Chapter 92 Jinjiang Exclusive Business Snatching
Li Mei is a woman of action; once she decided to go to the provincial capital, she began packing her things.
This trip is unlikely to be a return trip, so there's a lot to pack and organize, it's like moving house.
Su Ruyi's garment factory collaborates with a textile factory, and she has always rented large trucks from the textile factory for transportation, so she is not worried about not being able to move the goods.
Therefore, Li Mei brought everything she could. Everyone says that even a broken home is worth a fortune. Looking at her house, there wasn't much of value, but if she were to replace everything, it would cost a lot of money.
Especially since Li Mei earned money that year and bought a lot of things for the family, she had even more things to bring.
Since there was room, Li Mei simply brought along the food cart she had previously ordered. She had modified it several times, making it very practical. Even as a woman, she could use it without much effort, and it could also hold a stove and honeycomb briquettes.
After renting the stall, she dismantled the parts specifically used for transportation. She didn't throw away the stove racks either, because they wouldn't fetch a good price, so she put them in Old Li's warehouse.
While packing up her belongings, Li Mei also had to take care of things at her stall.
Li Mei's stall still had more than ten days left before its expiration, and she didn't want to waste those days, so she insisted on continuing to set up her stall.
She has now hired a helper, so she is not as busy as before.
Originally, she was unwilling, as she could run the business on her own, and hiring another person would only increase expenses.
Tong Yunyun has grown up now and can lend a hand when she comes home from school.
Wang Huiting couldn't bear to see her mother working so hard every day, so she went to Su Ruyi and asked her to persuade Li Mei, and Li Mei finally agreed.
Li Mei hired Zhao Guifang, an aunt she knew from the furniture factory. The furniture factory was not doing well at the moment, and it was common for them to pay wages only once a month or only half of them. Zhao Guifang had three sons, all of whom were big, healthy young men.
Zhao Guifang's husband was a level 6 carpenter. In the past, his salary was enough to support the family. In particular, Zhao Guifang was a temporary worker at the furniture factory. Although life was tight, they were not starving.
Now, even the regular employees at the furniture factory aren't getting paid, so there's no need for temporary workers. Zhao Guifang's husband also often doesn't receive his full salary, making life very difficult for their family of five.
Zhao Guifang was a hard-working woman, and the two families had a good relationship, so Li Mei hired her as a helper for six yuan a day.
This salary isn't low even by county standards; many regular workers don't earn that much, and Li Mei even provides two meals a day. Although it's hard work, it's a huge benefit for Zhao Guifang.
Li Mei's previous indecisiveness was partly due to Zhao Guifang; if the shop closed, Zhao Guifang would be in a difficult position.
They've been neighbors for so many years, and Li Mei always felt embarrassed to ask.
Before Li Mei could explain the situation to Zhao Guifang, Zhao Guifang spoke to Li Mei first.
"Meizi, I heard that the landlord raised the rent not to make more money, but to kick us out and open his own braised food shop."
Upon hearing this, Li Mei suddenly realized what was going on.
The trigger that made her decide to leave was that her landlord raised the rent, doubling it all at once. Although the rents of nearby stalls had all increased, none had been raised this much at once.
Although Li Mei's business was good, she didn't want to be taken advantage of.
Now that I hear that, I understand why the landlord dares to be so assertive.
The location of Li Mei's rented stall wasn't actually very good. Although it was at the entrance of the market, few people went to that entrance; they all came in from another entrance.
This market is newly built and several times larger than the old one. It also has an upper floor dedicated to selling fabrics and clothing.
Because it's newly built, the foot traffic is still relatively limited, and some stalls are still empty. Li Mei's stall is on the quieter side.
Li Mei had already made a name for herself when she first started out as a street vendor, which gave her the courage to set up a stall in that area.
Even so, it was initially met with a lukewarm reception, but business gradually improved after a month thanks to word-of-mouth. The increasing foot traffic at the new market has contributed to its current popularity.
Li Mei understood the landlord's desire to raise the rent. After all, when she first rented the place, the rent was relatively cheap. But the landlord suddenly increased the rent so much and was only willing to renew the lease for three months. She was not happy about signing a new lease after three months.
The minimum rent for a stall is one year, or at the very least six months. There's no such thing as a three-month lease, which means the rent will go up after three months.
Li Mei wasn't angry when she heard the news. Even if she planned to continue setting up her stall in the county, she wouldn't be afraid, let alone leave.
Over the past year, many people have followed suit because they saw that her business was doing well, but it still hasn't affected her business. In fact, people who have tried other restaurants have discovered how good her food is.
Moreover, she is very clean, and whether in the production process or in the sales process, she always combs all her hair up and hides it in her hat.
The smocks she wore were always clean. Every time she prepared food or took out ingredients to cut and weigh them, she would either wash her hands several times or wear clean gloves.
People don't earn money easily, and those who are willing to spend more money on things outside also have higher expectations. Li Mei's stall not only has delicious food but is also hygienic, which is why people are willing to keep buying from her, resulting in a very good reputation.
Putting aside whether the landlord is actually skilled at making braised food, the hygiene alone is substandard.
Previously, when the landlord came to her stall, he spat and sniffled. After sniffling, he casually wiped his hand on his trouser leg and then directly put it into the braised food she gave him and ate it, which disgusted her.
