Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Wage increase only...
In order to prepare the delivery room, Lin Qiuran also wanted to hire a wet nurse who could help take care of the baby on weekdays.
In fact, he can feed the baby himself, and let Sun help watch the house at other times, because the restaurant is crowded now. Even if there are guests on the second floor, there are also Xiao Dashi and Lin Xia, Sun can do other things.
Just like Wan Niang, she brought her child with her when she came to work, and fed the child when he was hungry. Of course, she was a mother and loved her child very much. Lin Qiuran was very happy to see that Wan Niang always had a smile on her face when she took care of Ying Jie, and she didn't get angry even when the child cried.
But after a long time, she became tired, and Lin Qiuran was not used to being a mother yet.
The most important thing is that business cannot stop. It would be good enough if Lin Dong can hold on until she is out of confinement. During this period, the second floor will not receive guests. If she can't take care of the second floor because of taking care of the child, the repeat customers of these days will probably all run away.
She planned to return to the restaurant business after her confinement. Wanniang's duties were lighter than hers, so she could naturally nurse the baby. Lin Qiuran felt that pregnancy and childbirth were exhausting enough, so she decided to hire a wet nurse and have Sun take care of her so she could get a good night's sleep.
Another thing is that they are of different generations. Xiao Xun was not at home and something almost happened. The child is their hope. Sun and Xiao Dashi probably treat the child as their own apple of their eye.
Lin Qiuran was afraid to feed the child herself, so she usually let Sun take care of the child. The child was spoiled by the two of them. Since she had decided to give birth to the child, she had to raise him well. Not only should she have enough food and drink, but he should also be sensible and well-mannered, and not be spoiled into a naughty child.
Habits must be formed from a young age. The Xiao family was well-off, and Xiao Xun had become an official. If it was a boy, he would be sent to study and gain a good reputation. If it was a girl, she would have to plan for her future.
Lin Qiuran hired someone to take care of the baby, and she gave him money, so naturally he had to do whatever she asked him to do. It was easier to point out the wet nurse's shortcomings than to criticize Sun.
Therefore, paying a monthly salary to hire a wet nurse is definitely much easier than taking care of the child yourself while running your business.
Sun had always listened to her, complaining a little about being tired, so she would definitely give in to her on this matter. Xiao Dashi was a bit old-fashioned, but he had changed a lot now, so he probably wouldn't have any objections.
Even if Xiao Xun had objections, Lin Qiuchang didn't care. She was the one who carried the child, gave birth to the child, and suffered. It was just a small thing, so what was the problem?
Lin Qiuran saved the money, spending 136 taels to buy a house and 80 taels to buy land. He still had more than 80 taels of silver at home, part of which was profit from the restaurant, and most of it was kept for emergency use.
Another part is the profit of Wufangzhai. The bean cake business is barely doing well, but it still brings in dozens of taels of silver every month.
Hiring a wet nurse costs about two taels of silver a month. Lin Qiuran plans to hire one for a year, which would be twenty-four taels, which is also a considerable expense.
Lin Xia and Lin Dong are still young, and they are still children themselves, so they can't help much in taking care of children, but they can take care of Lin Qiuran.
The child was taken care of by Sun's wet nurse in turn, and Lin Qiuran would also take care of him.
The midwife and doctor Lin Qiuran had already seen the baby, so they just needed to pay a deposit this month. This would cost about three or four taels of silver. The confinement items also needed to be prepared, and they had to be new. We couldn't wait until the first month of the year to do that, and that, of course, would cost money.
It’s about thirty taels of silver.
You can look for a wet nurse this month. It's easy to find one, whether in the village or the county town. Just find a healthy woman who has just given birth and pay her. In this era, wet nurses are also a profession.
This naturally means they can't feed their own children. They have to go out to earn money and take their children to other people's homes to eat. For poor families, making money is a difficult task, so naturally they can't take care of these things.
