Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 31 Provoking trouble
“Brother Hongbing, I know what you mean. There used to be a guy next door who frequented those kinds of places. He got sick and developed acne all over his body. It was really scary.”

Faced with Li Hongbing's reminder and advice, Wu Jun nodded seriously.

Seeing this, Li Hongbing didn't say anything more.

Some things are best left unsaid.

Whether he can heed this advice and put it into practice in the future depends on Wu Jun himself.

Although he hadn't been at Fengzeyuan for long, Li Hongbing already had a considerable understanding of the kitchen.

People like those mentioned earlier had been apprentices at Fengzeyuan for quite some time, especially those who had entered before the founding of the People's Republic of China. They had picked up some of the bad habits of the old society.

The term "three years of apprenticeship" is a rather traditional way of saying that many of them actually spent more than three years as apprentices.

Despite the abundance of chefs at Fengzeyuan, becoming an apprentice doesn't guarantee you'll learn their true skills.

Although many of them were introduced by acquaintances rather than recruited from the community like Li Hongbing and Wu Jun, the master chefs in the kitchen do not easily accept apprentices.

A master and his apprentice are like father and son.

In the past, the relationship between a master and his apprentice was no less than that of family members.

Although we live in a new society now, the country has only been established for a few years, so many people's ideas have not changed, especially in crafts like cooking that rely on tradition and apprenticeship.

The kindness of being taught is as vast as the sea.

Moreover, the saying "teaching a disciple can starve the master" is not just an empty phrase.

There are many such examples in reality, so many experienced craftsmen have this concern.

When master craftsmen take on apprentices, they consider not only talent but also character and temperament, observing and assessing them for two or three years, or even longer.

There are very few people these days who can truly be noticed by the master chefs in the kitchen and formally accepted as apprentices.

The work in the kitchen is tiring and monotonous. After a while, some people can't persevere and leave because they can't see any hope.

Some people, however, chose to give up.

Although the apprentices' wages were not high, they had no worries about food and lodging. With spare money in hand, they naturally tried to find ways to have fun to offset the hardship and boredom of their daily work.

This only made the experienced craftsmen look down on them even more, and they lost all hope.

Regardless of the reasons or considerations, Li Hongbing had no intention of getting involved with those people from earlier.

Not long after.

The chefs from the kitchen arrived one after another.

Not long after, Luan Xuetang also arrived at the kitchen, accompanied by others.

What drew everyone's attention and envy were the thick envelopes on the tray.

This is the salary of the head chefs in the kitchen this month.

Judging from the thickness of the envelope, the minimum amount inside must be at least one million. Even Li Hongbing couldn't help but take a second look.

It was already 1952, but Fengzeyuan had not yet officially entered into a joint public-private partnership. Although a labor union had been established and a joint management model between labor and management had been implemented, the wage system still used the original split-account system.

The chefs and other staff members don't receive a fixed salary each month; instead, they receive a share of the restaurant's profits.

As Luan Xuetang personally handed the envelopes to the chefs, most of the apprentices looked on with envy and anticipation, and they worked much harder afterward.

Once the lunch rush was over and the kitchen staff started to relax, the kitchen apprentices and front-of-house workers were all eager and excited, and lined up outside the accounting office.

"Li Hongbing, 250,000."

"Please confirm that this is correct, and then sign your name on it."

"That's right!"

"Thank you, Accountant Zhou."

"Next!"

"..."

When it was Li Hongbing's turn, he took the money, counted it in front of him, and then signed his name on it.

only.

Upon hearing that Li Hongbing's salary this month was as high as 250,000 yuan, the kitchen apprentices behind him were shocked and immediately raised objections.

"Accountant Zhou, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Li Hongbing has only been here a short time, so why does he earn more than all of us in a month?"

"That's right, it's not fair!"

"What's all the noise about? This was personally instructed by Manager Luan." "You probably don't know, but Li Hongbing saved someone in the moat not far away a few days ago, and the manager gave him 100,000 as a reward. If you're so capable, why don't you save someone too?"

