Su Ling did not reply to Yang Guang’s message, but instead sent a message to the supermarket manager: “Yang Guang will bring people to sweep the shelves later. Please clear her previous consumption records and have her settle the bill in one go. If she doesn’t cooperate, call the police.”
After sending the message, Su Ling set her phone to silent mode and began to enjoy her hot pot.
It wasn’t until a commotion erupted from the adjacent private room:
“What’s going on? What do you mean by this? Don’t you know who I am?”
Three consecutive questions made Su Ling pause her chopsticks and pick up the fruit ice jelly on the table.
In the adjacent private room, Yang Guang, after venting her anger, sat with her arms crossed. Before her lay the bill for her consumption at the hot pot restaurant. The manager had even given her a discount, totaling fifty-two thousand yuan.
Looking at the number, Yang Guang felt her right eye twitching.
It was her birthday today, and she had invited friends for a lavish feast to save face. She absolutely could not allow anyone to ruin the occasion.
With that thought, Yang Guang picked up her phone from the table and stood up, looking at the manager, “I’m going to make a call.”
She stepped out of the private room and glanced back at the closed door before moving to the door of Su Ling’s private room.
She dialed a number, but no one answered for a long time. She made several calls, all the same. Angrily, she cursed in a low voice, “Damn it, this little slut. Who is she messing around with? She won’t even answer her phone. I’m so annoyed.”
After her calls went unanswered, Yang Guang was so angry she wanted to smash her phone.
She wasn't stupid; she could guess what was happening by now. If she couldn't, she'd truly lived in vain.
Once she understood, Yang Guang didn’t return to her private room. Instead, she called for help.
Inside her private room, Su Ling heard Yang Guang’s voice outside and a bloodthirsty smile curved her lips. She picked up a soft, well-stewed pig trotter, placed it in her bowl to cool, and then put on gloves to gnaw on another cooled pig trotter.
Soon, the commotion outside subsided. After finishing one pig trotter, Su Ling heard sounds from the adjacent room, indicating they were likely full and preparing to leave.
Indeed, a short while later, there was a knock on Su Ling’s private room door.
“Come in.”
The manager, having completed her task, pushed the door open and stood at the entrance of the private room. “Boss, her bill has been settled, and she has left.”
Su Ling’s lips curved into a smile. She looked at the manager. “Starting tomorrow, the hot pot restaurant will be closed.”
“Ah?” The manager was taken aback. “The business is very good. Closing suddenly without operating will not only reduce customer flow but also cause losses. Boss, don’t you want to reconsider?”
“No need to reconsider.” Su Ling took off her disposable gloves and wiped her hands with a wet towel. “We won’t be operating, but you will still prepare ingredients according to the standards of when we were open. Then, pack them into boxes and put them in the cold storage. Send me a message when you’re off work in the evening, and I’ll send someone to pick them up.”
Finally, Su Ling added, “Oh, and I need to add some items to the original menu.”
Although the manager didn’t understand what Su Ling was planning, he trusted her business acumen. “Whatever the boss says.”
“Braised dishes, cured meats, pickled vegetables, char siu, raw preserved seafood, dumplings, wontons, buns, steamed buns…” Su Ling listed them, then rested her chin on her hand, thinking. “That’s all I can think of for now. When they procure ingredients, consider the ingredients needed for these cuisines as well and make them.”
The manager took note and looked at Su Ling. “Boss, are you developing other industries with this?”
“Something like that.” Su Ling couldn't directly say she was preparing for the apocalypse.
After the manager left, Su Ling finally picked up her phone, which had been set to silent. There were over a dozen missed calls from the same person.
She dialed the number of the missed calls and spoke first. “Yang Yang, I’m sorry. I was in a meeting with the manager just now and had my phone on silent. What’s wrong?”