Chapter Twelve: Dividend Distribution

  According to the appointment with Ma Jianzhong last time, Su Qing walked into the Northeast Hall again a month later.

  The scene in the store is a world of difference from the desertedness of last month, with every seat taken and customers queuing up at the service counter.

  There are guests of all ages in the hall, and they eat with great relish on a crisp autumn day.

  Ma Jianzhong, who was entertaining guests at the window, suddenly saw Su Qing's slender figure with a bamboo basket on her back, and his eyes lit up. He whispered a few words to the person next to him and walked towards Su Qing.

  "How's that? Not bad, right?" Ma Jianzhong couldn't help but ask with a smile as he waited for Su Qing to finish taking in the scene inside the hall, his tone filled with an air of expectation and praise.

  What's the big deal? Seeking praise? Seeking compliments? Su Qing turned her head to look at Ma Jianzhong, whose face couldn't hide his smug expression, and couldn't help but wonder if this was still the same restaurant owner who always wore a smile and remained calm in the face of trouble.

  After confirming that it was indeed Ma Jianzhong himself, Su Qing came to a conclusion: not only did every angel have a devil hiding behind them, but also every steady and reliable man had a childish and introverted personality hidden behind him.

  "It's not bad, business is good, but if you switch to any other one, it will have the same effect." I'm an honest kid, can only tell the truth, and declare that it's not intentional to strike you.

  Ma Jianzhong smiled, his smile slightly cracked, and he rubbed his nose to cover up the awkwardness. This kid is really unbearable, what he said was not wrong, but for someone who has just tasted the sweetness of success, wouldn't a word of praise be nice?

  Su Qing seemed unaware of Ma Jian's grievances and followed the crowd to a private room.

  Outside, there were many people queuing up for seats, but here was an empty private room. Su Qing didn't need to guess why it was like this. Her good impression of him increased a bit more in her heart.

  Ma Jianzhong ordered two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, plus a soup, and handed them over to the waiter.

  "Xiao Yu, bring me the tea leaves from the store while you're at it." Ma Jianzhong instructed the waitress who was about to leave after taking their order.

  "Alright, boss." Xiaoyu responded softly, closing the door gently and heading towards the kitchen, but her mind was still muttering away.

  The little girl with a calm and handsome face who was just with the boss, she knew that it was the one who challenged Luo Shu's culinary skills last time. After the challenge, Luo Shu was very depressed for several days. As for the result of the challenge, no one mentioned it again. However, judging from Luo Shu's state, it didn't seem like he won.

  At that time, they only saw the dishes made by the little girl, and as soon as they were served, there were customers shouting to order. Then, the taste of their store's dishes rose linearly, extremely delicious, and the business was booming. What's more exciting is that their bonuses also rose with the tide, and among the waiters on this street, their store had the best treatment.

  Due to the large number of guests at noon, many people had to queue up and wait. Sometimes, in order to fight for seats, they would quarrel until their faces turned red and even get into physical fights. However, today when the meeting was held, the boss asked them to reserve a private room.

  At this time, a private room was reserved, Xiaoyu and others thought that it must be an extremely important guest for the boss.

  I didn't expect it to be that little girl from last time, and the boss even asked her to bring out the precious tea leaves that he himself was reluctant to drink.

  Look at this attitude, more attentive than receiving a distinguished guest. In the lobby by the window, there is already a table for distinguished guests, said to be from above, and the boss hasn't even brought out good tea.

  Xiao Yu could think of was that since the little girl came, the business in the store immediately picked up, could it be related to her...

  Thinking of this, Xiaoyu quickly suppressed the idea in her heart. Since the boss didn't say anything, it means he doesn't want them to know. She's just a waitress, and from now on, she'll be more careful and attentive when serving that little girl. What else does she have to do with another low-paid service staff?

  "Why don't you care about so many guests outside? I can wait." Especially the table by the window, Su Qing's residual vision had swept to it when she entered, and from the arrangement of cigarette and wine labels on the table, it could be seen that these people were not ordinary.

  "No need, the service staff in the store will take care of it. These guests just need to serve wine and dishes well." He seemed to not put those people in his heart.

  After the tea was brought over, Ma Jianzhong personally used an electric kettle to boil water and make tea. He told Su Qing about the changes in the store over this period of time, speaking with flying eyebrows and a radiant complexion, his confidence and determination evident without needing to be said. The bit of melancholy from when he first saw him due to being talented but not meeting the right opportunity had vanished without a trace, and his entire body was radiating hope and anticipation for the future.

  "There's 10,000 yuan inside, it's this month's dividend, take it." After finishing dinner, Ma Jianzhong handed over a thick envelope to Su Qing, along with an account book.

  Su Qing took the envelope and didn't take the bill. This wasn't because she trusted the other party, but from the amount of seasonings provided, combined with what she saw in the lobby earlier, she could roughly estimate how much profit the store made in a month.

  Ten thousand yuan, if in ten years later, definitely feel less, but in 1995, this ten thousand yuan, three tenths of it, Ma Jianzhong gave to him, no more or less.

  Ma Jianzhong saw Su Qing didn't take the bill, and casually put it on the table, without any further courtesy, which would have been too hypocritical.

  Businessmen can't help but be cunning, but towards Su Qing, he absolutely wouldn't. Apart from the many things about this kid that people couldn't understand, and his calm and steady demeanor, it was also because Su Qing held a special meaning in his heart.

  If the business of the store doesn't pick up, he'll have to swallow his pride and admit defeat to his father. His confidence will also collapse. If it weren't for the timely appearance of this kid, his life might be a completely different scenario. He would have given up on his own thoughts and accepted his father's arrangements, embarking on a life journey that he had strongly resisted.

  It's actually an exaggeration to say that he valued Su Qing, it was just a gamble when he fell off the cliff.

  The child did not disappoint him. How much money he earned was secondary; the key thing was that he had rebuilt his unparalleled confidence once again.

  His attitude towards children is respectful, or rather, when he's being worshipped as a god of wealth, in his heart he feels it's not excessive at all.

  "The dishes in our store are fresh and delicious, after being promoted, the number of tourist customers has increased a lot, several travel companies have signed long-term agreements with us, now the main customers in the store are mostly foreign tourists."

  Ma Jianzhong refilled the empty cup in front of Su Qing with tea, and continued to say: "But as the weather gets colder and colder, fewer and fewer tourists come here. By the time winter really sets in, there will be almost no one coming to play..." Ma Jianzhong was not blinded by the current profits, but immediately thought ahead to the bleak winter when business would be slow, and couldn't help but worry.

  He was just venting his worries and felt that after all, the two of them were now in a cooperative relationship, like two crickets on the same boat, their relationship had naturally become much closer.

  However, he did not expect Su Qing to give any good advice. Although Su Qing could make such a magical and delicious sauce, it was not easy, but that did not change the fact that she was just a thirteen-year-old child. How could she possibly understand these management issues?

  Without a long-term plan, there will be immediate worries. Being able to have such a mindset is indeed rare. Given time, he will surely achieve great things. Su Qing couldn't help but admire him in her heart.