it a shot."

A flicker of difficulty crossed Zhang Dezhen’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a look of sheer determination. "Yes, Boss! I’ll learn how to use the cash register before the braised shop opens!"

Now that he had found a manager, there was no need to keep the poster on the door. Xu An went outside, peeled it off, folded it neatly, and placed it by the register before heading out to the car dealership with Xu Guosheng.

「Hai City Auto City.」

The very first dealership here was established not long after the founding of the People’s Republic. Back then, they only sold to the government, and even then, you couldn’t get a car without the right connections. But as the economy gradually developed and the market opened up, privately-owned dealerships began to appear. As people’s pockets grew deeper, a cluster effect took hold. More and more dealerships opened until the area eventually became a massive auto city.

To put it bluntly, as long as you had the money, the dealerships here could find you just about any car you wanted. Of course, they’d draw the line at models with only a handful in existence worldwide, but if there were a few dozen, they could probably give it a shot.

Once again, Uncle Guosheng took the lead. He handled the entire process in one go—inspecting the vehicles, test driving them, and haggling down the price. He managed to save Xu An three thousand yuan and even arranged for them to drive the floor model off the lot immediately. Otherwise, they would have had to wait a week for a new one to be delivered. Xu An couldn’t afford to wait that long; the expo was less than a week away.

As for a driver, Uncle Guosheng introduced someone for that, too. He was a former colleague, a master butcher who had worked at the slaughterhouse for over a decade. He’d made good money slaughtering pigs, but it had all been earned with his health.

After a bad cold earlier this year, the master’s health had taken a turn for the worse. He was already thinking about quitting when he heard Xu An needed a driver. It was a perfect match. He resigned from the slaughterhouse and agreed to start working for Xu An.

In other words, starting tomorrow, Xu An would officially be free from waking up early to pick up goods at the wholesale market and open the shop. From now on, Uncle Guosheng’s old pal, Master Wang Datou, would be in charge of it!

「Zhang Dezhen’s Rented Room.」

Zhang Dezhen had just gotten back to his rented room after work when his brother-in-law called.

"Hey, brother-in-law. My sister’s been nagging me about lazing around at home all day with no income. I’m coming to Hai City to find you, see if I can get a job there." His brother-in-law’s voice was as lackadaisical as ever.

"Sure, come on over. We can fit another small bed in here. You can stay with me and save some money." Zhang Dezhen had no objections. "When will you be here? I’ll get things ready."

"Packing my stuff now. I should get there around four tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright. Call me when you’re getting close, and I’ll come pick you up from the train station."

With the important stuff out of the way, they didn’t bother with pleasantries and hung up.

Zhang Dezhen’s brother-in-law was a quick-witted guy, but he just couldn’t settle down. He was impulsive, always chasing his latest whim. He’d just drift from one odd job to another, earning a little pocket money here and there. Without a steady job, no girl would give him a second look. Now he was twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven, and still not married.

Zhang Dezhen had asked him to come over before, but he’d always found an excuse to refuse. Now, who knew if he’d finally seen the light or just decided to settle down, but he was at last planning to find a stable job. ’Once he finds a job and works steadily until the end of the year,’ Zhang Dezhen thought, ’it won’t be hard for him to go on a few dates over the New Year and find a wife.’

’Once my brother-in-law has a wife and kids, he’ll finally be able to settle down for good. And that’ll be one less thing for my wife to worry about.’