Madam Xu didn't know what Lin Qiuran was thinking. She smiled and nodded, "That's easy. I'll tell her when she comes."
Madam Xu also sighed in her heart. The Xiao family had just moved in not long ago, and they were moving out again. No one came to see it, so she guessed they wouldn't sell it. They must have made a lot of money, but she was not jealous. She saw the Xiao family going out early and coming back late, and they all earned their money through hard work.
It was good, but I didn't know what Xiao Xun did, and why he didn't come back often. But in general, it was better to have a man at home. Madam Xu was happy for Lin Qiuran, but that was all. The two families were just neighbors, and their relationship wasn't so good that one had to go to the warming room when the other moved in.
Mrs. Xu poured the meat and vegetables in the bowl into her own bowl and washed it clean.
He returned it to Lin Qiuran and asked, "When are we moving? Do you need help?"
She just wanted to hint that if she needed help, she could lend a hand. The Xiao family was well-off, so maybe she could be of use in the future.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Tomorrow morning, no need, we've almost finished moving."
Almost all the things have been moved there, but Lin Qiuran hasn't visited them much yet, so Xiao Dashi and Lin Xia are the ones who go to clean them up.
The house has two courtyards, a gatehouse, a front yard, and the main house and its wing rooms at the back. The yard is paved with stone slabs and has trees and a well. There is a small yard at the back that is much larger than this one.
Lin Qiuran still lived in the east room. This time, the kitchen was no longer in the middle of the three main rooms. Lin Qiuran planned to clean it up and use it as a study. Sun and the other two still lived in the west room, so that there would be no noise from next door and she would not be disturbed while sleeping.
I'm busy with the restaurant business now, so I've delayed learning to read. I'll definitely learn to read and study when I have the chance. The study will be useful to my child when he grows up.
Lin Dong and Lin Xia lived in the east wing. There were two rooms on the east and west sides, and one was enough for two people to sleep in.
The west wing on the other side is used as a kitchen and warehouse. It is not small, and the warehouse is next to the kitchen, making it convenient to take things.
There are also three houses in the front yard, but they are not as long as the main house. To get from the front yard to the back yard, you have to go through the corridor on the side. There is also a screen wall in front of the front yard. Unlike where we live now, we can see the main house as soon as we open the gate, so it is very private.
Xiao Dashi always said that the new house was not big enough before and now it is too big to live in. However, Lin Qiuran planned to wait for Xiao Xun to come back and let him sleep here on the pretext that she was afraid of being crowded.
It was a cloudy day on the third day of the Lunar New Year. The family got up before dawn, moved to a new home, lit a fire in the new house, distributed breakfast, and then went to the shop.
The house was not far from the restaurant, so getting up early in the morning was not a big deal. Lin Qiuran got up two quarters of an hour earlier than usual.
After the move, they told the people in the shop. Manager Shi and a few others decided to take the lead and send some firewood. They also told Xiao Dashi about the way. If there was something wrong in the restaurant and no one was there, they would be able to find their way home.
Adding firewood brings wealth, and firewood is not expensive, so it’s also good to give some meaning as a gift.
It couldn't be considered a warm pot meal, but it was a thoughtful gesture. Lin Qiuran added a few dishes to the meal at noon, just as if he was treating a few people to a warm pot meal. Wan Niang didn't go home yet, so he let her mother take the child and go back first.
A table of eight people, ten dishes.
After dinner, Shopkeeper Shi wanted to clean up, but Lin Qiuran said to the others, "Don't rush. While the movers are here, I have something to tell you. Starting this month, I plan to raise everyone's wages."
Before Lin Qiuran finished speaking, several people were stunned, with joy in their eyes.
At the beginning of the month, Manager Shi took stock of the accounts for the previous month. He was in charge of these and was also looking forward to receiving his monthly salary, so he settled the accounts very quickly. He came early in the morning on the first day of the new year to settle the accounts and paid out the monthly salary in the afternoon.
