Lin Jiang frowned slightly as he examined the quest details.
Selling 200 bowls a day was no small feat. It was equivalent to doubling his sales.
However, the 'Delicious MSG' reward certainly piqued Lin Jiang's interest.
[Delicious MSG: Add an appropriate amount to the soup base to make it even more delicious]
CRAP!
'You could have given me this thing earlier!'
'I could've doubled my sales in no time!'
'This is like bringing medicine after the person's already dead.'
'What's the difference between this and buying a ticket for the Titanic *after* it hit the iceberg?'
"What are you thinking about? You've stopped eating. Is the food not to your liking? I can go make you something else," Xu Lin said, looking at Lin Jiang.
"It's delicious. I was just thinking about the shop."
"I ate at Ma Shangxi's brother's shop once. The food wasn't as good as yours, but if they hire a new chef, there's no telling what might happen."
Xu Lin put down her chopsticks and looked at Lin Jiang.
"What about you? Have you thought about hiring anyone? In my experience, if you try to go it alone, you'll never be able to compete with them."
"I know. I really do need to hire people."
Lin Jiang thought to himself, 'The main quest is called 'The Rise of Capital.' If there are no surprises, future main quests will probably be along the same lines.'
'Even Batman has Robin. I definitely can't do this all by myself. Hiring people is a must.'
"How many people are you thinking of hiring? A chef or a server?" Xu Lin asked with interest.
"One of each for now. I'll take it slow."
"Your shop isn't big, so two people should be enough. The problem now is that once you hire two people, there won't be much profit left."
"Making money is so boring. I'm just trying to make friends. Once I've driven my competitors out of business, I won't have to worry about profits."
Xu Lin stared at Lin Jiang, momentarily lost in thought. It was a principle many people understood, but few could actually pull off.
'His vision is much broader than I imagined.'
"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you're thinking of..."
"Get outta here. Don't talk nonsense."
Under the table, Xu Lin secretly kicked Lin Jiang and gave him a rather attractive eye-roll.
"What's the pay?"
"7,000 for the chef, 4,000 for the server."
"That's a decent price. Not low at all," Xu Lin said after a moment of thought.
"My circle of friends includes people from all walks of life. I'll post on my Moments and ask around for you. You should also put a hiring notice on your shop door. These aren't highly skilled jobs, so it shouldn't be too hard to find people."
"I know."
By the time they finished talking, they had also nearly finished their meal.
"If you have things to do, go ahead. I still need to do my makeup and change, so I'll be a while."
"Alright, I'll head out then."
Lin Jiang didn't stand on ceremony, simply getting up and leaving.
Just then, Lin Jiang noticed a new tag had appeared above Xu Lin's head.
[Capable]
Lin Jiang thought for a moment. 'That must be a verb, and with restrictions, too. Only back and forth, or up and down.'
After leaving Xu Lin's apartment, Lin Jiang first went back to his own place to change clothes before heading out again.
When he arrived at the shop, he saw that the reserve ingredients were running low. He'd have to order another delivery.
He made a list of the ingredients he needed and sent it to the boss at the wholesale market. All that was left was to wait for the delivery.
After placing the order, Lin Jiang wrote a "Help Wanted" sign and posted it on the door. For now, his tasks were done.
Grabbing a cold bottle of Coke, Lin Jiang called his mom.
"Comrade Li, I transferred 300,000 to you. Did you get it?"
With the security of modern banking systems, the probability of transferring money to the wrong account was virtually zero. If any part of the process went wrong, the money simply wouldn't go through.
But most ordinary people were still in the habit of making a follow-up call to confirm after a transfer.
"What? Where did you get so much money?" Lin Jiang's mother, Li Xiaoping, asked in surprise.
"Business at the shop has been good lately, so I made a little money. Go check if you received it."
"Let me see."
A few seconds later, Li Xiaoping's voice came through the phone again.
"I got it. It's only been a short while, how did you make so much money? You didn't sell the house, did you?"
"Sell the house? And where would I live if I sold it?" Lin Jiang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"I earned every last cent of it, so don't you worry. Use it to pay back my uncle. We've owed him for a long time."
"Alright. And don't get so worked up about you and Jiajia. Your uncle even said he'd introduce you to someone. Mom will definitely make sure you get married."
"Stop, stop, stop, don't talk about that. I have to get busy. I've gotta go."
