Chapter 99: Qingli's Food Therapy Shop

The driver was incredibly enthusiastic as he introduced Jiang Hao to the place, speaking with such conviction that it sounded as though he had already eaten there himself.

"Have you been there before?" Jiang Hao asked with a smile.

The driver answered at once, "I’ve passed by it several times, but I’ve been too busy with work to stop in. Still, I’ve heard from others that this place is really good—tasty food, fair prices."

"Is that so? Then I’m even more interested," Jiang Hao said with a smile and a nod.

Twenty minutes later, the ride-share car pulled to a stop.

"We’re here, sir," the driver reminded him.

Jiang Hao nodded, paid on his phone, and got out.

Standing before the newly opened Qingli Wellness Diet Shop, Jiang Hao felt an indescribable mix of emotions.

The dignified eldest daughter of the Su family was now running a restaurant on her own, striking out independently. One could only wonder how the Su family felt about Su Qingli’s decision.

Given the temper of those people, they were surely far from pleased.

He did not linger at the entrance. Pulling on his cap, Jiang Hao stepped into the shop.

As soon as he entered, a female server in uniform came over with a smile. "Hello, how many in your party?"

"Just me," Jiang Hao replied calmly.

"Then please come this way. We’ve just opened, and we’re running a promotion now—half price on everything in the shop! What would you like to order, sir? This is our menu."

She set a menu in front of him with a bright smile.

Jiang Hao took it and, after one glance, his face filled with surprise.

Every dish and set meal on the menu was very cheap, at least much cheaper than what most small restaurants charged.

Vegetarian slimming set: 20 yuan.

Three-meat, one-vegetable wellness set: 20 yuan.

Mixed meat-and-vegetable family feast set: 35 yuan.

Children’s happy meal: 15 yuan.

And today there was a half-price promotion, which meant everything on the menu cost only half of the listed price.

What a bargain.

As a customer, Jiang Hao could not help admiring it sincerely in his heart.

"I’ll have this one: the three-meat, one-vegetable wellness set," he said with a smile.

"Certainly. Please wait a moment."

The server nodded and carried the menu to the kitchen.

Jiang Hao was in no hurry. He sat quietly at his table, waiting while observing the decor and the diners.

The Qingli Wellness Diet Shop opened by Su Qingli covered roughly forty square meters, with about ten four-person tables and five two-person tables arranged inside.

At that moment, almost every table had customers eating.

The decor was not elaborate at all. In fact, it was quite simple, yet it gave off a fresh, refined feeling, completely lacking the greasy atmosphere of a traditional Chinese restaurant.

It had to be said that a place like this would certainly appeal to many young people.

That was exactly why most of the diners here were young.

After waiting about ten minutes, the female server brought over Jiang Hao’s three-meat, one-vegetable wellness set.

Looking at the large bowl filled with soup, rice, and dishes, Jiang Hao mentally weighed the value against the price and immediately gave it an excellent rating.

It was genuinely affordable, and the portion was generous enough that even an ordinary female customer might not finish it. For a man with a big appetite, it was more than sufficient.

After tasting it, Jiang Hao nodded again and again.

The flavor was indeed excellent. It was absolutely worth the price.

"Sir, are you satisfied?" the female server asked with a smile.

"Very good. Quite good," Jiang Hao said as he ate and chatted with her.

But he was not idly making small talk. He was using the conversation to learn about the shop and Su Qingli’s current situation.

"From the look of you, you must be a college student. Working here as a server is a part-time job, right?" Jiang Hao asked with a smile.

"That’s right. I’m part-time."

The female server nodded immediately.

"And how is your boss? What kind of pay do you get?" Jiang Hao asked with feigned interest.

"Our boss lady is really nice—very gentle. She pays us well too, nearly three thousand a month."

As she spoke, the server wore an expression of obvious satisfaction.

Su Qingli really was too kind.

Given the cost of living and labor rates in Mapleleaf City, an ordinary server usually earned just a little over two thousand yuan. After all, serving did not require education or special skills; anyone with two working hands could do it, and it was not terribly hard work, so the pay naturally was not high. As for college students working part-time, their wages were generally even lower than those of ordinary female servers.

Part-time student workers were unreliable, after all. They often asked for leave, or simply failed to show up at all.

Because of that, some restaurant owners refused to hire part-time college students altogether.

Yet now, not only was Su Qingli hiring local college students to work part-time in her shop, she was paying them a monthly salary higher than that of ordinary servers. That alone showed how considerate she truly was in this regard.

No wonder the female server in front of Jiang Hao praised Su Qingli so highly.

Only now did Jiang Hao realize how badly he had been mistaken before.

How could a woman who could not bear to squeeze her own employees possibly be the kind of ruthless person who would cold-bloodedly try to murder her husband?

That was absolutely impossible.

At the thought, Jiang Hao’s expression turned dim.

"What’s wrong, sir? Are you feeling unwell?" the female server asked hurriedly, thinking he was dissatisfied with the food.

Jiang Hao waved a hand. "I’m fine. Does your shop have a restroom? Where is it?"

"There," the server said, pointing it out.

Jiang Hao followed the direction of her finger and immediately spotted a small unisex private restroom, not far from the kitchen.

"Thank you."

He rose and walked toward the restroom.

But of course, his real purpose was not the restroom. He wanted to take this chance to look into the kitchen.

Passing by the kitchen entrance, Jiang Hao looked through the open window and immediately saw Su Qingli busily at work inside with two women cooks.

The two cooks were chopping vegetables, while Su Qingli was stirring a pot of soup.

She wore a T-shirt on top and a light yellow floral skirt below, with an apron tied at her waist and a round cap on her head.

The apron was to protect her clothes, while the cap was to keep her hair tucked underneath it so that no loose strands would fall into the food while cooking.

At that moment, Su Qingli’s forehead was covered in sweat. She lifted her arm to wipe away the beads of perspiration, then continued working in the kitchen.