Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 220 Han Chunyan

Shuxiangju in the capital.

At 8 a.m., Tan Jingya arrived at Shuxiangju Restaurant. The terrazzo flooring on the first floor had already been installed. The custom-made tables and chairs were also neatly arranged, and the whole shop looked brand new.

Originally, Tan Jingya and Li Zhe planned to open for business around the tenth day of the lunar new year. However, they soon discovered that plans often change. There were more things to prepare than they had imagined, and the opening date had to be postponed.

Li Zhe, with his stable assets and unwavering resolve, remained steadfast despite being the major shareholder. Tan Jingya, though a minor shareholder, had invested her entire fortune. With each day the opening date was delayed, her anxiety grew.

But she also knew very well that it was precisely at this time that she couldn't be impatient. Opening the restaurant rashly without proper preparation could ruin its reputation.

Fortunately, although the opening date was delayed, everything went smoothly. The restaurant's renovation and equipment are complete. Now, only staff recruitment and menu adjustments remain.

A job posting has been hanging at the restaurant entrance, and people have been coming in for interviews over the past few days.

Tan Jingya was in charge of all the recruitment, and the requirements were simple: age 18-35, good health, able to understand and speak Mandarin, and able to communicate smoothly with customers.

Anyone who meets the above criteria will be invited to participate in today's second interview.

Tan Jingya heard the sound of a car outside the shop. She went to the door and saw a truck parked outside. Li Zhe got out of the driver's seat, and Wang Jianjun followed him out, carrying a basket of vegetables from the back of the truck.

Tan Jingya greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Li, what have you been busy with these past few days? You haven't been to the restaurant for three days in a row."

"A friend helped me get a small business deal, and I've been busy researching the market these past few days," Li Zhe said without any embarrassment. Tan Jingya is not only a shareholder of the restaurant but also its manager. More pay means more work.

"Manager Tan, show me the restaurant's renovation progress." Li Zhe even changed his form of address.

"Manager Tan," Tan Jingya muttered, a smile appearing on her face, seemingly pleased with the address. "Please, Mr. Li."

Li Zhe entered the restaurant, stepping onto the brand-new, smooth terrazzo floor.

Terrazzo flooring is very popular these days. It's relatively inexpensive, allows for a wide variety of patterns and textures, and is both beautiful and durable. The polished surface is smooth and even, making it easy to clean as stains don't easily penetrate.

After 2000, with the popularization of new materials such as ceramic tiles and wood flooring, its popularity gradually declined.

However, before Li Zhe's rebirth, terrazzo flooring, a practical design with a retro feel, returned to the public eye. Many cafes, exhibition halls, and shopping malls began to reuse terrazzo flooring, with more aesthetically pleasing and personalized pattern designs.

The tables and chairs that Li Zhe had Old Yang make were also placed in the restaurant. The tables and chairs were spaced far apart, giving customers a better dining experience.

The kitchen is fully equipped. All kinds of tools are available, so you can start cooking anytime.

Tan Jingya then led Li Zhe up to the second floor of the restaurant. The second floor was designed with five private rooms, each with a window. The smaller rooms could accommodate 10 people, while the larger rooms could accommodate 16. Each room had a rotating round table, and the size of the tables varied slightly.

Li Zhe flicked the disc on the round table with his hand, and the disc spun smoothly clockwise. Looking around the private room, Li Zhe felt something was missing. He pointed to a corner of the restaurant: "It would be best to put a coat rack over there so that guests can hang their coats and bags while they eat."

Although Tan Jingya was familiar with the catering industry, in those days, being able to eat well and be full was already a blessing, and the catering industry didn't have a strong service mentality. Li Zhe only needed to use his dining experiences from later generations to fill in the gaps.

"Manager Tan, how's the restaurant staff recruitment going?"

“We’ve had quite a few interviews for waiter/waitress positions recently, and ten people meet our restaurant’s basic requirements. We’ve notified them to come for a second interview at 9 a.m.,” Tan Jingya said, looking at Li Zhe.
"Mr. Li, how many restaurant servers do we need to hire?"

Li Zhe glanced at his watch: "About eight people."

Tan Jingya frowned slightly. "Aren't there too many staff members?"

"They say there are 8 people, but each person gets one day off per week, so that averages out to 7 people working each day," Li Zhe replied. "We'll recruit more first, and then train them. Our restaurant has high service standards, so eventually some people will leave because they don't feel comfortable with the work."

Moreover, having more staff means customers can receive better service and have a better dining experience.

In the past, Li Zhe had experienced the awkward situation of being left waiting in a restaurant for half a day without anyone paying attention to him. He would call the waiter for a long time, but no one came. It wasn't that the waiter was deliberately ignoring him; they were genuinely too busy.

Some guests are understanding, while others may feel neglected and might not return. There are also some hot-tempered guests who might even start arguing on the spot.

The two chatted for a while, and then the others arrived one after another. The two chefs greeted Li Zhe and went to the kitchen to get busy.

