Wei Qian was very satisfied with the company's generous spending. The more generous the management, the more the chefs in the back kitchen could showcase their skills. However, the deliberate purchase of water made him worry about exceeding the budget.

Dou Wenjing said, "I specifically asked the boss and consulted Chef Xie from Fishing Platform, as well as Chef Guo, Chef Qiu, and others. Most of the water used in cooking is actually for cleaning and cooling the stoves. The actual amount of water used for cooking isn't that large, at most a few tons per day. This doesn't account for a high percentage of the total cost."

Once the brine was prepared, they only needed to add a small basinful each day to replenish it. For making soup, two bowls of water at a time were sufficient. As for cooking noodles, a large pot of water was boiled from start to finish for each meal service. The main water consumption in the restaurant, aside from that, was for the Sour Plum Soup. This only used about half a ton of water per day. However, when this soup was sold widely, it could bring in nearly twenty thousand yuan in cash daily.

Considering the price Dou Wenjing negotiated, the water only cost a few hundred yuan. But this few hundred yuan worth of water, when made into Sour Plum Soup, could be sold for nearly twenty thousand yuan in cash.

Calculated this way, the cost of using mountain spring water was indeed not high.

Besides the kitchen, the second floor also featured a sizable booth area and a section for walk-in customers. If customers found the first floor too noisy, they could come to the second floor's dining area. When there were customers with large table bookings, screens could even be put up to create semi-private booths, convenient for guests to discuss matters.

After inspecting the second floor, everyone ascended to the third floor via the solid wood-trimmed staircase.

The third floor housed sixteen private rooms of various sizes. The largest room featured a large round table that could seat thirty people, while even the smallest could accommodate ten. Outside the private rooms, there were sofas and chairs, ensuring that hosts and guests had a place to sit and relax before their meal. Additionally, there was a small service counter specifically responsible for tasks such as delivering dishes, serving tea, and pouring wine for the guests in the private rooms.

After the tour, Lin Xu was very satisfied. He had thought the design drawings were already excellent, but the completed result was even more perfect. Of course, this was also because enough money had been spent. He hadn't cut costs at any stage. He even asked Dou Wenjing to use money to expedite the process; otherwise, the restaurant's renovation wouldn't have been completed so quickly.

After the renovation company finished, they specifically hired a cleaning service to tidy up. This saved the staff from having to do a major clean-up on their first day.

"You've put a lot of thought into this, Wenjing."

During the renovation, Lin Xu had been a hands-off manager. He was busy working at Fishing Platform, getting engaged, and even took his fiancée on a trip back to his hometown. Since he was hands-off, Dou Wenjing, as the general manager, had to shoulder more responsibilities.

Hearing her boss's praise now, Dou Wenjing, dressed in a light gray business suit, felt a warmth in her heart. "This is what I should do."

What employees fear most is putting in painstaking effort only to have the boss react with a dismissive "Is that all?" Hearing Lin Xu's praise now filled Dou Wenjing with even more motivation.

Lin Xu whispered to her, "Once the restaurant is up and running smoothly, I hope to sit down with you, Wenjing, and discuss your compensation again."

A good professional manager could save the boss a lot of trouble, so he needed to find a way to retain her. Moreover, his impulsive investment in Ziqiang Shengjian had, thanks to this capable manager, turned into a hen that laid golden eggs. Both ethically and logically, her compensation deserved an increase.

Dou Wenjing's face lit up with surprise, and she whispered in response, "Then I'll eagerly await Mr. Lin's invitation… Oh, by the way, next month I plan to spin off Ziqiang Shengjian from the company's main operations and register it as a new company. This will make management more efficient."

The location for the second Ziqiang Shengjian branch had already been decided. It was right next to the recreational park, near a middle school with high foot traffic, making it suitable for the shengjian business.

Lin Xu didn't have strong opinions on this. "You can decide what's best, Wenjing. Just don't overwork yourself… When will our cars arrive?"

"This weekend. We'll pick up both cars together."

"Alright, we'll go get the new cars this weekend."

After visiting the new restaurant, Lin Xu left Dundun with Shu Yun and drove himself to Fishing Platform for work. He still hadn't completed his twenty-day assignment at Fishing Platform, so he needed to hurry. The system's method for determining his attendance was very simple: he just had to be there for a few minutes. After that, he was free to do as he pleased, without any delay to his other activities.

Upon arriving at Fishing Platform, Lin Xu noticed that his senior brother, Xie Baomin, seemed different. There was a more frequent smile on his face than before. Occasionally, he would even grin somewhat foolishly. And after finishing a task, he would habitually rub his lower back, looking as if he were lacking strength.

What was going on? He kept rubbing his lower back, looking utterly drained. Did he feel his two 'little characters' weren't 'leveled up' enough, so he was planning to 'level up' an even 'tinier character'?

"When is the new restaurant planning to open?" Xie Baomin asked curiously, seeing his junior brother arrive.

"We start trial operations next week. As for the grand opening, it might be next weekend."

Lin Xu initially didn't want to hold a grand opening ceremony. However, his parents-in-law, his own parents, and even Geng Lishan and Liu Zhengyu, all strongly expressed their disapproval of that idea. They insisted that he hold an opening ceremony no matter what. This would officially announce to their peers that Lin Ji had entered Yanjing's culinary scene. Anyone who wanted to compete could then bring it on.

But Lin Xu suspected these people were only egging him on to hold a ceremony so they could come, give a gift, and enjoy a free meal.

"What's the plan for today, Senior Brother?"

If there's nothing important, I'll head back. Old Mrs. Shen was planning to make 'noodle fish' at home for lunch, and he wanted to try it.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to have that meal after all.

Xie Baomin said, "Remember last time we talked about trading our master's Qingshui Furong for Guo Weidong's roast suckling pig? He's been quite insistent lately, so I've arranged it for today. Later, we'll go to Building Number Ten to do the exchange and cook it. We can also grab a meal there; I've been craving the Claypot Rice from Building Ten for a while now."

Roast suckling pig? Lin Xu was immediately interested. The new restaurant's roasting oven hadn't even been inaugurated yet. If he could learn to make roast suckling pig, he could go back and test the roasting oven's performance.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a Dish Study Card on him right now.

He wondered how much of the skill he'd be able to pick up.

No matter. First, I need to see how roast suckling pig is actually made!

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The restaurant is opening soon, and I need to organize some information, so updates might be a bit slow. I haven't even compiled the list of dishes the protagonist has mastered yet. Not having the habit of taking notes is really a pain. This chapter is 5,000 words, a short update. Please vote with your Monthly Tickets, everyone! Next chapter: Roast Suckling Pig!

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