"Hello boss, here are my student ID and health certificate."
As soon as Hu Zhihai finished speaking, Yan Tongtong took out her documents and handed them to Jiang Yu. She continued,
"Actually, there's something I haven't mentioned. One of my good friends has a mild anorexia. When the weather gets hot, she can't eat anything, and within a few days, she loses a lot of weight.
I tried many methods, but none worked.
Yesterday, I tried bringing her here to buy some soup dumplings, and unexpectedly, she perked right up when she smelled them, and she ended up eating an entire basket at once.
Over the past two days, she's been coming over to buy dumplings for every meal, and her complexion has improved greatly.
So, it's not just that I like the soup dumplings you make, boss, but I am sincerely grateful. If it weren't for your soup dumplings, my friend might have already fallen ill."
"Is that so?"
Hu Zhihai listened to this and felt like he was hearing a legendary story, looking amazed. He turned to Jiang Yu and asked,
"Can the dumplings from our shop cure anorexia?"
"It's not that exaggerated. Maybe it just suited her taste."
Jiang Yu also found it a bit incredible. He thought for a moment, and remembered that in the System Mall's description of the chicken soup dumplings, there was no mention of curing anorexia.
It was probably just a coincidence.
He didn't dwell on it, flipped through Yan Tongtong's documents, handed them back to her, and said with a smile,
"Then try working here for two days. If you can adapt, you can stay.
As for the compensation, besides providing three meals a day, you'll also receive a salary. But since you're working part-time, the initial salary might not be much, I wanted to make that clear upfront."
Yan Tongtong waved her hand quickly and said, "No problem, having three meals is already great!"
"You'll definitely have a salary, so there's no need to argue about that."
Jiang Yu raised his hand and continued,
"Your main task here is to sell soup dumplings and hot and sour soup. If you stay longer, there might be other tasks as well.
Regarding how to do things specifically, Hu Zhihai will explain it to you later."
"No problem!"
Hu Zhihai agreed right away and said with a smile,
"Just follow me later, Xiaoyan. I'm mainly here to help, but in the future, these things will be your responsibility."
"Then that's settled for now. It's not long until we open for business, if you're hungry, you can have some breakfast first."
Jiang Yu thought for a moment and added,
"Zhihai, later on, post a notice about the opening hours we discussed last night, starting tomorrow we will follow that schedule."
After assigning the tasks, Jiang Yu hurried back to the kitchen.
Although he was a bit hungry, he didn't have time to eat, as it was almost opening time, and the batch of dumplings they made wouldn't be enough for sale.
"Alright, let's have breakfast first, when we get busy later, we won't have time."
Jiang Yu turned around, and Hu Zhihai already came over with two baskets of soup dumplings, giving one to Yan Tongtong. He also brought over two bowls of hot and sour soup and said with a smile,
"You're in luck today, the boss just made some hot and sour soup. Having it with the soup dumplings, it's an out-of-this-world experience!"
"Hot and sour soup? The boss has introduced a new dish!"
Yan Tongtong thought she had misheard, but seeing the two bowls of thick soup garnished with green onions made her realize that the boss really introduced something new.
She just didn't know if the boss's new hot and sour soup could match the soup dumplings.
Before she could figure it out, Hu Zhihai was already enjoying it, one bite of dumpling and one sip of soup, his face full of satisfaction.
Seeing Yan Tongtong daze, he couldn't help but urge:
"Xiaoyan, don't just stand there, hurry up and eat, there's work to do later!"
"Oh, okay! I'll eat now!"
Yan Tongtong quickly came to her senses. She didn't start with the soup dumplings but picked up a spoon and took a scoop of the hot and sour soup, blew on it gently a few times before taking a small sip.
Soon, she was like Hu Zhihai, forgetting any reservations, and started gobbling it down.
...
"What smells so good? It's sour and spicy, I wonder which stall made it so delicious."
"Seems to be coming from Jiang's Soup Dumpling Shop..."
"Impossible! I've had soup dumplings before, they don't smell like this!"
"It really smells amazing, just smelling it makes me feel hungrier!"
"I can't stand it! The dumplings aren't for sale yet, I'll get some steamed buns to tide me over!"
...
In the cafeteria hall, a group of students who had queued up early at the window to buy soup dumplings were sniffing the air, almost as if the scent could fill their stomachs.
"Do you guys think the boss has introduced any new products?"
Liu Fan rubbed his belly and made a guess.
He was the first chubby guy to buy soup dumplings from the shop. Now, being a fourth-year student, he was busy preparing for the postgraduate exams at the end of the year.
A summer of cramming left him weary and worn, the harsh weather, monotonous revising, and the cafeteria's unpalatable food all became obstacles on his path to success.
Just when he felt lost and helpless, unsure if he could persist, Liu Fan was surprised to find the soup dumplings in the second cafeteria.
The rich savory broth and juicy filling were like an oasis in the desert, instantly reviving him.
Thus, over the last two days, he would arrive early to the second cafeteria to line up before mealtime just to get a basket of soup dumplings.
For him, these soup dumplings were not only a way to satiate hunger but also a source of motivation to keep going.
Let's not mention anything else, just to be able to continue enjoying these delicious dumplings in the future, he felt he must do whatever it takes to succeed in his exams!
Because he's applying for the graduate program at his own university, if he graduates and leaves, where could he eat these again?
Someone expressed doubt: "Impossible, isn't the shop only open since yesterday? Launching new products in just one day?"
Liu Fan sneered: "What's impossible about it? Have you ever seen a shop selling only one type of dumpling?"
"What's the use of arguing, we'll find out once it opens for business?"
"Anyway, no matter what the boss sells, just because of these delicious soup dumplings, I would buy it even if he's selling pickled herring!"
...
As they were speaking, the door of the bun shop suddenly opened, and Hu Zhihai came out with a handwritten notice, posting it by the window.
After posting it, he turned around and said to everyone with a smile,
"Dear students, starting tomorrow, our shop's opening hours will follow the schedule on the notice; once the business hours end, we'll close, so please plan your time and don't blame us if you miss out and don't manage to buy anything.
That's all for now, we're about to open for business!"