Today, in addition to interviewing waiters and servers, there were also kitchen helpers being interviewed. Two of the kitchen helpers were recommended by the two chefs.

Kitchen helpers are the chef's assistants, and their ability to cooperate and coordinate effectively is crucial to the overall efficiency and atmosphere of the kitchen.

If neither of the two recommended candidates has any major issues, Li Zhe will hire them.

Of course, two kitchen helpers weren't enough, so the restaurant hired additional helpers. Lin Qiaomei arrived at the restaurant and changed into a brand-new uniform. She had worked as a waitress in the state-run restaurant for four years; she was experienced, reliable, and well-known, and was now the acting head waiter. The head waiter's job was very important; they were the direct supervisors of the waiters and could promptly identify and correct any problems they might encounter.

Today, she is in charge of greeting people who come to the restaurant for job interviews.

Around 8 a.m., the interviewees began to arrive one after another. There were both men and women, and they were all quite young. The oldest person was a woman in her thirties who was applying for a pastry chef position.

The interviews officially began at 9:00 a.m. The interviewees waited in the lobby on the first floor, while the interview venue was a private room on the second floor.

The first person to come up was a girl, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She had short hair that reached her ears, and the cuffs of her cotton-padded jacket were worn shiny. She glanced at Li Zhe and his companion and said, "Hello, bosses."

Li Zhe pointed to the chair opposite the table: "Sit down and introduce yourself."

"Hello, bosses. My name is Han Chunyan, and I'm from Jizhou. I'm a good worker; I can wash dishes and wipe tables. I'm not lazy." The girl had a loud voice, with a slight accent from another region.

Seeing the youthful look on her face, Li Zhe asked, "Comrade Han, how old are you?"

"Sixteen years old." Seemingly worried that Li Zhe might think she was too young, she added, "She'll be seventeen in two months."

Those aged 16 to 18 are considered minors and are within the legal working age, but there are some restrictions in certain aspects, so Li Zhe is not keen on using them.

He turned to look at Tan Jingya beside him and asked in a low voice, "Didn't they say they were recruiting people aged eighteen to thirty-five?"

Tan Jingya glanced at Han Chunyan: "At first, I also thought she was too young and didn't plan to hire her. But this girl is clever and quick-witted. On the day of the interview, she took the initiative to wipe the table. She was not shy in her speech and actions. I really like her personality."

Tan Jingya lowered her voice and said, "Besides, this girl is also from Langfang, so she's practically your fellow townsman."

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Comrade Han, do you have any work experience? Working in a restaurant can be quite tiring."

“Boss, you can just call me Chunyan. I’ve never worked in the city, but back home I did all kinds of manual labor—” She thought for a moment and replied, “From as far back as I can remember, I’ve been working in the fields with my parents. In the summer, when we harvested wheat, we’d be squatting in the fields cutting wheat before dawn, and we’d be cutting it all day long.”

In autumn, we harvest corn and peanuts. After the harvest, we have to tie up the corn stalks and carry them home to use as firewood.

In winter, when we went to break the ice in the ditch to wash clothes, our hands would crack from being soaked in the cold water.

Spring is here, and I still have to help feed the pigs and chickens, cut grass, and carry water—I do all sorts of chores. Even if the work at the restaurant is tiring, it's still better than working in the fields under the scorching sun, right?

Tan Jingya said, "Chunyan, let Boss Li take a look at your hands."

“My hands aren’t pretty, they can’t compare to Sister Tan’s.” Han Chunyan raised her hand; the skin was rough, her palms calloused, and black dirt clung to her fingernails. “Boss Li, I’m not afraid of being tired, I’m just afraid of not having any work to do…”

"Let me give it a try. If I don't do a good job, I'll leave without you even having to say anything."

Li Zhe confirmed, "Are you sure you're sixteen? Do you have an ID card?" According to labor law, those under the age of 16 are child laborers and are prohibited from being employed.

“Mr. Li, I don’t have an ID card yet, but I really am sixteen years old. I never lie.”

Li Zhe asked, "Our waiters' monthly salary is seventy yuan, with bonuses for good performance, and four days off per month. Is that acceptable?"

"I can accept it."

Li Zhe picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and asked, "What's your educational background? Can you read?"

Han Chunyan tilted her chin up, a hint of pride in her voice: "I only graduated from junior high school."

Li Zhe nodded. Although Han Chunyan was relatively young, she was performing quite well so far. She was hardworking, diligent, and had a good education.

"Come to the restaurant for training tomorrow."

"Thank you, Mr. Li, thank you, Sister Tan." Han Chunyan smiled broadly and bowed to the two of them.

Li Zhe put down his teacup: "No need to be polite. Just do your job well at the restaurant. There's one more thing: your nails are a bit long. Go back and trim them."

Han Chunyan put her hands behind her back and said, "I know, I'll cut my nails when I get back."

Tan Jingya raised her snow-white chin slightly: "Go out and call the next person in for an interview!"

(End of this chapter)