They hadn't even been working for two months, but they were paid at the beginning of the month, meaning they had already received two months' wages. Winter was the off-season for all kinds of business, and some shops couldn't use as many people during the winter and even laid off some.
Just like Aunt Liu's work, Sun can do it. It is not easy to come by. Everyone is very happy that she can get the monthly salary on time.
I didn’t expect it to go up further.
Lin Qiuran smiled. She took a look at the account book at first glance. Now all the expenses in the shop were counted in the shop. For example, if Xiao Dashi wanted to buy something, he would go to Manager Shi to get the money and then record it in the account.
This way, it is more convenient to separate it from the money used at home.
At the beginning of last month, I made a lot of money selling beef. After the second floor was renovated, I started taking banquets. Although it's not every day, sometimes I can make a profit of up to 400 grams.
This averaged out to two or three taels of silver per day, and last month's profit was over sixty taels, the highest monthly profit since the restaurant opened. It should have been more, but then they bought tea and wine, both of which were expensive, especially the wine, which cost quite a bit. Then they had to keep half for next month's use, leaving Lin Qiuran with thirty taels.
Manager Shi knows exactly how much the restaurant earns, and others can also get a rough idea. He can't just make money for himself.
Shopkeeper Shi was a little surprised at the number at first, but he recalculated it to make sure he was right. For a restaurant, this was pretty good.
The turnover was even higher, almost two hundred taels. The shop was really making money. Shopkeeper Shi was very happy. It was he and Lin Qiuran who had discussed the decoration of the second floor. However, making money seemed to have nothing to do with him. The money belonged to the Xiao family, and he was just a worker.
Shopkeeper Shi sighed in his heart, but he was still happy for Lin Qiuran. After all, what he said were just icing on the cake. The restaurant's business was good mainly because of Lin Qiuran's good cooking skills.
Shopkeeper Shi quickly figured it out and calmed down, but then he heard Lin Qiuran say he wanted a wage increase.
His monthly salary was one tael, not much for a shopkeeper, but it could be raised later, depending on his performance. A raise every six months was quite suitable, and after three to five years, his monthly salary could reach two or three taels.
He couldn't possibly raise the monthly salary so soon after arriving. So even though he had suggested it, he hadn't thought about raising the salary.
Shopkeeper Shi looked at Lin Qiuran in surprise. Lin Qiuran was a little fatter than before, and her expression was very gentle. She said, "Thank you all for your hard work these days. The shop's business is good, and everyone has contributed greatly. However, the work has different levels of importance, and the salary increases are also different. There will be more opportunities in the future. If everyone does their job well, your wages will definitely increase."
Lin Qiuran didn't want them to ask each other about their wages; it wouldn't do any good. Working hard was the most important thing.
Lu Fan nodded vigorously, "Thank you, Madam Lin!"
Wan Niang said, "I will do my best."
Lin Qiuran had nothing else to do, so he asked everyone one by one to tell him how much their salary had increased, and finally informed Manager Shi.
Manager Shi is the manager, so he must know this because he has to pay the money next month.
Wanniang now earns eight cents of silver a month just for helping cut vegetables, which is quite a lot of money.
Lu Fan earned five cents a month. He served as a waiter when he was busy and did other things the rest of the time. He probably earned one or two taels a month.
Even Aunt Liu's salary increased, to twelve wen a day. Of course, his salary increased the most, to one liang and five qian a month.
It has only been over a month, and including the meals he eats in the restaurant every day, Manager Shi feels that his monthly salary can reach two taels.
Lu Fan and his companions were very happy. They had just arrived and their salary had increased. Not only were they very motivated, but they were also thinking about working hard.
In addition to what he gave them, Lin Qiuran also asked Manager Shi to record it and give Lin Xia and Lin Dong two cents each every month.
