Chapter 33: The Principal's Phone Rings Incessantly

"Just give it a try," Lin Qianfan said with a smile. "If it fails, we’ll just try again. We’ll get it right eventually."

Under Lin Qianfan’s persistence, Xia Ruo finally agreed. The two worked together, following a recipe Lin Qianfan had found online, to make their first batch of pearl milk tea. Lin Qianfan scooped out the cooked tapioca pearls, added a splash of syrup, poured in some black tea and non-dairy creamer, stirred it well, and handed it to Xia Ruo. "Here, have a taste."

Xia Ruo took the cup, hesitated for a moment, then took a sip. "Hmm... it’s not bad, just a little too sweet."

"Too sweet?" Lin Qianfan frowned and made a note in his notebook. "Then we’ll use less sugar for the next one."

After the second batch was ready, they experimented with different fruit jams, creating coconut fruit tea and milk-foam green tea.

"This one tastes good," Xia Ruo said after a sip of the coconut fruit tea, nodding. "Better than the first one."

Lin Qianfan took a sip as well and nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, we can keep this one."

After an afternoon of trial and error, they finally settled on three recipes: classic pearl milk tea, coconut fruit tea, and jasmine milk green tea.

"Let’s start by selling these three, and we can develop new flavors when we have more time," Lin Qianfan said while tidying up.

Xia Ruo looked at the three cups of tea on the table and couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't expect you to actually pull it off."

"Of course," Lin Qianfan said, raising his eyebrows with pride. "We're just getting started. It’s only going to get better from here."

"Let's stick with these three for now, get things up and running, and add more later," Lin Qianfan said, wiping his hands and clearing away the materials.

Watching him work, Xia Ruo couldn't help but ask, "Are you really that confident that the students will like them?"

Lin Qianfan stopped what he was doing, turned to look at her, and smiled. "I'm absolutely confident."

They worked until three or four in the afternoon before leaving the shop. Stepping outside, Lin Qianfan checked his watch; it was still early. He stood on the sidewalk, deep in thought.

"Lin Qianfan, how do you plan to promote the shop?" Xia Ruo asked, looking at him with a serious expression.

"Find a print shop, print some flyers and posters, and stick them on the school bulletin boards." Lin Qianfan spoke decisively, looking fully prepared. "The shop is just starting out, so we need to make some noise."

Xia Ruo nodded without further questions, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. They wandered through a few small alleys and soon found what they were looking for: a modest print shop.

The shop was quiet, and the owner was hunched over, tinkering with an old printer. Lin Qianfan walked in, glanced around, and seeing several printed samples on the wall with clear text and bright colors, he spoke up.

"Boss, I need to print some hiring posters. They need to be eye-catching with large text. Could you help me design a template?"

The owner looked up and pointed to the computer behind him. "Young man, there are ready-made templates on that machine. Take a look and pick one; I’ll make the edits for you once you find one you like."

Lin Qianfan walked over, flipped through a few options, and quickly selected a simple, clear design. He looked at the computer screen and pointed to the text.

"Write 'Hiring Servers' here in bold, and list the job description, hourly wage, and contact information below."

Lin Qianfan tweaked the wording, confirmed everything was correct, and clicked print.

"How many?" the assistant asked, looking up from his phone with a casual tone.

Lin Qianfan thought for a moment. "Let’s start with fifty."

The printer hummed with a rhythmic clatter, and sheets of paper slid out one by one. While waiting, Lin Qianfan pondered the details of the recruitment. He had decided to use the school principal's contact number to make the hiring process seem more official. After all, using his own number might seem too personal and unreliable, and he wouldn't be able to answer calls anyway.

*This needs to be done through proper channels,* he thought to himself, *otherwise, if students' parents see it, it might cause unnecessary trouble.*

The assistant handed him a thick stack of printed papers. Lin Qianfan took them and placed twenty-five yuan on the counter. "Thanks." He grabbed the papers, turned, and headed toward the school.

Back at school, he found a secluded corner, cut the flyers into individual slips, took some double-sided tape from his bag, and plastered them in prominent places. He hit the school entrance bulletin board, the wall by the cafeteria, and even the utility poles beneath the dormitories.

"With enough spots, the target audience won't miss them," he said, brushing the dust off his hands. Looking at the last posted slip, he felt a sense of relief.

By the time he finished, the sky had turned dark. He walked Xia Ruo home before heading to his own house. Inside, the atmosphere was as calm as always.

His grandmother was sitting on the sofa knitting a sweater, while his grandfather was hunched over a piece of wood, carefully carving it with a knife. Lin Qianfan changed his shoes and walked straight into the kitchen, placing the items he had bought on the way onto the table.

"Grandma, I saw some good things on the street today and brought them back for you and Grandpa."

He took them out of the bag one by one: a box of nourishing milk, two tins of premium tea, and a box of pastries—all things his grandparents usually enjoyed.

His grandmother put down her knitting, her face lighting up with a smile. "Qianfan, are you spending money recklessly again? Why buy so much of this stuff?"

Lin Qianfan smiled and handed her the milk. "It’s not reckless."

"Your and Grandpa’s health is what matters; you need the calcium. And I picked this tea specifically for Grandpa—he loves strong tea, doesn't he?"

His grandmother took the milk, and though she kept complaining, her hands were busy organizing the items. She smiled and said, "You child, you only know how to spoil us. What about you? Have you been eating well?"

"I have," Lin Qianfan replied casually, setting the pastries on the table. "Grandma, try these. I just bought them; they’re delicious."

His grandfather had remained silent until Lin Qianfan placed the tea by his side. He looked up briefly and grumbled, "Waste of money. You're a student; where are you getting the money for this? You need to learn to save, you know?"

Lin Qianfan, having expected this, replied with a smile, "Grandpa, I bought these with my bonus, so don't worry about it."

His grandfather muttered, "Bonuses shouldn't be spent like this. It's better to save it than buy all this useless stuff." Yet, he gripped the box of tea tightly, his eyes fixed on the pastries on the table, clearly pleased.

His grandmother, seeing this, couldn't help but laugh. "Old man, you say you don't want them, but you're secretly delighted, aren't you?"

His grandfather let out a huff, said nothing more, and went back to his wood carving.

Watching this, a warmth spread through Lin Qianfan’s heart. He turned, went to his room, placed his schoolbag on the desk, opened a book, and began his homework.