CSGM - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: A New Goal
Just as Our Restaurant was becoming a hit, Zhao Shiqing's fans had already launched an attack against Chu Xi on Weibo.
It was all because Chu Xi had just told their idol to go back and study with an acting coach and spend less time on variety shows.
【Who does Chu Xi think she is, talking to Little Jelly like that?! Is her own acting that good? Does this person have any self-awareness!】
【I thought Little Jelly was being perfectly polite to her? What's with her attitude? It's like someone owes her five million. [Vomit]/[Vomit]】
【That one sentence reveals Chu Xi's true character. So rude.】
【Hehehehehehe, Chu Xi, you should be the one to lay off the variety shows! You're the one who needs an acting coach!】
【Does being a permanent cast member make you feel that superior? [Confused] Disgusting.】
...
Zhao Shiqing's fans had officially started a feud with Chu Xi.
For a long time after, whenever the two fanbases met on Weibo, a war of words would erupt.
But at this moment...
Chu Xi's fans were nowhere to be seen on the front lines; they were all posting within their own Super Topic page.
【Fellow Milkshakes, please remain calm. We absolutely must not go out and fight with other fanbases. There are too few of us; we can't win. [SobbingLaughing]】
【Even if people are cursing at our Xixi, don't worry. Xixi is a powerful fighter on her own. She doesn't need our backup. We can support her spiritually for now!】
【Right, right, let's stay calm. Don't go out and get cursed at. Xixi can crush a certain someone's idol all by herself on the show!】
【There are only thirty thousand of us. How are we supposed to fight a hundred thousand mad dogs? [SobbingLaughing] Sisters from all over the country, please don't go out and stir up trouble.】
【In the end, it's Xixi holding up this family all by herself. [Grinning]】
Most of them were new fans who had joined after watching Our Restaurant and hadn't yet developed the awareness to "charge into battle" for their idol.
Even if they had, the Milkshakes looked at their own meager numbers... and decided against it. Better to trust that Teacher Chu could handle it herself!
Such a timid fan club was truly one of a kind in the entertainment industry.
Yu Yixue arrived at the live set of Our Restaurant. Thanks to her good relationship with the assistant director, she was allowed to stay with the production team and watch the day's live broadcast.
The treasurer, Xiao Han, was reporting, "The restaurant's current funds are 32,628 yuan."
The Director raised a megaphone and announced the new development.
"Our journey on Our Restaurant has brought us to Jinwu Town, and with it, you have a new goal. Over the next seven days of operation, you must earn enough to bring the restaurant's funds to 80,000 yuan. After seven days, we will donate 80,000 yuan in the name of Our Restaurant to the local Hope Middle School's renovation project, contributing to the local education efforts."
Xiao Han was stunned. "80,000 yuan?!"
Everyone else's expression was much the same. They did a quick mental calculation; they were nearly 50,000 yuan short of 80,000!
Did the Director mean they had to make 50,000 yuan in profit in just seven days?!
Holy crap!
"Director, why don't you just go rob a bank?" Luo Yangtian cried out, holding his forehead.
"This is for charity, a good deed that accumulates merit. Good luck," the Director said with a smile, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"That's so much money... What happens if we don't make it?" Li Xiling asked.
"The cast of Our Restaurant will disband on the spot," the Director replied, his words as shocking as ever.
"Pfft... cough, cough, cough..." Luo Yangtian nearly choked on his mineral water.
No way, their contracts were for 46 days. Were they really going to be disbanded midway?!
But then again, he felt the Director was definitely capable of doing something like that!
Xiao Han pressed his temples. "Director, you've really outdone yourself."
"Instead of wasting time complaining about me, you'd better start thinking about your business plan for the next seven days. Unless you really want to disband?" the Director retorted, completely unapologetic.
In the past few days, the cast members had actually been doing quite well. Serving customers daily was busy, but manageable.
But now, with a sudden profit target looming over them, everyone instantly felt immense pressure.
Before, they earned whatever they could each day. Now, they had to earn a specific amount!
The difference felt like a cage suddenly built around them, trapping them with a new layer of oppression.
This show just loved to spring difficult challenges on them!
Xiao Han tapped on his calculator as he spoke.
"We're short 47,372 yuan to reach 80,000. We have seven days, so on average, we need to make... 6,768 yuan in pure profit every day! Holy crap!" He gasped the moment he calculated the figure.
Ren Zhi then delivered another piece of bad news.
"Today only counts as half a day. We've already missed the lunch service."
Luo Yangtian: "Oh, no!"
Zhao Shiqing: "Sister Zhi, what do we do?"
Ren Zhi singled someone out. "Chu Xi, what do you think?"
Only then did Chu Xi speak up slowly. "Let's change our business."
Making money was the easiest thing in the world. Why were they all panicking?
Li Xiling's big, beautiful eyes widened. "What do you mean? We're not running a restaurant anymore?"
Ren Zhi thought for a moment and asked, "Are you saying we should sell something else?"
Luo Yangtian seemed to have a revelation, his face lighting up with the joy of finding an answer. "Sister Xi, are you saying we can sell barbecue at night?"
Barbecue was a great idea! Barbecue made a lot of money!
They could sell a ton, earn a ton, and reach their financial goal!
But as soon as he said it, Chu Xi shot him a dismissive look.
Run a restaurant during the day and stay up all night selling barbecue? Are celebrities donkeys these days? Was he insane?
Working overtime was out of the question. She had no desire to die from exhaustion.
