Chapter 62 Chapter 62 The Unexpected Applicant
After becoming the owner of a western restaurant, Liu Mianmian felt that it was inappropriate for her to come here to play the piano every day. She could just play a few songs occasionally when she felt like it, but she still had to find someone to come over normally.
She used to play the piano in the restaurant to earn a salary, but now the whole restaurant belongs to her and there is no need to earn that salary anymore.
She asked Teacher Jin to introduce two people, both of whom were music teachers in the school.
Originally, everyone thought playing the piano in a restaurant was like asking people to sing and dance during a feast in ancient times, a rather embarrassing thing to do. Teacher Jin had to resort to this desperate measure because his child was sick and he needed money urgently.
But as time went by, many people heard that Teacher Jin's income from playing the piano in a Western restaurant was several times her usual salary. Teacher Jin herself said that if she didn't like the job of a teacher and it was purely for the money, she might as well quit her job and play the piano full-time in a restaurant.
Moreover, because Teacher Jin played the piano in a Western restaurant, a few of them were good friends and pooled their money to go to the restaurant once. Then they found that the environment of the Western restaurant was really good, and playing the piano in the restaurant was not as embarrassing as they had imagined. The customers were very well-mannered and they recognized your ability and would even pay extra to order your favorite songs.
In fact, it’s almost the same as performing on stage.
It's just that the performance environment is slightly different.
So this time, Teacher Jin said he wanted to find two more people in the restaurant, so everyone could take turns and relax a little. Two people immediately signed up. Actually, there were more than two people who signed up. Others were a little late, so Teacher Jin politely declined. After returning home, those people deeply regretted their hesitation. They thought they should have hesitated for a moment, because such a good opportunity had been snatched up by others.
The pianist is actually not the most important thing. The most important thing is to find someone to replace Manager Chen as soon as possible. Otherwise, there will be no one to manage the restaurant, and Liu Mianmian will have to come and manage it herself every day.
But this kind of management talent is not so easy to find.
In order to recruit people as quickly as possible, Liu Mianmian spent a lot of money to place a recruitment notice in the Nancheng Evening News. Gradually, many people came to apply for jobs, but none of them were suitable.
Some have academic qualifications but no management experience; some have management experience but are too arrogant and put on airs when they see that the boss is a young girl like her; and some are incompetent but confident. In short, none of them are suitable.
That afternoon, Liu Mianmian was taking a nap in the office on the second floor of the restaurant when she was woken up by someone who said that another job applicant had come.
Liu Mianmian asked them to go to the reception room. She washed her face before going there. When she saw the person, she was stunned for a moment: "Comrade Xu?"
The person sitting in front of the conference table was Xu Haitang.
In the past few months, Liu Mianmian has been busy running the clothing store, and Aunt Liu has been busy selling her radish strips. The two of them are busy with their careers and have less time to exchange gossip, so Liu Mianmian has not heard Aunt Liu mention Xu Haitang again.
Xu Haitang looked a little haggard and thinner, and there were even some dark circles at the corners of his eyes.
Seeing Liu Mianmian, she was also stunned for a moment, and asked hesitantly: "Comrade Liu, isn't this restaurant...?"
Liu Mianmian walked in and sat down across from her. "This restaurant was indeed originally owned by Miss Lin Er, but she has already left and returned to Hong Kong City. Before she left, she sold the restaurant to me. For the sake of the restaurant's business, we've downplayed this news."
Xu Haitang nodded, looking a little dazed.
They got married on the same day, and Liu Mianmian had helped her before, so Xu Haitang knew a little about Liu Mianmian.
I heard that she grew up in the countryside and had only been in Nancheng for two or three years. Before she married Shen Weizhuo, she didn't even have a job.
However, in less than a year, she set up a stall to do business, opened a clothing store, and now, she has become the owner of such a large Western restaurant.
Precisely because of this certain understanding, Xu Haitang does not think that Liu Mianmian relies on the Shen family. The Shen family is a scholarly family, and no one in the family knows how to do business. They may have given some capital, but the business was definitely built by Liu Mianmian herself.
Liu Mianmian took the initiative to ask: "Aren't you working as a buyer at a garment factory? I think you're doing quite well. Why do you suddenly want to change jobs?"
Xu Haitang smiled bitterly: "I want to change the environment."