When the landlord left, she went out of her way to clean up, and when she came back, she washed her hands several times so that diners wouldn't feel disgusted by the sight.
Although Li Mei went to the provincial capital to do business and didn't have much confidence in her skills, the good reputation she had gained in the county over the past year made her feel that she could continue to run her braised food business even if she moved to another location in the county.
From the very beginning of her stall business, she took Su Ruyi's suggestion and named her shop, which she even registered. The name was Li Mei Braised Dishes. Initially, she wanted to call it Li Family or Tong Family, but Su Ruyi vetoed both.
Li is a common surname, so it's not unique at all; as for the Tong family, if they find out, they shouldn't go back and say that this business belongs to them.
So they simply called it Li Mei Braised Dishes. Although there are quite a few people with the same name as Li Mei, it still has a lot of limitations.
Nowadays, when people talk about eating braised food, they all say they should go to Li Mei Braised Food. With the brand established, it's easy for old customers to find their way back even if the restaurant is relocated.
Seeing that Li Mei hadn't spoken yet, Zhao Guifang lowered her voice and said while continuing her work:
“I haven’t told you this, but the landlord contacted me secretly before.”
Li Mei finally came to her senses, momentarily speechless: "What do you want?"
Zhao Guifang's lips twitched, but she suppressed it again.
"He wants me to work at his family's braised food stall in the future."
After saying that, Zhao Guifang quickly raised her hand to swear an oath.
“Meizi, I don’t have any other thoughts. If it weren’t for you, my family wouldn’t be able to make ends meet these days. I just think that the landlord has a lot of ulterior motives. He even said he would give me a raise, saying that I’m so capable, and it’s a loss for me not to earn more than three or four hundred a month.”
As Zhao Guifang spoke, she kept observing Li Mei's expression.
“I made it clear to him that my relationship with you is something that no amount of money can buy.”
Upon hearing this, Li Mei felt even more guilty. Zhao Guifang trusted her so much, and she was about to run away. In the end, she had let her down.
However, thinking about Su Ruyi's clothing factory, which was recruiting new staff for its canteen, she planned to recommend Zhao Guifang to give it a try, and that bit of guilt dissipated considerably.
The wages there are about the same as here, but it sounds much more respectable. Although it's a private factory, Ruyi Garment Factory is now a place many people in the county want to work for.
"Sister Guifang, I'm so grateful for your help this past year," Li Mei said sincerely.
Zhao Guifang waved her hand: "Why are we talking about this? It's too formal. I'm happy to work with you."
Upon hearing this, Li Mei was even more at a loss for words.
Seeing that she had nothing else to say, Zhao Guifang pursed her lips and said:
“Your business is good, you make a lot of money every day. If I don’t help you, wouldn’t that be hindering your profits? I’m a very efficient worker, I can do more than two young people combined, and I don’t ask for much.”
Li Mei was slightly taken aback. Something about what she was saying seemed off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
“I’m happy to see you making money. Otherwise, I would be so comfortable staying at home. My husband, Lao Liu, is a level six worker. The money I earn is just to supplement the family income. I don’t need to work so hard. I only came to help because I see that you have a hard time.”
Li Mei finally understood that Zhao Guifang was telling her all this because she wanted to ask her for a raise.
Li Mei understood that everyone wanted to earn more. Although the salary she paid was not low, the two meals she provided were the same ones she ate herself, with almost every meal including meat. She would also occasionally ask Zhao Guifang to bring back some braised dishes to add to the meal.
But Zhao Guifang's family is under a lot of pressure, so she definitely wants to earn more money.
Even so, Li Mei still felt uneasy for some reason.
Seeing that Li Mei remained unmoved, Zhao Guifang became somewhat annoyed. It seemed that the richer they were, the stingier they became. She had already said all this, but Li Mei still didn't react.
She earns so much money every day; if she could just let a little slip through her fingers, her family would be much better off.
Sure enough, one shouldn't be too kind, so he spoke directly:
“Meizi, I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t understand things. Given our friendship, I can’t let you go to another place to work. I definitely can’t let you do the same kind of work that the landlord offered. Just give me an extra eighty yuan a month. It’s not that I’m after your money. It’s just that my husband said I’m working too hard every day and wants me to go home and take care of the kids. I used that as an excuse to get by. How could I just leave you like this and make you sad?”
Li Mei didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "Sister Guifang, I'm sorry..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Guifang immediately became displeased: "Meizi, you earn so much yourself, you can't even give me a few dozen yuan more, but the landlord adds several hundred. You can't be so stingy. You can't be like those dishonest people who take advantage of acquaintances."
Upon hearing this, Li Mei abandoned her plan to recommend Zhao Guifang to Su Ruyi.
"Sister Guifang, that's not what I meant. I'm planning to quit."
"What? You're quitting? Why? You were doing just fine! Is the rent too expensive? We can find another place. With your skills, you're sure to make a living." Zhao Guifang was astonished, completely unexpected.
"No, I'm planning to go to the provincial capital, so I can't take care of things here."
"How could I not care? I'm still here, I'll just keep it running. It would be such a waste and a shame if you closed your stall! You make so much money every day, I know how you do it. Just give me the recipe for the braising liquid, and I'll definitely take care of everything for you."
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