Shopkeeper Shi took note, but was a little surprised. Lin Qiuran told them that Lin Xia and Lin Dong were her distant sisters, but judging by the way they addressed her, it seemed as if she had been bought. It was all Lin Qiuran's money anyway, so he just gave it to her.
Lin Qiuran also gave instructions. There was less than a month left before the Chinese New Year, so they could start preparing New Year's goods. Xiao Dashi had little experience, so Manager Shi could help with the preparation.
The money for the New Year’s goods bought at home comes from Lin Qiuran, and the money for the New Year’s goods bought in the shop comes from Manager Shi.
The Spring Festival is also a festival, so New Year's goods must be prepared. The Mid-Autumn Festival had passed when the shop opened, and this was their first festival after coming to the shop, so the New Year's gifts could not be too shabby.
These are the things I have to tell Shopkeeper Shi, and there are more things I have to tell Xiao Dashi, but we are a family and can talk about it slowly when we get back.
There was nothing to do at noon, so after cleaning up, Shopkeeper Shi took a rest in the rocking chair. After finishing business in the evening, the restaurant was locked and several people prepared to go home.
Xiao Dashi turned left, and Lin Qiuran didn't react. It was Lin Xia who said, "Uncle Xiao, Madam Lin, aren't we going to the new house?"
Xiao Dashi slapped his head and said, "Hey, I'm used to going there and forgot about moving. Let's go, let's go back to our new home."
Xiao Dashi chuckled, and Sun said, "You can even forget this."
Lin Qiuran smiled. She didn't react either. Besides, she had been in the restaurant all day and had forgotten about moving in the morning.
Xiao Dashi led the donkey in the opposite direction and said, "Let's go home!"
The journey back was about the same as the journey to his original home, not far. The house was bigger than before, and Xiao Dashi even went to a carpenter to make a door plaque with the words "Xiao's House" written on it.
There are two small stone lions at the door and two banyan trees, but at this time of year only the trunks are bare.
There was snow piled under the trees, but the entrance was clear. I climbed the steps and opened the door. This door was thicker than the one in my old home. On either side of the entrance were gatehouses, if the janitor could keep watch from here. It wasn't big, but it could fit a small bed.
The Xiao family doesn’t need this for the time being, so just leave it like this for now.
There was a large vat in front of the screen wall, and it was said that lotus flowers were planted in it. Behind it was the front yard. It was pitch black, so Lin Xia went to get a lamp first.
The three rooms in front were locked. Lin Qiuran didn't look closely and went straight to the backyard.
The yard looked bright when the lights in each room were turned on. Xiao Dashi went to the donkey shed, Lin Xia went to the chicken shed to pick up eggs to feed the chickens, and Lin Dong went to boil water. These were the same tasks they had to do after moving.
After moving back, I still do my own thing.
Lin Qiuran returned to the room. The room was bigger, with wooden boards on the floor. The bed had already been made. It was left there by Lin Xia in the morning.
There weren't many things in the room. They were just things that had belonged to the Xiao family and moved here, including cabinets, tables, beds, charcoal basins, and stoves. That was it.
Now I have some extra money, so I can buy more things slowly.
Lin Qiuran felt that the room was a little cold. Just as he had this thought, Lin Dong came in to light the stove and brought an iron kettle to boil water.
After doing this, she even lit the charcoal brazier and opened the window a crack, very considerately and meticulously, "Madam Lin, Lin Xia and I will take turns keeping watch."
Lin Qiuran has a big belly, and Lin Dong is worried that it will be inconvenient if she wakes up at night and wants to drink water.
Lin Qiuran shook his head, "No need."
Maybe it was because he was young, maybe it was because he had been soaking his feet all the time, or maybe it was because he was a sensible child, but Lin Qiuran had not yet developed the symptoms that Wan Niang described.
I basically sleep all night until dawn.
Lin Dong nodded, "It will take a while for the hot water to come out. Madam Lin, please take a rest first."
