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On the first day of school, the restaurant's business was better than Jiang Feng could have ever imagined.

From the observant seniors to the ravenously hungry freshmen, everyone's wallets were full on the first day of school, and they weren't willing to settle for the cafeteria food. A University's cafeteria was notoriously unpredictable. When the chefs were on their game, everything was normal. But when they were feeling whimsical, you could get anything from dishwater-flavored seaweed egg drop soup to miso soup tasting like seasoning powder, pineapple stir-fried with tomatoes, or chili stir-fried with mooncakes. If you could think of it, they could cook it.

The Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant was considered a large restaurant near A University. Although the prices were a bit on the high side, there were always those who didn't lack money and were willing to give it a try. As it neared 12 o'clock, both the first and second floors were completely full, and even the large round tables were occupied by individual diners.

"President, hey, where's the president? Brother Hao, the teacher held us back, I'm late!" Liu Zixuan, carrying his backpack, ran into the restaurant out of breath. He was stunned by the sight of the crowd before him; not only were people seated, but there were even people standing and waiting for tables.

Am I really… not at the cafeteria?

The cafeteria's special day isn't even this busy.

"There are too many people in the restaurant, Brother Feng went to the kitchen. Go to the second floor and help Brother Chen. He's been running up and down, his legs are probably about to fall off," Wang Hao assigned Liu Zixuan his task.

After a busy lunch, they didn't get a break until 1:30 PM.

"Brother Feng, where did you advertise or promote? Why are there so many customers today?" Wang Hao gulped down his Sour Plum Drink, showing quite the demeanor of Comrade Jiang Jiankang.

"It's the first day of school, and Cafeteria 1, Cafeteria 5, and Cafeteria 6 are all closed. Which restaurant isn't busy?" The contractors for Cafeteria 1, 5, and 6 were all the same company, and they usually didn't open until the third day of school.

"That's true." Qiu Chen recalled the fear of fighting for food in the cafeteria on the first day of school in previous years. "Brother Feng, isn't your restaurant planning to offer delivery? Liu Qian asked me at noon today, asking when your restaurant would be available on delivery platforms."

"Isn't it posted at the door? Hiring part-time, delivery drivers," Wang Hao said, burying his head in his food.

If they offered delivery, it would greatly alleviate the pressure from the customers in the restaurant.

"Our restaurant doesn't do delivery," Comrade Jiang Jiankang stated. "I've been running this shop for over twenty years, and I've never done any of that superficial stuff."

"Oh, come on, you're just being stingy about the commission fee!" Comrade Wang Xiulian rolled her eyes at Jiang Jiankang. "Little Chen, we can't handle delivery either. Your uncle, the only cook, can't manage that much."

"Our restaurant used to deliver to regular customers, they could just call directly. We did have that plan, but let's hire people first. The restaurant is already too busy," Jiang Feng explained.

After lunch, those with classes went to class, and those without returned to their dorms. Jiang Feng had no classes in the afternoon, so he stayed at the restaurant to process ingredients and also to make a couple of pots of congee. Such a good skill like Congee Making (Intermediate) shouldn't go to waste.

Because Comrade Jiang Jiankang was too busy at noon, Jiang Feng had the opportunity to be the head chef, and his proficiency in Heat Control and Seasoning increased significantly. Looking at the white congee rolling in the large pot, Jiang Feng couldn't help but ponder a question.

If I were to make Clear Soup with Bird's Nest Slices...

Forget it, forget it. If Comrade Wang Xiulian knew I wasted so much precious bird's nest just to practice one dish, she'd probably disown me on the spot.

Jiang Feng hummed a little tune as he cut cucumbers into strips. On a long row of plates to his right, piles of shredded carrots, shredded white radish, shredded potatoes, diced potatoes, sliced onions, shredded chili peppers, and sliced pumpkin were neatly stacked, creating a colorful and pleasing display.

It wasn't that Jiang Feng didn't want to cut meat, but Comrade Jiang Jiankang, as a loyal meat-lover, had much higher standards for meat than for vegetables. Every piece of meat had to be cut and sliced by him personally. How to cut the fat, how much to cut, whether it was for Kung Pao Chicken or Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, everything had to be approved by him. It could be said that every pig and every chicken died for a worthy cause.

