Banks are under pressure to lend. This pressure intensified after the central bank cut reserve requirents. Banks are quite eager to collaborate with restaurants like Lin Ji’s Food, which boast monthly revenues in the millions. After all, a steady cash flow indicates the ability to repay loans.
"Then let’s get a loan, as long as it doesn’t affect the company’s operations. Additionally, we can slow down the expansion of Ziqiang Shengjian to solidify our custor base. We shouldn’t overextend ourselves."
He’d wanted to mimic Grandpa Ge’s tone and say, "Taking too big a step can lead to a strain," but he thought better of it. In front of several ladies, it was better to be more reserved.
"We’ve already slowed down. After opening the branch near Teacher Su’s school, we’ll have eight branches in total. We won’t consider expanding any further before the end of the year."
Eight branches? If one store makes a hundred thousand a month, that’s eight hundred thousand a month in revenue. That casual decision has unexpectedly turned into a golden goose.
"Boss, what are your requirents for a house? Xiaoqi and I are free anyway; we can help you look around."
Requirents?
Lin Xu and Shen Baobao exchanged a glance and stated their preferences, "The bigger, the better—preferably a large flat over 200 square ters. A similar duplex would also work, but the living room must be spacious. Ideally, it’s a new property that hasn’t been lived in, and it should be close to Lin Ji."
Not many requirents. But each one costs a pretty penny.
Dou Wenjing was secretly astonished. The boss is really leaning more and more towards President Shen’s ways. Everything has to be big—the restaurant, the car, and now even the house has to be a large one.
She said, "There don’t seem to be many hos available nearby. We’ll start searching for you. Director Zeng, Lele, don’t just play around; help with the search too."
Zeng Xiaoqi put a piece of dried fish in her mouth and chewed as she said, "No problem at all! I love browsing real estate platforms for houses; the pricier they are, the more exciting I find browsing."
Lin Xu paused, stunned. "Are you setting goals for yourself?"
"No, it’s to extinguish any unrealistic notions I might have about buying a house."
That... works?
With that, Zeng Xiaoqi opened her phone and began searching for nearby properties according to Lin Xu’s criteria. As she busied herself, she said, "Let’s filter the options first, and then visit them in person. It’ll also be good exercise. I gained nearly two pounds over the holiday! I really need to exercise."
Lately, they’d been coming to the restaurant to eat and drink all day, often taking snacks with them when they left. The pleasure of eating was directly proportional to the pain of stepping on the electronic scale. What made Director Zeng even more uncomfortable was that all the weight she gained settled on her belly, while the areas she actually wanted to enhance remained stubbornly flat.
Speaking of gaining weight, Dou Wenjing also rubbed her own belly. "I’ve gained a pound and a half. This eating well and being lazy really isn’t good. Let’s find a house today, and hopefully, we can go see so tomorrow. We can count it as exercise."
Shu Yun said, "I’m doing okay; I’ve only gained a little over a pound... I need to start dieting today, or else what will I do if my custom work uniform doesn’t fit?"
Listening to these won, who fretted about their figures yet couldn’t control their appetites, Geng Lele finally understood why so many people experienced such internal conflict.
With a mischievous smile, she asked Lin Xu, "Xu, what are we eating later?"
"I just traded so roasted chicken with Old Sun for a few wild carp. We’ll have Dry Burning Carp for dinner."
Upon hearing this dish, the mbers of the self-proclaid ’fat-loss squad’ lit up. Just monts ago, they were lanting the ’three pounds gained per holiday’ curse, but now their eyes sparkled as if they hadn’t eaten in days.
Zeng Xiaoqi said expectantly, "Then I must try it! The Dry Burning Carp I’ve had before was always pretty average. But with Boss Lin cooking, the taste is bound to be extraordinary. I bet I could eat two bowls of rice with it! Right, Doudou?"
"Oh, yes! I love fish when it’s packed with flavor."
Shu Yun, also filled with anticipation, said, "I’ve heard that a properly made Dry Burning Carp has no sauce left because the fish absorbs it all. I’ll definitely have to eat a few extra pieces later."
Lin Xu had originally planned to ntion that Dry Burning Carp is cooked with diced pork belly, making it quite high in calories, and that they should probably eat a bit less. But seeing their eager anticipation... Never mind, I’d better not remind them. It might spoil their appetite.
"By the way, Xubao," Shen Baobao interjected once the serious discussion wound down, "I asked the Steinway store to deliver the piano to the restaurant for now. We can have it moved to the new house once we find one. Moving it around too much isn’t good for the instrunt."
"Alright."
If Lin Ji’s Food were a hotel or an innovative cuisine restaurant, having the piano delivered directly there would be fine. But Lin Ji is a traditional restaurant, and having a piano there would be rather out of place.
Lin Xu picked up a piece of dried fish. Today’s batch seems a bit overdone, probably because the fire was too high. By tomorrow, after it’s softened a bit, the texture and taste should improve considerably. But watching Shen Baobao, Zeng Xiaoqi, Geng Lele, and the others wolfing them down with their drinks, it was hard to say if any would last until tomorrow.
Dried fish wasn’t an everyday item. It was only made using the residual heat in the oven after a custor ordered a whole roasted sheep. This way, Dundun got so treats, and everyone else could try them too.
After tasting the dried fish, he stood up, intending to head back to the kitchen, when a system notification suddenly chid in his mind:
"Lin Ji’s Food topic has broken into the top fifteen of the national trending topics chart! Hidden task [Top Fifteen on the Overall List] completed. Reward: Perfect Level Hubei cuisine dish—Lotus Root Stewed with Pork Ribs. Congratulations, Host!"
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