Since she came for the interview, she was naturally prepared. If someone wants to hire you, they will definitely want to understand your situation.
However, Xu Haitang really didn't know where to start for a moment.
But because the other person was Liu Mianmian, she felt relieved. Facing Liu Mianmian who had helped her, some things seemed not so difficult to talk about.
Moreover, Xu Haitang had a lot of things in his heart, and he felt that he had actually wanted to talk to someone about them for a long time.
"Comrade Liu may also know that my husband, Sun Minjun, is in our factory's fleet. When I was dating him, my family actually didn't agree, but..."
But Sun Minjun was sweet-talking and good at speaking, and almost every word he said touched her heart. Even though she knew that his family was not well off, she still insisted on marrying him despite the pressure from her parents.
In the end, her parents couldn't persuade her and agreed. They were also afraid that she would have a hard time in the Sun family, so they tried their best to give her a lot of dowry. The gold and silver jewelry that were stolen were bought for her by her parents.
Sun Minjun actually had a good salary and was a very active person. He always found ways to make some money on his own when he was out driving, so his income was higher than that of the average worker. Xu Haitang also had a regular job, so she had originally thought that with their income, they could easily run a small household. Once they saved a little more money, they could buy their own house and move out of the tenement.
But after getting married, Xu Haitang discovered that her husband's mother-in-law had to give three-quarters of his income to her. She said it was agreed upon when the family pooled money for him to learn to drive. Not only that, her mother-in-law also demanded that she give half of her salary as living expenses.
Xu Haitang had been pampered since childhood, so of course she wouldn't sit idly by and suffer injustice. She disagreed, and the newlyweds went into a cold war for several days because of this. Sun Minjun accused her of being selfish, only thinking about her own interests and disregarding brotherly love. Xu Haitang felt very aggrieved, and although she felt she was right, she didn't know how to refute Sun Minjun.
The result of the cold war between the two for several days was that Sun Minjun handed over all his income, and all the expenses of the couple were borne by Xu Haitang.
Xu Haitang was extremely unhappy, but he just nodded.
But she never expected that the Sun family's appetite was much more than that.
After the police returned the stolen gold and silver jewelry to her, her mother-in-law set her sights on these things again, and hinted from time to time that she should give out a few pieces to help her two younger brothers-in-law get married.
She and Sun Minjun had no idea how many times they had argued about this matter.
Later, she helped Liu Mianmian and the others get the defective fabric. Sun Minjun happened to be out of town during that time. When he came back and heard about it, he was angry with her for several days, blaming her for having such a good opportunity but not helping her brothers. Instead, she helped outsiders and spent a lot of effort without getting any benefit.
Xu Haitang was really baffled. As for the Sun family members, the eldest brother was silent, the third brother was a drunkard, and the fourth brother was a gangster. Which of them looked like they could do business well?
Besides, the cost of that batch of fabrics was not cheap. Even if she told them, they didn’t have the money to buy all of them!
But Sun Minjun didn't listen to her explanation at all. Instead, he said that since she didn't have the capital, couldn't she help her find a solution? She could borrow some from her parents and relatives, and then sell the goods to pay it back.
They argued several times about this.
After the quarrel, Xu Haitang went back to her parents' home several times. Later, for fear that her parents would worry, she also stayed in the factory's duty room several times.
Then, I don’t know who spread the rumor, but it was said that she had an improper relationship with another buyer.
"He heard those rumors and became suspicious of me. He thought that because I was often out of town, I..." Xu Haitang briefly explained everything except the fabric issue. She was a little depressed and smiled bitterly. "There are too many rumors in the factory. My dad wants to ask the boss to change my position, but I want to quit the garment factory."
She originally wanted to follow Liu Mianmian and the others and get some fabrics and clothes to set up a stall, but her parents disagreed, thinking that with her honest character, she would be easily cheated if she went out to do business.
It was by chance that Xu Haitang saw that a Western restaurant was recruiting people. Without caring what they were recruiting for, he ran over to apply for the job.
However, after arriving, Xu Haitang actually found out that the restaurant was looking for a manager to manage the entire restaurant. She knew her job well and felt that she would not be qualified for the position.
