Chapter 190 - 172: A Wave of the Hand Doubles Salaries (Part 2)

Chapter 190: Chapter 172: A Wave of the Hand Doubles Salaries (Part 2)

"...I started working at the slaughterhouse when I was twenty-five. Back then, that was a job so many people would kill for. Other families were considered well-off if they could afford to eat meat once a month, but us masters working at the slaughterhouse, we could have meat every single week. Yo, you take those scraps home, fry ’em up, and the smell would travel for miles. The whole village would be captivated by that aroma. At that time, anyone over twenty-five and still not married was considered a lost cause, basically unmarriageable. But the moment I started at the slaughterhouse, with that smell of meat wafting around every week, matchmakers wore down my doorstep! Don’t mind my looks now—I wasn’t much of a looker when I was young either—but my wife, she’s one in a million!..."

Wang Datou grew more and more excited as he spoke, his words coming out fast and rushed, not giving Xu An a chance to get a word in edgewise. Xu An could only nod along with a few "uh-huhs" and "yeahs." However, Wang Datou’s excitement didn’t last long. It quickly faded, and he let out a long sigh, his tone turning melancholy.

"But later, the slaughterhouse was privatized, went from public to private, and we got a new private owner. The pay didn’t change, but the free meat we could take home every week was gone, and the workload increased dramatically. From then on, I had to get up at two in the morning every day to go to work. I was in charge of butchering whole pigs. I’d be busy until seven or eight in the morning, and I could break down twenty to thirty hogs. Impressive, right?!..."

Xu An had heard the rest of the story from Uncle Guosheng. Wang Datou, getting on in years and worn down by the high-intensity work, had fallen ill from overexertion and wanted to quit. It just so happened that Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was hiring a driver, so he came to work here.

"Master Wang, are you adjusting okay to working at the restaurant?" Xu An asked after Wang Datou had finished.

"Adjusting? Of course, I’m adjusting! Now I don’t have to get up until five. After I’m up, I can even have a leisurely breakfast and some morning tea before heading out to pick up the goods. And during work, I’m basically sitting in the truck with the AC on. It’s so much easier than working at the slaughterhouse..."

At this, Wang Datou’s eyes lit up again, and he began to praise the job endlessly. It was clear he was quite satisfied with his current position.

The half-hour or so passed by neither quickly nor slowly, and soon the distinctively modern Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center appeared before them. They parked the truck at a side entrance, where staff from the preparatory committee and the logistics department were already waiting. Seeing the refrigerated truck with the large ’Xu’ character painted on its side pull up, they hurried over to greet them.

The five people from the Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center in charge of receiving the delivery were all new faces. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Xu An and Wang Datou, they proceeded to count the box lunches. They had expected a long, drawn-out process, but after Xu An and Wang Datou unloaded the box lunches from the insulated truck, they discovered that Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant had already sorted everything. Which section, which exhibitors, how many box lunches for each—even which person at which booth ordered what flavor of box lunch—it was all clearly labeled.

The five of them spot-checked dozens of meals and found no issues. However, out of a sense of professional duty, they still went through all the box lunches. Only after confirming there were no problems whatsoever did they sign to accept the delivery.

As they signed, the formulaic smiles on their faces were replaced by something more genuine. ’This Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant... they’re really something else!’

Unbeknownst to any of them, the entire scene was being captured by a camera from a distance.

Xinyang Commercial Kitchen Technology Co., Ltd. Booth.

Han Yuanping, the person in charge of the booth, had just finished a presentation for a client interested in their products. His throat dry from talking, he saw the client off and then sat down in the guest area. He picked up a brand-new, unopened bottle of mineral water and started chugging it. GULP, GULP.

Suddenly, his phone chimed. DING! It seemed someone had sent him a message. Han Yuanping screwed the cap back on the water bottle, set it on the table, and then pulled his phone out of his pocket to check. The message was from the Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center’s preparatory committee.

’Will the person in charge of each booth please send one representative to the northwest entrance of the convention center to pick up box lunches in an orderly fashion. Thank you for your cooperation.’

’Whoa! It’s almost noon already. Time really flies when you’re busy.’ Han Yuanping put down his phone and looked up at his colleagues at the booth. Each of them was accompanying one or more clients, looking at the equipment. It seemed he was the only one who was free.

’Alright, I’ll go then!’ Han Yuanping sent a message to their group chat to let them know, just in case they needed him for something urgent and couldn’t find him. Then he got up and started walking toward the northwest entrance of the convention center.

’I wonder which hotel is catering for the convention center.’ Before coming, he had done some research. Black Swan Hotel had a great reputation, Brocade Hotel was good too, and there was also a place in Beitun Town called Fishermen’s Hotel that specialized in selling local delicacies. All of them were pretty good options. Suddenly, an image of the box lunch he’d had a few days ago popped into his head—the one from the fast-food joint run by that young man. The dishes and flavors had been excellent. ’It’d be great if it was from them.’

But a second later, Han Yuanping shook his head, dismissing the notion. The idea was just too absurd.

Although Han Yuanping had headed down right after seeing the message, there were many exhibitors, and some of them were closer to the northwest entrance. By the time he reached the designated spot, a long line had already formed, with at least forty or fifty people in it.

’I rushed over, but I’m still too late. With this many people, it’ll be at least half an hour before it’s my turn.’ Han Yuanping sighed, resigned to his fate, and took his place at the very end of the line. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the news.

Suddenly, someone poked his shoulder and said cautiously, "Sir, sir? Could you please move up?"

Han Yuanping looked up, a bit confused, and saw that the person who had been in front of him was now more than two meters away. It was as if the Milky Way separated them. Embarrassed, Han Yuanping quickly jogged forward and rejoined the line.

’How is it moving so fast? I’ve only been on my phone for five minutes, and seven or eight people have already gotten their food?’ Han Yuanping turned to look at the front of the line. Just then, someone was stepping up to get their order. The person announced their company’s name and signed in. Then, a staff member called out, "Zhongxin Technology Co., Ltd.!" and no more than five seconds later, another staffer handed the box lunches to them. The person counted the meals, confirmed the number was correct, and left. The next person in line then began to state their company...

’This is fast! Looks like it’ll be my turn in just ten minutes or so!’

Just then, another person came back after getting their food. Out of the corner of his eye, Han Yuanping caught a glimpse of the bag holding the box lunches. Printed on it was a conspicuous ’Xu’ character.

’Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant!’

When he first saw it, Han Yuanping suspected there was something wrong with his eyes. In disbelief, he rubbed them and stared again. What he saw was still that same simple, elegant ’Xu’ character.

’Maybe several hotels are supplying the food together? After all, there are a lot of exhibitors. A single hotel might not be able to handle it, so it would be perfectly reasonable to split the order between two or three places.’ Han Yuanping came up with a plausible explanation for why Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was providing meals for the exhibition.

But then, one person after another picked up their meals and left, and every bag they carried was printed with that same large, conspicuous, familiar ’Xu’ character. Finally, it was Han Yuanping’s turn at the front of the line, and he saw the stacks of box lunches piled high. As far as the eye could see, everything was branded with ’Xu’.

’Holy shit!’