Lin Qiuran nodded and waited until the room got warmer before changing her clothes. Her belly was not much bigger than last month. After all, the doctor said that the bigger the belly, the more painful the childbirth would be. Moreover, in this era, the living conditions of ordinary people were limited, so Lin Qiuran's belly was not small.
She changed into a soft and clean inner garment and untied her hair. After the water boiled, Lin Dong mixed some cold water and soaked her feet in it, feeling much more comfortable.
The quilt on the bed was soft, and Lin Dong stuffed two hot water bottles in it. It could be said that Lin Qiuran's room was the warmest in the house.
Lin Qiuran said, "You and Lin Xia don't have to save charcoal, but you have to leave a crack for the window."
Lin Dong nodded and smiled at Lin Qiuran. After a while, she came in again and poured the water.
It was very quiet outside the house. The house here was expensive and far away from the neighbors. I couldn't hear the conversations of the families, but I could hear them from where I used to live.
That’s great, Lin Qiuran thought, she would live in her new home for a long time.
When Lin Qiuran woke up the next day, he felt a little uncomfortable facing the unfamiliar ceiling. He took a while to feel the fetal movement as usual before getting up.
The water on the stove had grown lukewarm, and the charcoal brazier had long since gone out, but the room was still warm. After getting dressed and washing up in warm water, Lin Qiuran went out. It was a sunny day.
Xiao Dashi went out early, and Lin Xia was busy in the yard. She had to go to the shop yesterday, and some places were not cleaned yet. It would be a pity to make such a big house a mess.
Lin Dong and Sun were busy in the kitchen. Seeing that Lin Qiuran had been eating less these days, Sun no longer prepared three kinds of dishes with eggs in the morning. Instead, she made some buns and wontons and froze them outside. She could eat them whenever she wanted, which was very convenient.
Today we made buns, some with dried cowpea and pork filling, some with mustard greens and pork filling, and some with braised pork that Lin Dong learned from Lin Qiuran. They taste salty and sweet when steamed.
I got up early and worked on it, and it’s almost done.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Mom, let's have buns in the morning."
Sun: "I'll make some egg soup. It's cold outside. Go back to the house."
For breakfast, Lin Qiuran ate two and a half buns, one with braised pork and one with dried cowpeas. He wanted to try the one with mustard greens, so he only ate half of it.
After dinner, we naturally have to go to the shop. Xiao Dashi also came back in time. He has to lead the donkey, and we can't do it without him.
The twelfth lunar month is just colder than usual. The Chinese New Year is approaching, and the restaurant business is average, but the business on the second floor is good.
There were two days when the second floor was full every night. On those two days, some guests arrived late and failed to book a table, so they had to book a table for the next day.
This also shows the difference between rich families and ordinary people. Rich families have more fun celebrating the festival, while ordinary people have to save money to celebrate the festival.
Some people also asked when the shops would close. Places like restaurants usually close at the end of the year and reopen on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
However, Lin Qiuran was in advanced pregnancy and would be more than eight months pregnant by the end of the month. Not only was it inconvenient for her to bend over and squat with her big belly, but it would also be easy for the pot to be bumped when cooking, so Lin Qiuran planned to get pregnant on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.
During the Chinese New Year, Lin Dong can learn a few more dishes, which will be enough for Lin Qiuran to keep the restaurant open during her confinement. There is no need to think about the second floor, as there are several tables of dishes, and it will probably take three or four years to learn them all.
The guests were very regretful, but still booked two tables on the night of the 25th, saying that distant relatives were coming here to celebrate the New Year and they wanted to welcome them.
Xiao's restaurant has a good reputation, so I came here.
He wanted to bargain, but Manager Shi didn't agree and smiled as he would give him two pots of rice wine as a gift.
Laba Festival is here in the blink of an eye. Today, each table was given Laba porridge, and we drank it at home, just treating it as a festival.
When I returned home in the evening, I saw Liu squatting at the door of the house.
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