📖 Chapter 7 – A Team is Born
Part 1
The following morning, Raj's stall felt more alive than ever. Arjun had arrived before him, neatly arranging the chutney jars, wiping down the cart, and even greeting early students who passed by. Raj couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm. As the oil began to bubble in the Golden Frying Pan, customers lined up quickly, and this time, Raj felt the difference. With Arjun handling the money and serving plates, Raj could focus entirely on the cooking, pouring his heart into every vada pav and gulab jamun. The crowd noticed too. "Raj bhaiya, today the service is faster!" one student exclaimed, while another laughed, "Even Shankar's workers never looked this professional!" The golden panel flickered faintly in the corner of Raj's vision, showing rising customer satisfaction and Arjun's loyalty growing with each smile he gave. Raj felt a surge of pride—this wasn't just food anymore, it was the birth of a proper business.
But across the street, Shankar's stall stood nearly empty, his workers whispering nervously as he glared at Raj's success. His mustache twitched, his eyes bloodshot, and his fists clenched so tight that the ladle in his hand bent out of shape. His pride had been wounded again and again, and now, with Raj openly training staff, he felt the end of his reign drawing close. Rage bubbled in his chest, but Raj paid him no mind. For the first time in years, Raj felt unstoppable. With the system guiding him, customers cheering for him, and a new partner at his side, the dream of a food empire no longer seemed like fantasy—it had already begun.
By late evening, when the last of the students drifted back to their hostels, Raj sat on the edge of his cart and counted the day's earnings. The coins clinked softly, but what brought him more joy was watching Arjun beam with pride as he cleaned the utensils and carefully stacked the pav baskets. "You did great today," Raj said, his voice calm but warm. Arjun looked up, wiping sweat from his brow, and replied, "Bhaiya, this doesn't feel like work… it feels like I'm part of something bigger." Raj chuckled at the boy's words, though deep inside, his chest swelled with emotion. In another life, he had been crushed under betrayal and loneliness, but here, in this second chance, he was not alone. He had begun to form a family, a team that could grow with him.
Later, as he wheeled the cart back to the shed, the golden panel shimmered faintly before his eyes, congratulating him on successfully recruiting and training his first staff member. A new option had unlocked, glowing softly: "Expand Team – Recruit More." Raj's mind buzzed with ideas—another pair of hands for cooking, maybe someone with a flair for sales, perhaps even delivery boys for the future. He closed his notebook that night with a firm decision: tomorrow, he would begin building the foundations of an army of loyal workers. Meanwhile, across the street, Shankar sat slumped in his empty stall, his eyes bloodshot and his pride shredded. His stall, once the heart of the lane, now looked like a relic of the past. Watching Raj and Arjun laugh as they packed up felt like a knife twisting in his gut. He spat onto the ground, muttering to himself in a voice soaked with venom, "Enjoy this while you can, boy. Because when I strike, there won't be a team left to save you."