Chapter 113 What a guts!
Guo An was a little confused when his name was suddenly called, and he let out an "Ah".
Master Liu glared at him: "What? Am I wrong?"
"Not really." Guo An said with a simple smile: "It's just that Master, you suddenly mentioned my mother-in-law, and I was a little confused."
Master Liu pointed at him in the air in annoyance, then ignored him and looked at Shi Xiaoai again: "Xiaoai, have Guo An go back and ask his mother-in-law. If Old Song is happy, then you don't have to worry about the kitchen. He's a very conscientious and efficient worker, and he's well-known throughout the company for his meticulousness."
Xiao Ai had seen Qiao Yun's mother before, but she had no idea that Aunt Song had such ability.
But after hearing Master Liu's suggestion, she was still a little hesitant.
She looked at Guo An and asked, "Qiao Yun is still in confinement after giving birth. Isn't it inappropriate to tell Auntie about this now?"
Guo An said nonchalantly, "It's okay. I'll go back and ask my mother-in-law what she thinks. My mom is at home, so Qiao Yun can be taken care of by my mom. She doesn't need my mother-in-law."
Hearing him say that, Shi Xiaoai naturally agreed.
After talking about the kitchen, Master Liu talked about the issue of waiter training.
He considered for a moment and asked, "I do know a few service technicians and can find them for you. But... don't you need them here?"
Shi Xiaoai immediately understood and waved her hands repeatedly: "No need, no need, this is a waste of talent. We are just a snack bar. I just hope that my waiters can take orders and know the general process. The requirements are not that high."
Hearing her say this, Master Liu breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at Shi Xiao Ai with a bit more appreciation in his eyes.
To be honest, he was actually a little afraid that this kid might have overambitious ideas but lacked the skills to achieve them.
After all, these days even large state-owned restaurants rarely offer any professional training, and everyone basically still adopts the model of old employees training new employees.
The new people assigned here are directly put on the job after being guided by an old employee. I have never heard of a restaurant that has not yet opened yet and yet gathers people together for training!
Master Liu watched Shi Xiaoai build up this small tea stall bit by bit.
When others see that her business is doing well, they just think that she is capable and has a strong background.
Master Liu knows the difficulties behind this.
Putting aside other things, just the money earned by the young couple is hard-earned.
Seeing the younger generation become successful, Master Liu will definitely help if he can.
But he was also afraid that Xiao Ai would become arrogant if she achieved some success.
If she insists on having something bigger, better, and more impressive, then he will have to talk to her properly.
Now after hearing what she said, knowing that she was very clear about her position, the old man felt relieved.
He immediately said, "Then why do we need to hire anyone? Your Aunt Song can do this. Go back and ask Guo An to tell her to come and train your people. She's worked in the hotel for so many years, what doesn't she know? Even if she doesn't know something, she can always find someone who knows to ask."
In fact, Shi Xiaoai still hopes to separate the front hall and the back kitchen, and according to her idea, everyone in the front hall and the back kitchen must be trained.
Even if Aunt Song knows everything, she is too busy to handle everything. How can one person take care of so many things?
But seeing that Uncle Liu had made the final decision for her, she couldn't say anything more and could only agree for the time being.
Then she discussed with Guo An and asked him to go back and say hello to Aunt Song first. If possible, she would go to her house in person to invite her.
The next morning, before Shi Xiaoai could get a reply from Guo An, she received a personal visit from Aunt Song Chunyu.
When Song Chunyu arrived, it was around eight in the morning, when the morning market was quite busy.
Xiao Ai and Wang Xiaofeng were both busy at the time, and she stood at the door for a long time without either of them noticing.
It was not until the group of guests left that the two of them breathed a sigh of relief, and then Shi Xiaoai saw Song Chunyu standing by the tent.
She quickly dropped what she was holding and went over to him: "Aunt Song, when did you come? Why didn't you tell me you were here?"
As she spoke, she led the person to the table closest to the operating table.
"Aunt Song, have you had breakfast? Try our braised pork rice and check it for us." Shi Xiaoai said as she motioned Wang Xiaofeng to bring a bowl of rice over.
Song Chunyu didn't say anything polite to her, but just signaled Wang Xiaofeng to drink less.
After taking the rice, she pointed at the stone bun and said, "Xiao Ai, give me a steamed bun. I want it to be salty."
Shi Xiaoai quickly took a stone bun and brought it to Song Chunyu as instructed.
Song Chunyu ate a mouthful of rice without commenting. Then she took another bite of the stone bun to taste it. This time, she raised an eyebrow and looked at Shi Xiaoai with a hint of admiration.
"Did you make the filling?" she asked.
Shi Xiaoai nodded.
"Sure!" Song Chunyu took another bite and asked, "No one taught you before, did you figure it all out on your own?"