Liu Mianmian frowned slightly. In the original book, because the gold and silver jewelry were lost, the Sun family stood on the moral high ground and often used this matter to suppress and belittle Xu Haitang. When she heard that the gold and silver jewelry had been found, she thought that the root cause of the Sun family's torture of Xu Haitang was gone, and Xu Haitang should not encounter the things in the original book again.
She had thought too simply before.
The root cause is not the gold and silver jewelry, but the Sun family's greed and shamelessness.
Liu Mianmian asked: "How are the Sun brothers now?"
Xu Haitang looked at Liu Mianmian in surprise, not understanding why she suddenly asked this, but still answered: "It's still the same, those who drink drink, and those who hang out hang out." She smiled self-deprecatingly, and looking back, she didn't quite understand what had possessed her in the first place that she had to marry into such a family.
Liu Mianmian nodded. It seemed that the incident of Sun Laosan being stabbed during the robbery had not happened yet.
There had been so much going on these days that if Xu Haitang hadn't suddenly appeared, Liu Mianmian would have forgotten all the plots in the original book. It seemed like Sun Lao San had been robbed around the time of the New Year.
Liu Mianmian thought about it and decided to submit an anonymous report to the police, asking them to pay attention to the public security issues during the period before the New Year. After all, the robbers weren't specifically targeting Sun Laosan; perhaps others had encountered him as well? If the police paid attention, they might be able to save an innocent bystander's life. If it was a convenient thing, Liu Mianmian didn't mind taking the initiative.
Liu Mianmian frowned and said nothing. Xu Haitang thought they knew each other, and since she was in a very bad situation, Liu Mianmian couldn't refuse, so she said quickly, "Comrade Liu, I've been feeling depressed lately, and when I met you, I couldn't help but say a few more words. I didn't know you were hiring a manager before I came here. I know I can't do this job."
Liu Mianmian asked another irrelevant question: "Are you pregnant?"
Xu Haitang almost didn't react. After a moment's pause, she blushed and said embarrassedly, "No."
After a pause, she added, "I've been living at my parents' house lately."
This situation is different from the original book. In the original book, she should have been pregnant at this time.
However, in the original book, Xu Haitang felt deeply remorseful and guilty because of the loss of her gold and silver jewelry. She did not feel much aversion to the accusations of the Sun family. Instead, she compromised and gave in again and again. Now that the gold and silver jewelry are not lost, Xu Haitang does not feel remorseful, and her tolerance for the Sun family naturally decreases. She often goes back to her parents' home because of quarrels with Sun Minjun, and may have missed the opportunity to get pregnant.
Liu Mianmian thought for a moment, then faced Xu Haitang's puzzled look with a smile and explained, "I don't discriminate against pregnant women. It's just that I've just taken over this restaurant, and the initial work is definitely quite busy. If you get pregnant, I'm worried that your body won't be able to handle it. Since you're not pregnant, there's no problem. However, if you decide to join us, I hope you can promise not to consider having children for a year."
This requirement is a bit harsh, but if Xu Haitang does not give birth to a child within a year, perhaps she can avoid the "death fate" set for her in the original book.
In the original book, she died of childbirth complications.
Xu Haitang was speechless: "You, you mean to hire me?"
Liu Mianmian nodded. "Although you originally worked in purchasing, which seems to have nothing to do with restaurant work, the main job of a restaurant manager is actually to manage food procurement and the restaurant's daily operations. You have experience in purchasing, and you are also very friendly, so communication skills will definitely not be a problem for you. I will guide you for a while, and after you are familiar with the restaurant's operations, you will definitely be able to get started quickly."
The most technically demanding position in the entire restaurant is the chef. Other positions are not difficult as long as you are willing to put in the effort to learn.
Of course, the most important thing is that Xu Haitang's character is trustworthy. Rather than having a slippery old hand in the restaurant, Liu Mianmian would rather hand it over to Xu Haitang.
Moreover, perhaps because he has experienced more things, Xu Haitang has changed a lot compared to a few months ago. He seems to be much more decisive and active.
Liu Mianmian extended her right hand: "Manager Xu, it's a pleasure to work with you."
Xu Haitang stretched out her hand helplessly: "Comrade Liu, thank you, thank you!" She herself had no confidence, but she did not expect that in the eyes of Comrade Liu, she actually had many advantages. After Comrade Liu's analysis, she felt confident all of a sudden.