Luo Yangtian scratched his head. "Huh? Was I wrong?"
Chu Xi laid out the path. "We'll switch to selling Western food, focusing on beverages. We'll sell high-end red wine. The profit margin is much better."
That way, they could make up the difference quickly.
Zhao Shiqing's lips twitched as she said mockingly, "Selling Western food here... and red wine? Chu Xi, are you serious?"
She even pointed out the window at the obviously underdeveloped townscape.
Did the people here have money? Chu Xi was already thinking about selling high-end red wine. Who could afford it? How unrealistic!
Chu Xi chuckled, not even bothering to answer her question directly.
"I suggest you do a little research before traveling to a new city."
The atmosphere turned awkward for a second. Luo Yangtian, Li Xiling, and Xiao Han, who also hadn't done any research and were just as clueless, exchanged glances, not daring to speak and expose themselves.
Ren Zhi spoke up to explain. "The native residents here are actually very wealthy, possibly earning more than white-collar workers in the city. This area is rich in agate and jade. Many women even wear wedding dresses embedded with millions of yuan worth of jade when they get married."
So, the place only looked underdeveloped in terms of urban construction.
But the residents were rolling in money, which meant Chu Xi's method was completely viable.
The production team took the opportunity to educate the live stream audience about Jinwu Town's secret to wealth: jade, caterpillar fungus, and animal husbandry.
Those three alone were enough for the local residents to earn hundreds of thousands a year.
【Suddenly, I feel like I'm the one who needs the donation...】
【As we all know, personal wealth and government wealth are two different things. I've traveled there before, and the public infrastructure is truly underdeveloped.】
【Though they may have lost their right to education, they have gained money!】
【As someone earning three thousand a month in a big city, I'm actually a little envious of them...】
【Excuse me, is this town hiring? I volunteer.】
【Zhao Shiqing's ignorance is a stark contrast to Ren Zhi's knowledge (says this and runs for cover, manually deflecting hate).】
"Since everyone agrees on switching to Western food, let's finalize the menu and do a tasting as soon as possible. Let's aim to be open for dinner service tonight," Ren Zhi said decisively.
A Western menu was much easier to create than a Chinese one. The Western dishes popular in the country were really just a few recurring items-
The main courses would be various steaks and pastas; appetizers would be salads; snacks would consist of fried chicken, fries, desserts, and so on; and a soup of the day was a must. They would skip the foie gras and snails, as fresh ingredients weren't available here, but they could add ham, cod, and prawns to make the menu more exquisite.
By the time they had set the menu and returned from buying enough ingredients and wine, it was already two in the afternoon.
To make it in time for the evening service, Ren Zhi had everyone split up.
Xiao Han, Li Xiling, and Zhao Shiqing were responsible for drumming up business in town. The two head chefs, Chu Xi and Luo Yangtian, remained at the restaurant with Ren Zhi to help with the tasting and ensure all the dishes on tonight's menu were perfect.
Entering the back kitchen, Chu Xi tied on an apron, pinned up her shoulder-length hair, put on gloves, and immediately got to work.
Ren Zhi acted as her and Luo Yangtian's sous chef.
An hour later, the first round of dishes was brought to the central island counter one by one.
Chu Xi: "Taro Purée with Onsen Egg."
"Cheese and Abalone Sauce Shrimp Balls."
"Cucumber and Parma Ham."
"Pan-seared Silver Cod."
She propped her chin on one hand, sitting next to Ren Zhi. After introducing the dishes, she said, "Go ahead and try them."
Luo Yangtian also brought out the dishes he had made. "Mashed Potato Salad, Matsutake and Clam Soup, Orange Caramel Panna Cotta, Yogurt Doughnuts... Sisters, please try them."
Ren Zhi tasted everything. There were no problems with what either of them had made. In fact, Chu Xi was... surprisingly good. Better than she had expected.
She asked Chu Xi curiously, "Have you worked in the restaurant industry before?"
Chu Xi had indeed done so in another world she had transmigrated to.
So she said dismissively, "What's so hard about making this stuff? Why don't you go take a break? You don't need to help. I'll call you when the next round is ready for tasting."
Luo Yangtian piped up weakly, "Sister Zhi, I need help..."
For the second round, Chu Xi made all the main courses, which took a little longer.
"Seafood Fried Rice."
"Grilled Pork Ribs."
"Sirloin Steak."
"Spaghetti Bolognese."
"Braised Prawns."
Chu Xi wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck with a wet wipe, watching as Ren Zhi and Luo Yangtian's eyes lit up with surprise when they tasted the dishes.
Tears of emotion streamed from the corners of Luo Yangtian's mouth. "Sister Xi, this restaurant can't survive without you! Seriously, it can't!"
Chu Xi let out a "heh."
She already knew that.
If it weren't for her many skills, given Ren Zhi's personality, wouldn't she have been worried sick if they couldn't finish the tasting this afternoon?
Ren Zhi really ought to thank her for being so capable.
"So, are you relieved now?" she asked Ren Zhi.
Ren Zhi put down her knife and fork, wiped her mouth, and said with a hint of astonishment, "How did you get so skilled?"
Chu Xi, perhaps happy from the praise, or perhaps just happy from the praise, replied with a smile, "You just get good after making them a few times. I made dozens of these dishes when I was learning."
Ren Zhi nodded thoughtfully. "Oh-"
After a long, drawn-out sound, she said, "So you worked quite hard when you were learning to cook. I thought hard work was reserved for the idiots."
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