Chapter 288 - Soft Opening Day (6)

"It's done! Congratulations to us!" Sofia declared finally meeting everyone's gaze. 

The hand holding the kitchen shear slowly dropped to her side while each half of the ribbon hung freely on both ends of wooden stands. The tip of the ribbon was just a few inches away from the floor. The wind somehow made its way and gently blew the ribbons to flutter in the air. 

Her heart blossomed an emotion of indescribable thrill of excitement.

Subconsciously, Sofia glanced at her wristwatch and take note of the time. 

'05:25 AM, 24th of February... Far from the usual time to conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony,' Sofia thought. 

Heck, citizens in district 7 were still tucked in their bed, snoring in their sleep! Other than them, the surrounding establishments were still closed while their owners were also taking their rest. 

Having such thoughts, Sofia bit her lower lip and take a deep breath. She slightly glanced at the ribbons that were gently swaying. Then, she mustered her courage to look in Claire's direction.

Claire was clapping her hand joyfully and seemed to have dropped whatever she had perceived earlier. Beside her was Clark who had leisurely put his arms on Claire's shoulder. 

'Good, I don't need to make another alibi!' Sofia released a silent sigh once more and could only pray in her heart that her tongue would no longer slip in the future. 

She then shifted her line of vision on the side where Joey had a cheeky grin and Stephen only curled his lips to form an upward curve. 

"Congratulations, Miss Sofia!" Jing Jing stated first and everyone followed to speak their congratulations for one another. 

Those staff who were moving things on the corner also halted their work and clapped their hands for a minute before finishing their task.

Unlike those fancy ribbon-cutting ceremonies that Jing Jing covered in media before, this event was really just completed in their own special way. A thought also occurred to her. 'There is no wine and champagne. It's like a ceremony but with no air of celebration. Yet, somehow, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment.'

"Miss Sofia, there is no wine to complete our event.," Jing Jing secretly told Sofia. 

"It's okay, sister Jing. It is too early to drink wine!" Sofia chuckled and handed the kitchen shear back to Derek.

"I will go back to my post," Derek stated after receiving the object.

"Hehe, right... it's still past 5 AM..." Jing Jing nodded her head in agreement. 

Before Derek could walk another step away from them, she called. "Send me a copy of the video. I will keep it as a remembrance! But, don't post it online to avoid troubles for Miss Sofia."

"Who would dare make trouble to our young boss? I will face them," Derek smirked.

"Hahaha... it is indeed troublesome if the video will go in public. Just don't post it, Derek," Sofia supported Jing Jing. In Sofia's mind, it was better for them to stay low-key about owning the business.

"Ohh... Then, I will keep the video in my phone storage. But, young boss, if someone will trouble you, just tell me and we will surely teach them a lesson," Derek stated. He tapped his chest as a gesture of assurance.

"It is better to avoid troubles and just focus on gaining profit," Sofia expressed with firmness in her tone.

"Yes, that's right! Send that video to me and I will compile it," Jing Jing stated. 

Derek nodded his head before he continued going towards the kitchen. 

Meanwhile, Jing Jing turned around towards the door and stared at the darkness outside. The sky was just about to break its dawn.

Just then, two elder men stood at the entrance door. They were carrying large 4 baskets of vegetables and meat.

"Hello! Delivery for Ms. Jing Jing! This is for the order made yesterday!" one of the men called.

Hearing this, everyone snapped their attention to the two newcomers.

"These two men are our suppliers of vegetables and meat, Miss Sofia. I have negotiated with the price in the market yesterday," Jing Jing introduced and they both walked towards the door. The rest of the teens followed behind and looked at the baskets with curiosity.

The man who called Jing Jing first also waved his hand after recognizing her. 

"Ms. Jing Jing, I did not expect to see you personally! Hehehe, Here is the list of goods that you asked for yesterday. All the goods are in the baskets. Please check them if it's complete," he said and provided Jing Jing the receipt.

Jing Jing slightly bowed her head and wanted to introduce Sofia and the rest of the teens to the suppliers. But when she made eye contact with Sofia again, the young lady shook her head as if she already know what Jing Jing was about to do.

There was no need for an introduction. Jing Jing clasped both her hands in understanding and faced the suppliers once more.

