“小哥儿，这些可 aren’t worth much.” Chef Thompson’s honest-looking face broke into a smile as he picked through the trash, speaking as he went.

“How could that be? Look, these are all stainless steel, and this bucket is still in good shape, barely used. If you can’t sell it as new, it’s still fine as second-hand.” Brian Cooper said, digging out chair legs and table legs from the trash, and pointed at the aluminum bucket standing to the side.

“Stainless steel isn’t worth much, and look at this…” Chef Thompson wasn’t easy to fool either. He snapped a chair leg with his hand and handed it to Brian Cooper.

Next, Brian Cooper put his high school physics knowledge to full use to prove what was iron, and finally managed to sell everything for exactly three hundred and twenty yuan.

This scene left Mr. Foster dumbfounded, and even Chef Thompson seemed a bit overwhelmed. In the end, he even helped take out all the trash for free. Mr. Carter wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling he hadn’t taken advantage at all—after all, Brian Cooper could even say three hundred and eighteen, but only asked for a round three hundred and twenty.

Having made some money, Brian Cooper turned back in high spirits and said, “Mr. Carter, could you please watch the shop for me? I’ll go get the license done first.”

“No problem, go ahead. I’ll be here for a while.” Mr. Carter quickly agreed. If he stayed any longer and saw how little he’d charged, it’d be a hassle if Brian Cooper tried to bargain again.

Going upstairs to grab the documents he’d prepared in advance, Brian Cooper headed out the main door.

Today was Wednesday, and it was only about nine thirty in the morning. There were few pedestrians, but once he left the small street and reached the main road, it was bustling—cars coming and going, white-collar women in business attire, men in cheap suits that screamed insurance salesmen, and fashionable city ladies, all hurrying along the streets lined with skyscrapers.

Brian Cooper wore khaki casual pants, a white Mogo T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. This outfit made him look like a student who’d just walked out of school—if you didn’t look at his face, that is, since he looked like a mature man in his early thirties.

Of course, there was a reason for today’s outfit. Many discounts these days are aimed at recent college graduates. Despite Brian Cooper’s mature appearance, he’d actually graduated less than two years ago.

If you’re a recent graduate starting a business now, it’s pretty easy to get a business license or health permit. As for the health certificate, anyone working in a restaurant has to get checked every six months. The one he had was issued just last month, so it was perfectly valid.

After wandering the streets for a bit, Brian Cooper finally found the bus to the Administration for Industry and Commerce. For Brian Cooper, taking the bus was the most cost-effective—one swipe of the card let you transfer three times for free, enough to get around the whole city.

After just one transfer, Brian Cooper arrived at the administration building by ten thirty. It wasn’t until he was filling out the form that he realized he’d overlooked something—he’d never thought about a name for his shop.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Brian Cooper subconsciously tapped the marble countertop and decisively wrote “Chef God’s Little Shop” in the shop name field. The rest of the form was just routine.

He specifically took his documents and forms to the college graduate entrepreneurship window. The staff behind the counter looked at Brian Cooper’s diploma, then at Brian Cooper himself, and even checked his graduation number on the student information website before finally entering his information to process the business license.

The health bureau was close to the administration office, so Brian Cooper managed to get the health permit before lunch. He didn’t have time to eat, but looking at the two freshly issued certificates in his hand, he couldn’t help feeling a little excited.

Chapter 5 Mission Complete

He didn’t have time to eat, but looking at the two new certificates in his hand, he couldn’t help feeling excited.

He found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, ordered a plate of egg fried rice, and sat in the greasy eatery. Brian Cooper quietly opened the task panel and saw it still showed incomplete. Now Brian Cooper was sure—maybe he had to actually open for business to complete the task.

“Your egg fried rice. The soup is in the bucket over there, help yourself.”

The plate of egg fried rice interrupted Brian Cooper’s thoughts.

Since the system’s reward was a god-level egg fried rice, Brian Cooper wanted to try the regular version first.

The bowl of egg fried rice in front of him was very ordinary, with a few bits of ham, some diced carrot, the essential chopped scallions, and a small dish of pickles on the side.

He finished it in a few quick bites, and Brian Cooper didn’t think the egg fried rice was anything special.

“Could the system’s god-level egg fried rice really glow like in ‘Cooking Master Boy’?” Brian Cooper couldn’t help but grumble as he walked out of the restaurant.

On the way, Brian Cooper found someone who did wallpapering, bargained the price down to eighteen yuan per square meter, and even hitched a ride back to his shop on the guy’s electric tricycle—clever Brian Cooper didn’t even have to pay for the bus.

Back at the shop, Mr. Carter had already fixed all the pipes, including installing the double-burner gas stove, and with the kitchen all cleaned up, it looked bright and tidy.

After arranging for the wallpapering, Brian Cooper went up to Mr. Carter and said, “Thank you, Mr. Carter, sorry for the trouble. Here’s the money, please count it.”

“No trouble at all, the amount is just right. I’ll head back now. If you have any problems later, just call me.” Mr. Carter took the stack of bills, counted them, stuffed them in his pocket, and politely said goodbye to Brian Cooper before heading back to his own shop.

“Swish, swish”