"Ding, Main Quest [The Advancing Little Shop] completed. Reward item obtained: [Takeout Cooler Box]."

"Ding, an optional main quest discovered: [Gain a Foothold]: Earn the recognition of 1000 diners for the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant."

Opening the quest panel, he selected "Yes" next to the main quest.

[Gain a Foothold]: Earn the recognition of 1000 diners for the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant. Quest Progress (2/1000)

Quest Hint: Diner recognition is crucial for a new restaurant. Please make the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant the number one restaurant in the hearts of A University's diners.

Becoming the number one restaurant in A University was no easy feat. Within the university town where A University was located, not to mention the food street, there were at least 20 small and large restaurants hidden within the faculty and staff dormitory areas alone. Add to that the businesses integrated into the school, the school's own commercial street, the streets outside, shopping malls, and various grades and sizes of restaurants, there were at least several hundred, including many old establishments that had been around for twenty or thirty years.

For the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant, a new establishment, to snatch food from the mouths of these old restaurants was quite a challenge.

If it were as easy as the previous quest, requiring the recognition of only a hundred diners, it would be much simpler. This campus had only a little over 10,000 teachers and students. The other campus was a full 40 kilometers away. They couldn't possibly expect the teachers and students there to come over for a meal, could they?

Calculating the daily customer flow of the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant, Jiang Feng decided to put this main quest aside for a while and let it take its course. He began to study the quest rewards given by the game.

The [Takeout Cooler Box] in the item column showed that it could be retrieved. Jiang Feng clicked to retrieve it, and a large Styrofoam box appeared out of thin air on the ground.

A seemingly ordinary Styrofoam box, with two crooked characters for "Takeout" written on the lid. The fact that it wasn't damaged was probably the greatest gift the game had given him.

It looked exactly like the Styrofoam boxes used for takeout at cheap stir-fry restaurants near every school.

Jiang Feng stared at the Styrofoam box, speechless for a long time.

This is the reward for his main quest?

It has the nerve to call itself a cooler box. This kind of box is good enough if it can keep things warm. Seal it up tightly with tape.

Forget it, it will be useful if I do end up delivering food in the future.

Jiang Feng silently clicked to recall it in the item column.

"Hello, is anyone there?" someone shouted from outside.

"Coming." He walked out of the kitchen. A girl with a ponytail was standing outside the restaurant by the recruitment notice.

"Hello, excuse me, are you still hiring part… Jiang Feng?"

"President?"

The two looked at each other, staring for a long time.

"You're working part-time at this restaurant?" Ji Yue asked, somewhat surprised.

"President, aren't you studying for your postgraduate entrance exams?" Jiang Feng was even more surprised that she was looking for a part-time job at a time when she should have been studying in the library.

Ji Yue was the former president of the Chess Club, majoring in graphic design in the fine arts department. She had just graduated. After failing her postgraduate entrance exams, she rented a small apartment near the school to study.

"Something happened at home. My brother still needs to go to college, and I don't have the money to study for another year. I couldn't find any other work, and I can't support myself just by drawing for others, so I'm just looking for something to do," Ji Yue said with a wry smile.

"This is my family's restaurant, Senior. It's a bit of a waste for your drawing hands to be doing odd jobs!" Jiang Feng said sincerely.

"I wish I could draw, but no one wants my drawings." Ji Yue was very familiar with Jiang Feng. "I didn't realize you were a rich second-generation kid. You know my situation. The art major at our school is really weak, and I'm not a professional artist. I only learned to draw for two years just before the college entrance exams to get into a good school."

"How am I? You know what kind of person your senior, Ji, is. I'll cover three meals a day, and you can pay me a bit. I'll just get through this period first," Ji Yue said with great ease.

"Fifteen hundred a month, three meals a day included, no days off. It'll just be busy during meal times. You can stay as long as you want, senior. Just let me know when you find a job," Jiang Feng replied.

"Thanks," Ji Yue said, relieved. "I'm not good at anything, really. Even when I tried to tutor elementary school kids, nobody wanted me. If it weren't for you, junior, helping me out so generously, your senior would probably starve to death."

"Oh, right. How's the cooking at your place?"

"I made some congee. Do you want to try a bit first?"

"Sure, sweet or savory?"

"Senior, be honest. How many days has it been since you last ate?"

"..."