Chapter 2: Chapter 2: I’m a Food Company Boss, It’s Reasonable That I Can Cook, Right?
Meiweilai Food Company, office area.
"Honestly, it doesn’t really matter if we get the transportation subsidy or not. After all, we’ve had almost no work for the past six months. We just slack off every day..."
"True. I’ve knitted three sweaters for my boyfriend in the last six months. I almost feel bad for collecting a paycheck."
"Yeah... I’ve climbed from Bronze all the way to Glory in *King*. It’s only a little over a thousand yuan, what’s the big deal?"
"The boss is usually great to us. If the company wasn’t going under, I really wouldn’t want it to close."
As soon as Office Director Li Mingtao returned from the boss’s office, the other seven employees immediately started chattering amongst themselves.
No one paid much mind to Su Chen’s promise to give them an answer before the end of the day.
For the past six months, the company had practically zero business. Everyone just did their own thing during work hours. Sometimes, if something came up at home, they’d just give a heads-up and leave, and Su Chen would never say a word.
And even so, on the verge of bankruptcy, the boss had still grit his teeth and paid all their salaries.
Hearing everyone’s discussion, Director Li Mingtao slapped the table.
"The lack of work is because the company’s doing poorly, not because we’re lazy! The transportation subsidy is written into our contracts. We have to fight for what we’re owed! Why shouldn’t we? Is a thousand yuan not money?"
Seeing everyone lower their heads, Li Mingtao looked at them earnestly and said, "In twenty days, we’ll all be laid off. We have to stick together at a time like this! If it’s hard to find a new job, a thousand yuan can cover half a month’s living expenses!"
The others fell silent.
Of the eight people left at the company, aside from Li Mingtao, nearly all were recent college graduates in their early twenties.
Money? Who doesn’t want it? It was just that everyone felt the company had already been more than fair. Although they were entitled to the subsidy, you had to consider the human element, too.
If it were one of those heartless bosses, these graduates would have taken him straight to arbitration!
But with a boss like Su Chen, you really couldn’t find a single fault in how he handled things.
Just as Li Mingtao was about to rally them again, his sharp eyes caught the boss’s office door opening.
He immediately straightened his back and raised his voice by several decibels. "So you see, he already paid our salaries, so how could he shortchange us on the subsidy? The boss has his own difficulties. Late payment doesn’t mean no payment! Everyone, just relax!"
Su Chen had just stepped out of his office when he heard Director Li’s words of ’persuasion’ to the other employees.
He remembered that this Director Li was one of the first employees to join the company.
He had put in a lot of effort building connections with the local schools, and since the man knew how to play the game, he was promoted to office director not long after.
However, Su Chen was a straightforward person and didn’t particularly like such slick characters.
Su Chen walked over to where everyone was working.
"Brother Chen!"
"Brother Chen’s here~"
Since the office was full of young people and Su Chen himself was only twenty-six, the recent graduates usually called him "Brother Chen."
"Yeah. I think you all know what I’m here to talk about." Su Chen casually picked up a pen from a desk and twirled it in his hand.
"Brother Chen, if it’s really too..."
"Can you let the boss finish?" Li Mingtao cut off the young man who spent all day playing *King*. "Trying to show off how much you can talk?"
The rebuked young man shot Li Mingtao a glare, put away his phone, and fell silent.
Su Chen said grimly, "Everyone knows the company’s situation. The transportation subsidy is 1,200 yuan per person."
"There are twenty days left until the contracts end, and I’m completely out of money right now. However, I have a proposal."
Li Mingtao immediately jumped in. "Boss, we all know it’s not easy for you. As long as it’s a reasonable plan, I’ll be sure to explain it to everyone."
Su Chen ignored Li Mingtao and continued, "Previously, the company had a meal subsidy system. Everyone received a 300 yuan meal allowance per month, and you had to pay to eat in the company cafeteria."
"Breakfast was about 5 yuan, lunch was around 10, and while few people ate dinner here, it was set at 8 yuan."
At this point, Bai Xiaobo, the *King* player, couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. "Brother Chen, I remember we got our full meal subsidies, right?"
Su Chen waved his hand. "My proposal is this: for the remaining twenty days, you can all continue to eat here at the company, free of charge. We’ll calculate the cost of each meal, and whatever I still owe you when the contracts expire, I’ll figure out a way to pay it back!"
"Oh, right. We still have some unsold meat and vegetables in the warehouse, don’t we? If your families need any, you can take some home. We’ll count it at half the market price."
This was the only solution Su Chen could think of after receiving the mission.
First of all, he was a foodie himself. He didn’t just love to eat; he also enjoyed cooking from time to time.
For a gourmand, the process of creating delicious food was enjoyable in itself. And feeling his own culinary skills improve? That was the ultimate way to please himself!
The reason people these days didn’t like to cook wasn’t because the act itself was so painful. It was because, in this new era, preparing a good meal had become a luxury.
For the vast majority of people, a day’s work completely drained their energy.
If you wanted to cook, you had to buy groceries, wash them, prepare them, and after eating, you still had to wash the dishes, scrub the pots, and clean the kitchen.
Meanwhile, you could buy a serving of sour and spicy shredded potatoes for eight yuan right outside your apartment complex. Wasn’t that a lot less trouble than cooking for yourself?
"I have no problem with that! I live alone and don’t have many friends anyway, so I’ll just eat at the company this month!" A young woman sitting off to the side raised her hand in agreement.
"I’m fine with it too. Eating in the cafeteria is convenient, and it’s cleaner than takeout!" Bai Xiaobo also raised his hand.
Unlike the others, the cleaning auntie, who was wearing gloves, looked a bit embarrassed. "Boss, my son’s in high school and on summer break, and there’s no one to cook for him. Can I bring him here to eat? I’ll pay!"
Su Chen nodded. "Of course you can! If anyone else has family members who need meals, they can come too. We’ll just charge the normal price for them."
The auntie was overjoyed and picked up the broom she had dropped. "That’s wonderful! After he eats, he can even study here at the company. We have so many college graduates here, hehe!"
The college graduates pretended they hadn’t heard.
Seeing that everyone had agreed, Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
This way, he could at least make it through the month.
It also bought him enough time to think about what direction to take next.
"Boss."
Su Chen looked at Li Mingtao. "Yes?"
"I think your proposal is excellent, but I have one question."
"Go ahead." Su Chen leaned against the edge of a desk.
"Three months ago, you already dismissed the cafeteria chef. So this food..."
Only then did it dawn on the others.
Three months ago, the company had gone through a large-scale layoff and departmental downsizing. In the time since, they had almost forgotten that the cafeteria was even a place you could eat.
Seeing everyone’s gazes turn back to him,
Su Chen grinned and spread his hands. "As the boss of a food company, isn’t it perfectly reasonable that I know how to cook?"
GULP...
The moment Su Chen’s words fell, he clearly heard the sound of everyone swallowing.
Doubt filled the eyes of all eight employees.
It was as if they were all asking the same question.
’Is that... reasonable?’
