Chapter 87

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Lu Tai had seriously overestimated Sun Fat's patience. This guy actually failed to negotiate with his parents over two days, resigned privately, packed up his belongings, and temporarily broke ties with his family, moving to a small room in the restaurant. He declared that he wouldn't return home to see his parents until he made a name for himself. This time, he was really living and eating at the restaurant.

Sun Fat's arrival completely freed Lu Tai.

Opening a restaurant sounds simple, but in reality, there are countless troubles. Business licenses, tax registrations, health and safety permits, fire inspections—any step missed can cause a lot of problems in the future.

Lu Tai wasn't particularly good at dealing with strangers. After running around various departments for two days, Lu Tai fully understood what it meant to have a hard time getting in and a hard time getting a good face. No matter which department, because he had no connections, Lu Tai was often given a cold shoulder. After filling out an application form and submitting it to the staff, they never pointed out all the errors at once. Instead, they would return it with one error, and after fixing it, they would find another error and return it again. Lu Tai, who usually wielded power in the movie world, almost couldn't resist using a small flying knife to kill the seemingly high-and-mighty staff member A several times.

After two days, Lu Tai hadn't obtained a single document.

After Sun Fat took over, Lu Tai realized that Sun Fat was indeed very smooth. Calling everyone "leader" and "director," Sun Fat managed to get most of the documents done in just one day. Even the remaining documents that weren't issued were just due to the workflow and could be picked up the next day.

After dinner, Sun Fat boasted with a flourish, his tone and manner making it seem as if he were a third-generation red-blooded youth who had just helped Lu Tai apply for a national-level project worth hundreds of millions.

With all the procedures completed, the small restaurant was ready to open for business. Lu Tai originally planned to hire two waiters, but Sun Fat slapped his chest and said, "Why hire waiters? Why hire waiters? You cook inside, and I'll handle the outside. Are you really treating yourself like a tycoon? We're just starting out, so we need to save wherever we can."

The small restaurant finally opened with the efforts of Lu Tai and Sun Fat.

Sun Fat used two packs of good cigarettes to secure the cooperation of the local urban management. At 10:58 AM, two strings of firecrackers were lit, and amidst the smoke, the restaurant named "Good Fortune" officially began serving customers.

On the first day, the desolate scene that Lu Tai had imagined did not materialize.

The small restaurant was located on Dajing Street in Jibei City, a relatively bustling area with many office buildings. White-collar workers and employees from various companies usually solved their lunch problems at nearby small restaurants, so the newly opened restaurant gradually attracted many customers.

With customers, Lu Tai officially started cooking in the kitchen.

After all, Lu Tai's culinary skills were top-notch. Once the kitchen's exhaust fan was turned on, the aroma spread to the street, attracting even more customers to the restaurant.

By the end of just one lunchtime, Sun Fat was exhausted, almost like a beaten dog. If it weren't for the stimulation of the increasing cash in the cash box, Sun Fat probably wouldn't have been able to walk.

Finally, after the lunch rush, Sun Fat sat behind the counter with a broad smile, his short, thick fingers, like carrots, deftly counting the bills. He didn't even notice when Lu Tai brought out two dishes.

Lu Tai placed the cooked dishes in front of Sun Fat and tapped the table, saying, "Fatso, it's time to eat. Aren't you hungry?"

Sun Fat looked up, his eyes wide with joy. "Lu Tai, do you know how much we made today? Guess!"

Lu Tai turned to get the food, not even bothering to acknowledge Sun Fat, who was obsessed with money.

Seeing that Lu Tai ignored him, Sun Fat felt a strong itch in his heart. He quickly came out from behind the counter and grabbed Lu Tai, saying, "Guess, just guess. Guessing won't get you pregnant."

Seeing Lu Tai about to serve rice, Sun Fat stopped him and said with a smile, "Let's not eat yet. Let's have some drinks. We need to drink to calm the burning fire in my heart."

