The restaurant was making money, and Cheng Su’s mood lifted. She didn’t stop to rest until she got ho in the evening, whereupon Li Qiui, the daughter-in-law of Platoon Leader Lu who lived upstairs, ca downstairs with her sister, Li Qiulan, and a baby in her arms.
"...Sister Su opened a small restaurant?" After exchanging pleasantries, Li Qiui inquired about Cheng Su.
Cheng Su paused for a mont, then laughed, "I don’t think I ntioned it, how did you know?"
It was indeed strange. She hadn’t really told anyone around here, so how did they know she had opened a restaurant?
Li Qiui glanced at her younger sister and said, "If this girl hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have known Sister-in-law Qi that you had such a skill."
Cheng Su was taken aback and looked at the younger sister. At the tender age of a budding flower, she was very simple. Cheng Su knew that Qiulan had co from their ancestral ho especially to help her older sister care for her newborn during her confinent period.
Li Qiulan, seeing Cheng Su looking over, felt a little shy and said with her head lowered, "Today as I was looking for a job, I passed by your restaurant. I’ve walked down that road a few tis and noticed it used to be the Wang Family restaurant, but it changed today. And since I saw you locking the door, I boldly guessed it might be yours?"
Cheng Su cut a plate of waterlon and set it on the table, smiling, "Yes, I just opened for business these past few days. Have so waterlon."
Li Qiui had just noticed the plate of bright red waterlon and, after politely demurring for a bit, couldn’t resist taking a piece and crunching into it. It was so sweet and delicious!
It seed Commander Qi’s days were truly good. Looking at the table, whether it was apples or waterlon, these were items ordinary households couldn’t afford to enjoy so freely. Right as she relished the fruit, a sudden tug on her sleeve made her turn; it was her sister, who then puckered her lips toward Cheng Su.
Li Qiui then averted her gaze to see Cheng Su holding a slice of waterlon. She didn’t eat it right away, but rather took a toothpick and began picking out the waterlon seeds onto a small plate at the side. Then, she slightly turned her body and began to eat the waterlon with small bites, not making a single sound.
Her eating style was indescribably refined and elegant, and her own way of eating just now...
Li Qiui felt a slight warmth on her face, a mixture of embarrassnt and sha, as she put down the waterlon rind and took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. She began to observe Cheng Su more closely.
Cheng Su’s hair was tied up high, she was dressed in a dacron blouse and slacks, sitting sideways yet with her feet together and her back straight, maintaining a very proper and neat posture.
She was so refined, so dignified, so elegant. Wasn’t it said that Sister-in-law Qi was from the sa town as her husband, and from a rural background too?
But her bearing resembled that of urban folk.
Li Qiui found it a little perplexing.
"Eh, why aren’t you eating?" Cheng Su put the waterlon rind down and saw Li Qiui staring blankly at her, which made her laugh.
Li Qiui laughed awkwardly, and Li Qiulan then asked, "Sister Su, are you looking to hire people for your restaurant?"
Cheng Su’s mouth hung open slightly as she looked at the two sisters.
"It’s like this, my sister has been job searching lately. If your place is hiring, would you consider her?" Li Qiui also stated her purpose of the visit.
"You want to work at the restaurant as a waitress?" Cheng Su looked at Li Qiulan. "But aren’t you supposed to help your sister take care of the baby?"
"She ca here just to look after during my confinent, but since I’ve finished with it and there’s not much to do daily, I can manage the baby easily. As for her, she doesn’t want to return to our hotown and has been thinking of finding a job." Li Qiui spoke with a smile: "Since I saw you’ve opened a restaurant and if you’re hiring, anyone would do, but my sister working with soone familiar would ensure she’s looked after a bit."
A smile flickered across Cheng Su’s face; she truly hadn’t anticipated hiring soone she knew.
After a mont, Cheng Su’s smile faded, she cleared her throat, and looked at Li Qiulan seriously, "It’s true I’m hiring, but working in a restaurant isn’t as laid-back as a factory, it’s really hard work. At my place, you have to do everything, help with the vegetables and cooking, wash dishes, clean, greet custors—in short, a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, you’d have to do it all."
She had no choice; her business was small and just starting, so naturally, the people she hired would have to work hard and do all kinds of tasks.
Of course, this situation wouldn’t last forever. Once her business developed, she would implent proper hotel managent practices. But talking about hotel managent was still premature at this point.
And as for Li Qiulan, was she willing to do such hard work?
"Sister Su, I’m not afraid of hardship. I’m willing to do anything and will do it well. Just give your orders," Li Qiulan hurriedly declared her position.
Cheng Su sized her up. The girl was pretty, with neatly trimd and clean nails. She then said, "If you’re not afraid of hardship, co and give it a try. As for the salary..."
"You decide; we’re all living in the sa building, it would be good for this girl to learn so skills from you," Li Qiui said earnestly.
Her words were sincere, but why?
Li Qiui considered herself sowhat discerning in judging people. For example, she didn’t believe Cheng Su was just a coarse country woman after observing the way she ate waterlon.
Looking at the house, everything was neat and tidy. You can tell a person’s character by their ho. Soone who keeps a clean and tidy ho usually has self-discipline and quality.
And the most important point was that Cheng Su had not been here long, less than a month, and unfamiliar with life here. Yet she had quietly opened a restaurant.
That was a real skill. In this courtyard full of wives and daughters-in-law, who didn’t work or do handicrafts at ho? Yet it was exactly she who went into business!
Her sister Qiulan was uneducated and might suffer if she worked elsewhere. Li Qiui figured it would be better to let her work with soone familiar, where she wouldn’t be bullied.
It seed that Qiulan had gotten along with everyone since her arrival, indicative of her adept social skills.
Therefore, Li Qiui truly believed that Cheng Su was a highly capable person. Qiulan could perhaps carve out a path for herself by learning from her, right?
Even if that wasn’t the case, working with her for now and switching jobs later was also an option.
"The girl is at the right age to learn skills. Just command her to work without any reservations," Li Qiui said.
"My sister is right; Sister Su, please feel free to give orders," Li Qiulan echoed her statent.
"Don’t worry, if you’re my employee, you’ll have to do what’s required. Let’s talk about the salary," Cheng Su said with a smile. "Here’s what we’ll do; you’ll go through a trial period. During this ti, you’ll be paid twenty yuan, including als, for three months. After the trial period, the salary will be thirty yuan a month, with a year-end bonus. What do you think?"
"Thirty yuan a month?" Both sisters were surprised and delighted.
Cheng Su nodded and added, "But if you don’t pass the assessnt after the trial period, you won’t be able to continue working. What do you think?"
"That’s only fair; in business, it’s crucial to be clear and straightforward," Li Qiui was quite liberal in her thinking.
Moreover, the salary Cheng Su offered was really not low, and it included als, which was much better than factory work.
Li Qiulan was also very willing, never having imagined that Cheng Su would offer such a high salary.
"Then welco to becoming an employee of Joy Soon Loy," Cheng Su extended her hand to Li Qiulan, as she recruited her first employee.
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