The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

First day of business.

Chen An'an obediently draped a small white cloth over his shoulder and took on the role of chief waiter.

Jiang Peiyao was still inspecting the hygiene of the area, while the little girl was causing a ruckus wherever she went.

Their Worry-Free Restaurant is considered the best-decorated restaurant in the urban village, its classical style standing out as out of place in this crowded urban village.

In the morning, most of the residents in the urban village went to work, so they didn't have much business.

He simply sat in the middle of the hall and started eating sunflower seeds.

"Dad, we don't have any business here either?"

"Just kidding, what kind of business can't your dad do? It's not lunchtime yet, but it'll get crowded soon."

Okay~ This is also Chen An'an's first time being a waitress.

Curiosity was still there, and just as it was about to be lunchtime, a uniformed person came in through the door.

They inspected fire safety and sanitation.

He has all the necessary documents.

The uniformed officers saw that there was no one around and figured they wouldn't be able to stay open for long.

He asked a couple of questions and then left.

After a while, the guests finally arrived, carrying some agricultural products.

Chen An'an eagerly went to greet them; she was a natural social butterfly, always adept at dealing with people.

"Uncle, what would you like to eat?"

"Young lady, is this place newly opened? Do you have any special offers or promotions?"

"No, what kind of activity do you want?"

"Give us some of the free stuff."

"OK…"

Her family is rich; they'll give you a bottle of Moutai for free.

"Uncle, what would you like to order?"

"It's just one bottle of wine, and it's Moutai? Is it appropriate for you to openly sell counterfeit goods?"

"It's not fake, it's genuine Moutai."

The three middle-aged men couldn't possibly believe that someone was actually giving them Moutai. They had just come to try it out because they thought there must be some kind of promotion when a new store opened here.

The three of them were very polite and only ordered one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, which came to about 120 yuan.

You simply can't find this in downtown Shanghai, and it's a bit pricey in urban villages.

On their first day of business, there weren't many customers. Chen Pingsheng was busy cooking, while Chen An'an was busy greeting customers and wiping tables.

Exhausted after a long day, Chen An'an lost her curiosity when she got home.

I simply didn't want to stay any longer, but surprisingly, the little one stopped crying and making a fuss.

Another day passed, and Chen An'an completely lost her passion.

She never wanted to be a waitress again, but her father was still cooking there, so she couldn't give up halfway.

I'll do it no matter what, for two full months. As for the so-called carefree dream, that's something that only happens when you meet the right person.

Her father never told her what a destined person is.

Three days down.

The only thing Chen An'an noticed was that the people here were very particular about saving money when it came to food.

Especially for older people, if they can get full from one dish, they generally won't order a second one.

In contrast, it's different for young people who have just received their salaries.

They don't care much about money, their salaries are low and they don't need to save money, so they are basically living paycheck to paycheck.

The restaurant has a high-end interior but low prices, and it has gradually accumulated a small customer base.

Of course, she also knew some people who had been here for a while.

For example, Li Qian, who sat in the best seat, is one of the few high-level white-collar workers in this urban village.

He's also quite good-looking, a graduate of a prestigious 985 university.

She's eaten here two or three times already, and each time she orders one dish, and Chen An'an always gives her a free drink.

Li Qian works in the city, and she spends two to three hours commuting to and from get off work every day.

She looks very presentable, always sprays on some perfume before going out, and irons her clothes until they are wrinkle-free.

You should ask her if she's tired from spending so much time on the road every day.

She'll just smile and tell you that you'll get used to it.

One time, she even fell asleep in the office while working overtime so late.

Her boss told her to spend her time on meaningful things, and for Li Qian, that meant getting up earlier every day.

Who wouldn't want to work close to home?

Just thinking about the rent in the city center, she would rather travel a few more hours every day.

Chen Pingsheng was in charge of cooking, while Da Piwa handled all the reception duties.

She was quite a talent; she secretly had her family send her several cases of expensive beverages, and would give her a bottle of any she liked.

"Sister Li, are you off work?"

"Yes."

Looking at the time, their family was about to get off work. "How about my dad makes you some fried rice with eggs?"

"Alright then, it's not easy for you to run a shop. You're so young and you already know to help out at home during summer vacation. You'll definitely amount to something when you grow up."

"That is."

Chen An'an chuckled and took a bottle of Romanée-Conti from the box, handing it to Li Qian. "Sister Li, this is a gift from my dad."

