The two women exchanged a glance, Zhang Xiaohui looking troubled; she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, while Jiang Shuya raised her eyes and smiled lightly at her, saying, "Xiaohui, has something happened?"
Zhang Xiaohui blushed and said in a low voice, "I didn't think things through before and worked for Zhang Qing for three months. Some unpleasant things happened, so I'm quitting now and want to see if I can find something else to do."
"You want to work in a shopping mall?"
Zhang Xiaohui sat down opposite Jiang Shuya and said, "I heard you helped the person at the entrance find a job in the mall, but I'd rather try your previous suggestion."
Jiang Shuya paused for a moment upon hearing this; "Can I know why you stopped working for Zhang Qing? I heard before that you were late and left early, deliberately acting arrogantly, and taking advantage of Zhang Qing's shop. Is that true?"
Although she hadn't known Zhang Xiaohui for long, she still wanted to hear Zhang Xiaohui's attitude in person—whether it was a frame-up or if she intended to continue to swallow her anger. She also wanted to know whether it was similar to her own suspicions. She knew Zhang Qing all too well; in her past life, she had been used as a pawn and suffered setbacks at her hands. For someone as delicate as Zhang Xiaohui to escape unscathed, she must have been badly hurt.
To my surprise, Zhang Xiaohui sneered: "I know your two families are relatives, and I originally planned to let this matter pass. After all, you helped me, and in my heart, you are not comparable to Zhang Qing. Even if she were here, I would dare to say that I worked for her for three months and I believe I have a clear conscience. When I first started working at her shop, her business was not very good. Liu Kai's home-style dishes were okay, but they were far from those of a professional chef."
“After I went there, I adjusted their menu so that there was no repetition from Monday to Friday. After the promotional posters were put up, the number of people ordering food increased in just a few days. It was agreed that after a one-month probation period, I would get a 500 yuan raise in the second month. Because I was taking care of my child, I rested on Saturdays and Sundays. Office workers in the building had a two-day weekend, so I didn't need to work overtime. However, she didn't give me a raise in the second month. She broke her promise first, so I resigned. She bought my son a piece of clothing and let Liu Kai watch me cook so he could learn from me. As for taking advantage of her restaurant, that was definitely not the case. I never participated in her daily shopping. I just wrote down all the menu items and the quantities for the day, and she went out to buy the food herself according to what I wrote.”
"Only once, she bought a piece of beef, left it for a while, and forgot about it. When she took it out, it smelled bad, and she was about to throw it away. I told her I had a dog at home, and without saying a word, she stuffed the beef into my bag. See! That's how I became the one taking advantage. In short, she did all the good work. Also, I never left work early. Every afternoon, I would cook the food, help pack it, and if they were too busy, I would help deliver the meals, often staying more than an hour late to leave work. I never asked them for a penny of overtime pay, except for one time..." My son wasn't feeling well and had a fever. My sister-in-law called me, and I had to go home to take him to the hospital. That's considered leaving work early, but I had a reason! Sometimes people work overtime on Saturdays at the office building, and I always help out by cooking. I'm practically giving her a free day on Saturdays, not charging her a penny. Even a legitimate company can't stipulate that you can't have family matters to attend to! Besides, I initially chose this job because it was short and I could take care of my son. Now, not only are the working hours long, but I'm also caught in the middle. I can't take it anymore; I can't stand it for another second.
After listening to him say so much in one breath, Jiang Shuya teased, "Looks like you've been holding this in for a long time! From what you've said, these things seem to reflect Zhang Qing's character and way of dealing with people. I bet you've learned quite a bit about cooking from him!"
Zhang Xiaohui snorted coldly: "Cooking is more about practice, matching different cuisines, and customizing according to the tastes of different consumer groups. You can't learn it in a short time. Often, if you don't do the details well, all your efforts will be in vain."
Jiang Shuya smiled and said excitedly, "It seems you already have your own ideas. Just sit there, then I'll be superfluous."
Zhang Xiaohui opened her eyes wide and said, "Didn't you want to cooperate with me? Don't you want to anymore?"
"Big sister, that was several months ago. I can't spare the time to be with you right now!" Jiang Shuya said awkwardly.
"If you're not going to do it, what's the point of me doing it all by myself? I might as well find a job. But then my son will be left without anyone to take care of him, and I still have tens of thousands of yuan in debt." Zhang Xiaohui muttered to herself, as if she had deflated.
Jiang Shuya felt both angry and amused. She endured the pain that was surging through her body and said, "Why are you acting like a three-year-old? You're several years older than me! You should have more experience than me! You only owe tens of thousands of yuan in debt, while I owe hundreds of thousands! And I'm not worried about you at all!"
Zhang Xiaohui pouted and said coldly, "My senior brother borrowed the money without telling his wife. I need to pay it back as soon as possible. I can't delay it for too long, otherwise it will cause discord between them."
Jiang Shuya nodded upon hearing this.
Zhang Xiaohui stood up nervously and said, "Then what should we do? I've already decided to do it with you. We'll do the online ordering you mentioned, without opening a physical store. That requires a lot of capital, and I don't have the cost."
Jiang Shuya put the book she was holding on the bedside table, thought for a moment, and said softly, "Let me think of a way. This is a bit too sudden. I need to plan ahead. Isn't the New Year just a few days away? We can't start now. Let's do it after the New Year!"
She reached out and pulled Zhang Xiaohui to sit down, asking, "Even if you don't open a physical store, you still need capital. You need takeout boxes, insulated containers, online store registration capital, and cooking utensils, cookware, and insulated boxes. How much capital do you currently have?"
Jiang Shuya figured it would cost around 20,000 yuan to register an online store. Besides the deposit, the most important thing was to obtain a food business license and a health certificate. These were all indispensable. The state treats online food safety management equally and its supervision is equally strict. No required documents can be missing.
Seeing that she hesitated and refused to speak, Jiang Shuya asked again, and only then did she hold up five fingers.
"fifty thousand?"
She shook her head, her pockets empty, and said, "Five thousand."
Then, with his head down, he said, "I plan to go back to my hometown this year to see my grandma. She's probably not going to make it much longer, and every time I see her, it'll be the last time I see her. I guess I won't have a single penny left when I come back."
Jiang Shuya was so angry that she was about to pick up a book and throw it at her: "You're trying to get something for nothing! You want to do business without a penny? You're dreaming!"
Zhang Xiaohui smiled awkwardly and said, "I didn't realize that's why I came to discuss this with you. If I had the money, I would definitely open my own fast food restaurant, but I would take you with me. You have to trust my cooking skills; the business will definitely be good."
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