Li Xiao patiently guided Dong through the entire production process once more. During the teaching process, he didn’t feel that the child’s learning ability had significantly improved. Obviously, the "long time" the system had mentioned would probably be very long indeed. However, as the saying goes, where there is hope, there is a chance.
Encouraged by the three of them, Dong soon began his first independent attempt at making the drink. Of course, there were plenty of bumps along the way, but with the simplified production process and the help of a large number of new machines, he still managed to finish it.
Li Xiao nervously took the shaker and divided the lemon tea inside into three portions. Although he was very confident in his plan, he couldn’t help but feel incredibly anxious now that the moment of truth had arrived. Taking a deep breath, he took a sip of the lemon tea.
[The food you are tasting is: Hand-Pounded Lemon Tea]
[Food Score: 69 points (Pass)]
[Since you have already unlocked this culinary index, there is no extra reward for this tasting.]
Seeing the score, a flash of joy crossed Li Xiao’s eyes. Although it was only the lowest passing score, a 69 was just one point away from being rated as average. Furthermore, compared to the 40-point drink Dong and the others had made earlier, this lemon tea was a massive leap forward. More importantly, this was only Dong’s first attempt. Since he wasn’t fully familiar with the process yet, he had fumbled quite a bit midway. It wouldn’t take long; as long as he practiced a few more times and familiarized himself with the entire workflow, the lemon tea he made would inevitably see a significant improvement. It would probably only take a few days to reach an average level. Even reaching a "good" score of 80 wasn’t out of the question.
Although Wenchu People couldn’t specifically analyze the exact level of the lemon tea Dong made like Li Xiao could, she had drunk her fair share of the kids’ beverages as someone who frequently came over to care for them. She knew exactly how terrible the drinks they used to make tasted. However, she was just an ordinary community grid worker; even if she wanted to change things, she lacked the ability to do so. Therefore, upon drinking this lemon tea made with the new recipe and new equipment, she immediately noticed the stark difference. While this cup certainly couldn’t compare to the unforgettable lemon tea Li Xiao had made, it was far more delicious than anything Dong had produced before.
She quickly snapped back to reality, having realized exactly how all these changes came about. She looked up at the man in front of her, who was a few years younger than herself. It was this very man who, in just over half a day, had brought about such a massive transformation in Dong. She tightly gripped the lemon tea in her hands. She thought that if the other drinks could be as delicious as this one, making Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop profitable wouldn’t be an impossible task after all.
Wenchu People reluctantly suppressed the excitement in her heart and asked, "Can all the other drinks be as delicious as this lemon tea?"
Li Xiao didn’t intend to keep her in suspense. "There are 30 items on the menu I’ve arranged this time," he said. "Five of them are our signature drinks, and the other 25 are secondary options.
"The five signature drinks are all on the same level of deliciousness as this lemon tea. While the other 25 might be slightly inferior, the difference won’t be noticeable.
"Besides, don’t forget that this is just the first cup of the new lemon tea that Dong has made. Once he is completely familiar with it, the flavor and texture will be even better!
"So, do you believe what I said earlier now?
"I am fully confident in turning this shop from making a loss to turning a profit."
If someone had told her half a day ago that Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop could be turned around in a short period of time, she would have definitely thought they were a scammer with ulterior motives. However, in just half a day, after drinking this cup of lemon tea made by Dong, her mindset had completely changed. It turned out there really was someone this amazing in the world. He had actually figured out a way to make Xihan’er Milk Tea Shop profitable in just half a day and immediately put it into practice.
Wenchu People suddenly bowed deeply to Li Xiao and expressed her sincere gratitude. "Thank you very much, Mr. Li.
"I was already deeply grateful that you were willing to take over this milk tea shop.
"But I never imagined that you actually had the method and ability to make it profitable. You’re truly incredible.
"On behalf of the children and their families, I sincerely thank you."
Li Xiao was startled by Wenchu People’s sudden formal gesture. Although he also believed that what he did today could indeed change these children’s lives, he couldn’t accept such a grand display of gratitude. If Wenchu People were a family member of these children, he would have accepted her thanks with a clear conscience. But he knew she was just a compassionate community grid worker. Thus, he hastily stepped aside and reached out to help her up.
"Miss Wen, there’s no need for this," he said. "You’re willing to help the children, and so am I. We are just kindred spirits.
"You use your methods to help them, and I use mine.
"You might not be able to modify the recipes to make the milk tea shop profitable.
"But by the same token, I don’t have the time to care for their daily lives and routines like you do.
"Both of us are merely helping them within our respective capacities.
"I don’t need to thank you, and likewise, you don’t need to thank me."
Feeling Li Xiao’s warm hands on her shoulders, a blush flashed across Wenchu People’s cheeks. In truth, she was quite resistant to strange men. If any unfamiliar man had initiated physical contact with her on a normal day, she would have definitely felt highly repulsed. But for some unknown reason, she didn’t feel any resistance toward Li Xiao helping her up. Instead, she felt her heart beating a little too fast.
Both of them were open-minded individuals and didn’t continue to dwell on the matter. Taking advantage of the free time, Li Xiao brought Huang Cuilian, Wenchu People, and the children together to continuously practice using the shop’s new equipment and making new drinks according to the new recipes.
The day passed by quickly.
Although the children had tried their absolute best to learn, their inherent abilities posed a challenge. Even Dong, who performed the best, had only learned how to make four types of drinks, and the ones he produced only barely met the passing standard. The other children fared worse, with most only mastering one to three varieties.
Fortunately, besides the children, there were two ordinary people among the trainees. After all, the new menu only consisted of 30 drinks. More than half a day of learning had allowed Huang Cuilian and Wenchu People to fully grasp the production process for the new beverages. With these two new teachers, it was only a matter of time before the children completely mastered it.
[Thank you to the big shots for your monthly tickets and bookmarks!]
[Thank you to ’How to Relieve Boredom’ and ’CT80642470’ for your tips, thank you!]