Saat mengantar pesanan kemarin, Xu An merasakan sendiri betapa padatnya kerumunan orang. Jumlah pengunjung pameran di pusat konvensi itu pastinya setidaknya mencapai sepuluh ribu orang.
'Dengan begitu banyak orang, meskipun bersaing dengan lima hotel lain, tidak mungkin aku tidak bisa menjual lima ratus porsi, kan? Kalau benar-benar tidak habis, besok aku akan siapkan tiga ratus porsi saja. Kalau itu pun tidak habis, aku akan siapkan seratus lima puluh. Dan kalau masih tidak laku juga, buat apa repot-repot buka gerai! Bukankah lebih baik tenaga ini dipakai untuk hal lain?'
Xu An merasa dirinya mulai terlalu percaya diri, tidak lagi sesederhana dulu. Dia teringat bagaimana di awal-awal dulu, dia sudah melompat kegirangan hanya karena bisa menjual tiga puluh bungkus nasi kotak sehari. Sekarang, dia menjual lebih dari seratus porsi setiap hari dan malah mulai pilih-pilih.
'Hah... Manusia memang mudah berubah dan tidak pernah puas.'
Operasional Restoran Cepat Saji Xu hari ini tidak jauh berbeda dari kemarin. Satu-satunya perbedaan nyata adalah Nanny He merekrut empat teman pensiunannya, dan Xu Lili memimpin mereka sebagai jalur perakitan terpisah untuk mengemas makanan. Meskipun mereka harus menyiapkan tambahan lima ratus nasi kotak, kehadiran empat tenaga bantuan ekstra itu membuat pekerjaan pengepakan selesai sepuluh menit lebih cepat dari hari sebelumnya.
Setelah makan siang, pengaturan staf sama persis seperti kemarin. Masih Xu An dan Wang Datou yang berangkat ke pusat konvensi, meski hari ini hanya Wang Datou yang bertugas berkoordinasi dengan staf pusat konvensi. Begitu mobil berhenti, Xu An meminjam troli dari seorang karyawan dan, dalam dua kali angkut, memindahkan lima ratus nasi kotak ke area makan yang telah ditentukan, lalu mulai mendirikan gerainya.
Dalam sekejap mata, Xu An berhasil mendirikan gerainya seorang diri. Spanduk-spanduknya sangat mencolok perhatian. Sementara vendor lain hanya menggunakan taplak meja dengan logo hotel mereka tercetak di bagian depan—yang juga dimiliki oleh Restoran Cepat Saji Xu—gerai Xu An berbeda. Dia benar-benar memasang kerangka papan atas sederhana di atas gerainya, lengkap dengan bait puisi berpasangan. Gulungan di sebelah kiri bertuliskan, "Tersedia Layanan Katering Perusahaan", gulungan di kanan bertuliskan, "Antar ke Seluruh Kota Seharga 50 Sen", dan spanduk mendatar di tengahnya bertuliskan, "Tanya Detail untuk Info Lebih Lanjut."
Staf acara yang bertanggung jawab di area ini merasakan kedutan di sudut bibirnya saat melihat bait puisi hitam di atas merah buatan Xu An. Kamu tidak bisa bilang dia melanggar aturan, karena tidak ada aturan khusus yang melarangnya. Tapi kamu juga tidak bisa bilang itu tidak melanggar, karena nuansa gerainya sangat kontras dengan yang lain hingga nyaris merusak pemandangan.
Tangan sang staf yang bertaut di belakang punggungnya bergetar, menahan dorongan untuk menyuruh Xu An menurunkan semuanya. Namun, setelah berpikir sejenak, dia mengurungkan niatnya. 'Kulihat saja bagaimana reaksi para pengunjung. Kalau ada yang komplain, akan langsung kusuruh copot.'
Restoran Cepat Saji Xu bukan yang pertama tiba di pusat konvensi, tetapi yang paling cepat selesai mendirikan gerai. Begitu gerainya siap, Xu An menarik kursi lipat—jenis kursi andalan para pemancing—dari tumpukan besar kotak, duduk dengan puas, dan mulai berselancar di internet melalui ponselnya. Dibandingkan dengan para staf dari hotel lain yang mondar-mandir sibuk di sebelah kanannya, Xu An tampak terlalu santai.
Gerai Hotel Brocade berada tepat di sebelah Restoran Cepat Saji Xu. Wang Fulong memiliki pengalaman luas dalam mendirikan gerai, dan bersama muridnya, Lu Ziyue, mereka merampungkan gerai mereka hanya dalam beberapa gerakan. Begitu gerai siap, Wang Fulong diam-diam mengeluarkan dua kursi lipat dari dalam kardus dan menyerahkan satu kepada muridnya, Lu Ziyue. Ini adalah benda kecil praktis yang ditemukannya setelah sering menghabiskan waktu di taman: tidak memakan banyak tempat, ringan, nyaman diduduki, dan mudah dibawa.
Dia membuka kursinya dan duduk, menikmati embusan pendingin ruangan sambil memainkan ponselnya. 'Mau bilang apa pun, ini jauh lebih nyaman daripada nongkrong di taman.'
Berbanding terbalik dengan sikap santai Wang Fulong, wajah Lu Ziyue tampak sarat beban kekhawatiran. Meskipun dia memaksa diri mempertahankan senyum profesional, dia tidak bisa menyembunyikan kecemasannya. Dia juga sedang menggulir layar ponselnya, tetapi matanya terus melirik ke arah sang koki—Wang Fulong.
