After tasting the dishes prepared by Li Baocheng and his two companions, Zhang Xuemei and the others nodded repeatedly. Although the taste wasn't particularly amazing, it was still quite delicious. However, today's dishes were cooked in small batches, while later they would be cooked in large pots, so the taste would definitely be greatly diminished.

"Master Li, we've tasted your cooking, and it's fine. You can come to work when school starts!"

As soon as Zhang Xuemei finished speaking, the three middle-aged women next to her became anxious and hurriedly asked, "What about us? Can we still come to work?"

“Yes, Mr. Zhang, those women are very hardworking. They usually do all the washing and chopping of vegetables. Why don’t we let them come work here too?” Li Baocheng chimed in, trying to be helpful.

Zhang Xuemei smiled and said, "I didn't say we didn't want them. You can all come to work directly. But there's something else: are there only six of you right now? Where are the others?"

The outspoken Zhao Chunhua said directly, "They all ran away. I heard that the contractor they had previously agreed to work with backed out, and with school starting soon, they figured it was hopeless, so they all looked for other jobs."

"Oh, is that so? Then see if you can go and look for them again. Let those who are willing to come back come back. I'll feel at ease once they're all familiar with the work."

The main problem is that time is too tight; otherwise, she would have just started recruiting from outside. Experienced people are always difficult to manage, but there's no other way now.

“Okay, I actually know where they live. I’ll ask them when I get back. But Mr. Zhang, is the salary still fifty-five a month?” Zhao Chunhua’s question hit the nail on the head, and the others looked at her expectantly.

Zhang Xuemei had seen their previous pay stubs: the kitchen helper earned 55 yuan a month, the head chef earned 100 yuan a month, and the dishwasher earned 35 yuan a month.

Since she doesn't work on Saturdays and Sundays, the salary is already quite good. But now she has new requirements, so she's willing to pay her more.

“I’ve seen your previous salaries. I’m going to give you a raise now. Li, you’re the head chefs, I’ll pay you 120 a month. If you come to work every day without taking a day off, you’ll get an additional 30 for full attendance at the end of the month, which will make it 150 a month.”

As for the kitchen helpers, who assist with chopping and washing vegetables and serving food, they are paid 80 yuan a month, plus 30 yuan for full attendance at the end of the month. Dishwashers are paid 50 yuan a month, plus 30 yuan for full attendance.

As soon as Zhang Xuemei finished speaking, she saw the eyes of the people opposite her light up. Li Baocheng rubbed his hands and asked, "Does Boss Zhang need a chef? I have a cousin who is also a chef..."

Zhang Xuemei was still wondering where to find a chef when he arrived, so she smiled and said:

"Of course I want one, why wouldn't I? The cafeteria on the second floor is short three chefs, isn't it? Here's what we'll do: Chef Li, if you can help me find a few chefs, I'll give you ten yuan for each one you find. Of course, Chef Zhang and Chef Meng, you can also help me find some. The second and third floors are short five chefs. But let's make this clear first, you can't just bring anyone. I need to taste the dishes."

Although Zhang Xuemei delegated the task to them, she still had to oversee the final decision herself.

Li Baocheng and the others were overjoyed. "So, the salary is the same as ours?"

My cousin Li Baotian works at someone else's restaurant. He's busy from morning till night and only earns 150 yuan a month. It's not as good as working in the canteen with him. At least I can rest for two days a week and I'm only busy for a short period of time. It's such a good job. I can't miss it. I'm thinking of talking to my cousin about it when I get back.

"Same here. There are a few more things I want to mention. First, hygiene must be done well. I will be customizing work uniforms later. For example, Chef Li and you will have to wear special chef uniforms and hats to prevent hair from falling into the food. That would be much more appetizing. The same goes for the aunties serving the food; they should also cover their hair."

Secondly, the floor needs to be mopped every evening after dinner. We can take turns doing this, with a deep cleaning every Friday afternoon. We'll connect a hose and wash the floor directly with water. The floor tiles are so oily now; they stick to your feet after just a few steps, which is very uncomfortable.

Teacher Chen, who was listening nearby, nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's right, that's right. He had mentioned it before, but they didn't take it seriously. They said that with so many people walking back and forth every day, it's inevitable that there will be oil stains, and they're not easy to wash."

"The third point is that every morning from now on, someone will check if your fingernails are trimmed short and if there is any dirt inside. Don't think it's too much work. We in the food service industry are all about cleanliness. If you are caught every time, you will get a demerit. If you are caught more than three times, you will lose your perfect attendance bonus for the month."

After saying this, Zhang Xuemei looked at the group and asked, "You don't have any objections, do you?"

“No, no, this is fine.” Li Baocheng said first. It’s normal for people to have some demands after being paid such a high salary. He understands.

"Alright, then Mr. Li, you'll be the manager of Canteen No. 1, overseeing everyone. You'll be in charge of attendance from now on. Attendance means everyone who comes to work each day has to report to you. I remember we also have breakfast, which can be done in shifts. Mr. Li, you can make a table, and if I think it's okay, I'll follow your plan. What do you think?"

Zhang Xuemei didn't want to control everything; she delegated as much authority as possible, making her subordinates happy and her life easier.

As expected, Li Baocheng's eyes narrowed with joy, and he grinned, "Thank you, Boss Zhang. I will definitely manage our No. 1 canteen well, so you can rest assured."

Zhang Xuemei nodded. After discussing the employees' issues, she would now move on to the cafeteria's renovation.

"Teacher Chen, I noticed that the vegetable washing area behind the kitchen is a dirt floor. It gets incredibly muddy when it rains, and the area around the kitchen gets filthy. Do you think it's possible to pave that area with cement?"

Teacher Chen hadn't thought that much about it, but paving the floor with cement wouldn't do them any harm, though the school definitely wouldn't pay for it.

Zhang Xuemei naturally understood and assured her with a smile, "We will definitely pay for it ourselves, but we need to consult the school first, since the land still belongs to the school."

"As long as you don't demolish the house, you can handle the rest as you see fit. I think you've said enough. I have some things to take care of, so I'll be leaving now."

Teacher Chen sat with them for a long time, but he was eager to leave; he needed to hurry to play chess with his old friend.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Teacher Chen. You go ahead and get back to work." Zhang Xuemei stood up, smiled, and escorted Teacher Chen to the cafeteria entrance before returning.

After Teacher Chen left, Xu Minghe said, "Third Sister-in-law, Yan Hong said that their cafeteria sells meal tickets. In the past, students would buy them from the school. I was wondering if we could sell these meal tickets ourselves?"

It's always a passive situation to have all the money deposited with the school, and the school's finance department is also very slow to settle accounts. They spend cash on the food they buy every day, so the cash doesn't circulate properly, which is somewhat inappropriate.