The Joy of Running a Business!

After finishing their discussion about hiring, Lin Zhe and Lin Xiaomeng switched back to casual chatter.

Their conversation drifted from the canteen to egg fried rice, then to stir-fried rice noodles, stir-fried noodles, and new dishes they might add in the future.

By now, Lin Xiaomeng was gradually transitioning from a front-desk receptionist into the role of canteen manager, and she was looking more like a manager by the day.

As they chatted, Lin Zhe could tell that her ideas and plans weren't things she'd tossed out on a whim.

She had thought them through carefully, accounting for all sorts of situations and even taking profits into consideration.

Lin Zhe felt that promoting Lin Xiaomeng had been an absolute masterstroke. He'd stumbled upon a real treasure.

To keep the old lady from having to trek all the way to the inn again to recruit people, Lin Zhe took the initiative to wrap up their conversation at nine sharp.

"See you tomorrow, Zhe!"

Lin Xiaomeng waved goodbye to him and walked away with a spring in her step, softly humming something about asking God to let her experience it.

It was clear that Lin Xiaomeng had been in an exceptionally good mood these past two days, and so had Lin Zhe.

Business at the inn hadn't changed much. Room occupancy had only risen a little, and revenue was only slightly higher.

The income from the Good Fortune Canteen, however, was substantial.

Between the guest rooms and the Good Fortune Canteen, their daily revenue came to just under ten thousand yuan.

After deducting all costs, including rent, they still made around five thousand yuan in profit a day.

If things continued like this, their monthly profit would reach a whopping 150,000 yuan, enough to break the Fortunate Inn's record since opening!

Watching business at the inn improve day by day gave Lin Zhe quite a sense of accomplishment, and he gradually began to appreciate the joy of running a business.

"Running an inn and doing business is pretty fun, too."

Only after watching Lin Xiaomeng disappear into the distance did Lin Zhe draw his gaze back and look around the kitchen.

Although the aunties were diligent and cleaned every day, keeping the floors and counters spotless, the results still couldn't compare to what the Cleansing Talisman had achieved.

Today marked exactly one week since Lin Zhe had last used a Cleansing Talisman.

During his inspection of the guest rooms that afternoon, he'd noticed that their cleanliness had returned to a normal standard.

That normal standard meant the level of cleanliness other hotels or inns of a similar size could achieve with dedicated cleaning staff.

They didn't look dirty on the surface, but they weren't particularly clean, either.

"Lasting a week was already pretty impressive. I'll use another Cleansing Talisman."

Lin Zhe hesitated for quite a while before finally, somewhat reluctantly, taking a Cleansing Talisman out of the Check-In Panel's storage space.

All thirty Cleansing Talismans looked the same: yellow talisman paper covered in intricate patterns drawn in black ink.

With a thought, Lin Zhe selected "Use Cleansing Talisman."

The next second, the Cleansing Talisman in his hand burst into brilliant golden light with a whoosh.

Having used one before, Lin Zhe was much calmer this time. He simply closed his eyes gently without moving a step.

Three seconds later, Lin Zhe opened his eyes. A vivid blue virtual screen had appeared in midair a little over a meter in front of him.

A notification appeared on it:

[Cleansing Talisman has taken effect!]

He looked toward the kitchen windowsill. Sure enough, the fine dust in the gaps between the sill and the window frame had vanished.

The kitchen windows had originally looked clean at first glance, but they were actually a little hazy, somewhere between dirty and clean.

After he used the Cleansing Talisman, the glass became spotless again, so clear it looked as though there were no panes at all.

The cobwebs on the ceiling, the soy sauce splashes on the walls, and even the grease on the range hood's exterior exhaust duct had all been cleaned away without a trace.

"This Cleansing Talisman really works miracles..."

Seeing the results, Lin Zhe couldn't help marveling once again. This thing was incredible!

After using the Cleansing Talisman, Lin Zhe finally locked the kitchen door and headed toward the inn's front lobby.

The inn's rooms weren't fully booked tonight either, so Lin Zhe would stay in the same room he'd used the night before.

"Boss, I'm heading home. The inn's all yours."

As Lin Zhe stepped into the lobby, Hu Ting had just picked up her bag and was getting ready to leave.

"Boss, if there's nothing else, we'll be heading home."

"See you tomorrow, boss."

The two aunties in charge of cleaning also smiled and said goodbye when they saw Lin Zhe.

Lin Zhe might not even have been as old as their grandsons.

Still, they respected him greatly and were grateful that he'd given them this opportunity to work.

Lin Zhe smiled and waved goodbye to all three. "See you tomorrow, everyone. Stay safe on the way home."

"Oh, boss, I heard from Auntie Wang that our canteen's short-staffed and hiring again?"

After hesitating for quite a while, Hu Ting finally asked.

Lin Zhe looked at Hu Ting and nodded. "That's right. The kitchen serves three meals a day, and four people can't keep up, so we're planning to hire a few more."

"Ahem, um, boss, I have an older cousin who's at home with nothing to do. She's been wanting to find a job. Could she come and apply?"

Hu Ting felt rather embarrassed saying this. She'd only been here two days and was already recommending a relative for a job at the inn.

"Of course she can. Being related doesn't mean you shouldn't recommend a good candidate. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. As long as she's dependable and works efficiently, that's all that matters."

Lin Zhe didn't see anything wrong with what Hu Ting was doing. Hiring people whose backgrounds they knew was better than bringing in a few random strangers.

Hu Ting nodded eagerly. "She's reliable! Absolutely reliable! My cousin's really honest and hardworking!"

"Then that's fine. But... I've already put Xiaomeng fully in charge of hiring. Talk to her and see whether she's filled all the positions yet."

"Okay, boss! I'll get in touch with Xiaomeng in a bit!"

Once they finished discussing the hiring, Hu Ting left with the two cleaning aunties.

Lin Zhe stayed on duty at the front desk until after ten that night.

Just as he was about to return to his room and sleep, he suddenly heard two familiar voices coming from the courtyard outside the inn.

The two people talking were some distance from the entrance. He couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, only the general gist.

Curious, Lin Zhe rose from his seat and followed the voices with his gaze out into the courtyard, where he spotted the two people chatting.

The woman was a petite-looking girl in a white dress.

The man was a Taoist priest in a dark blue-black robe, with a round, chubby face and an equally plump figure.

Fatty and... Du Huan? Chatting outside this late? Something's off. There's definitely something going on between those two.

Squinting slightly at the pair outside and stroking his chin with his left hand, Lin Zhe turned into Lin Holmes and spotted a clue.

"You guessed right. There really is something going on between them."

A girl's voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, giving Lin Holmes a fright.

He turned his head and discovered that Li Li had come down from the second floor without him noticing.

"I think they're dating."

Li Li winked her left eye at Lin Zhe, her expression that of a spectator eagerly awaiting some juicy gossip.