latelenovela Chapter 171 Hot Pot Restaurant Scandal: The Manager's Misdeeds and Liuli's Clear Judgment
Chapter 171 Hot Pot Restaurant Scandal: The Manager's Misdeeds and Liuli's Clear Judgment
The hot pot restaurant's signboard stood out prominently under the lights. The restaurant was brightly lit, filled with cheerful laughter, suggesting it was doing brisk business. Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan exchanged a glance and entered the restaurant with satisfaction.
As soon as she entered the restaurant, a rich aroma of hot pot wafted towards her. Gu Liuli took a deep breath, a look of enjoyment on her face. "It's the same familiar taste."
Xiao Jingchuan smiled and nodded. As soon as they stepped inside, a waiter approached, about to greet them, but suddenly froze, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He recognized Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan, and was about to offer a greeting when Gu Liuli shook her head slightly, signaling him to remain silent.
The waiter immediately understood, and suppressing his surprise, he respectfully said, "Please come in, gentlemen."
Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan followed the waiter to a corner table and sat down. The waiter brought the menu, and Gu Liuli casually ordered a few dishes before saying, "You can go ahead and get busy. I'll call you if I need anything."
The waiter responded and turned to leave. Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan then began to observe the situation inside the shop.
Just then, a shout came from the direction of the kitchen. "You clumsy thing, you can't even do this little thing right, what use are you!" A sharp voice rang out, full of impatience and disdain.
Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. Gu Liuli frowned slightly and said, "It sounds like the shopkeeper is cursing. Let's go take a look."
The two got up and walked towards the kitchen. Inside, a slightly overweight man with a fierce face was standing with his hands on his hips, yelling at a young worker. The worker had his head down, his body trembling slightly, his face full of fear and grievance.
"Shopkeeper, I...I didn't mean to," the waiter said, his voice trembling. "I was very careful watching the soup, but a customer suddenly called me, and that's why..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" the shopkeeper interrupted him. "If there's a problem, it's your fault. Do you think I'm supporting you for free?"
Gu Liuli stepped forward and said coldly, "Shopkeeper, why get so angry? Let's talk this out."
Hearing the noise, the shopkeeper turned around and saw Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan. He was taken aback for a moment, then revealed a disdainful expression. "Who are you, meddling in other people's business? I'm disciplining my employee, what's it to you?"
Xiao Jingchuan's eyes turned cold, and he was about to speak when Gu Liuli gently tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to act impulsively.
Gu Liuli looked at the shopkeeper and said slowly, "Shopkeeper, we just feel that your treatment of the staff is a bit inappropriate. Everyone has a hard time making a living, why be so harsh?"
"Hmph, how I treat my employees is my business," the shopkeeper scoffed. "If he were capable, would I be criticizing him?"
At this moment, the waiter looked up, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "Madam, please don't worry about it. It was my fault. The manager's reprimand was justified."
Seeing the waiter's frightened expression, Gu Liuli felt a pang of pity and said, "You can go now."
The waiter glanced at the shopkeeper, and seeing that the shopkeeper did not object, he lowered his head and hurriedly left the kitchen.
"You woman, you really love meddling in other people's business." The shopkeeper looked at Gu Liuli and said impatiently, "I advise you to mind your own business, or you'll be in trouble."
Gu Liuli raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? I'd like to see what you can do to me. Let me ask you, aren't you afraid that treating your employees like this will alienate them, and then no one will be willing to work for you?"
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"Heh, do it if you want, get lost if you don't. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are everywhere," the shopkeeper said nonchalantly.
Xiao Jingchuan finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and looked sharply at the shopkeeper, "Do you know who you're talking to?"
The shopkeeper felt a little intimidated by Xiao Jingchuan's glare, but he still tried to remain calm and said, "I don't care who you are. In my shop, you have to listen to me."
Gu Liuli sighed and said, "Since you are so stubborn, it seems I no longer need to be polite with you. To be honest, this shop was opened by me and Miss Jia Xiaoyan. You are just a manager we hired. Now you are bullying the staff like this, which is really a betrayal of our trust."
Upon hearing Gu Liuli's words, the shopkeeper's face showed a shocked expression. "You... what did you say? You and Miss Jia opened the shop together?"
Gu Liuli nodded slightly. "Not bad. I made you the manager because I thought you had some ability, but I didn't expect you to treat the staff like this. From today onwards, you don't need to come anymore."
"Madam, I...I was wrong. Please forgive me this time." Upon hearing that he was going to be fired, the shopkeeper panicked and hurriedly apologized, "I will definitely treat the staff well in the future and never beat or scold them again."
Looking at his fawning appearance, Gu Liuli felt a surge of disgust. "Too late. I saw everything you did. Someone like you doesn't deserve to be the manager of this shop."
At this moment, the other shop assistants, hearing the commotion, all gathered around. Seeing the shopkeeper's disheveled appearance, and then glancing at Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan, they understood what was going on.
An older waiter stepped forward and said, “Madam, you’re right. This manager often beats and scolds us. We’ve had enough.”
The other employees nodded in agreement, chattering on about the manager's various misdeeds.
Gu Liuli looked at the shop assistants and said, "Don't worry, no one will bully you anymore. I will find a reliable manager to run this shop again."
Upon hearing Gu Liuli's words, the workers all showed expressions of gratitude and said, "Thank you, Madam!"
Xiao Jingchuan looked at Gu Liuli with admiration in his eyes, "Liuli, you are so kind-hearted. These guys have finally met a wise leader."
Gu Liuli smiled and said, "It's not easy for them to make a living, they shouldn't have to suffer such injustice."
Afterwards, Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan reassured the waiters and told them to go back to their work. The two returned to their seats, and by then, the dishes they had ordered had been served.
While eating hot pot, Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan discussed the management of the hot pot restaurant.
After calming the staff down, Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan returned to their seats. The hot pot broth was bubbling and steaming, but the scene they had just witnessed still left them feeling unsettled.
Xiao Jingchuan ladled a spoonful of soup for Gu Liuli and said, "Liuli, the management of this hot pot restaurant really needs to be rectified. We can't let people like this ruin the atmosphere any longer."