Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away
Chapter 412: Four hundred and twelve, the original intention remains unchanged_1

Chapter 412: Four hundred and twelve, the original intention remains unchanged_1

Although Gu Chen spent every day chatting and laughing with a group of female office workers, he never thought much of it.

After all, he ran a restaurant, not a club.

He didn’t sell performances or his body, just food.

As for chatting with the women, that was just an incidental part of the job.

After all, his actual business hours used to be just two hours a day and, although they have extended somewhat now,

it never exceeded four hours, after which he promptly closed up shop.

So even idle chatting couldn’t amount to much more.

And although these female office workers might not have as much money as those bosses,

they were very willing to spend it on all sorts of fancy, but minute, dishes.

Those were their favorites.

Gu Chen was very happy about this since all he needed to do was to occasionally show off his knife skills and culinary artistry.

Now and then he’d carve a tiny flower out of a radish or casually arrange a platter, which delighted his customers.

A dish didn’t take much in terms of ingredients, but he could sell it for tens of dollars at least.

Add to that the bowl of Xunxian Brew that everyone ordered for fifty dollars, and he felt like he was practically picking up cash.

For the men nearby, that definitely wouldn’t be money well spent.

No matter how fancy the plating, it just made the dish more expensive, not more delicious.

In contrast, they were keener on the hefty steamed buns.

Not only were they satisfying, but they actually filled you up, and it didn’t matter if you ordered too many—they could just take the leftovers for snacks.

Gu Chen’s culinary skills were simply too good, and he always managed to come up with new fillings for the buns.

With every visit, there was a new flavor to try, which made them feel like they could never get tired of eating there.

Entering the restaurant, they’d eagerly order a plate of the hefty buns, followed by a warm bowl of Xunxian Brew, and admire the traditional décor.

While guzzling down the brew and chomping on the buns, that was the true brotherhood of men.

The only drawback was that everything here was too expensive, even though they themselves earned quite a bit.

If they were to really let loose with the drinks, their wallets would indeed feel the strain.

No wonder the heroes in TV shows always seemed to have plenty of money when they left home; turns out there was a good reason for that.

But although they grumbled about the prices, they really didn’t want Gu Chen to lower them.

After all, even with such high prices, they still couldn’t get a seat if they arrived late. If the prices dropped,

wouldn’t the place be overwhelmed with customers?

As for Gu Chen’s take on it, it was quite straightforward, be it the men’s brotherhood or the women’s finesse.

To him, those were just appearances. He started the business to make money and that was still his goal, his original intention unchanged.

Of course, the current outcome was quite satisfying for him.

Now, the daily turnover of Qiwei Vegetarian had reached five thousand dollars—a very substantial income.

It was the kind of money that other small-time bosses worked hard half a month to earn, yet Gu Chen could make it in just one day.

And that was with him only keeping the business open for four hours a day.

If he were to operate all day, the earnings could continue to double.

This made the other nearby restaurant owners almost green with envy.

And yet, despite Gu Chen’s offerings being expensive, everyone who came to dine,

without exception, left extremely satisfied, full of praise for his excellent culinary skills and handsome looks.

They looked on eagerly, hoping he would extend the business hours even further so they could spend more time there.

He looked exactly like someone who was afraid of being too eager to give away money, and Gu Chen didn’t even want to accept it.

However, when it came to such matters, Gu Chen was actually the least particular and least rule-abiding among all the famous chefs of his time.

Although he always touted the title of Imperial Chef Successor to entice people.

For him, as long as the other party was willing to pay, and it didn’t interfere with picking up his daughter,

he would naturally cook however much they wanted to eat.

Moreover, the Xunxian Brew was already brewed in advance, and the buns were steamed ahead of time, so he had to make at most a few cold dishes himself.

He didn’t even need to light a fire, making everything from start to finish extremely relaxed.

Then, a few hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Gu Chen glanced at the wall clock, realizing it was already two in the afternoon.

He stopped what he was doing and said to everyone with a smile,

"Dear customers, our shop is getting ready to close now. If anyone still wants to eat, please come early tomorrow.

Those who haven’t finished eating, don’t worry, we will officially close after one more hour, so everyone can continue to eat at your leisure."

No sooner had he spoken than a wave of disappointed sighs swept through the shop.

Many clamored for a longer opening time, but Gu Chen was unmoved by their pleas.

The patrons, though feeling a little disappointed, by now were familiar with his rules after so many visits,

so after muttering under their breath for a bit, their gazes quickly shifted to the steaming baskets at the door.

They figured that if there were any buns left now, they had to act fast.

Otherwise, it would soon be too late, and not even the scrapings of the buns would be left.

The daily race to grab buns was always a tense and thrilling affair.

After all, the competitors were not just the enemies of their own companies.

There were also the ’friendly stabs’ from colleagues in the same trench.

This required them to not only be adept at deception but also understand the art of forming alliances.

And sometimes, there was even a dramatic ’mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’ scenario.

Maybe some boss was hiding behind the scenes, waiting with a smiling face, ready to swoop in at the last moment.

Although it sounds like a serious affair, the daily bun battle usually ended quickly.

After all, Qiwei Vegetarian’s business was too good, and although he had increased production to sixty baskets a day, if any were left over, there wouldn’t be many.

After dividing up the last few buns, it took less than twenty minutes for the shop to nearly empty out.

Xiao Fang and Cui Hua began to busily clear the used cups and plates from the tables.

Gu Chen, on the other hand, stood behind the control panel, chatting idly with the two girls.

All the while, he wiped his hands with a clean towel.

However, looking up at them for a while made him curious.

"Xiao Fang, Cui Hua, didn’t I advance you part of your wages before?

How come I’ve noticed that these past few days, you seem to be wearing the same two sets of clothes in rotation?

Didn’t you go out and buy a few new ones during your time off?"

As he finished speaking, the two who were busy working in the store hesitated for a moment.

"Boss, to tell the truth, these clothes are still not torn, and I think there’s no need to buy new ones for now," stuttered Xiao Fang, and Cui Hua by her side nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah, and new clothes are so expensive, I think it’s not too late to wait until these are worn out to replace them," she agreed.

Gu Chen was left somewhat speechless; he himself owned a clothing store, and if everyone was as frugal as they were,

it seemed his own store wouldn’t be far off from closing down.

Just as he was about to instill in them a more appropriate view on spending, it seemed he recalled something.