"..."

As soon as Accountant Zhou said these words, the senior apprentices, who had initially felt indignant and wanted to cause trouble, immediately fell silent.

After figuring out the reason, everyone felt a little better, but they were also a little resentful and envious of Li Hongbing's "lucky break".

One hundred thousand yuan, that's more than half a month's salary for them.

"Why wasn't it me who saved them?"

Wu Jun, who had just received his wages following behind Li Hongbing, quickly caught up and couldn't help but make a wish: "Next time I save someone, the shopkeeper will reward me with 100,000 yuan."

"Saving people is not an easy thing, and you, kid, hope that people will be alright."

Li Hongbing was speechless and couldn't help but shake his head.

For a reward of 100,000 yuan, it wouldn't be a good thing if you accidentally lost your life.

Upon hearing this, Wu Jun scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and chuckled, "Hehe, I was just saying."

"Red Soldier, wait a moment."

Just as Li Hongbing and Wu Jun were about to return to the kitchen, a hurried shout came from behind them.

Li Hongbing and Wu Jun both stopped and looked at each other.

The man who came was Sun Hai, the same senior apprentice who had boasted that morning that he would take him to "broaden his horizons" and told him not to leave after work.

"Brother Sun, is something the matter?"

Li Hongbing became wary, but showed nothing on his face.

"Hey! What could it be, it's just..."

Sun Hai paused for a moment before continuing, "Back in the accounting office earlier, Brother Sun, I wasn't targeting you, don't overthink it. You did such a great deed saving someone, why were you keeping it a secret? If Accountant Zhou hadn't spoken up, it would have almost caused a misunderstanding..."

"It's alright! Brother Sun, I'm not a petty person, don't take it to heart."

Thinking the other party had come specifically to apologize, Li Hongbing responded with a single sentence.

To be honest, Li Hongbing didn't really take it seriously. His relationship with them wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.

Moreover, it's understandable that they would feel resentful and have grievances when they see a new employee earning more than the long-term staff.

"I knew you weren't the type to hold grudges."

Sun Hai's face lit up with a smile. He stepped forward and put his arm around Li Hongbing's shoulder, winking as he said, "I was originally planning to take you out tonight to broaden your horizons, but now that you've received a 100,000 yuan reward, such a joyous occasion, shouldn't you treat your brother to a celebration?"

"Brother Sun, I didn't agree to what you asked this morning. I'm going home after work, so I won't go with you."

Having understood Sun Hai's meaning, Li Hongbing frowned.

It turns out this guy was after my 100,000 yuan.

Seeing that he had won 100,000 yuan more in bonus than them, he had a thought: taking advantage of his longer apprenticeship, he would try to take advantage of the newcomer.

"Li Hongbing, your brother Sun has always looked after you a lot. Now that you've had some good fortune, you don't even share it with me and let your brother share in your joy. That's a bit unfair of you!"

Rejected by Li Hongbing, Sun Hai was a little annoyed. After making a sarcastic remark, he laughed and said, "Without me, you couldn't have gone to a place like that! Don't worry, when we get to Zhujia Hutong tonight, I'll definitely find you a hot girl and let you have a good time, to taste the flavors of women..."

"Not interested in!"

Li Hongbing, with a cold face, directly slapped away the other person's hand that was on his shoulder.

Some things can be done once or twice, but not a third time.

Considering they were both kitchen apprentices and colleagues, Li Hongbing didn't want to have any conflict with the other party, but the other party just wouldn't know how to restrain himself.

"Hey Li, don't refuse a toast... Ouch..."

Sun Hai was furious, but before he could finish his harsh words, he was kicked in the butt and stumbled to the ground.

"What the hell... Master Guo?"

Sun Hai had just gotten up from the ground, clutching his buttocks, and was about to curse when he saw Chef Guo in the kitchen with a dark expression. He was dumbfounded.

"Get out of here! Bringing your dirty business into the kitchen, are you asking for a beating?"

"If I run into this again, pack your bags and get out!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)