I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

"Driver, to Yung Valley Science and Technology Park."

Li Zhibai opened the car door, sat in the back seat, and immediately gave a place name.

Since he started having some money in his pocket, he's too lazy to even squeeze onto the subway anymore. He takes taxis everywhere he goes, which is very capricious, but also very enjoyable.

The car started from Financial Street, passed through the most congested sections of the city center, and then went up the overpass. More than forty minutes later, Li Zhibai was already dozing off when they finally arrived at the Yung Valley Software Technology Park that Yang Chongwu had mentioned.

This software technology park focuses on internet and technological innovation, and the city provides substantial policy support. However, it has only attracted a small number of small and medium-sized startups that lack funds. This is mainly because, apart from a subway station, the surrounding facilities are not adequate, and many areas are still undeveloped farmland, making it inconvenient for employees to even get a meal.

After paying the fare, Li Zhibai entered the lobby of Building C in Yung Valley.

The lobby was new, but also empty; there were hardly any people around. Then he took the brand-new elevator to the tenth floor.

bite-

We arrived at the tenth floor quickly.

As soon as the elevator doors opened and turned a corner, Li Zhibai saw a sign hanging on the outside of room 1011: [Xingwu Network Technology Co., Ltd.]

The name sounds impressive, but the company entrance is a bit small. Behind the glass door is an open-plan office area that you can see right through.

As soon as Li Zhibai pushed open the door, he saw Yang Chongwu.

Yang Chongwu was talking to a young man who looked like a programmer: "If you can fix this bug today, I'll have your sister-in-law give you an extra chicken leg tomorrow."

The young man's eyes lit up immediately: "Brother Yang, you keep your word!"

Yang Chongwu: "When have I ever lied to you? I'll tell my wife about it later."

Li Zhibai stood at the door and watched this scene. He thought to himself that the company atmosphere was good. The boss not only treated his employees like brothers, but also made such realistic promises.

"Cough! Cough!" Seeing that Yang Chongwu hadn't noticed him yet, he coughed deliberately.

Yang Chongwu turned around and immediately straightened up to greet him: "Boss Li, welcome, welcome! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have come down to meet you."

Then he turned to the programmer and gave him some instructions before leading Li Zhibai inside.

Li Zhibai followed him around the company.

The company is not large, only a little over 100 square meters. The open-plan office area has a dozen or so tables and about ten people sitting there. When they saw the boss bring in a stranger, they just glanced at him curiously and then continued to work.

The office also has a small tea room with a microwave, refrigerator, coffee machine, etc. The south-facing side has a full-length glass window, which provides excellent natural light.

As they walked, Yang Chongwu pointed out the different areas: "This is the development team, that's the operations team, and that small cubicle at the very back is the finance team..."

He finished his introduction quickly, because it was so small there wasn't much to explain.

As Li Zhibai passed by a programmer, he noticed a sticky note on the bezel of the programmer's computer monitor with the words "[If you encounter a bug, you'll eat shit!]" written on it.

He couldn't help but ask the other person, "Brother, have you kept the promise you made on that sticky note?"

The programmer said with a serious expression, "It has been fulfilled."

"...You really ate it?"

"Yes, I ate it. It's chocolate flavored."

Li Zhibai: "..."

If you want chocolate, just say so! You're dishonest!

After touring the office area, Yang Chongwu led Li Zhibai to his office.

Yang Chongwu's office was also small, just a small room separated by glass, with a desk, a chair, a bookshelf, and a folding bed in the corner with a thin blanket on it.

"Brother, do you sleep at the company every night? Doesn't your wife have any objections?" Li Zhibai couldn't help but ask.

Yang Chongwu shook his head: "I just sometimes work too late and end up spending the night here. My wife does have complaints about it and calls me every day to urge me to get some rest."

Li Zhibai nodded, it seemed that the couple had a good relationship.

Then he looked around the small office again and couldn't help but think to himself that starting a business is indeed the fastest way for the middle class to fall back into poverty, and there may not even be one.

When Yang Chongwu worked at a large company, his annual salary plus stock options earned him a purple salary. Now that he's a boss, he's in the green – that's the price of wanting to be a boss.

In the following days, Li Zhibai followed Yang Chongwu around to watch him work in order to gather inspiration. He watched him hold meetings, revise requirements, make phone calls, and get scolded by clients... no, he was scolded by clients.