After a few more brief words, Lin Jiang hung up.
Now that he had his main quest, he needed to figure out how to complete it.
'Doubling my sales... with my current capabilities, I couldn't do it even if I worked myself to death.'
'But there's always a way. I can increase sales by lowering the price. It doesn't even matter if I don't make a profit.'
Not long after, the ingredients Lin Jiang had ordered arrived. He was busy prepping them until well after four in the afternoon.
CREAK—
Just then, the shop door was pushed open.
A plainly dressed woman walked in from outside. She looked to be in her early twenties, with a small, round face. She wasn't very old and seemed very approachable.
"Sorry, we're not open today."
"I... I'm not here to eat..."
The woman's demeanor was awkward, her nervousness plain to see on her face. She turned and pointed at the door.
"I saw the sign on the door says you're hiring a server. I wanted to ask... have you found anyone yet?"
"Not yet. Do you have any experience?"
"No."
"What did you do before?"
"I was a farmer back home."
"So you're saying you not only have no food service experience, but no other work experience either?"
"Yes."
'Whoa, sis. You're jumping from the primary sector all the way to the tertiary. That's a pretty big career leap.'
"Even though this is just a noodle shop, it's difficult if you have zero work experience."
"Don't worry, Boss. I can handle hard work. Back home, I did everything—plowing, tilling, laundry, cooking, you name it."
'Pushing a millstone?'
'Plowing?'
'What kind of work is that?'
"How much hardship can you endure?"
"The other day, I ate a piece of raw Coptis root and didn't even drink any water."
Lin Jiang: ???
'With stunts like that, you should be a live-streamer on Bilibili. You'd be more hardcore than any of them.'
"What's your name?"
"Li Yuanyuan."
"The work here is pretty tiring. The salary is 4,000, meals are included but lodging isn't. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Can you handle that?"
'It's just a noodle shop, so experience doesn't really matter. As long as she's willing to work hard and get the job done, that's enough.'
"Yes, yes, I can! When do I start?"
"Tomorrow. Any problem with that?"
"Then I'll come tomorrow. Bye, Boss!"
"Okay, bye."
Hiring for the noodle shop didn't involve a lot of procedure. A few simple sentences and it was all settled.
No sooner had Li Yuanyuan left than Xu Lin arrived.
She wore a white canvas skirt with a small, rose-gold belt. Her top was a black linen blouse, its hem tucked neatly into her skirt, making her look very sharp and fitting her usual style.
Beside her was a middle-aged man, who looked to be in his forties, with an unremarkable appearance.
"This is Master Zhang Guofu. He's the chef I found for you."
"Hello, Boss Lin. I have five years of experience. I was working at another noodle shop before, but the owner closed up last month, so I'm looking for a new job."
"Alright. Let's see your skills. Prepare a broth and make a bowl of Yangchun noodles."
"Okay."
Lin Jiang led Zhang Guofu to the back kitchen. The man gave the place a quick look around, then began his Culinary Skill demonstration, which took over an hour from start to finish.
Lin Jiang watched attentively the whole time. The man really had some skill when it came to making noodles. His technique for preparing the broth felt a bit stronger than his own, but only by a little.
"Have a taste. Give me your honest opinion."
Xu Lin picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a bite to taste it.
"The flavor is great. You try it."
Lin Jiang also had a bite. It was about the same as his own cooking, but the texture of the noodles was better. Overall, his skill level was higher than Lin Jiang's.
'To be able to hire a master of this level for 7,000 is definitely a good deal.'
"It tastes great. If the salary is acceptable, you can start tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll be here on time tomorrow."
"Great. Take care."
After seeing Zhang Guofu off, Lin Jiang tidied up a little and closed the shop.
With a tacit understanding, the two of them browsed the shops near the entrance, bought some fruit and vegetables, and then Xu Lin naturally brought Lin Jiang back to her place.
Once they were home, Xu Lin changed her clothes, tied on an apron, and went into the kitchen.
"I learned how to make cream puffs. I'll make some for you to try."
Lin Jiang followed her. "Where's Xuanxuan?"
"My mom said she missed him, so I dropped him off at her place."
"Ah, so you were thinking about having a baby again."
"You're awful."
Lin Jiang chuckled, his hand slowly reaching for Xu Lin's waist...