Food Intelligence King

Chapter 63: Enjoying the Tea Shop Melon
Chen Zhou originally planned to wander around and buy a melon from a tea shop to try.

Unexpectedly, around 10 a.m., the owner of the tobacco and liquor store next door brought one over for herself first.

"Mr. Chen, cut a melon for me to try."

"Thank you so much, sister-in-law!"

Liu Jinyan sat down near the kitchen.
"Don't mention it. I don't have any knives in the shop anyway. After you cut it, I'll give a few pieces to the neighbors."

The blade doesn't need to cut all the way down; just press upwards, about two or three centimeters deep, and apply force from side to side.
With a "crack," the watermelon was split in two.

The shape may not be perfect, but this cutting method has the advantage of a crisp sound.

Chen Zhou brought out the watermelon.

Sister-in-law Meng was chatting with her junior sister:
"They said these were freshly harvested tea shop melons, priced at 1.5 yuan per pound, so I bought two. I don't know if they'll taste good."

It's 1.5 yuan per jin (500g). Yesterday, Chen Zhou bought a regular watermelon for 0.8 yuan, which is almost double the price.

The intelligence is good,
But sometimes knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing—

At the very least, after someone has generously offered you a melon, you should suppress the urge to show off.

So, after the junior sister exclaimed, "This melon is really sweet,"
Chen Zhou then praised, "You really have to know how to pick them."

Liu Jinyan smiled broadly after hearing this.

"Last time, my husband Meng got really drunk. When he got home, he praised your cooking for ages. Let's get together again sometime when we have the chance to bring your wife and kids."

She then looked at Zhao Yilin and said, "Come over when you have time."

The junior sister was naturally delighted, saying, "I'll definitely come."

Sister-in-law Meng is a meticulous person, and she said she would make the arrangements this time.

But Chen Zhou remembered that the other person didn't seem to be very good at cooking. "I'll do it. My shop has all the equipment, so you won't have to bother."

Liu Jinyan: "I can't cook, and I don't know how to order food, so don't worry about it."

After eating a slice of watermelon at the store, she took the cut watermelon and shared it with her neighbors.

Chen Zhou and his junior sister were left to continue watching the drama unfold.

Although the place of origin has changed and the price is relatively expensive, the watermelon does taste pretty good.

The skin is thin, and the inside is bright red.

It has a slightly gritty texture when you bite into it. As you gently bite into it, the watermelon is full of water, moisturizing your entire mouth.

In summer, it's truly a refreshing and thirst-quenching treat.

The seeds that came out were all black, which was a bit of a nuisance, but it just meant that the watermelon was ripe.

It tastes just like it used to.

Looking at the watermelon in front of him, Chen Zhou couldn't help but wonder, are old people always good?

The technology and processes we use now are indeed far more advanced than in the past.

But thinking about the metal-cased electric fan still in use back home—it's been in service for thirty years, and apart from its oscillation function being sometimes effective and sometimes not, it's very solidly made and made of high-quality materials, and it's extremely heavy to move.

When using it,
The cooling function of old fans is certainly not as good as that of air conditioners, but they don't seem to be much worse than modern electric fans.

The distinction between new and old must be discussed realistically and on a case-by-case basis.

The next day was Friday, and business at the small shop gradually stabilized.

We can make two to three thousand yuan in revenue every day.

In just a few days, Chen Zhou had already amassed a fortune of tens of thousands of yuan.

He glanced at the number one employee who was wiping the table and remembered the promise he had made back then.

So I transferred three thousand to my junior sister.

However, Zhao Yilin only noticed it after she finished her work and took off her apron.

She exclaimed happily, "I've only been working for a few days and I'm already getting paid!"

Chen Zhou: "It's almost the end of the month, you probably don't have enough money on hand."

“There is a bit,” the junior sister smiled honestly, “but why is it three thousand? I only arrived on the 20th.” Zhao Yilin, who came from an accounting background, found that she couldn’t quite figure out the math.

Looking into his junior sister's clear eyes, Chen Zhou felt that if he said he had made a mistake, she could return the extra money.

So I explained it to her simply:
"Let's start counting from the day you designed the shop's signboard at the design institute. We can't let you work for nothing."

"And as I told you before, if business is good, we'll get a share of the profits at the end of the month. This is keeping my promise."

The junior sister clenched her fist.

"I love going to work so much that starting tomorrow, I'll be at the store at six o'clock."

Looking at his highly motivated employees, Chen Zhou couldn't help but give them some advice:
"Tomorrow is your day off, so don't get up too early and ride your electric scooter to work. Otherwise, you'll be the only one in the shop."

"Yeah, I almost forgot."

The junior colleague nodded. She then began to instruct her boss:

"You really have to do a good job, senior brother, don't ruin our shop. Although I'm happy that you're paying your employees so much, for some reason, I'm also a little worried."

"Don't tell me, just go home!" Chen Zhou said angrily, then reminded her:
"Weekends are for relaxing and having fun, and for dating."

Although there are no two days off per week, it's still a day and a half from now on.

The junior sister waved happily.

"Bye-Bye."

Just like how a shop might display a sign saying "steamed buns are 2.5 yuan each," new customers will still ask about the price when they come in.

The store has a small sign outside that says "Closed on Saturdays," but many customers probably don't notice it.

So, Chen Zhou mentioned it in the group chat.

To save people from making a wasted trip.

"Thank you all for your support these past few days. Our shop is closed on Saturdays, so please bear with us."
-
"Sister Li."
Zihan's mother retracted a message.

"understand."

Like Zihan's mother, most people can actually express their understanding.

After all, no one goes to work every day, and Chen Zhou often asked for leave in the group chat before.

People are getting used to it.

However, some people felt sorry for the boss.

Wotu: "I live in the building right next to the entrance. I see your shop is always packed with people. If you work a few more days, you can earn more money."

I'm not a foodie: "Money doesn't matter, just have fun! [Laughs]"

Wotu: "That makes sense."

She said calmly, "Early mornings are actually very tiring, so I should take a break."

Seeing Ms. Lin register,
Chen Zhou also sent a series of three "fist bumps" in the group chat.

He genuinely agreed with the old saying uttered by a fellow foodie in the group.

The people in this city may be a bit lazy, but they are relatively relaxed in their mindset.

Beyond the phone screen,

Security room of Sunshine City residential community.

The group admin, Property Manager Gao, still only dares to chat offline. He showed the group messages to Xiao Liu and complained:

"I should change the group name to Boss Chen's Customer Group."

Xiao Liu flattered, "This name is fitting."

“I feel completely invisible now.” Gao Tianyuan sighed, then looked at the small shop not far away. “But I also agree that Brother Chen should rest on Saturdays.”

Xiao Liu asked, puzzled, "Don't you really like eating steamed buns?"

Manager Gao smiled slightly: "I happen to be off work today too."

(End of this chapter)