After reading it, he had only one thought: starting a business is something that not just anyone can do!

Just after six o'clock in the afternoon, Li Zhibai noticed a strange phenomenon.

Even though it was already past the end of the workday, none of the guys at their workstations packed up and left; they were still working diligently.

Seriously? Yang Chongwu seems like a pretty good guy. Could it be that he also likes the 996 "blessing" mentality?

Just as Li Zhibai was about to subtly condemn this heinous capitalist behavior, the sound of a trolley suddenly came from the office doorway.

Then a woman in her thirties pushed a small cart into the office.

The woman wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was very pleasing to the eye. She had a gentle smile on her face, giving off a particularly virtuous and comfortable feeling. She was the kind of person who knew how to manage a household.

There was a large insulated container and two large boxes of instant noodles on the trolley.

"sister in law!"

"My sister-in-law is here!"

"What delicious food did you cook today, sister-in-law?"

"Is my sister-in-law having instant noodles today?"

"..."

The group of employees who were just busy saw her come in and immediately put down their work and surrounded her, looking forward to dinner.

Yang Chongwu's wife pushed the cart to the tea room, lifted the lid of the thermos, and a rich aroma of braised beef wafted out instantly.

"I specially stewed braised beef for you guys to eat with instant noodles today."

The employees' eyes lit up when they saw the bucket of braised beef.

"Sister-in-law, you're so hardcore! I've only ever seen pictures of braised beef noodles with big chunks of beef online before. I never thought I'd get to eat freshly made ones today."

"Sister-in-law, you understand our stomachs so well!"

"..."

Each employee received a bowl of instant noodles, tore open the packaging, took out the seasoning packet and fork, and then lined up to go to the insulated container to scoop a large spoonful of still steaming braised beef topping and pour it over the noodles.

A few minutes later, the lid was lifted, and the entire office area was filled with the aroma of braised beef noodles and the sound of slurping.

"Sister-in-law, your braised beef is delicious! It's even better than what I've had at restaurants."

"Sister-in-law, why don't you just open a shop? I'll eat there every day."

"........."

Looking at the lively scene of people eating outside from his office, Li Zhibai couldn't help but admire the couple's ability to motivate their employees. Using delicious food to encourage the young people in the office to work overtime was much more effective than empty promises or a "wolf culture."

Even if he had joined a company like this, he would have wanted to stay longer and work overtime.

Yang Chongwu and Li Zhibai came out of the office together and introduced him.

"Boss Li, this is my wife, Shan Xiaoqin. During the time I was starting my business, I relied entirely on her to provide logistical support."

Shan Xiaoqin extended her hand and smiled at Li Zhibai, "Hello, Boss Li. Old Yang often mentions you to me. He says you are the most amazing chef he has ever met."

Li Zhibai reached out and shook her hand, saying modestly, "Sister-in-law, you flatter me. I'm just the number one in Jiangcheng."

Shan Xiaoqin: "..."

Li Zhibai exchanged a few more polite words with the couple, and then he and Yang Chongwu each ordered a bowl of braised beef noodles.

After it was ready, he simply lifted the lid and started eating. The instant noodles tasted like regular instant noodles, which was nothing special, but the beef brisket was indeed stewed very well, tender and flavorful, with a savory and salty taste in every bite.

Although it doesn't taste as good as the dishes he makes himself, this level is already better than most restaurants on the market, and it's delicious.

"Sister-in-law, do you bring food over every day?" Li Zhibai asked after taking a few bites of noodles.

Shan Xiaoqin nodded: "Yes, we only have one meal a day for lunch and one for dinner. These employees have worked hard to start this business with Lao Yang, and we can't pay them too much for the time being. I can only try to find a way to make sure they eat well."

Several employees nearby spoke up for her after hearing what she said.

"Sister-in-law, you don't know, when I went home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, my mom said I had gained weight. Before, at my previous company, I ate takeout every day and got food poisoning several times. I even had stomach cramps and had to go to the emergency room. But after I came to our company, not only was my stomach fine, but I also gained five pounds."

"Yes, sister-in-law, you always cook us different delicious dishes, and I've gained a few pounds too."

"It's so good not having to order takeout!"

