Back To The 80s: President's Doted Wife

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Knocking on Doors for a Job

The restaurant was making money, and Cheng Su’s mood lifted. She didn’t stop to rest until she got home in the evening, whereupon Li Qiumei, the daughter-in-law of Platoon Leader Lu who lived upstairs, came downstairs with her sister, Li Qiulan, and a baby in her arms.

”...Sister Su opened a small restaurant?” After exchanging pleasantries, Li Qiumei inquired about Cheng Su.

Cheng Su paused for a moment, then laughed, ”I don’t think I mentioned 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 Qiumei 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 come from their ancestral home especially to help her older sister care for her newborn during her confinement 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 times 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 watermelon and set it on the table, smiling, ”Yes, I just opened for business these past few days. Have some watermelon.”

Li Qiumei had just noticed the plate of bright red watermelon and, after politely demurring for a bit, couldn’t resist taking a piece and crunching into it. It was so sweet and delicious!

It seemed Commander Qi’s days were truly good. Looking at the table, whether it was apples or watermelon, 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 Qiumei then averted her gaze to see Cheng Su holding a slice of watermelon. She didn’t eat it right away, but rather took a toothpick and began picking out the watermelon seeds onto a small plate at the side. Then, she slightly turned her body and began to eat the watermelon 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 Qiumei felt a slight warmth on her face, a mixture of embarrassment and shame, as she put down the watermelon 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 same town as her husband, and from a rural background too?

But her bearing resembled that of urban folk.

Li Qiumei found it a little perplexing.

”Eh, why aren’t you eating?” Cheng Su put the watermelon rind down and saw Li Qiumei staring blankly at her, which made her laugh.

Li Qiumei 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 Qiumei 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 came here just to look after me during my confinement, 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 hometown and has been thinking of finding a job.” Li Qiumei 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 someone familiar would ensure she’s looked after a bit.”

A smile flickered across Cheng Su’s face; she truly hadn’t anticipated hiring someone she knew.

After a moment, 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 customers—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 implement proper hotel management practices. But talking about hotel management 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 me your orders,” Li Qiulan hurriedly declared her position.

Cheng Su sized her up. The girl was pretty, with neatly trimmed and clean nails. She then said, ”If you’re not afraid of hardship, come and give it a try. As for the salary...”

”You decide; we’re all living in the same building, it would be good for this girl to learn some skills from you,” Li Qiumei said earnestly.

Her words were sincere, but why?

Li Qiumei considered herself somewhat discerning in judging people. For example, she didn’t believe Cheng Su was just a coarse country woman after observing the way she ate watermelon.

Looking at the house, everything was neat and tidy. You can tell a person’s character by their home. Someone who keeps a clean and tidy home 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 home? Yet it was exactly she who went into business!

Her sister Qiulan was uneducated and might suffer if she worked elsewhere. Li Qiumei figured it would be better to let her work with someone familiar, where she wouldn’t be bullied.

It seemed that Qiulan had gotten along with everyone since her arrival, indicative of her adept social skills.

Therefore, Li Qiumei 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 Qiumei said.

”My sister is right; Sister Su, please feel free to give me orders,” Li Qiulan echoed her statement.

”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 time, you’ll be paid twenty yuan, including meals, 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 assessment 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 Qiumei was quite liberal in her thinking.

Moreover, the salary Cheng Su offered was really not low, and it included meals, 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 welcome to becoming an employee of Joy Soon Loy,” Cheng Su extended her hand to Li Qiulan, as she recruited her first employee.