When he made the delivery yesterday, Xu An got a taste of the massive crowds. There had to be at least ten thousand people visiting the convention center’s exhibition.
’With so many people, even with five other hotels competing, there’s no way I can’t sell five hundred portions, right? If I really can’t sell them all, I’ll prepare three hundred tomorrow. If those don’t sell out, I’ll prepare one hundred and fifty. And if I still can’t sell them, then what’s the point of even having a stall! Wouldn’t it be better to use this energy on something else?’
Xu An felt like he was really getting ahead of himself, no longer as grounded as he used to be. He remembered how, in the beginning, he’d be over the moon just to sell thirty boxed lunches a day. Now, he was selling over a hundred daily and was actually getting picky.
’Sigh... People really are fickle and never satisfied.’
Operations at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant today were much like yesterday. The only real difference was that Nanny He had recruited four of her retired friends, and Xu Lili was leading them as a separate assembly line for packing the meals. Even though they had an extra five hundred boxed lunches to prepare, the four additional hands meant they finished the entire packing job ten minutes earlier than the previous day.
After lunch, the staff arrangements were identical to yesterday’s. It was still Xu An and Wang Datou heading to the convention center, though today, only Wang Datou was responsible for coordinating with the center’s staff. As soon as the car stopped, Xu An borrowed a dolly from an employee and, in two trips, moved the five hundred boxed lunches to the designated dining area, where he began to set up their stall.
All on his own, Xu An had the stall set up in a flash. The banners were incredibly eye-catching. While other vendors simply had a tablecloth with their hotel’s logo printed on the front—which Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant also had—Xu An’s stall was different. He had actually rigged up a simple header over the stall, complete with a poetic couplet. The left scroll read, "Corporate Catering Services Available," the right scroll read, "City-Wide Delivery for 50 Cents," and the horizontal banner between them said, "Inquire for Details."
The event staff member responsible for this area felt his mouth twitch as he looked at Xu An’s black-on-red couplet. You couldn’t say he was violating the rules, as there was no specific rule against it. But you couldn’t say he wasn’t, either, because the vibe of his stall was so out of place with the others that it was almost an eyesore.
The staff member’s hands, clasped behind his back, twitched with the urge to tell Xu An to take it all down. But after a moment’s thought, he decided against it. ’I’ll just see how the attendees react. If someone complains, I’ll make him take it down immediately.’
Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant wasn’t the first to arrive at the convention center, but it was the first to finish setting up. Once the stall was ready, Xu An pulled a folding chair—the kind favored by fishermen—from a large pile of boxes, plopped down contentedly, and started surfing the web on his phone. Compared to the frantic staff from the other hotels bustling around next to him, Xu An looked a little too comfortable.
Brocade Hotel’s stall was right next to Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Wang Fulong had extensive experience with setting up stalls, and with his apprentice, Lu Ziyue, he had theirs ready in just a few moves. Once the stall was set, Wang Fulong secretively pulled two folding chairs out of a box and handed one to his apprentice, Lu Ziyue. This was a handy little gadget he’d discovered after spending many days hanging out in the park: it took up little space, was lightweight, comfortable to sit in, and easy to carry.
He unfolded his chair and sat down, enjoying the air conditioning while playing on his phone. ’Say what you will, this is way more comfortable than hanging out at the park.’
Unlike Wang Fulong’s relaxed demeanor, Lu Ziyue’s face was heavy with worry. Although he forced himself to maintain a professional smile, he couldn’t hide his anxiety. He was also scrolling on his phone, but his eyes kept darting toward his chef—Wang Fulong.
"What is it? Just say what’s on your mind. Stop looking at me like that, it’s creeping me out. You’re giving me goosebumps." Wang Fulong felt uncomfortable under Lu Ziyue’s gaze. He reluctantly put down his phone, deciding to hear what his apprentice wanted to say.
"Chef, are we... being pushed out?" Lu Ziyue hesitated for a moment before finally voicing the doubt that had been weighing on his mind for days, his tone filled with uncertainty.
"Yes." Wang Fulong didn’t mince words, nodding in direct confirmation. "Isn’t it obvious? Ever since that person took over, I’ve been sent running all over the place on outside assignments."
"Also, stop calling me ’Chef’ at the hotel from now on. They were originally just targeting me. You, kid, couldn’t read the situation, always going ’Chef this’ and ’Chef that.’ You ended up getting on their bad side, and now they’ve sent you out here to ride the bench with me." Wang Fulong’s voice was tinged with exasperation. He jabbed his finger hard against Lu Ziyue’s forehead, leaving two deep red marks.
"But you are my chef! You’ve been the one guiding me and teaching me the ropes ever since I started at the hotel. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve quit a long time ago," Lu Ziyue retorted under his breath, clutching his head. As he spoke, he shuffled his chair back a few feet, afraid that Wang Fulong’s finger might poke a few more red marks onto his forehead.
Xu An had originally been sitting in the middle of his stall, playing on his phone, but after overhearing Wang Fulong and Lu Ziyue’s conversation, his ears perked up. The venue was too noisy, however, and he couldn’t hear clearly. So, Xu An quietly scooted his chair over a little. Then a little more. And a little more again. Before he knew it, he had moved right behind the two of them, catching their entire conversation.
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