Hole-in-the-Wall Eatery 18

Zhou Miaomiao eventually left with the delivery man to head to work, and Su Man closed up shop after serving the final two customers.

It had been a busy day with plenty of expenses. Looking at the ledger Youyou had provided, the revenue wasn't particularly high—only around five hundred—leaving her still far off from the ten-thousand-currency goal. However, Su Man wasn't overly concerned; the biggest chunk of revenue lay with Boss Zhu, provided he was still alive.

Reflecting on this, she realized she needed to plan ahead. Some things had to be firmly in her own hands; relying on others was never a foolproof strategy. With a rough blueprint in mind, she sought out the Mirror Wraith.

The Mirror Wraith was currently quite satisfied with her situation. As long as she fed Su Man bits of intelligence from within the mirror, she could live a life of leisure. When Su Man approached her, the wraith’s expression was obsequious.

"Manager, what do you need? If it’s something I can help with, I certainly won't say no."

"Can I trust you?"

"Of course! I am your most loyal believer now!"

The Mirror Wraith had worked for others before, but none were as generous and humane as Su Man, who actually provided meals as promised. Other bosses were harsh, forcing her to work for free, and she was exceptionally pleased with her current work environment. Trust aside, if Su Man asked her to dig out her own heart, she wouldn't hesitate.

"Good. Here is a contract..."

Su Man walked out of the restroom, satisfied, holding a document. It was a parting gift from Zhou Miaomiao—a master-servant contract. Once signed, the Mirror Wraith would become her private property, incapable of resistance or betrayal. Crucially, the contract also allowed for communication at any time. Of course, Su Man had paid a price: she had promised to provide the Mirror Wraith with blood tofu for a lifetime.

Sun Li didn't understand what Su Man was doing, and Su Man didn't intend to explain. Looking at the grey, overcast sky outside, she said lazily, "Let's just call it over-worrying."

Early the next morning, Dashan and Xiaoshan arrived with the news she had been waiting for.

"Manager, the factory is still standing." They entered with bags of ingredients, their faces beaming. "Manager, what on earth did you say to those people with their noses in the air yesterday? Their attitude today was incredibly polite."

Xiaoshan added, "Exactly! The guy who hit me yesterday even apologized." He gestured to the ingredients. "And these were cheaper than expected!"

Su Man nodded. It seemed there wouldn't be any major trouble from the factory side. Since the price of ingredients had dropped as promised, the workers would likely come to eat. Perhaps she had truly worried too much.

"Well, nothing to it. Go get to work," she said, giving them a quick greeting and adding, "Make more today; there will be many customers."

Though Dashan and Xiaoshan were puzzled by her confidence, they prepared diligently. Once the first pig-headed customer arrived, they understood and began to work with even greater enthusiasm.

Youyou arrived and quickly threw herself into the work. As the pig-headed customers poured in, the staff were overwhelmed, and eventually, Su Man and Sun Li had to step in to help. Dashan and Xiaoshan’s arms grew thick from the labor, and Youyou was constantly on her feet, but everyone was incredibly happy. It felt as though their shop could truly stay in business forever.

Before nightfall, the total revenue had already surpassed ten thousand. Su Man had successfully completed her task.

Even so, she stayed until closing time. As this was her last day as acting manager, she stopped the others as they were about to leave and produced six hundred currency, giving two hundred to each.

"You've all worked hard today. Two hundred isn't much, but it's a token of my appreciation. It has been a pleasure working with all of you, and I hope we have the chance to meet again."

They knew her tenure was over and were reluctant to see her go. "Manager, we will definitely meet again. Don't worry, we’ll be waiting for you."

After the three employees left, they exchanged looks, a shared resolve in their eyes: Su Man was their only manager. The three days under her had been the easiest of their careers. While previous owners were decent, the relationship had been strictly professional, and they had never received bonuses like today's. When they faced difficult customers, others had told them to swallow their pride, but Su Man had never let them suffer for the sake of the patrons.

As Su Man returned to the villa, a satisfaction system prompt appeared before the three employees. They silently gave her full marks before heading home.

Inside the villa, Su Man watched the light screen tallying her results.

[Congratulations, player. Task for 10,000 revenue in three days completed.]
[Hidden task: Three employee satisfaction ratings achieved. Qualified.]
[Reward: 1,500 currency.]
[Congratulations, player. You may purchase the fast-food shop as your private business for the low price of 150,000.]
[Would you like to proceed with the purchase?]

150,000? She hadn't expected the "low price" to be so steep! Su Man nearly thought the price was calculated based on her current balance.

The screen patiently explained that participating in the competition for special territories had a threshold, and Su Man’s balance happened to match this specific territory. As for why it was so expensive, the screen explained that owners of special territories possessed hidden privileges. Su Man had felt it herself; her abilities seemed to double in strength while there, allowing her to handle unruly wraiths with ease. Furthermore, thanks to her status as acting manager, she hadn't faced significant obstacles when leaving the premises. According to the screen, if she hadn't been the acting manager, she wouldn't have even been able to exit the shop. This was also why game participants struggled to defeat game bosses.

Having heard this, Su Man no longer felt the price was exorbitant; she even wanted a few more such territories.

She decided to purchase it immediately, but the light screen suddenly stalled, freezing at the transaction screen. After a long moment, it finally responded, informing her that the transaction had failed and she was temporarily unable to purchase the shop.