Liu Mianmian smiled and changed the subject, saying, "The monthly salary is 500, and bonuses are extra. Remember to tell everyone when you return to the factory to resign that you were poached by our Western restaurant with a high salary, otherwise it will seem that our restaurant manager is not prestigious."
She didn't want people to say that Xu Haitang came to her place because she couldn't work in the garment factory anymore. This would not be a good thing for the restaurant or Xu Haitang.
Probably because the boss is a Hong Kong businessman and the restaurant has high recruitment requirements, the overall salary level of the restaurant is higher than that of other restaurants and factories outside.
After Liu Mianmian took over the restaurant, she did not change the salary standards. After all, the restaurant was making money, so this little expense was not a big deal.
Since Xu Haitang is here to be a manager, his salary naturally cannot be lower than that of others. However, Liu Mianmian will not follow the original standards of Manager Chen. After all, Manager Chen receives his salary in full accordance with the salary standards of Gangcheng.
Compared with Manager Chen's salary, Xu Haitang's salary is a huge discount.
Even so, Xu Haitang still found it a little hard to believe. This, this, this salary was too high. It was much higher than what their factory director made.
With such a high salary, and the only requirement being not to have children within a year, Xu Haitang really had no idea what to do at this moment. Not to mention one year, even not having children for three to five years would be fine.
Anyway, she doesn't really want to have a child for Sun Minjun now.
Xu Haitang was full of energy, and in an instant she felt that she no longer felt bad about giving the little money Sun Minjun earned to her mother-in-law.
She earns 500 yuan a month, what can't she buy herself?
As for Sun Minjun wanting to spend her salary, Xu Haitang thought about it and decided that she should continue living in her parents' home to avoid accidentally getting pregnant.
After Xu Haitang went home to discuss with his parents, he went to the garment factory to submit his resignation the next day.
Section Chief Yan of the Personnel Department had a good relationship with Xu's father. Seeing Xu Haitang come to hand in her resignation, he was worried that she was acting impulsively, so he advised her, "It's extremely difficult for people outside to find a job. Don't act on impulse. If you regret it later and want to come back, you won't be able to do it."
Jia Hong, the clerk who was handling the paperwork, smiled and said, "That's right. Many state-owned factories aren't performing well these days. Ours is nowhere near as profitable year after year. Haitang, don't throw away your livelihood just because of a few gossips. Besides, even if you don't want to do this job anymore, you don't have to quit. You can give it to your family!"
Xu Haitang and Jia Hong were both "second generation factory workers", but they were seven or eight years apart in age and didn't interact much. Xu Haitang was quite surprised that Jia Hong suddenly said so much.
It's not advisable to strike a smiling face, and the other party was also considering her. After thanking Section Chief Yan, Xu Haitang smiled at Jia Hong and said, "No, no one in my family needs this job."
Things are different now than they were ten years ago, when jobs could be sold to others. Now, it's no longer possible, and you can only pass them on to close family members. Her family all have jobs, so they don't need this job. The Sun family does need jobs, but Xu Haitang thinks that since she married into the Sun family, these people have either forced her to do housework or force her to take money, and she doesn't want to give them the job.
According to the factory's regulations, she could get a severance pay if she resigned, but she would not get a penny if she changed jobs.
Xu Haitang no longer wanted to sacrifice his own interests to help the Sun family.
Jia Hong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything. He only muttered, "Don't regret it when you turn around."
Xu Haitang thought of what Liu Mianmian had said, suppressed his shame, and said loudly, "I won't regret it. It was Zhijiangxi Restaurant that offered me a high salary to be a manager. I didn't make this decision on impulse. I made it after careful consideration."
Section Chief Yan asked in surprise, "That expensive Western restaurant south of Zhijiang Road?"
Xu Haitang smiled and said, "It's not very expensive. Section Chief Yan, if you have time, go over and try it someday, I'll treat you."
Jia Hong's voice rose several degrees: "You actually want to be a manager in that restaurant?! That restaurant advertised in the newspaper to recruit managers, and I heard that many people have been screened." She had a relative who applied but failed.
Jia Hong asked again, "When you say high salary, how high is it?"
Xu Haitang smiled and said, "Anyway, no one in our garment factory can earn that much."
Section Chief Yan: “…”
Jia Hong: “…”
This is higher than the factory director!
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