"Thank you. I will ask someone to check the baskets first. Please wait for a while," Jing Jing spoke and her eyes wandered around the corners of the place, scanning for a particular person. Sofia had instructed her to collaborate with Danny and Derek to arrange everything. All the tasks were formally distributed by every member of the Double Sigma fraternity.

"Who are you looking, Miss Jing Jing?" Joey inquired. He squatted on the floor and opened the basket that contained onions, garlic, and other spices.

"Hmm... Joey, please get Danny here. He is in charge of the kitchen tasks. He should check all these ingredients," Jing Jing politely requested. But before Joey could take a stand and open his mouth, Danny was already walking his way towards them.

"Ahh... here he is..." Jing Jing commented and gave the paper to him.

Danny did not speak a word. He swiftly took the receipt from Jing Jing's hand and just directly opened the baskets.

All of them watched while Danny examined the baskets one after another. His movements were fast yet he was also careful not to damage them.

"Bro, you are an expert!" Joey subconsciously commented.

After a while of examining the meats and counting the vegetables, the man gestured a thumbs up. "All are here. It's complete as indicated in the receipt."

"Thank you for delivering it on time," Jing Jing spoke to the two men. She had made an advance payment to them and also requested to deliver it at 5:30 AM. Surprisingly, they really arrived sharply on time.

"No problem, it's our pleasure making business with you, Ms. Jing Jing. Then, we will take our leave," the elder man stated and walked away.

"Thank you!" Jing Jing repeated while watching the retreating figures. Shen then looked at the teens with a small smile on her lips. "Alright, the kitchen should start preparing our dishes now. Later, there will be organizers of the wedding that will also come to decorate the reception area on the second floor. Miss Sofia, do you have other instructions?"

"I want to observe the cooks in the kitchen," Sofia simply replied. She hoped to see and learn how the dishes in the district were prepared.

"Of course," Danny said and returned the receipt to Jing Jing. He then picked the basket of vegetables.  Joey, Clark, and Stephen also carried the other remaining three baskets. Then the group walked towards the kitchen area.

The room was not big. When they entered, the space instantly sink. There were two sinks attached to the wall and then three stoves next to it. Typical kitchen drawers and cabinets were placed on the side and serving plates and bowls were on the countertop situated at the center.

"Sof, I will just be outside and enjoy the morning air," Claire suddenly spoke. With so many of them, the space in the kitchen was really hard to navigate.

"Okay, we will call you later, Claire," Sofia replied and smiled at her.

"Me too, I'm going out," Clark quickly followed.

"This couple..." Joey pouted and stared at their retreating figure until they stepped out.

One staff started to cut vegetables while the other was washing the meat.

"Miss, do not throw the stalks and seeds. Let's replant them on the backside," Sofia mumbled to the staff that was handling the vegetables.

"Okay, ma'am," the staff respectfully answered and continued her work.

"You want to have a vegetable garden, Miss Sofia? " Jing Jing asked.

"Ohh... Well, there is a vacant lot at the back, sister Jing. I thought we can use it. This way, we can minimize the budget for the ingredients next time and save even a little money from it," Sofia responded.

"That's a good idea, Miss Sofia! I will take care of planting these vegetables later. Just tell me which part you want them to be planted," Danny offered before Jing Jing could reply to her.

"Then, thank you. You can plant them anywhere at the back. Just arrange it however you like," Sofia answered.

"I will help you making vegetable garden. We should buy small pots for the seeds to grow. I've always wanted to try gardening but too busy to my previous job!" Jing Jing suggested with glint of excitement on her face.

"I am raised in the mountains. So, gardening is common there. I think, it's effective to save money if we plant some of the ingredients," Sofia mumbled referring to the original owner of her body.

"Ohh... if you are raised in the mountains, how about getting our supply to the farmers? Miss Sofia, it's more cheap if we buy directly to them," Jing Jing suddenly stated.

"That's also a good plan, sister Jing. But, we have not enough time to go there. Maybe, once we gain profit, let's invest in a vehicle to be use for the company," Sofia casually replied thinking of the projects that they should acquire.

"I agree. It's indeed time consuming to go to the mountains..." Jing Jing trailed.

It was probably fine if they were focused in their business. That way, they have enough time to travel to the mountains. However, she was reminded by the fact that her boss was not only a student but also a pro gamer and endorser.

Sofia's time is more precious than saving money for their ingredients.