Shi Xiaoai couldn't say that her cooking skills were inherited from her family. She had been forced by her parents to watch in the kitchen since she was even taller than the pot.
After years of exposure and practical experience, I may not be able to prepare large meals, but I can definitely make some fast food.
She could only explain, "My mother taught me a little bit before, and then I figured it out myself."
Hearing her say that it was her mother who taught her, Song Chunyu was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded in understanding: "Yes, your mother is a serious lady from a wealthy family, and her cooking skills must be inherited from her family."
Having said that, Song Chunyu did not ask any more questions, but went straight to the point: "It was almost midnight yesterday when Guo An came to my house and said that you needed someone to help you and asked if I was willing to come.
At that time, our family was asleep, and I was confused and didn't pay much attention to him. But early this morning, he came to urge me again, very anxious, saying that you are still waiting to hear the results.
I thought it would be better for me to come over and see what was going on myself rather than listen to his unreliable words. "Xiao Ai, what's going on? What kind of person are you looking for?"
Shi Xiaoai was stunned when she heard this.
She never expected Guo An to be so unreliable.
It was almost ten o'clock when that guy left his house yesterday, so he must have arrived home around eleven o'clock, right?
So he knocked on his father-in-law's door in the middle of the night?
What a guts!
He wasn't afraid that Uncle Li and Aunt Song would knock him out with a big stick...
Looking at Xiao Ai's expression, Song Chunyu also looked helpless.
What can she do if her own son-in-law is unreliable?
She also had to explain for Guo An: "He is just that kind of person, straightforward and used to being casual at home."
Shi Xiaoai nodded quickly, suppressing a smile and saying, "I understand, I understand. Guo An is just lucky. Even if he gets into trouble, he still has you and Uncle Li to protect him."
Song Chunyu could only laugh helplessly after hearing this.
After chatting for a while, Xiao Ai and Song Chunyu stated their requirements.
Her request was actually very simple. She just wanted to find someone who could help her take over the kitchen completely.
Is it okay for Shi Xiaoai to do the kitchen chores by herself?
Actually it is possible.
But she didn't want to trap herself in the kitchen like this.
In the past, there was no way and she had to rely on herself to handle it. Now that she has the opportunity, she wants to be the one who controls the overall situation.
She can't always stay in the kitchen making pancakes, braised meat and boiled eggs every day.
Therefore, professional matters should be left to professionals.
After listening to her request, Song Chunyu asked about the types of snacks the snack shop planned to sell.
Shi Xiaoai said, "We currently have three varieties: stone steamed buns, braised pork rice, and tea eggs. Tea eggs might seem to conflict with braised eggs, but in fact, both sell in roughly the same quantity every day, and the market share is roughly equal, so I don't plan to cancel either."
Song Chunyu nodded: "Neither of these is troublesome, and having more varieties is no big deal."
After hearing her say this, Shi Xiaoai felt that there was a chance of keeping her, and she became more energetic.
She continued, "We used to make steamed buns, and they sold well. But they were quite labor-intensive, and we were always short-staffed, so we stopped making them. As for the next step, I'd like to add steamed buns to the staple food offering."
When she mentioned adding steamed buns, Song Chunyu agreed: "Steamed buns are fine. Don't underestimate them, they're very palatable and everyone loves them. Plus, they're easy to change up, and you can adjust the fillings based on daily sales. If they're popular, you can make more, and if they're not, you can change them. It's very convenient. This is fine."
"What else?" Song Chunyu continued to ask.
"The rest has not been decided yet. I want to wait and see how the master arranges it after he arrives, and then we can discuss it together."
After hearing this, the approval in Song Chunyu's eyes deepened.
As a skilled chef, what I hate most is those amateurs leading the experts, and those who know nothing about it relying on their high positions to give orders in the kitchen.
Then if something goes wrong, he'll run away faster than anyone else.
Song Chunyu had encountered this kind of people many times before, especially when exercising. She had so much trouble that she almost had heart problems due to anger.
So when she reached retirement age, she applied for retirement and gave her job to her eldest son without any regrets.
Even when the unit later offered her re-employment, she decisively rejected it.
But Song Chunyu has spent most of his life in the kitchen after all, and he really has feelings for the things going on there.
When she first retired, she was busy with her grandson and didn't feel much. Now that her grandson is in kindergarten and her daughter is taken care of by her mother-in-law, she feels a little empty when she has some free time.
A few days ago, when she was angry at home over trivial matters, her husband discussed with her why not bring their daughter back home to recuperate after the baby is born?
Give her something to do too.
As a result, he was scolded by Song Chunyu, who disliked him for looking for trouble.
Is this a way to make both families unhappy?
What she didn't expect was that just a few days later, her son-in-law came to her and told her about this.
