I woke up feeling refreshed and energized.
After breakfast, Cheng Yue and the others went to pick up Zhao Changyong.
Houshui Village has a "double-line" layout, with a small road running through the middle, and the villagers' courtyards face each other.
To reach Cheng Yue's house, you need to enter from the village entrance, pass through the entire village, and then go up the mountain from the end of the village.
Zhao Changyong's house was located at the end of the village, which Cheng Yue and the others could reach by going down the mountain.
Today was Zhao Changyong's first day at work, and the Zhao family, just like the village head's family seeing off Zhang Shaowen, all came out and waited at the door, rubbing their hands together.
After greeting them, Cheng Yue went to pick up Zhang Shaowen. On the way, she encountered several villagers who all had incredulous expressions when they saw Zhao Changyong there.
Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries, using ordinary and friendly language, and no one paid any attention to Zhao Changyong's legs.
Zhao Changyong was prepared to face the crowd, but most of the people who spoke were simply curious and offered warm concern.
Contrary to his expectations, they didn't care about his disability, which immediately made him feel much more relaxed, and a smile spread across his face.
He took a deep breath and replied to each person in turn, his tone and expression showing a return to his former cheerfulness.
Cheng Yue and Chen An exchanged a smile; it was a good start.
That's just how people are; most of their burdens are self-inflicted. If you can step out of the cage you've created for yourself, you'll find that others aren't actually that concerned about you.
The group talked as they walked, and after picking up Zhang Shaowen, they headed straight for the county town.
After yesterday's events, Zhang Shaowen's admiration for Cheng Yue deepened, and he secretly vowed to do his job well to repay Cheng Yue's kindness.
When they arrived at the shop, Cheng Yue had Chen Lin park the oxcart and then called everyone to sit down in the backyard. "Since everyone is here, let's have a little meeting and talk about some things."
Hearing that there was something to say, everyone quickly lined up and sat down. "Aunt Cheng Yue, what do you have to say? We'll listen carefully!"
Zhang Shaowen was already quite familiar with the place and spoke much more freely, while Zhao Changyong was somewhat reserved.
He had assumed that Cheng Yue's shop was just a small storefront, but when he saw it, he was shocked to find that it was such a large place, located on the main street.
During the two years he worked as a peddler, although he saved some money, he didn't even dare to dream of opening a small shop.
The villagers only talk about how capable Cheng Yue is, but that's nothing compared to seeing it for yourself!
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "It's nothing major. I just want to talk about everyone's future plans. Since we all know each other, I won't introduce you."
Let's talk about wages first. Now the shop has new orders, and we're adding 300 jin (150 kg) of work every day, so there's more to do.
Shaowen, your wages have changed. They're now the same as your Uncle Changyong's. You started at 500 cash and now it's 800 cash.
Furthermore, now that there are more people in the shop, we can implement a rotating shift system, with two days off per month. You can decide which days to take off, as long as there are people in the shop.
Finally, regarding the job assignments, once Changyong is fully capable, only Shaowen, Changyong, and Xiaolin will remain at the braised food station. You will be responsible for all matters yourselves; the rest of us will not be involved.
She wanted to hand over all the braised food business so she could free up her time to do other things.
After all, besides this window, the shop also has an entire lobby area that is empty.
We also need to develop the pastry business, otherwise it's just a waste of resources.
Chen Lin opened his mouth and let out an "Ah," somewhat finding it hard to believe. "Mom, so you're not coming? I'm afraid we can't manage on our own. The main problem is, how do we make this braised food?"
The three of them are grown men; they can handle anything else, but how could they possibly make braised food? This is too much of a challenge!
If Mother doesn't take care of things, how can this shop keep running? Who will oversee it?
Zhang Shaowen ignored the issue of raising wages and, along with Zhao Changyong, wore long faces, taking full responsibility. Could they afford to manage such a large shop?
Cheng Yue explained, "It's not that I'm not coming, but I have other things to do at the shop. The main hall is empty, so I'm planning to start a pastry business."
When the two things happen at the same time, I'll definitely be too busy to handle them all. I'll leave the braised food business to you guys to take care of; I won't bother with it.
Making braised food is simple. I'll prepare a spice packet, and I'll teach you the ratio of water, meat, and spice. Once you've truly learned it, I'll go and do other things.
When Zhao Changyong heard Cheng Yue say "teach you" to these four departments, he knew that she was referring to more than just Chen Lin. But this was a secret recipe, how could she teach it to them?
“Sister Cheng, this is not good. Shaowen and I cannot learn to make braised food. You can teach Xiaolin instead.”
Zhang Shaowen also waved his hand nervously, "Yes, Aunt Cheng Yue, we can't follow suit!"
Scholars' secret recipes are tantamount to stealing someone's ability to survive in the world, and they won't do that.
Cheng Yue smiled and continued, "This spice packet is a ready-made product and doesn't involve any secret recipe. I will prepare the specific ingredients, so you just need to follow the instructions."
Chen Tong frowned and pondered for a while, then thought of another question, "Mother, why don't Da Shun Zhai's orders include spice packets?"
Cheng Yue pursed her lips, and said, "Well, I'm embarrassed to admit it, I really didn't think of that at the time."
However, I'll sell the braised food now and wait for a suitable opportunity to discuss the business of braising spice packets.
The spice packets are easy to store and can be sold anywhere, without time or location restrictions. Increased sales mean more money.
However, given my current situation, it's better to keep a low profile. If I accumulate too much wealth without corresponding power to rely on, I won't be able to keep it.
After Cheng Yue shared her thoughts, the family fell silent for a moment. Chen An then said:
“Ah Yue is very thoughtful. What we can protect is what we own. For now, we can just focus on doing business in the county town.”
Even in the county town, with Cheng Yue's skills, they were already living a life they never dared to imagine before.
Moreover, they have the support of Master Chen and his wife in the county town. Although they don't know their identities, they have no ill intentions towards them, so they can do business with peace of mind. As for others, it's hard to say.
The three siblings, Chen Lin and his sister, then understood and stopped asking questions.
Zhang Shaowen and Zhao Changyong nodded in agreement. Needless to say, they worked in the shop and did whatever Cheng Yue told them to do.
After finishing their business, the group began to work step by step. Cheng Yue had Chen Lin and Zhang Shaowen show Zhao Changyong around before starting with butchering chickens and ducks.
Cheng Yue went to the kitchen to do the braising herself, since the spice packet wasn't ready yet, and the key was that the space couldn't be exposed.
Once the matter is handed over to Chen Lin and the other two, her spatial ability will be useless in this regard, but that won't stop her from continuing to shine in other areas; it will still be very useful!
While Cheng Yue was making braised food, Chen Lin and Zhang Shaowen took Zhao Changyong to familiarize themselves with the pricing.
Having worked as a peddler, Zhao Changyong is different. After all, he has practical experience, reacts quickly, and is good at accounting. He should be able to get started in less than two days.
After Cheng Yue saw it, she felt relieved. There were quite a few talented people in the village!
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