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

The first day after the long holiday.

Li Zhibai slept until he naturally woke up.

Comfortable.

so comfy.

He hasn't slept until almost 10 a.m. in so many days.

If he hadn't promised Su Su that he would cook at her restaurant at noon today, he could have slept until 2 p.m.

I got up, got dressed, washed up... I tousled my hair in front of the mirror and nodded with a sense of satisfaction.

"handsome!"

"Set off!"

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

A dozen minutes later, Li Zhibai arrived at the entrance of the Suwei Restaurant.

The hostess at the door recognized him immediately and greeted him sweetly:

"Master Li, you've arrived!"

"Where is Sister Su Su?"

"The boss is in the kitchen. She said you can just go and find her when you arrive."

Li Zhibai nodded and walked towards the kitchen with practiced ease.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he saw Su Su and head chef Ma Yinming discussing some dishes. Upon seeing Li Zhibai enter, Su Su immediately put down what she was holding and came over to greet him.

"Master, you've arrived!"

"Here you are. Are there many people ordering my dishes today?"

Su Su nodded: "A lot! There are so many people making reservations today. You couldn't come during the long holiday, and many people wanted to order but couldn't. I could only tell them that the head chef wasn't here. As a result, they called every day to ask when the head chef would come. My phone was almost ringing off the hook."

"As soon as you arrived today, I sent a notification to the members' group early this morning, and in less than half an hour, Su Hongchen had already ordered more than forty servings."

Li Zhibai quickly did some mental calculations.

More than forty servings, based on the pricing of Su Su Restaurant and the standard of ten yuan per serving, would amount to more than 80,000 yuan. He would take 40%, which is more than 30,000 yuan.

"Hmm, it's alright." He nodded pretentiously.

Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, Su Su's little face was full of envy and admiration.

"Master, when will I be able to have your skills? My restaurant has been rated as a Black Pearl One Diamond, but I don't even have a single dish that people can't forget after eating it. I don't know if I can make such a dish in my lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhibai thought to himself: How can that be the same? Your master is a man with a system, a cheat code, you know? It's indeed very difficult for a normal human like you to make a system-level god-level dish through your own efforts, and I can't help you!

Of course, the master should still offer encouragement.

"Sister Su Su, you can't say that. As the saying goes, the master leads you through the door, but the practice is up to you. Your talent is already very good, you just haven't figured it out yet. Once you do, you'll be able to make top-quality food just like your master."

Su Su's big eyes lit up: "Really? Master, do you mean I've already reached the threshold?"

"Yes! If you study for another twenty years, you should be able to reach one-thousandth of my current level."

Su Su: "..."

Master, is this considered comforting someone?

I feel so hopeless!

Li Zhibai got down to business: "Alright, are the ingredients ready? I'll go cook first; we need to hurry up with the forty-odd servings of Su Hongchen today."

He turned to change his clothes and get to work, but Su Su suddenly called out to him, "Wait, Master!"

"What's wrong?"

"Please come with me to the finance office first." Su Su pulled his arm and walked towards the finance office.

After entering the finance office.

Su Su took out a printed bill from the cabinet and handed it to him: "Master, this is last month's account. I have already checked it. Please take a look."

Li Zhibai took the bill and glanced at it. It recorded the sales revenue of dishes such as Su Hongchen that he had cooked at the Suwei Restaurant last month.

"Last month, the total revenue from the dishes you cooked at my restaurant was 1431000 yuan. As we agreed before, you would take 4%, so the amount you are entitled to is 572400 yuan."

Li Zhibai remained calm upon hearing the number. A mere 57... It was truly a wise decision to agree to let Su Su work as a chef in her shop!

Su Su suddenly changed the subject: "However, Master, there is something I need to make clear to you first. This money is your personal labor remuneration, not your business income. According to tax law, 20% personal income tax needs to be withheld in advance."

Li Zhibai: "..."

Twenty percent?

That would amount to over ten thousand, right?

Although he felt a little heartbroken, he accepted it anyway.

After all, paying taxes legally is the duty of every citizen.

"Deduct it," Li Zhibai said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, Master. After the tax is deducted, you will receive 457920 yuan. I will have the finance department transfer it to you now."

A few minutes later, more than 40 yuan was deposited into his personal account.

Li Zhibai opened his bank app and checked his balance. Adding the more than 440 million yuan that was already in his bank account, his bank account now had more than 490 million yuan.

I'm just a few tens of thousands short of 500 million.

500 million!!!

This is a new milestone.

From childhood to adulthood, the phrase "winning 5 million" is the ultimate fantasy etched in the hearts of every ordinary person. Everyone likes to say that if they could win 5 million in the lottery, they could live a life of ease.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhibai actually managed to save up 500 million yuan.

500 million!!!

Li Zhibai stared at the numbers on his phone, wanting to laugh.

I really want to laugh.

I absolutely want to laugh.

The urge to force a smile was so strong.

"Heh..."

As soon as he uttered a single note, he quickly covered his mouth with his hand. Su Su was still standing next to him; he couldn't laugh like a madman in front of his apprentice.

Su Su noticed the muscles on her master's face twitching slightly and immediately guessed what he was planning to do.

My master always has this expression whenever he makes money, like a villainous big boss.

"Um... Master, I'll go to the kitchen to check on the ingredients. You can come right over after you've finished checking the accounts." She left very considerately.

The moment the finance office door closed.

"Hehehehehe!!!"

Li Zhibai could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

"500 million! I'm finally going to save up 500 million!!!"

From graduation and unemployment to being heavily in debt, from being heavily in debt to earning over 10,000 yuan a day, from earning over 10,000 yuan a day to now having 5 million yuan... How many people of the same age in Jiangcheng can do this?

No, looking across the whole country, only Li Zhibai has achieved this level of success by opening a Shaxian restaurant!

"I'm still too awesome!"

"Hehehe..."

Just as Li Zhibai was laughing more and more maniacally and obliviously, his phone suddenly rang.

He accepted it without even looking at it.

"Hello! Who is it?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Li Zhibai? This is the Jiangcheng Tax Bureau. Your tax filing deadline for this month is approaching. Please complete the declaration and payment of value-added tax and surcharges before the 15th of this month..."

"Um... how much will I need to pay approximately?"

"Based on your business data, your tax liability is approximately..." The person on the other end of the phone quoted an astronomical figure.

After hearing this, Li Zhibai felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; it was as if he could see that 500 million yuan slipping further and further away from him once again.

After the call ended, the smile on his face completely disappeared.

"My money... my five million... it's going to fly away again!"

"Passwords? Do you know how hard it is for me to make a living?!"

"Could the tax bureau please not call when people are in the best of moods?"

System: [Host, your joy has turned to sorrow.]

Li Zhibai: "..."

System: [This system has already warned you: don't laugh too loudly when you're making money, or you might suffer a backlash.]

Li Zhibai: "..."

System: [Just a friendly reminder, host, you haven't settled the bill for your ingredients yet.]

Li Zhibai: "Shut up!"