Song Chunyu doesn't care about salary or anything like that. She has a lot of pension, enough for her to spend.
She just felt that it would be nice to have something to do, and Xiao Ai was a kid she knew well and was also her junior. At least if she followed her, she wouldn't be ordered around by her, right?
If she really does this, I'm not afraid. At worst, I can just stand up and leave.
Song Chunyu came here with this idea in mind, and she became more satisfied after communicating with Shi Xiaoai.
Because she found out that Xiao Ai was not the kind of person who didn't know what was going on.
This girl is not only knowledgeable, but more importantly, she also understands the rules and knows how to respect others.
Which chef in the kitchen doesn’t have his or her own unique skills?
Since she dared to take over this stall, she naturally has the ability to set it up.
It is only right that the varieties that sold well in the past continue to be sold, but when it comes to the development of new varieties, there must be room for the master chefs to have a say.
Shi Xiaoai obviously understood this very well. She only suggested adding a bun and didn't even mention anything else. She just said that they would discuss it after the chef came.
That means delegating power and leaving the final say in the kitchen to the chef.
Thinking of this, Song Chunyu has decided to stay and give it a try.
She no longer kept her secrets and shared the varieties she knew and thought were more suitable for use in a snack bar, and discussed them with Shi Xiaoai.
He also made a menu and asked Shi Xiaoai to prepare the ingredients, promising to come over early the next morning to cook the food for her to try.
Shi Xiaoai was overjoyed when she knew that she had agreed to stay and help her.
She immediately asked the other party about their salary requirements.
But what she didn't expect was that Song Chunyu became unhappy when Qian was mentioned.
She waved her hand casually and said, "Why are you telling me all this? It's not about money. You and Qiao Yun have a good relationship, and I'm just here to help you. We're all family, so let's not talk about money."
As soon as she said this, Shi Xiaoai got a headache.
What's the biggest fear in business? It's not being able to prioritize.
Business is business, and you must never mix personal relationships into it, otherwise you will end up digging a hole for yourself later on.
She didn't dare to take up the conversation, but said directly: "Auntie Song, you also know that we are now a subordinate unit of the office. There are regulations on the salary and benefits of the staff. The salary list must be submitted to the office for approval.
If you are willing to come and help me, I will calculate your salary based on the highest level, 80 yuan a month as a base, plus bonuses. Do you think this is okay?"
Song Chunyu was a first-class pastry chef with a high salary, and she didn't care much about how much she got. But even so, she knew that the salary offered by Shi Xiaoai was not low.
So she didn't say much and agreed directly.
Song Chunyu's agreement to come out of retirement solved a big problem for Shi Xiaoai, and not only that, Aunt Song also gave her a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
Knowing that she was looking for a teacher to train waiters, Song Chunyu said directly: "No need to look for one, I will let my apprentices do the training. They are not capable of working long-term, so it is not difficult for them to help with some work after get off work.
Don't worry about this. I'll bring them here later and train them for you after work."
This time, Shi Xiaoai really understood what it meant to lean on a big tree for shade.
Knowing a few bigwigs in the catering industry is like having a life full of luck. No matter how troublesome the task is, they can handle it in minutes!
She just felt that she had been lucky recently and everything was going more smoothly than she expected.
The next day, the construction team that Guo An found also reported in, and with them came a skinny old man in his fifties or sixties.
The old man looked inconspicuous, the kind that could be invisible even if he stood in a crowd.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, you could tell that he had a lot of ideas.
He knows his stuff!
The most important thing is that he was recommended by Brother Guo An, and he is not the same kind of person as the construction team.
This also eliminates the suspicion that both parties are colluding to defraud people.
Shi Xiaoai was really as satisfied as she could be.
Construction started at the site, and Song Chunyu came the next day with her two apprentices who were not on duty.
The two apprentices, one male and one female, were much older than Shi Xiaoai. It was obvious that they were both capable of taking charge of their own affairs in the unit.
When they arrived, it was the first day of class for the newly recruited workers. At that time, Shi Xiaoai was reading out the employee rules of the snack bar to everyone.
A few people stood aside and listened, then asked about Shi Xiaoai's requirements. Then Song Chunyu's male apprentice stayed and first explained to these students the basic requirements and precautions for being a waiter.
Although the female apprentice left, she also agreed to teach tomorrow's class.
Seeing that everything was gradually getting back on track and everything was developing in a good direction, Shi Xiaoai finally felt at ease.
She didn't go to the tea stall that morning.
Because I made an appointment with Master Liu in advance to go to the kindergarten today to take a look. If it is suitable, I will directly go through the admission procedures for the two children.
Shi Xiaoai had just packed up her things and changed Mingrui and Mingxi into new clothes.
Before the family of three could even go out, there was a hurried knock on the door.
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