School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

Chapter 169 Grand Opening Gift

"The college entrance exam is just around the corner." Chen Zihan linked her arm through Xiao Han's, and the two of them walked hand in hand down the street. The closer they got to the college entrance exam, the more relaxed they felt. The fear they had of the exam seemed to diminish. Chen Zihan asked with a giggle, "Are you nervous?"

"Not nervous!" Xiao Han shook his head, then smiled, "It's just an exam, why get nervous?"

"You make it sound so easy." Chen Zihan glanced at Xiao Han and said, "But this is an exceptionally meaningful exam, the most important one in a person's life. If you do well this time, it'll be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate."

"But even if you succeed, so what?" Xiao Han laughed, then said, "Many people get into prestigious schools, and still end up accomplishing nothing, right? Some can't even find a job.

With such huge employment pressure in our country, millions of graduates enter the job market each year, and even if you attend a prestigious university, doesn't everyone still have to start from scratch at the starting line in the end?"

"But it's not the same," Chen Zihan huffed, "At least the employment prospects are better for graduates from prestigious universities, and they start out on a higher platform. Even if they start at the same starting line, the gap will widen after a few years."

"That may be true, but even if you graduate from a top school, aren't you still working for someone else for the rest of your life?" Xiao Han said with a calm smile.

"This..." On hearing this, Chen Zihan immediately replied indignantly, "You, why are you always so negative? Can't you be more positive? Think of things in a more beautiful light?"

"Hehe..." Xiao Han chuckled.

With the college entrance exam just a month away, everyone in LJ city was anxiously waiting, filled with nervous tension. The heat content in the air was also rising, causing these kids to feel an increasing sense of urgency.

May 4th, Youth Day.

Across from the entrance to Fuxing Community, Hanmen Catering was finally opening.

At the entrance, the ground had been cemented, and a row of green plants had been placed. Compared to the previous desolate scene, it now looked quite beautiful. The three-story residential building had been renovated with distinctive features, topped with glazed tiles and a few designs, looking like a small western-style house from the Ming and Qing Dynasty era in Jiangnan.

Red lanterns hung from the upper floors, giving it a particularly festive look.

Inside the restaurant, the decor was rich with Chinese characteristics. Right at the entrance was a 'well' shaped Chinese railing, complemented by partitions made of wine-red wood, adorned with a Guan Erye and an array of offerings in front. Turning right into the restaurant, there was a large, brightly lit hall, with Chinese-style lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Below was a series of round tables, each able to seat ten people. At the very back was a large table that could accommodate twenty-two guests.

The styling on the first floor was simple and elegant, with a strong Chinese flavor.

The second and third floors were private rooms, with over twenty in total, ranging from the smallest six-person rooms to the largest that fit over thirty people. Almost half of the rooms came with mahjong tables and card rooms, allowing guests to play cards without worrying about entertainment.

The renovation of this three-story residence had cost over a million, truly luxurious.

At noon, a range of fireworks were arrayed at the front, and a large string of firecrackers was set up. A multitude of floral baskets filled the area from the two rows at the entrance all the way to the street. The three-story building was adorned with celebration banners, and Yang Lu had used her connections to have numerous organizations and companies send their greetings.

These banners added to the grand atmosphere.

"It finally looks decent." Li Dapang excitedly observed the setting, feeling utterly thrilled inside.

"What do you mean by 'decent'?" Yang Lu immediately retorted dissatisfied, "If you think you can do better, go ahead!"

"Hehe, Sister Yang, I can't!" Li Dapang quickly ducked away from Yang Lu's resentful gaze.

"If you can't, then don't talk nonsense." Yang Lu snorted.

Liu Xiaolei was bustling about nearby; today was her formal first day of work. As the manager, she needed to coordinate and oversee everything. She had to handle all the minor and major matters in the hotel. From disputes with customers to small issues in the kitchen, she had the responsibility to attend to them all. Although it was exhausting, it ensured that there would be no problems.

Today was the first day of business and was especially important.

The crowd of well-wishers had already arrived not too far away, standing at a distance to watch. Your next read awaits at empire

"Is it time yet?" Yang Lu asked.

"Five minutes to go!" Li Dapang hastily replied.

"Where's Xiao Han, why isn't he here yet?" Yang Lu asked.

"He should have finished teaching by now and is on his way!" Li Dapang glanced at the time; it was Sunday, and Xiao Han had a teaching session in the morning that could end by around 11:40 a.m. Now it was already three minutes past noon. They had chosen 12:08 p.m. as the opening time. It was considered a very auspicious and lucky moment.

No sooner had Li Dapang finished speaking than Xiao Han had alighted from the taxi. He approached from a distance.

"Xiao Han!" Yang Lu called out eagerly.

"I'm here!" Xiao Han ran over.

Amidst the hustle and bustle inside, Liu Xiaolei caught sight of Xiao Han as he ran up. She curiously stepped out and asked, "Xiao Han, you... why have you come too?"

