Chapter 8 Smooth Operator
On stage, Xiao Bing finished her dance, and a crowd had already gathered below.
She jumped down and immediately joined the two female staff members who had been waiting, enthusiastically greeting customers.
“Shiweixuan Dragon Boat Festival promotion! Freshly baked crispy sesame pastries! Buy five, get two free—buy five, get two free! Come take a look!”
The restaurant had set up sun umbrellas beside the outdoor stage, with two tables underneath. Boxes of hot pastries were neatly arranged in paper containers for customers to choose from.
“Give me one box.”
“I’ll take three—one more to bring home.”
The passersby who had stopped because of Xiao Bing stepped forward to buy.
In no time, Xiao Bing and the two staff members were busy as hell.
Lu Yuan finally understood—Xiao Bing wasn’t washing dishes or serving in the restaurant, she was a promoter. That explained the eight thousand yuan. Promoters worked on commission—if sales were good, the income could be quite impressive.
He hadn’t expected his little sister to have this kind of skill. Lu Yuan didn’t interrupt and just watched from the side. Only after the crowd dispersed did he step forward with a smile.
“Bro!”
After finishing up, Xiao Bing looked up, saw her brother, and happily charged at him like a bull. Lu Yuan instinctively caught her and spun her around.
Since he was here, Xiao Bing dragged him into Shiweixuan, insisting on treating him to a big meal.
“This is my brother!”
She puffed out her chest proudly, as if Lu Yuan were some big shot. The staff passing by nodded and greeted him with smiles—it seemed Xiao Bing was very well-liked here.
They didn’t sit in the front dining area but slipped into the kitchen, finding an empty table near the changing room where teacups were placed.
“The front hall is for paying customers. If we eat here, it’s free.”
Xiao Bing grinned mischievously, like she’d done something impressive. Lu Yuan didn’t mind—he knew restaurant rules well.
In his previous life, he had been the owner of a food stall that could serve up to a hundred customers at peak hours!
“Master Wang, this is my brother! Please fry him a portion of rice—extra meat! Thanks!”
In the kitchen, a bald, bearded uncle wearing a chef’s hat grunted in response and turned on the stove, flames roaring.
“Master Wang is really good to me,” Xiao Bing said. “Whenever he makes fried rice for me, it’s basically all meat—you can barely find the rice.”
Just then, a commotion broke out in the front.
“I’ll go take a look. Bro, wait here.” Xiao Bing hurried off.
In the front hall, an older woman was shouting angrily.
“What the hell is this? I found a hair in my food! Is this how you run a restaurant?”
The manager stood nearby, bowing and apologizing. “I’m so sorry! I’ll have the kitchen remake it for you right away.”
“Do I lack a meal?!”
The woman, dressed in gold and jewelry, clearly wasn’t easy to deal with.
“It’s a holiday and I get this crap. Damn unlucky! I’m going to make a scene here today. What, can’t I complain about finding hair in my food?”
Sweat poured from the manager’s forehead. It was peak dining time—trouble like this would seriously affect the day’s revenue.
Just then, Xiao Bing arrived in time to smooth things over.
She sat down right next to the woman, smiling cheekily and gently patting her back.
“Auntie, getting angry isn’t good for your blood pressure. Let me help you calm down.”
Xiao Bing had a special kind of charm—even sharp-tongued people softened around her.
The woman’s expression eased.
“Hmph! Since Xiao Bing is here, I won’t argue with you anymore!” She picked up her purse and pointed at the manager. “Be more careful next time!”
“Yes, yes, of course!”
The troublesome woman left, and the conflict dissolved just like that.
Lu Yuan had watched the entire scene from behind the door. Before coming, he had worried Xiao Bing might be bullied—but now it seemed he had been overthinking.
In the restaurant industry, someone who could handle the front hall, the kitchen, and customers all at once was top-tier talent—someone fit for a five-star hotel.
Xiao Bing was the type who could get along with everyone. If anything, she was more likely to be the one doing the “bullying.” He had underestimated her.
At this point, Master Wang’s fried rice was ready. Xiao Bing eagerly brought it over.
“Eat. Let’s hear your evaluation of Master Wang’s cooking.”
“Not bad,” Lu Yuan said, digging in.
“Hehe, I told you it’s good.”
Xiao Bing rested her chin in her hands, watching her brother eat.
From a culinary perspective, Lu Yuan would give Master Wang’s cooking a 9 out of 150.
In his opinion, the fried rice was too oily, not salty enough, and the rice itself wasn’t great quality.
But that didn’t stop him from eating it.
Contrary to what most people think, chefs are actually the least picky eaters in the world. Even fewer people know that most chefs, regardless of skill, don’t like eating their own cooking.
“Luckily we have Xiao Bing.”
The manager came in after finishing her work to express her thanks.
“You must be Xiao Bing’s brother. Eat as much as you like—don’t be shy. Xiao Bing is the star of our shop!”
The manager, a woman in her forties, praised Xiao Bing like she was her own daughter. Lu Yuan had initially suspected her of having bad intentions, but now he couldn’t help but smile.
With one wave of customers gone, the kitchen staff sat down to drink water and rest—some played on their phones, others chatted.
“Manager, how are the crispy pastries selling today?” someone asked.
“With Xiao Bing here, they should sell well.”
“This is Chef Wang’s signature recipe.”
After the usual commercial flattery, the manager smiled awkwardly.
“Sales are average. There are still over a dozen batches left. I hope we can sell them tonight. If not… the boss will definitely chew me out.”
Recently, Shiweixuan was planning a major expansion, and the boss had set very aggressive revenue targets for each branch. If they failed, the manager would get her pay docked.
In fact, the boss had already come by in the afternoon and was very dissatisfied with the performance.
Everyone knew this and started offering comfort.
“It’s not really anyone’s fault. The competition is too fierce now. Not just restaurants—supermarkets sell them, banks give them away, even phone stores are handing them out. Who’s short on pastries during the festival?”
“Boss can’t be completely unreasonable, right? Let him try selling them himself.”
People chimed in one after another, finding excuses for the unsold pastries. Xiao Bing was the most worried—she had been counting on making a big bonus during the festival to help her brother with the application fee.
Lu Yuan quietly listened to their conversation. After swallowing the last bite of rice, he wiped his mouth, took out his phone, opened a webpage, and typed in “zongzi,” then hit search.
[Zongzi: a legendary food from ancient Earth, possibly made by roasting some kind of plant fruit.]
This…
ns216.73.217.39da2
and then Add to home screen.