"You're delivering alcohol again? My fried rice with egg only costs twelve yuan, and with a side dish it's less than fifty. Aren't you losing money by delivering alcohol every day?"

"It's not that bad. My dad's Worry-Free Restaurant is all about fate."

"alright."

Li Qian didn't want to refuse, and she didn't recognize any wine brands, so she just assumed it was a promotional event for the new store opening.

They leave it in the rented room and don't really take care of it anymore.

After she left, exhausted, Chen An'an immediately went to find her father.

Chen Pingsheng was still cooking in the kitchen when another group of young men and women arrived, just as it was about time to leave work.

"Dad, I feel like I have a real connection with that person!"

"What kind of fate is this? The two bottles of red wine you gave her are enough to solve her problem. Observe her more."

Okay... Chen An'an is silent again.

She still listens to her father, but the people she met this time are different.

I work at the largest shoe factory nearby, and my life is a monotonous routine.

The work is like an assembly line; they don't need to use their brains or have any creativity.

It's simply a matter of standing in that position and mechanically repeating the same actions.

They are soulless during their twelve-hour workday.

Only at this time after get off work do they do the things that people their age should do.

Beer, barbecue, loud laughter, and loud dreams of the future.

For them, the shoe factory might just be a transitional phase.

One day, they too will spread their wings and soar thousands of miles.

But... the reality is that it goes on day after day, year after year.

Chen An'an also gave them a bottle of Moutai liquor. None of them had ever drunk it before, and they felt that the fake Moutai tasted pretty good.

Fragrance lingers on lips and teeth.

I can't really feel anything, I just feel like after I wake up from a nap, I'll have to go back to that soulless work.

Many people live by going with the flow, while others rise to the challenge.

They are trying to get a better job through their own efforts.

The girl who sits in that corner by the door every day is her. The first time she came, she specifically asked Chen An'an if she could sit there for a while.

Chen An'an agreed and even gave her a bottle of beverage.

Every night after that, the girl would come to their door and stay until they turned off the lights.

The girl's name is Yang Wei. She is only twenty years old, but she has already been working in the shoe factory for two years.

Seeing her sitting outside alone again, Chen An'an couldn't help but run over and ask, "Sister Weiwei, you're reading different books every day, are you trying to get into university?"

"No, I just want to work for a better company."

Yang Wei quite liked Chen An'an, but she lacked confidence and spoke in a soft, weak voice.

“Every time I have a holiday, I go to apply for jobs at big companies, but I’m rejected every time because of my education level. I just want to learn more so I can see if I can get into a better company.”

"So if you don't go to university, you can't improve your educational level, right?"

Chen An'an scratched her head, feeling that her words were rather contradictory.

Yang Wei sighed helplessly, "Yes, without going to a good university, you can't get into a big company. Shuiyun School won't be recruiting again until this time next year. There are too many people like me, so how can I expect to get into such a company?"

Yang Wei left dejectedly.

For her, reading every night was simply a way to maintain the meager glimmer of hope she held in her heart.

If you stay in a factory like this and do nothing, what hope is there for your life?
However, she would simply get married when she reached marriageable age, and then either work in the countryside or in another factory.

This is not the life she wants.

She has been working hard for two whole years to get into Shuiyun University.

"Dad, is the Shuiyunjian University that Mom runs really that amazing?"

Chen An'an asked with mixed feelings.

Chen Pingsheng asked her to sit down, and then lit a Lao Baisha cigarette. "In your eyes, Shuiyunjian is just an ordinary place, but it is a dream that countless people cannot enter. You should know that the Shuiyunjian your mother opened has not only created countless wealth for the family, but also provided a stage for thousands of rural girls under its umbrella to change their destiny."

"Chen An'an, you must remember that any business in your family is not just a tool for making money; it is also an opportunity for countless people to survive and change their destiny."

"A company's responsibility is not just to make money, but also to help the employees who have devoted their time and effort to it succeed."

Chen An'an only learned today that there are such hardworking people who work more than ten hours a day and then study for several hours after get off work, all for the sake of getting into her mother's company.

Between water and clouds.

Perhaps this is what her father meant by corporate responsibility.

We will live up to the trust placed in us and create a fair and just platform for all employees to earn high incomes.

Her father made her work as a waitress, and it was definitely worth it.

(End of this chapter)