Food: Selling Boxed Meals at a Construction Site

He had a good night’s sleep.

He slept in again, not getting up until the sun was high in the sky. But when he did, it felt like a massive boulder was tied to his waist. Just the simple act of sitting up in bed made a cold sweat break out on Xu An’s forehead. He knew yesterday that his back would be sore and aching when he woke up, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad. A total miscalculation.

He forced himself to move through the soreness. After stretching a little, the discomfort was still there, but at least he had regained his basic mobility.

After breakfast at home, Xu An and the other three made their way leisurely to Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Business at the restaurant was as booming as ever. Orders from the construction sites held steady at their normal level, but the number of delivery orders had visibly increased.

This was thanks to the Hai City Fast Food Association. Thanks to their major promotional efforts, a good number of Hai City residents now knew about food delivery. People who had originally thought it was a scam fell silent after seeing acquaintances successfully order food. Some even started trying it out in private.

Most people have at least a few days every month where they just want to be a slob who does nothing but eat, drink, and sleep. Food delivery was the perfect solution. No need to go to the market, no washing, no cooking. Just open the door and a hot, fragrant meal is waiting for you. What could be better?

Xu An didn’t know if the Hai City Fast Food Association was making any money, but he knew he was making a killing. Without investing a single cent, his orders were increasing continuously. ’Bring on more good things like this!’

Because of his aching back, Xu An didn’t make any deliveries or set up his stall at the construction site entrance today. Instead, he sat next to Granny Xu, playing Aeroplane Chess with Xu Kang and Xu Le.

’It has to be said, whether you’re an employee or the boss, slacking off always puts you in a good mood and leaves you feeling refreshed!’

RING-RING—RING-RING—

Xu An’s phone, which he’d left on the counter, started ringing. Granny Xu handed the phone to Xu An, who grimaced in pain as he tried to get up. He took the phone and looked at the screen. The caller ID read: Xinyang Commercial Kitchen Technology, Uncle Han!

’Could it be? The equipment installation is done, and they’re starting the testing phase!’

"Hello, Uncle Han! Is the equipment all installed?" Xu An asked eagerly the moment the call connected, not even giving Uncle Han a chance to speak.

"Almost," Uncle Han said with a laugh. "We’re just wrapping up now. We should be able to start testing around two this afternoon. You said you wanted to watch, right? You can come over this afternoon if you’re free. If not, you can also wait until the exhibition officially starts."

"I have time, I have time! I’ll be there at noon. I can bring you guys some lunch, too. Uncle Han, how many people do you have over there?" Xu An agreed instantly, as if afraid Uncle Han would change his mind if he waited a second longer.

"That’d be great. It’s pretty remote out here, so there’s nowhere to go for lunch. We’ve been eating nothing but dry steamed buns these past few days. My throat is getting raw from it." After speaking, Uncle Han’s breathing seemed to pause on the other end of the line, but it quickly returned. "There are six of us in total. Just bring six meals."

"Okay," Xu An nodded. "See you in a bit."

"See you in a bit."

Uncle Guosheng and Master Wang Datou had gone out together to make deliveries. They wouldn’t be back until one o’clock at the earliest, so he definitely couldn’t wait for them. He’d have to call a taxi. Luckily, it was still early enough to get one in time.

After having Zhou Qi pack up six boxed lunches, Xu An carried them to the restaurant entrance and sat down to wait for the taxi. Just then, Liu Daxi came out of Store Number Three. Seeing Xu An sitting by the door holding the meals, he asked curiously, "Did something go wrong with a delivery? Boss, are you taking them a replacement order?"

"No..." Xu An briefly explained the situation to Liu Daxi.

After listening, Liu Daxi had a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and slapped his thigh. "Boss," he asked, his voice full of surprise, "the exhibition you’re talking about, is it the Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition?"

"Yes, it is. Master Liu, you know about this exhibition?"

"Of course." Liu Daxi plopped down next to Xu An. "I heard some of my old buddies talking about it. A lot of kitchen tasks can be replaced by machines now, so I was thinking of checking out the machinery exhibition to see what they have."

What a coincidence. Xu An was on his way to see equipment that could reduce the workload for his kitchen staff. After a moment’s thought, Xu An took out his phone and called Uncle Han. He confirmed with him that it was okay to bring one more person before hanging up.

"I know a company that specializes in this kind of equipment. I’m going over to watch them test it now. Master Liu, would you like to come along?" Xu An invited.

Liu Daxi was very tempted, but he glanced at the clock on the restaurant wall and hesitated. It was only a little past eleven, and there were still nearly three hours left in his shift. ’Running off like this... probably isn’t a good idea!’

"Zhou Qi is here to watch the store," Xu An said, seeing Liu Daxi’s hesitation. He thought for a moment and offered a solution. "Just consider this half-day out with me as fieldwork. It’ll be a good chance for you to help me see how the machine handles the produce."

"Deal."

The two of them waited for another five minutes or so before the taxi finally arrived. Xu An and Liu Daxi each carried three boxed lunches and got into the taxi. The temperature inside the car was somehow even hotter than it was outside!

"Sir, is the AC in this car broken?" Xu An asked, tugging at his collar.