50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 311 Unethical Practices in the Steakhouse

January 20th is a special day.

Today, all 3855 items displayed in Sun Zhiwei's shop have been priced.

The three of them, who had been busy for nearly two weeks, were too tired to talk.

Belinda and Sophia now truly admire this boss, James. He actually managed to create a short story for each of the thousands of pieces of junk.

The small card couldn't possibly contain all the things Sun Zhiwei had to say.

Later, the two had to use two other thick notebooks to separately record the thousands of stories that Sun Zhiwei had fabricated.

Sofia felt she could copy the stories from those two notebooks to keep as bedtime reading.

She can watch one a day from now on, and she'll be 30 by then.

For the past two weeks, Sun Zhiwei has been doing most of the talking, while the other two have been taking notes, constantly adding fuel to the fire of this huge joke about Georgetown's future.

Occasionally, when guests come to visit, Sun Zhiwei will teach Belinda how to collect payments and keep accounts, how to take and develop photos, and how to fill out authentication certificates.

These days, Sofia and Belinda have also seen how this unscrupulous boss makes money.

Each customer has to pay at least $500 to leave, and they are all very grateful to Boss James when they leave.

This was completely different from what they had originally imagined; not only were there guests, but it seemed that there were more and more guests.

Belinda calculated the store's expenses, and including her salary, it was less than $2000 a month. She only needed three or four ordinary customers to earn back this fixed expense.

But in the two weeks she's been here, she's served more than 10 customers, which shows how profitable this little shop is.

This was a situation that Sun Zhiwei had not expected.

He originally thought that business would be slow since the business was only open for 3 hours a day, but things were not as he expected at all.

During these two weeks of business, he was busy receiving customers and pricing the exhibits in the store; he was practically working like a dog.

Today, the pricing work is finally finished, and he feels a sense of relief.

"We've finally accomplished something big, ladies! To celebrate this milestone, we're leaving early today. I'll treat you to a big meal."

"Oh my god, the stingy boss has finally been generous for once. Shall we go to the salad bar on 14th Street for salad?"

Upon hearing Sophia's words, Sun Zhiwei immediately objected: "Why eat vegetables? I'm not a rabbit."

Sun Zhiwei is a carnivore; he didn't give up eating meat even during the three years of hardship. Now that he's in America, expecting him to eat vegetables is impossible.

“Let’s go to Crystal City for steak,” Sun Zhiwei decided in one sentence.

Crystal City is not far from the Pentagon. It is a commercial street where the country's major arms dealers operate, and it is also a notorious "corruption" area.

Every mealtime, all the steakhouses in the row below Crystal City open for business.

Sales representatives from various arms dealers would invite Pentagon guests to steak dinner and, incidentally, discuss arms deals.

To facilitate these backroom deals, the steakhouses make their takeout bags extra large, perfect for holding large bundles of cash.

Of course, it's possible that because they focus on cooking one type of food, the steak there tastes better than elsewhere.

Otherwise, Sun Zhiwei wouldn't have chosen to go there. Belinda hadn't been to Crystal City, but Sophia had.

Upon hearing Sun Zhiwei's decision, she immediately began introducing Belinda to good steakhouses on Steak Street.

Seeing that Sophia was so familiar with the steakhouses there, he handed over the task of choosing a destination to her.

"Boss, don't worry, I'll take you to the best restaurant today." The three of them quickly cleaned up the shop and set off in Sun Zhiwei's Ford Pinto.

When they closed up shop, Sun Zhiwei went to the coffee shop next door and spoke to the owner.

They said they were closing early today to go out and celebrate, and asked the guests to let them know if they asked.

As neighbors, they were happy to help with something so convenient and inexpensive.

The car took the three of them south. In fact, the Pentagon is not located in Washington, D.C., but on the other side of the Potomac River in Arlington County, Virginia.

Crystal City is not far south of the Pentagon, only 5 kilometers away from Sun Zhiwei's shop.

In less than half an hour, the three of them were already seated at a steakhouse.

They were surrounded by gentlemen in suits and soldiers in military uniforms; this strange combination was actually quite common here.

Sun Zhiwei frequently saw customers leaving after finishing their meals.

Those soldiers who left always carried a brown paper bag tucked under their arms.

The paper bag had the steakhouse's sign and name printed on it, but judging from its bulging appearance, it was clear that it couldn't possibly contain takeout steak.

Suddenly, a soldier accidentally dropped the paper bag under his arm, and a stack of US dollars was revealed inside.

The previously noisy restaurant immediately fell silent.

But the soldier calmly packed the money away, picked up the paper bag, and walked out muttering curses.

This action, however, elicited laughter from the soldiers around him.

Yes, everyone here is the same; who doesn't have a paper bag in their hand? So what's there to worry about?

Eat, drink, and take what you want. The atmosphere instantly returned.

Sun Zhiwei remained unmoved throughout the entire process; he knew the M army all too well. Sophia and Belinda, on the other hand, were somewhat dumbfounded.

Sun Zhiwei smiled; these two girls were still too young.

But once they enter the workforce, they'll adapt quickly. Because the entire United States is essentially one big company, so what's wrong with everyone sharing the company's money?
At this moment, their steaks arrived, and Sun Zhiwei began to eat with gusto.

The two girls seemed a bit distracted, fiddling with the fork half-heartedly, which made Sun Zhiwei frown.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Can't figure it out?"

The two girls nodded repeatedly.

"Focus on your food. I'll explain everything to you on the way back in the car."

They were relieved to hear this and began to focus on the steak on their plates.

I must say, the steak here is really good.

He ordered ribeye steak, which is located between the 6th and 12th ribs of the cow, close to the heart.

The steaks here are tender and juicy, with a rich fat content and beautiful snowflake-like marbling.

When seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and other condiments, its unique flavor is fully highlighted.

He had a big appetite; he ate five pieces before he was full. The two little girls couldn't compare; they each only finished one piece, leaving plenty of room for dessert.

(End of this chapter)