The group walked and chatted along the way, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the house.
Xu Han looked at the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao and said, "Why don't you go back to your rooms and rest for a while? I'll have someone call you when it's time to eat."
The Taoist priest waved his hand. “You’ve been busy all day. Go and rest for a while. It’s not long before dinner. We’re not tired. We’ll just have some tea in the main hall and then we won’t go back. You two go ahead and don’t worry about us.”
Seeing that they were indeed in good condition, Xu Han ignored them and quickly went back to her room to lie down for a while.
I've been busy since I got up early this morning, and I didn't even get a break at noon. Now that I finally have some free time, I feel so tired and sore all over.
I was able to come back early today and rest for a while, but I expect it will be even busier tomorrow when the store opens. I'm afraid I won't even have time to eat.
As she lay in bed, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Mu'er came to call her for dinner.
"Father, Mother, dinner is ready."
Lu Chuan was the first to react, replying, "Coming! Go to the side hall first, we'll be right there."
After he finished speaking, he shook Xu Han, who was already dozing off beside him, "Wife, don't sleep. Let's go eat first, and then you can sleep after you take a shower."
Xu Han had actually heard Mu'er calling them earlier, but she was too tired to talk. Now, hearing Lu Chuan's voice, she sat up groggily.
"Okay, let me wash my face first and wake myself up before I go. I'm so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open."
"Okay, I'll go and call someone to bring water."
After Lu Chuan finished speaking, he left first, leaving Xu Han alone on the bed to come to her senses.
A moment later, the two arrived at the dining room, where food was already laid out on the table, and the Taoist priest and the others were waiting for them to come and eat together.
After the meal, Xu Han asked the old woman outside, "Have Li Wen and Ju Xiang returned yet?"
"Reporting to Madam, they have not returned yet."
"Have you delivered any food? They must be starving at this hour."
“We didn’t deliver dinner. At noon, Li Wen said that they might be back a little late tonight, and told us not to worry, just to heat the food in the pot, and that they would be back to eat later.”
Xu Han nodded and stopped worrying about it. Grandpa Zhao, who was standing to the side, looked at Xu Han and asked, "You haven't appointed Li Wen as the head steward yet? I still hear them calling him Li Wen."
Xu Han picked up the water beside her, took a sip, and slowly said, "No, we're not planning to appoint him yet. It wouldn't be good to appoint him as the head steward right after he arrived. I was thinking of appointing him as the shop manager first, and then gradually promoting him. If we appoint him as the head steward directly, he'll inevitably become arrogant."
The Taoist priest joked, "Haha, your deal is quite profitable. You're letting someone get the salary of a shopkeeper while doing the work of a head steward."
Xu Han quickly denied it, saying, "No, no, he doesn't do the work of a head housekeeper. At most, he just runs errands. He's not given many things to do at home. He's just helping to manage things in the shop. He hasn't given them any other work to do."
Grandpa Zhao nodded. "That's right. Now each industry has a dedicated person in charge. He really hasn't taken on the role of general manager yet."
"Yes, this way the responsibility is assigned to a specific person. If a problem occurs in any part of the process, you can directly contact the person in charge."
The Taoist priest looked at Xu Han and asked earnestly, "So you're planning to take charge yourself?"
Xu Han replied with a slight smile and an equally serious expression, "Oh, is that not allowed? Anyway, there are people below to do everything, I just need to oversee things. Besides, our family doesn't have any particularly large businesses right now."
As for who will become the chief steward in the future, that's up to them. Whoever has the ability will be chosen, and it will be a fair competition.
Besides, neither Juxiang nor Li Wen were brought back with the intention of making them the head stewards. They've only been here a short time, so it's normal that I'm hesitant to entrust the household to them. I'm not comfortable with even the first batch of stewards I bought.
It would be better if they each focused on their own areas, without much competition between them. Wouldn't that be better?
The Taoist priest pondered for a moment and said, "Indeed, your idea is quite good. It can keep them motivated while also keeping them in check."
Grandpa Zhao stroked his beard. "Hahaha, Xiao Han has a knack for managing people now. She's practically a master."
Xu Han proudly raised her chin, looking smug. "Of course."
The group chatted for a while longer, but Li Wen and the others still hadn't returned. Xu Han decided not to wait any longer and pulled Lu Chuan back to the house to sleep.
It's a good thing to have ambitious employees; it means less worry for the boss. But you can't forget to pay them well, or problems may arise later.
The next day, the first day of the shop's opening, the whole family got up early, put on their comfortable new clothes, and sat neatly in the dining room to eat breakfast.
Everyone quickly finished breakfast and, filled with excitement, went to the shop together.
Mu'er and Ze'er were much quieter than usual along the way, but they were still all smiles, holding their father and mother's hands as they quickly walked toward the shop.
When they arrived at the shop, Li Wen and the others were already prepared. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes and looked neat and tidy, ready to welcome the shop's opening soon.
Upon seeing them, Xu Han first praised them, "Not bad, not bad, you all look very energetic. Come on, everyone, here's a reward."
After saying that, he took out a stack of red envelopes from his purse. There wasn't much money in them, only 50 coins in each envelope. It was mainly for the sake of good luck.
"This is a bonus for your overtime work yesterday and for the opening today. It's not much, but it's for good luck, so please don't think it's too little."
Juxiang said, "How could we complain about the small amount? We're overjoyed to receive the red envelope!"
Li Wen also joked with a smile, "Madam is so generous. She knew we worked overtime yesterday, so she gave us overtime pay the next day. And this opening red envelope is the first time I've received one in all these years."
"Haha, as long as you're happy. Just work hard in the future, and I'll give you a raise when business is good."
With Xu Han's words, everyone was even happier and worked even harder, polishing the table until it shone so brightly it could be used as a mirror.
Li Wen and Ju Xiang took advantage of their free time to report to Xu Han, "Madam, all the goods in the shop are ready, and everything needed for the opening has been prepared. Now we are just waiting for the auspicious time so that we can open for business."
Li Wen also said with a smile, "The people we invited to perform the dragon and lion dances have all arrived, and those little beggars have all gone to the market to hawk their wares. I estimate that people will start coming to our shop entrance one after another in a little while."
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