On the eighth day of the lunar month, Joy Soon Loy Restaurant opened for business, and Cheng Su prepared a stack of red envelopes, heading to the restaurant early, but someone arrived earlier than her, Old Song.
"Old Song, happy New Year," Cheng Su greeted with a smile.
"Boss, happy New Year, may you become prosperous," Old Song returned the greeting with a smile upon seeing Cheng Su.
Cheng Su handed him a red envelope, "Here, a red envelope for the opening, good luck in starting work."
Old Song accepted graciously and thanked her, then also took out a red envelope from his pocket for her, "This is from an elder, just a little red packet."
"Ah, I didn’t expect to receive a red envelope, thank you," Cheng Su said with a smile as she accepted it.
While talking with Old Song, the employees gradually arrived, taking turns wishing Cheng Su a new year and receiving their red envelopes.
When it was Qiulan’s turn, Cheng Su asked, "There was no sign of anyone at your place yesterday, when did you come back?"
Qiulan yawned and replied, "I didn’t get back until after midnight last night."
"No wonder," Cheng Su gave her a red envelope, "Happy New Year, good luck in starting work, and be even more dedicated this year."
"Yes."
Seeing that all the employees had arrived, Cheng Su clapped her hands, gave a few words of motivation, talking about starting the new year with a new spirit, working together to improve the restaurant, and then she organized everyone to go out for a meal after lunch service.
"Eating out?" Old Song asked.
"Yes, the New Year’s meal, we won’t eat at our place this time, we’ll go eat at another establishment, to see how they do things. Let others serve us for a change," Cheng Su said with a laugh.
The crowd cheered.
After letting everyone disperses, Cheng Su discussed with Old Song where would be a good place to eat, considering they would need to book for so many people.
"How about we go to Spring Full Building? Their reputation is also not bad, and it would be a good opportunity to try their dishes," Old Song suggested.
Cheng Su thought about it and nodded in agreement, instructing Song Xiaojang to book the tables.
"The new hires before the festival, I plan to have them work at the new shop. The coming days, I’ll pick a good date to open near the train station. How do you think Old Lu’s skills are?" Cheng Su asked Old Song.
Old Lu was the head chef hired for the shop near the train station; he was around forty years old and had previously worked as a chef in another restaurant.
"He doesn’t talk much, and his cooking is pretty good, but he may not pay much attention to hygiene," Old Song hesitated before speaking.
Cheng Su frowned.
Paying little attention to hygiene would not do; for anyone in the catering business, failing to uphold hygiene standards was unacceptable.
"Then we’ll have another talk with him, if he doesn’t improve, we won’t keep him," Cheng Su said.
Old Song nodded and said, "Everything else is fine, the cutting boards, etc., and the two waitstaff are also very diligent. But didn’t you say someone else was coming to work here? Why haven’t they shown up yet?"
"It’s my Elder Sister."
Old Song was taken aback, realizing it was a relative.
"This..."
"You don’t need to feel pressured. While her company has not yet started, she’ll come and I’ll personally train her for a few days. How much she learns is up to her. And she’ll be working at the branch near the train station, so there’s no conflict with this place," Cheng Su explained.
Old Song let out a small sigh of relief and then inquired about the purchasing arrangements.
"I’m thinking of having Xiao Jiang take on this role as well. He will be in charge of overall purchasing, buying for both here and the train station branch, and it will be his responsibility to deliver there," Cheng Su replied.
Old Song didn’t expect her to place so much trust in Song Xiaojang. He felt happy for Song Xiaojang and at the same time marveled at how a young woman like her managed to grow the business to such a size. Her vision and scope indeed matched those of any man.
No wonder, when speaking of Cheng Su as a boss, his son, who was usually too proud to praise others, would only give thumbs up and admiration. He respected Cheng Su for her boldness and skill, both genuinely convinced and willing to work for her wholeheartedly.