"Yes! Takeout is not only expensive but also tastes terrible. I ordered takeout at home on the weekend and it cost me over thirty yuan. It turned out to be pre-made food. I'm speechless."

"I'd rather work two extra hours at the company every day and eat my sister-in-law's cooking than go back home and eat takeout."

"..."

Li Zhibai listened to their complaints about the current state of food delivery and deeply sympathized with them.

Before he opened Shaxian Restaurant, he often ordered takeout. Those takeout meals were definitely not great, and if you were unlucky, you might even get some "surprises".

These employees can now enjoy the delicious food cooked by the boss's wife every day, and they do feel happier than those working people who eat takeout every day. And based on what he learned today, Yang Chongwu is indeed not the kind of boss who would exploit his employees. Otherwise, if he were even a little stingy, he wouldn't have almost fallen back into poverty so quickly.

In short, after half a day of learning, Li Zhibai has gained a certain understanding of Yang Chongwu and his entrepreneurial team.

The boss has a great relationship with his employees, who are very motivated. He also has a supportive wife who stayed by his side during the low points of his business and helped with logistics.

To be honest, he felt that Yang Chongwu was just one benefactor or one opportunity away from soaring to great heights.

.............

After finishing the braised beef noodles, it was almost 7 o'clock.

Yang Chongwu glanced at his watch and his expression changed: "Oh no, Boss Li, I have an appointment with a client at 7:30, I have to go right away."

Li Zhibai: "Are you meeting with clients again tonight?"

"Well, when you're starting a business, the customer is king. I'm available whenever the king is available," Yang Chongwu said with a wry smile.

Li Zhibai thought for a moment and said, "Let's go, I'll go with you to take a look."

His main purpose in coming today was to find inspiration. Although I didn't want to go through all that trouble with him late at night, I figured I'd just have to work hard for the sake of my passion for food and new dishes.

Seeing that the two were about to leave, Shan Xiaoqin couldn't help but remind Yang Chongwu, "Drink less alcohol."

"Okay, we're off now!"

The two went downstairs, got into a car, and drove eastward.

"Brother Yang, who was your first client?"

"We've been talking to them for almost a month, and they're quite interested in our SaaS product."

Is there any chance?

"There should be... right?"

Li Zhibai: "..."

Well, then the chances are slim.

Twenty minutes later, the car entered the cross-border industrial park.

Twenty minutes later, the two came out of the building.

"Let's move on to the next one."

"Wow, you're rushing this way." Li Zhibai really didn't want to move anymore.

Yang Chongwu rallied his spirits and said, "The second client's appointment is at nine o'clock, there's nothing we can do about it."

I hailed another car.

Yang Chongwu didn't say a word the whole way, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes to rest.

Li Zhibai didn't disturb him. He could tell that Yang Chongwu was very tired. He had worked all day at the company and then had to rush to meet with clients in the evening. It was a fitting description to say that he was physically and mentally exhausted.

After following this trip today, Li Zhibai has truly witnessed the hardships of entrepreneurs.

In comparison, he found running a Shaxian restaurant much more enjoyable than the other party.

Not only do they not have to worry about what others think, but they can also take advantage of those rich suckers from time to time. They don't need to please anyone at all; they can eat or not eat as they please.

Yang Chongwu was different; he genuinely begged his customers with a smile.

Another half hour passed.

They went to a teppanyaki restaurant and met the client surnamed Sun.

Mr. Sun was sitting at a U-shaped bar in the center of the restaurant, drinking red wine and watching the chef prepare dishes.

This type of restaurant is quite popular in big cities, as it allows diners to enjoy their meals while watching the chefs prepare the food.

Upon seeing the person, Yang Chongwu immediately walked over to him and said apologetically, "Mr. Sun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's okay, I just arrived too."

After exchanging pleasantries, Mr. Sun looked at Li Zhibai and asked, "And this gentleman is?"

"Mr. Sun, this is my friend, Boss Li. He owns a restaurant and is also a very skilled chef," Yang Chongwu introduced.

"Boss Li, this is General Manager Sun."

Upon hearing that the young man was a very skilled chef, Mr. Sun immediately became interested: "Boss Li, what cuisine do you cook?"

"Shaxian cuisine," Li Zhibai said casually.

Mr. Sun: "???"

Shaxian cuisine?

No, this thing even has a cuisine?