Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 183 Poaching

Sister Jin said, "They were trying to fool me, saying they'd find me a job after the New Year with a higher salary and a private room with a bed and a wardrobe. I almost believed them."

Li Na turned to look at Xiao Wei, her big eyes blinked a few times, and she smiled, saying, "Brother Wei, if you find any good work, just let me know. I'd like to move to a better place, with a slightly higher salary, a room with a bed and a wardrobe, and I can continue working as a foreman without having to do any work."

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to Xia Maosheng and said, "I forgot, we still need to find places to stay. We can't just hire locals for everything, can we?"

Xia Maosheng was also taken aback for a moment, and said, "It's definitely impossible. Most of the odd jobs and waterworks are done by people from out of town. Besides, even if you hire locals, there are differences in distance. Fengtian is such a big place."

Xiao Wei said, "Go upstairs and call Chen Xiao in a bit. Xiao Hui should be with her. Ask him to ask Director Li if they can free up some space in that building for a dormitory. If not, we'll have to find a place nearby as soon as possible. We can't expect people to live in the kitchen and sleep in the dining room like Sister Jin, can we?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Okay, let them come over in a bit. I told Xiaohui yesterday that they'll come over later, and we'll all go to Donglaishun together."

Xiao Wei blinked and said, "When did you tell him? What are we going to do about my Xiao Hong?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Xiao Hong has class this afternoon and won't be back until tonight. I've already asked her."

Xiao Wei's face twitched: "What's going on? How come I didn't know anything about this? You seem to know my wife's whereabouts better than I do."

Sister Jin reached out and patted Xia Maosheng on the shoulder, asking, "Are you sure about setting up dormitories? Are you really going to open a restaurant? Where is it located?"

Xia Maosheng nodded and said, "It's true. If you still don't believe me, it's right there on Sanhao Street, a big hotel, over 1,500 square meters."

Li Na said, "Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing as a house that big. This one is only a little over 700, which is already quite big."

Xia Maosheng said, "Two floors, two floors, all together it's 1,500, really, the contract was signed yesterday."

Sister Jin said, "So you're not just kidding me, are you? You really want me to come and work for you?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Yeah, that's run by another buddy of mine. The chef is also Liu Jingxian's apprentice. I'd like you to go and manage the kitchen helper's stall. Think about it."

Li Na said, "Go away, what are you thinking about? Is it any fun staying in this crappy place? Only a fool like you could fall asleep here."

Xiao Wei said to Li Na, "We need to find about ten, no more than twenty, waiters. They all need to be tall. Can you help us find some?"

Li Na said, "Do you want me? If you want me to be the foreman, I'll help you find someone. I can't guarantee twenty, but finding ten or so shouldn't be a problem."

Xiao Wei's face darkened, Xia Maosheng started laughing again, and Sister Jin laughed too, saying, "You're too hasty, are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Xiao Wei took a breath and said, "We don't want fat people. They go for a Chinese retro style over there, and the clothes are all specially designed and made. Fat people don't look good, and short people don't look good either. If you can really help me find someone, then please do so. Seriously, if you're willing to go somewhere else, that's fine too. It's better if everyone knows each other."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Li Na, what's your relationship with President Zhao? You two seem to get along quite well, and he takes good care of you. Are you sure you can leave?"

Li Na said, "What does it matter? He knows my dad, that's all. He's not nice to me at all. He can scold me whenever he wants. Besides, I do a good job, why shouldn't he treat me well? Look at me, I'm always there for everything. He's never even at the shop. I'm the one who looks after everything."

Xiao Wei asked, "Will things be better if you leave? What will happen to him if you leave?"

Li Na said, "I didn't sell myself to him. I can leave whenever I want. He can find someone else. It's not like he can't find someone."

Jin Jie, who had been standing there in a daze, finally snapped out of it and asked Xiao Wei, "Is it really true, like you said, that a raise comes with a room to stay?"

Xiao Wei said, "Definitely."

Sister Jin nodded and said, "Then I'll go. Who owns it? Do I know them?"

Xiao Wei said, "Yes, I know him. He's the guy from the power outage on Taiyuan Street last time, Chen Hui."

Sister Jin thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, her mouth agape: "Oh, oh, I remember now, that chubby guy, right? He's got quite a temper, isn't he from the power bureau?"

Xiao Wei said, "Can't the power company run a restaurant?"

Sister Jin nodded and said, "That's true. These days, anyone who does big business needs connections. Why don't you two open your own? If you have some connections, you're sure to make money opening a restaurant."

Xia Maosheng said, "Our store has been open for several days now; it opened on the 22nd."

Li Na stared wide-eyed at Xia Maosheng and said, "It's open? Opening on the 22nd? My goodness, you two are so fast, it's only been a few days since you went back last time? What kind of restaurant is it? A snack bar, I guess."

Xia Maosheng said, "It's a restaurant. It has three floors, can fit about ten tables, and only about ten employees. What's wrong?"

Sister Jin said, "You must have just picked it up already, how could it be so fast?"

Xia Maosheng nodded and said, "Yes, it's a restaurant owned by the company. We've been leasing it for nine years, and all the staff are the ones we brought with us."

Li Na said, "That's pretty impressive. Where is it?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Our business is all in Longcheng, otherwise we would have contacted you long ago."

Li Na, quick-witted, asked, "What else did you two do?"

Xia Maosheng said, "We also contracted the Labor Bureau's vocational and technical training center, just like this, to run classes and issue certificates."

Li Na raised her hand and gave a thumbs up: "Awesome. You two are really amazing. You quietly set up such a big stall, and you have strong connections. Most people would try to find connections to get a certificate, but you guys just booked the whole place and issued the certificates yourself. Is the place big? How many people can you hold at a time?"

Xia Maosheng said, "There are three floors in front, a courtyard, and inside there is a row of bungalows and a two-story building. It adds up to about four thousand square meters, right?" He asked Xiaowei, who nodded.

Li Na said, "A building of over four thousand square meters? And a courtyard? How big is the courtyard?"

Xiao Wei said, "A little over a thousand, around thirteen thousand."

Li Na said to Jin Jie, "Isn't that amazing? Absolutely amazing! How many people can they recruit at once? Several hundred people!"

Xia Maosheng said, "It's not just the chef training class, but also the pastry and Western pastry classes. Each class only has about 100 to 200 people at a time, we can't handle more than that."

Sister Jin said, "Longcheng isn't a big city, is it? I heard it's quite poor. Can they attract those people? What if things turn out badly? Where will they make money if they don't have students?"

Xia Maosheng said, "We've already decided to recruit students from all over Northeast China, and the certificates will be issued from the provincial government."

Li Na said, "How about I go to Longcheng and work for you? I'll manage it for you. You need a principal, right? Look at your looks and figure, you'd be perfect as a principal, wouldn't you?"

Xiao Wei said, "As for next year, if you really want to leave, help settle things at the restaurant here first. We need to find waiters in advance. We'll talk about the other side later, okay?"

(End of this chapter)