Lu Tai put down the rice scoop and shook his head at Sun Fat, saying, "You're such a small-time guy, Fatso. I don't believe we made ten thousand today."

Sun Fat's eyes widened in shock. "Are you crazy? Obsessed with money? We made a thousand today, a thousand yuan! Do you know that? Generally, the evening business is even better. Even if it's the same, we'll have two thousand yuan a day, two thousand big yuan. In a month, we'll recover our costs, and after a year, we'll really be on our way to becoming tycoons."

Lu Tai didn't bother to respond to the money-obsessed Sun Fat. He sat down, picked up a glass, and drank a beer, then burped.

After a week, the restaurant's business surprised even Lu Tai. Sun Fat was so happy he couldn't find north, and even in his dreams, he was saying, "Sir, how many people?"

The restaurant's success was largely due to Lu Tai's culinary skills.

If it were any other chef, even the famous Chinese chefs who prepare state banquets, they would make mistakes due to fatigue after a day of cooking. Lu Tai, however, was different. His culinary skills were a skill, and he never made mistakes. Each dish he cooked was nearly perfect, and as a result, no customer had any complaints over the seven days.

Lu Tai's superhuman consistency also ensured a steady stream of repeat customers. Once they tasted Lu Tai's cooking, other restaurants' food became almost inedible.

In just seven days, the restaurant's revenue reached an astonishing 35,000 yuan. This meant that in another week, Lu Tai and Sun Fat would recover their costs. After that, all the profits would be pure earnings.

Over the seven days, Sun Fat lost a significant amount of weight, probably around ten pounds, but he was happy despite the pain. Every day, his most enjoyable time was after closing the restaurant, drinking a little wine, and counting the money.

The booming business forced Sun Fat to post a job ad for waiters at the restaurant's entrance. For the past seven days, he had been the only one serving and calculating the bills. If it weren't for the delicious food, customers would have left in dissatisfaction long ago.

The next noon, after sending off the last group of customers, Sun Fat was humming a tune and wiping the tables, feeling very pleased. The restaurant door was pushed open.

Sun Fat looked up and saw six or seven young men with colorful hair entering.

"Hey, guys, come in, come in. What would you like to eat?"

Sun Fat greeted them with a smile.

The young man in front, with a nose ring, snorted and pointed at Sun Fat's chest, asking, "Are you the boss here?"

Sun Fat nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I'm the boss. What would you like to eat, guys?"

The nose ringed man glared. "Don't be so smug. Did you ask us before opening this restaurant?"

Sun Fat was taken aback. "Ask you? Who are you...?"

"We are the Seven Wolves of Dajing Street. Haven't you heard of us?" The nose ringed man tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, looking down at Sun Fat through his nose.

"Seven Wolves? Are you here to sell clothes?" Sun Fat was confused. Was this the era of door-to-door sales for branded clothing?

Before the nose ringed man could react, a guy with a mohawk behind him was furious. "Damn, Fatso, are you making fun of us? This area is under our control. If you want to open a restaurant here, you need our approval."

Now Sun Fat understood. These guys were clearly local troublemakers, and they weren't here to eat.

"Sorry, I'm new here and haven't heard of your names. But no problem, we can get to know each other. From now on, all of you will get a 30% discount when you come to eat." Sun Fat quickly put on a smile, saying flattering words as if they were free.

Slap!

The nose ringed man slapped Sun Fat's face. The slap made Sun Fat's head spin, and a trickle of blood flowed from his nose.

Sun Fat's anger flared up like gasoline had been poured on it. He wiped his nose, saw the blood on his hand, and wanted to fight them.

However, doing business requires maintaining a good relationship with customers. If Sun Fat fought, he would not only get beaten up but also face daily trouble from these guys, which would scare away all the customers.

Before Sun Fat could decide how to handle the situation, he heard a slow and rhythmic knocking sound from behind.

"Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang..."

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