Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 119 Receiving

(Updates scheduled for 3 days, no extras)

Xiao Wei said, "Thank you, Sister Li. You've gone to so much trouble. This is fine. There's no need to replace it. As long as it works, it's fine."

Xia Maosheng nodded and said, "Okay. When will the upstairs bunk beds be ready? Once they're done, I can start arranging student recruitment. We need to get things done in advance, since we're going to be playing games."

Sister Li did a quick mental calculation and said, "Two days, maybe tomorrow, the day after, or the day after that. I can definitely get it done for you by then."

Xia Maosheng nodded: "Okay, thanks, Sister Li. I'll treat you to a meal when our restaurant opens."

Sister Li smoothed her hair and asked, "You guys even opened a restaurant?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Well, the students here need to do internships, so we opened one. It's located near the farmers' market, at Jubinge."

Sister Li thought for a moment and said, "Oh, I remember now, the construction company did that, right? I went there before. They contracted it to you? The location is okay, but those guys there don't know how to do it; they wasted such a good location. How much did they contract it for?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Nine years, just like here. We sign up for nine years of training here, and when this end, the other end will also stop. It's a matching program."

Sister Li said, "That's great! If you do well there, you'll make a lot of money. You'll get a discount when you go out to eat there!"

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "Sister, stop joking with me. Do you think I'd charge you for a meal? That's insulting me."

Sister Li smiled, turned to look at the area where the blackboard was being installed, and said, "Making such a big fuss must require quite a few people, right? Have you found the right people?"

Xia Maosheng said, "No, it depends on how you, Uncle Wang and Sister Li, arrange things here. They originally brought their staff, so we need to see what they have to do before deciding."

Sister Li turned to look at Xia Maosheng and said, "Is there anything else we need to do in this?"

Xia Maosheng said, "This is a subordinate unit of the Labor Bureau. We are just a cooperative contractor. We will definitely prioritize hiring from your side. But Sister Li, I need capable people. I don't want to support those rich and powerful."

Sister Li shouted at the person installing the blackboard, "The left side isn't level, Xiao Hu, Xiao Hu, your side isn't level. Check if there's anything blocking the wall." Then she said to Xia Maosheng, "Several of the leaders' kids in our bureau haven't found a chance to work yet. They probably won't get there until May or June next year. It's not good for them to just stay home all day. Since you're doing this, I didn't ask the leaders, I just mentioned it to you. They're all good kids, two who came back from the army, one high school graduate and two vocational school graduates, three girls and two boys. To put it bluntly, they're not cut out for anything, they're just waiting for some bureau to give them a chance to get in. Nobody can say for sure, it has to be approved by higher-ups."

Xia Maosheng glanced at Xiaowei, who said, "Come on, we need people anyway. Why would we recruit from outside if we don't use acquaintances? Sister Li has been busy for days, so we have to help. Besides, we're under the jurisdiction of the Labor Bureau. We don't have any strenuous work, just organizing and managing discipline. Recruiting is the big job. But Sister Li, Uncle Wang and I have given our assurances, so don't bring in someone who can't be controlled and causes trouble. Once you come, you'll have to obey."

Sister Li glanced at Xiao Wei, smiled, and said, "Of course, now that you're here, you're the leaders. Do as you're told. If you don't listen, come find me." She turned to look at the installation area, which was already set up, and strode over to inspect it.

Xia Maosheng quietly asked Xiao Wei, "What do you need people for?"

Xiao Wei watched Sister Li gesturing and instructing the workers, and said, "Jian'an brought ten people with him, but there are only five here."

Xia Maosheng was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Damn, I didn't expect that. You're quick-witted."

Xiao Wei glanced at him and said, "I didn't think about anything, I just felt it had to be fair."

After finishing her arrangements, Sister Li returned and said, "Xia, it's perfect that I ran into you today. Let me hand over the keys to you; that'll mark the handover complete. I have something to do on my end tomorrow, so I won't be coming over. Everything's set up here. The shopkeeper will be here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You can come and open the door for him; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Xia Maosheng reached out and took the bunch of keys, nodding.

Xiao Wei said, "By the way, Sister Li, do you have any elderly relatives who have retired? We're still short a security guard here."

Sister Li was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Why is everything being blamed on me? Okay, Sister, you guys find one, what kind do you want?"

Xiao Wei said, "Someone responsible and capable."

Sister Li said, "That's no problem. My father-in-law is idle at home. My mother-in-law passed away at the beginning of last year, and the old man gets bored staying at home. If you don't mind, I'll tell him when I get back."

Xia Maosheng realized what was going on and said, "Okay, it's better to trust our own people. Let's settle on that then. When can you start work?"

Xiao Wei pointed to the guardhouse at the entrance and said, "The carpenter will come tomorrow and fix this room first. Once it's done, I'll buy my luggage and go to work. Is that okay, Sister Li? I'll trouble you with the meals for the next few days. I'll have someone deliver them once the restaurant over there opens."

Sister Li asked with a smile, "You even provide meals? Oh, that's really great. Okay, I'll do whatever you two say." This time, her smile was genuinely happy.

Xiao Wei said, "Then, Sister Li, you're busy. We'll go upstairs for a walk."

Sister Li said, "Okay, you two go ahead with your work. I've finished this and I'll head back. Don't forget to lock the front door before you leave."

The two agreed and went upstairs. Sister Li stood there watching their backs for a while, then smiled, shook her head, and went inside.

The third floor was also cleaned up; every room was spotless. Several piles of timber, planks, and planks were stacked in the hallway—all large pieces. Xiao Wei touched a handful; they were all dry. He nodded in satisfaction. At this time, timber from Northeast China wasn't valuable. Processed red pine flooring planks were only 40 yuan per square meter, and that was the market price.

Xia Maosheng asked, "So when do we start recruiting? Shouldn't we call Lao Lan over beforehand? Where do we play GG?"

Xiao Wei shook his head, thought for a moment, and looked at Xia Maosheng, saying, "I think the plan needs to be changed. Before, we just wanted to set up a class to make a little money, we never thought about how big it would become, but that won't work now. I think we should focus on that side first, that side is more stable. Let's get the restaurant up and running first, and make use of the area behind it. It should be done by the end of the year. After that, we can call Lao Lan over to take care of this side. And we can't run several classes at the same time here, we'll do it one by one. Let's start with the chef class, that's what we know best. Once the chef class is stable and we've collected the money, let's move on to the pastry class, and finally the Western pastry class, that's what we don't know anything about, so we'll leave that for last."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Now that everything here is done, why not start the chef training program first? We can gradually work on the pastry and Western-style desserts later."

Xiao Wei glanced at him and said, "Today is the 16th, and it's almost the end of November. Even if we hurry, it won't be enough this month. We'll run out of time. Even if we start the class at the beginning of next month, it will only last three months, ending in March next year. Chinese New Year is on February 15th. Do you think many people can cross the Chinese New Year to learn to be a chef? Even the teachers might not be willing. How much are you going to pay? And everything is expensive at the end of the year, even men are expensive. What's the rush?"

"The restaurant is different. The end of the year is the peak season, and things get set up quickly there. We need to get the dishes, workers, and chefs ready, and then it's open for business. What do you think? And those buildings in the back—it's a shame to leave them unused. I've been thinking about how to utilize them. We can put this aside for now before the New Year and get that up and running. After the New Year, we won't have to worry about that anymore, and we can focus all our energy on this place."