Chapter 269: Boss Shen is the World’s Best Boss

But this wasn’t a long-term solution. It would be much better to have beds. The weather was getting colder, and sleeping on the floor made it easy to catch a cold.

Yang Jing decided to try her luck at the junkyard, hoping to scavenge some usable materials to piece together a bed.

"Don’t go into the restaurant for no reason. Stay in the backyard and the sheet-metal house. If you need to go out, use the back door, and make sure to tell me in advance."

Shen Lu had installed a back door in the backyard overnight. It had cost her 5,000 popularity value, and she chose the best model. Without her command, no one could enter or exit freely; not even an atomic bomb could blast it open.

"Little Deer, I’d like to go out this afternoon," Yang Jing immediately said to Shen Lu. "There are no beds here, so I’m going to the junkyard to take a look."

Shen Lu agreed. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford to buy beds for the Liu Family, but it was better that Yang Jing wanted to be self-reliant.

The more she interacted with her, the more Shen Lu realized that, aside from favoring sons over daughters, Yang Jing was a decent person. She was hardworking and honest, just a bit too obedient.

Liu Qiang was a bit worse than Yang Jing. Not only did he favor sons, but he was also something of a male chauvinist. Shen Lu really disliked men like him and planned to deal with him and Liu Yaozu together.

Neither the father’s nor the son’s injuries were particularly severe. People here had robust constitutions. With ten to fifteen days of proper rest, they would be mostly healed.

Xiao Lang ran over and hugged Shen Lu’s leg. "Sister Shen, the big truck with the vegetables is here!"

Shen Lu patted his little head. "Okay, I’m on my way."

After signing for the ingredients and arranging the various tasks, Shen Lu was cutting meat when she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, that’s right. Sister Meng, Xin Yu, Deng Ying, your probationary period officially ends today. I plan to sign all of you on as permanent staff. Are you willing?"

Shen Lu was quite satisfied with these three employees. They had been working together for nearly a month, and the atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

Besides, the number of daily tasks was always increasing. She would need more and more employees in the future, so starting to build up her staff now was quite farsighted.

"I am, I’m willing!" Xin Yu was the first to respond. "Boss, thank you for signing me!"

Xin Yu knew he wasn’t a natural in the kitchen, so he worked incredibly hard every day. His knife skills had already improved immensely, and he believed that with time, he’d continue to get better and better.

Previously, Xin Yu had been afraid that Shen Lu wouldn’t give him the time or the chance. Deng Ying was younger than him, but her talent far surpassed his own.

In just one month, Deng Ying had already mastered eighty percent of Sister Cai’s knife skills. She could shred potatoes quickly and perfectly. Many times, he had seen Shen Lu look at Deng Ying with an expression that clearly said she was a promising student. He’d always felt dejected at those moments, thinking he’d lost his chance to become a permanent employee.

Who would have thought that Shen Lu would sign him on as well!

’Boss Shen is the best boss in the entire world!’

’Bar none!’

Deng Ying and Shu Meng were momentarily stunned, then their faces lit up with joy.

This was especially true for Deng Ying. She was young and quiet, not like Xin Yu, who could effortlessly blend in with everyone around him. Her family always said she was too withdrawn and socially awkward, and they weren’t optimistic about her chances of becoming a permanent employee.

"If you can’t stay at the restaurant, you’ll get married," her mother had told her more than once. "You’re already 19. Look at everyone else your age—they’re all married. Who else is still at home like you, turning into an old maid?"

"Your brother is already in his twenties; it’s time for him to get married too. Little Ying, if you don’t get married, how will your brother afford a wife?"

"Don’t blame your mother for being heartless. Isn’t every family like this?"

At this thought, tears of relief streamed down Deng Ying’s face.

’This is wonderful! I don’t have to get married!’

"Boss Shen, I’ll definitely keep working hard! I won’t let you down!"

Shu Meng was the most composed of the three. After all, with Song Zhigao already eliminated, she was the only probationary employee capable of working the main stove. She was almost certain she would be kept on.

Still, until she heard the official confirmation, she didn’t dare celebrate too early. What if something unexpected happened?

Fortunately, there were no hitches. She could finally become a permanent employee of Little Deer Cuisine.

"Boss Shen, from now on, I will diligently complete every task you give me. I’ll prove with my performance that you made the right decision!"

All three expressed their gratitude to Shen Lu. Each of them felt incredibly lucky to be able to continue working at Little Deer Cuisine.

Shen Lu activated the Good and Evil Judgment Device. The hearts above the heads of all three had turned a deep pink.

’Excellent. Three more loyal employees. I’m one step closer to my goal of maxing out the shop’s defense value.’

[DING! Employee detected 1/1. Mission complete. Reward: 500 popularity value.]

[DING! 5 current employees detected. Hidden Mission—"Little Capitalist"—completed. Reward: 5 sets of the Vitality Employee Suit.]

[Vitality Employee Suit: When worn by an employee, increases their vitality by 20% and improves work efficiency.]

’Isn’t this basically a shot of adrenaline?’

Shen Lu asked, "Will it have any side effects on the employees?"

[Not at all, Host. In fact, it will leave the employees full of energy, and they won’t feel any fatigue even after taking it off.]

’What a great item. I never thought signing on three new employees would trigger a hidden mission.’

Unlike the investigation into the expired nutrient liquid, this type of hidden mission triggered automatically as long as Shen Lu met the conditions. The tasks were usually simple, so the rewards were naturally just average.

Naturally, Shen Lu had all five of her employees change into the new suits.

The outfit consisted of a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. The top was light yellow with the Little Deer Cuisine logo on the chest, giving it a fresh and lively look. The pants were brown, which was good for hiding dirt and made the wearer look youthful.

As soon as they put them on, all five felt invigorated and full of energy, overcome with the urge to work their hearts out in the restaurant.

"How does it feel?" Shen Lu asked.

Xin Yu touched the fabric and said in pleasant surprise, "This material is so comfortable! It’s the first time I’ve ever worn such high-quality clothes!"

Deng Ying said, "I don’t know if it’s because of the new clothes, but I feel like I’m in a great mood."

Shu Meng nodded. "Me too. I just want to get to work right away."

This wasn’t just Shu Meng sucking up; Deng Ying, Xin Yu, Cai Su, and Wang Daguo all felt the same way.

Wang Daguo scratched the back of his head. "I’m bursting with energy right now. I feel like I could sweep the entire street."

The corner of Shen Lu’s mouth twitched. That was a bit much. Gold Street had its own cleaners, but they only swept once a day, leaving shop owners responsible for the area in front of their stores the rest of the time.

"But you still have to wear chef’s uniforms when working in the back kitchen." Shen Lu thought the new employee uniforms were nice, but old rules couldn’t be broken.

If you were just serving customers out front, this outfit was fine, but in the kitchen, you still needed to wear a chef’s uniform.

Shu Meng had no objection. Although she loved the soft, comfortable new uniform, it was more professional to wear a chef’s uniform in the kitchen.

She was about to take it off, but Shen Lu stopped her. "No need to take it off. You’ll wear these every day from now on, and the restaurant will wash them for you. When you’re in the kitchen, just wear the chef’s uniform over it."