Deng Guoqiang led Wang Hao to his office and poured him a glass of water before frowning at him.
"What sort of woman is she, that you have to personally escort her here? She does look pretty decent, though. What's the matter, is she your sweetheart?"
The water Wang Hao had just taken a sip of sprayed out at that comment.
"Pfft... Look here, Old Deng, it's one thing to make fun of me, but to go this far? Do I really come across as that kind of guy to you? I am innocent, you know. And when you mention I have a family, aren't you being a bit too—"
"You know you have a family? Then why would you even...?"
"Got your mind in the gutter, huh? It's not as dirty as you think. She's divorced and came to Beijing alone with her kid to find work. When she first arrived at my construction site, I could tell she had it tough, so I reluctantly took her on. Turns out she's pretty good at cooking. I thought you were short-staffed here, so I brought her over."
"She really is good at cooking. I thought of you for this because she's like a sister to me. Otherwise, she would survive just fine working for me. But I figured she could earn a higher wage here, right? I just wanted to help her out. No matter how pretty she is, she's not as good as my own wife. So you'd better drop that unhealthy train of thought!"
"Really, there's nothing going on between you two?"
Wang Hao gave him a blank stare. "What, do you want me to write you a guarantee or something?"
Deng Guoqiang, seeing his reaction, didn't seem to be lying and finally relaxed, "Didn't know you had such a warm side."
Wang Hao took another sip of water and sighed, "It's not easy for anyone trying to make a living away from home, especially with a child in tow. It's hard enough to find work as it is. Although I have no idea what her family's been through, she seems to be a decent and honest person. Oh, and she can drive, although she doesn't have a license. Take care of her if you can, but of course, only if she manages to keep the job on her own merit. That's all I can do to help." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on Nove1Fire.net
Deng Guoqiang raised an eyebrow, "She can drive? That is quite rare. No formal education?"
Wang Hao rolled his eyes at him, "If she were educated, would she come work at our construction site?"
Gong Mingxia hadn't mentioned it, but in these times, migrant workers got jobs through referrals, not resumes, so it was natural that he wasn't aware of her high school diploma.
"Alright, I got it. But let me make it clear upfront—if she can't handle the first three days, there's nothing I can do to help."
Wang Hao waved his hand dismissively, "For her child, she'll endure any hardship. Don't underestimate the strength of a mother. You'll see, she'll definitely meet your expectations."
Deng Guoqiang only believed what he saw with his own eyes. After seeing off Wang Hao, he went to check on Gong Mingxia and noticed how she and her daughter had tidied up the little room—it was a lot cleaner than the previously messy storeroom had been, and he had to admit to himself that she seemed hardworking.
"You were recommended by Wang Hao, so I won't say much. If you need anything, feel free to go out and buy it. You must've seen there's a hardware store and a small supermarket nearby when you arrived. How many people will be eating here each day will be communicated to you in advance. Cook according to the headcount, and it's okay to prepare food for an extra person or two, but not less. Being short would be improper. One meat dish per day is fine. What else you make, you can decide for yourself. Our workers aren't fussy eaters, as long as they're full, that's all that matters."
"There's a hot water boiler, a steaming cabinet, and a dough mixer in the kitchen. It'll be tough if you're working alone. As for the steamed buns, it's up to you. If you have time, steam them yourself; if not, you can order them from outside. I don't care about the process, as long as the workers eat well. The standard rate is four yuan per worker per day—one yuan for breakfast and dinner each, and two yuan for lunch."
Gong Mingxia took careful note of this standard, thinking she would go to the nearby market later to get a sense of the prices. Only then would she know what dishes would be most appropriate to prepare each day.