Chapter 554 Second-Class Jinshi
In early summer, the nights come late.
In the past, the sky would gradually darken after 5 PM, but now it is still relatively bright.
After a busy day, the workers were exhausted, slumped over, their eyes vacant, as if all their strength had been drained and they could no longer stand up.
The two managers understood that this was due to the restaurant being large and having few staff.
Most of the workers hired in the past two days were unqualified. Some quit because they were tired, and others made countless small mistakes every day, making it difficult for the two managers to give them a chance.
Wan Qiqi sat in an empty seat by the window, glanced at the exhausted waiter, and said, "I have an idea, but it needs to be tested."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Zhu Chengye seemed very curious.
Every time Wan Qiqi mentions an idea, she always comes up with something novel and can solve the restaurant's current predicament.
"The waiter has to run back and forth between the first and second floors and carry vegetables from the backyard, which is physically and time-consuming. I was thinking, could we put a liftable basket or box in the backyard so that people can bring the vegetables directly from the backyard to the second floor?"
Wan Qiqi thought of modern elevators.
Many modern restaurants have their kitchens on the first floor, while their private rooms are on the second, third, or fourth floor. In such cases, there is a special elevator that transports the food directly from the first floor to any floor, where waiters then pick it up and deliver it to the private room.
Although elevators were impossible in ancient times and everything relied on human power, this principle could be applied to create a manually pulled box, which could probably achieve the same result.
Wan Qiqi's words made Zhu Chengye fall into deep thought.
After a long pause, Zhu Chengye said, "It's not impossible, but once the box is made and the vegetables are put in, the weight in between is not something one person can pull up, and it's also unstable."
He acknowledges Wan Qiqi's novel ideas, but he won't blindly accept them. He will voice his concerns and resolve the issues before he begins to implement them.
“Actually, the weight issue is easy to solve. We can design a mechanism…” Wan Qiqi told Zhu Chengye her ideas one by one.
In ancient times, the modern methods certainly couldn't be used, but a roller skating mechanism could be used. By utilizing the principle of roller skating, it was easy to pull the boxes of vegetables to the second and third floors.
However, the issue of stability is indeed a challenge.
Moreover, the ropes used in ancient times were not very secure and were prone to breaking over time, requiring frequent inspection and replacement.
After listening to Wan Qiqi's explanation, Zhu Chengye's eyes flashed with a glint of light. He said, "That makes sense. This solves many problems. I'll contact someone right away to set this up!"
His eyes shone with undisguised joy, like a child who had just received candy.
Wan Qiqi was also quite happy that her idea had been recognized. Seeing Zhu Chengye's happy expression, a smile also appeared on her lips.
"Qiqi!"
The call made Wan Qiqi turn her head and see Chen Yongnian walking briskly towards her, his expression one of barely suppressed joy.
She couldn't help but wonder what could make Chen Yongnian so happy.
"Qiqi, your second brother has news from the imperial examination! He's a second-class Jinshi!" Chen Yongnian rushed to Wan Qiqi, his hand trembling slightly as he grasped hers.
Wan Qiqi was stunned for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding, and asked in confusion, "You mean Second Brother passed the imperial examination with the second rank?"
"Mmm." Chen Yongnian nodded heavily, as if only in this way could he express the joy in his heart.
Wan Ziyan passed the imperial examination with top honors, becoming a second-class Jinshi!
Wan Qiqi finally realized what was happening, her nose tingled, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
It turned out that Chen Yongnian's hands were trembling, but now both of their hands were trembling.
Wasn't the imperial examination in ancient times supposed to be very difficult? Wan Ziyan actually passed it on his first try.
Wan Qiqi felt somewhat incredulous, but received an affirmative answer from Chen Yongnian's eyes.
"That's great! His efforts finally paid off!" Wan Qiqi exclaimed with emotion.
Although the second-class Jinshi (进士) were not as good as the top three, they were still second only to the top three and enjoyed great prestige.
If one can find a good job, the future is bright.
Releasing Chen Yongnian's hand, he called out to Zhu Youcai in front of the counter, "Brother Youcai, tell the kitchen that everyone will have an extra meal tonight. Order whatever you want, it's on me!"
Zhu Youcai was taken aback, seemingly not quite understanding what the other person meant.
He seemed to be hearing something about a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but it didn't quite feel real.
Seeing that he hadn't moved for a while, Wan Qiqi said to Chen Yongnian, "Wait here for me. I'll go to the kitchen and come back to talk to you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wan Qiqi had already walked several steps away.
Her face was filled with undisguised joy, and her steps became lighter.
At first, they walked briskly, but later they simply started running.
Chen Yongnian had never seen Wan Qiqi like this before; she looked like a butterfly fluttering in the air, happier than if she were earning money herself.
At this point, Chen Yongnian's smile grew even brighter, his lips seemingly reaching for the sky.
The men around him couldn't help but be curious upon hearing this.
"Manager Wan seems very happy, what happened?"
"I don't know, can someone go ask?"
"No need to ask anymore. I was standing close by and heard it clearly. Manager Wan's second brother passed the imperial examination with the rank of second-class scholar."
"A second-class Jinshi! That's amazing! Who's her second brother?"
"You didn't know that? Her second brother is Master Wan from Hefeng Academy! Now that he's a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), Master Wan's status is quite different!"
"If the title of 'sister of a second-class Jinshi' were to spread, countless people would flock to curry favor with her!"
The chatter continued unabated even after Wan Qiqi returned from the kitchen.
This time, Wan Qiqi ignored these people, walked to the counter, and said, "I have the kitchen staff make all the signature dishes, as well as snacks and drinks. Put all of these on my tab, and deduct any shortfall from my bonus at the end of the month."
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