"I..." Xiao Han was startled. He looked at Liu Xiaolei clad in her black professional uniform, with a low-frequency communicator hanging around her neck. To streamline management, the hotel was equipped with earpieces and walkie-talkies to save efficiency and increase the labor rate. Liu Xiaolei had her hair pinned up, revealing her fair neck, which was quite pretty.

Xiao Han was so captivated that he was momentarily lost in a daze.

"You..." Liu Xiaolei glared at Xiao Han, and the scene where Xiao Han had kissed her and hugged her, even stripping off her clothes, immediately flashed through her mind. Her face turned red at once, and Liu Xiaolei said in a low angry voice, "You little rascal, still staring!"

"Hehe..." Xiao Han chuckled and said, "Sister Xiao Lei, I'm here for a part-time job. Today's my first day!"

"Ah?" Liu Xiaolei was surprised and quickly said, "Didn't you already have a part-time job?"

"That one's in the evening," Xiao Han hurriedly explained. "This one's in the afternoon."

"Don't you have classes to attend?" Liu Xiaolei frowned.

"I'll only come to help on Sunday afternoons," Xiao Han said with a chuckle.

"Oh..." Liu Xiaolei actually believed him because Xiao Han's family was quite poor, so he had to work various part-time jobs to save enough money for his college tuition. Liu Xiaolei glanced at Xiao Han and said, "Silly boy, don't overwork yourself, you're about to have your college entrance exams. Just go back and focus on your studies, I'll cover your college tuition!"

Pop pop pop...

Just as Liu Xiaolei finished speaking, the sound of firecrackers erupted.

At twelve minutes past noon, Hanmen Catering officially opened for business. Countless strings of firecrackers and salutes were let off simultaneously. The atmosphere was festive and lively. A crowd of well-wishers not too far away began to make their way into the hotel. These were the first customers. Most were there by invitation, being friends of Yang Lu or Hanmen Catering's manager, Zhao Lizhong.

Both of them had a wide network of contacts and had invited quite a number of people. Together with food lovers who had heard the news and flocked here, the private rooms on the second and third floors were quickly filled to two-thirds capacity, and nearly half of the seats in the hall were taken. Suddenly, the hotel was bustling with activity.

"Wow, so many people!" Li Dapang exclaimed.

"This must be considered a roaring start," Yang Lu said standing at the entrance, her face filled with joy.

Liu Xiaolei was busy throughout, paying no more attention to Xiao Han. But Xiao Han had listened intently to Liu Xiaolei's aforementioned remark. Xiao Han and Li Dapang changed into the waitstaff uniform and, at the same time, Xiao Han discreetly reminded Yang Lu and the others to keep his identity a secret.

"Xiao Han, you and Liu Xiaolei seem to have quite the special relationship, huh?" Li Dapang chuckled.

"Don't talk nonsense," Xiao Han warned with a glare. "My relationship with Liu Xiaolei is pure."

"Haha..." Li Dapang laughed while serving dishes, "Why don't I believe that?"

Xiao Han's lips curled into a mischievous smile and he chuckled, "Get back to work."

On the first day of opening, there were bound to be teething issues and unavoidable mistakes. Moreover, most of the dozen or so waitstaff hired had not been trained, so they needed more help from Xiao Han and Li Dapang. More hands make for lighter work. Yang Lu also joined the assistance team. In the kitchen, two head chefs with seven or eight apprentices were busy at work.

There were four people in charge of wok cooking, and five or six others involved in chopping and preparing ingredients.

The kitchen was abuzz with intense activity. Everyone was working with great enthusiasm.

The thriving popularity on the first day set a good precedent. The number of lunchtime customers kept increasing. Eventually, a queue formed at the entrance. However, the flow was fast-paced. With such a large hotel, people left quickly and new ones arrived. This cycle continued for nearly half an hour.

It was not until two in the afternoon that the number of diners began to dwindle, but the business didn't decrease; it continued steadily, even until three or four in the afternoon there were still people coming in for meals.

At three o'clock, Yang Lu and Xiao Han went upstairs to dine on the third floor.

During the meal, Yang Lu tallied up the noon's sales revenue.

"Hehe..." Yang Lu chuckled and said, "Just the revenue from this afternoon is pretty substantial."

"How much?" Li Dapang asked eagerly.

"Guess?" Yang Lu teased with a giggle.

"Based on an average spending of a hundred per person, there must have been around a hundred customers, right? So that's ten thousand?" Li Dapang guessed curiously.

"You're underestimating Hanmen Catering too much," Yang Lu snorted lightly. "The revenue for the afternoon is thirty-three thousand. Out of that, twenty thousand came from drinks alone. We sold a bottle of Maotai, three bottles of Five Grain liquor, and multiple bottles of Zhang Gongwang. Plus beers and Yedao Deer Turtle liquor. It looks like we need to stock up more on Zhang Gongwang."