Seeing Old Li's anxious face, Station Chief Wang chuckled and said, "Of course I know that Lin Laosan is the first Tsinghua University graduate in our bureau, so the bureau has made a special exception to retain your position. Once you graduate and come back, our smart grid construction will depend on you!"
"Thank you, Station Master!" Upon hearing this, Lin Laosan's face flushed, and he quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Station Master Wang!
Go and study hard!
"Um!"
The news quickly spread throughout the entire power sector, and colleagues happily came to congratulate Lin Laosan!
Lin Laosan invited his master, his colleagues from the same group, and Station Master Wang to have lunch together at the state-run restaurant.
A week later, after handing over his duties to his colleagues, Lin Laosan went to Shenzhen with Lin Li.
The mother and son decided to travel directly from Shenzhen to Beijing for school at the end of August!
Lin Li also wants to visit Tsinghua University's campus to fulfill her dream from her previous life!
Shenzhen was enveloped in the summer atmosphere at the end of July 1984.
The sky was a deep blue, and the blazing sun hung high in the sky, showering down its rays. Stepping outdoors, the heat quickly enveloped your entire body, leaving you drenched in sweat.
Sections of Shennan Avenue are still dirt roads, but construction sites are underway on both sides of the road. The Guomao Building has already shown its tall figure, and surrounding buildings are also rising from the ground.
Bicycles flow endlessly along the street, the entrance to the Shenzhen Theater is bustling with activity, and the Boya and Xin'an restaurants are prominent landmarks. There are grocery stores and snack stalls on the street, and everywhere you look there is a vibrant atmosphere of life.
"Mom, I've only been away for half a year, but Shenzhen has changed so much!"
After helping Lin Li drag her suitcase into the house, Lin Laosan started blowing air onto the electric fan that Lin Li had just bought before leaving.
"This is the speed of Shenzhen [time is money, efficiency is life]."
Lin Li recalled China's rapid development over the past forty years and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
The hard work and struggle of the Chinese people have enabled the country to catch up with the Western world's leading pace of more than two hundred years in just forty years.
"This time I truly understand!"
Looking at the changes in Shekou, Lin Laosan also found it incredible. When he got off the bus just now, he saw the newly built ParknShop supermarket, which was filled with a dazzling array of goods!
Lin Li checked the time; it was around 1 PM. She planned to have lunch and then go to the restaurant's construction site to check on it. According to the schedule, it should be almost finished.
"Third brother, go take a shower first. After dinner, I'll take you to see a place!"
"OK!"
Lin Laosan took out a change of clothes from his suitcase and went to the bathroom, while Lin Li also quickly took a quick shower.
After they came out and finished eating, Lin Li took him to the restaurant construction site.
Upon arriving at the construction site, one sees a grand hotel called "Nanhai Pavilion" standing proudly amidst the dust kicked up by bulldozers.
The exterior walls are made of beige ceramic tiles arranged in horizontal and vertical lines. Under the gray canopy at the top, the acrylic lightbox sign "Nanhai Pavilion Restaurant" glows with a warm yellow light. The traditional Chinese characters are inlaid with small light bulbs, which look like strings of glass beads at night.
Push open the revolving glass door, and you'll be in the lobby.
The lobby has a six-meter-high ceiling, with a three-tiered circular glass chandelier hanging from the dome. The light tubes are wrapped in pink plastic lotus shades, and the halo of light spreads across the terrazzo walls.
Passing through a corridor carpeted with dark red synthetic fibers, the private rooms feature wooden doors carved with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, and copper door knockers that hold gilded plaques bearing the inscriptions "Peony Hall" and "Jade Pavilion."
Inside the Peony Hall, a round table for twelve people is equipped with a turntable, and the tablecloth is made of jacquard brocade with gold tassels.
The lower half of the wall is covered with wainscoting, and the upper half is covered with beige patterned wallpaper. A painting of lychees by a Lingnan painter hangs in the center, and floor fans on both sides are covered with pink gauze.
"Ms. Lin, you're finally back! The project is almost finished. Do you see any areas that need modification?"
Manager Li and Engineer Wang rushed over after seeing Lin Li return. Their faces were covered in sweat and dust, and their dusty appearance made Lin Li chuckle.
Hearing Lin Li's laughter, the two awkwardly wiped their faces with their sleeves and then took out the design drawings to discuss with her.
Seeing Lin Li discussing with the engineers, Lin Laosan belatedly realized that the restaurant actually belonged to Lin Li.
My goodness! This beautiful and luxurious hotel was built by my mother!
Lin Laosan felt like he was about to become withdrawn!
I used to think I was pretty good, but compared to my mom, I'm still far behind!
It's alright, he will definitely try his best to catch up with his mother.
Lin Laosan kept encouraging himself, then quickly walked forward and stood beside Lin Li, listening to her discuss with the engineers.
As the sun was about to set, the four of them finally finished their discussion.
"Then we'll revise the details immediately, and it will be fully delivered in half a month!"
Manager Li rolled up the design drawings, immediately turned around and returned to his work station.
Lin Li, who had originally wanted to invite them to dinner, swallowed the rest of her words and could only rub her nose and take Lin Laosan back home.
"Mom, our restaurant looks really nice!"
"Isn't it great!" Lin Li laughed triumphantly. "Tomorrow you'll come with me to the restaurant entrance to recruit workers! After we bring them back, we'll need to train them for a while; it's a big task!"
"OK!"
Nothing more was said that night!
Early the next morning, Lin Li and Lin Laosan arrived at the restaurant entrance and hung up the recruitment board that the two of them had written overnight.
The sign on the wooden board, painted in red, read: "Hiring Waiters/Waitresses, Kitchen Helpers, Accountants, and Chefs"
Not long after, a few young women and men walked over.
"Hey girl, wanna work as a waitress at a restaurant? The basic salary is 30.5 yuan, the allowance is 10.3 yuan, the position salary is about 37.2 yuan, and the variable salary is 22 yuan. If you work hard, you can earn almost 100 yuan a month!"
Lin Laosan was speechless upon hearing this salary; it was almost as much as his monthly salary!
"I...I...I!"
"Me too!"
"I!!!"
Lin Laosan immediately squatted down under the shade of a tree to register the students, his pen nib gliding across the yellowed letter paper as he wrote:
"Chen Afang, 18 years old, knows how to steam rice cakes."
"Li Guoqiang, 22 years old, worked as a cook in the commune canteen."
Before long, all the staff had been recruited. Lin Li held the registration book, which was filled with entries, and smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared.
"Everyone, come here tomorrow. We need to give you some training first, and your wages will start from tomorrow!"
"good!"
The mother and son then traveled to the labor department and asked the staff if they needed to hire a restaurant manager with management experience, with a monthly salary between 130 and 150 yuan.
By the time everything was settled, it was almost 3 p.m.!
The mother and son's stomachs were growling with hunger. After returning home, they took out the food from their spatial storage and wolfed it down before they felt truly alive again!
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