Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

Zhou Wen didn't speak, but just observed silently. When he got closer, he smelled smoke and subconsciously frowned.

Although Zhou Wen does smoke, he usually only smokes one cigarette after the shop closes, but the smell of smoke on this person is a bit too strong.

Zhou Wen shook his head inwardly, clearly not satisfied, thinking that the man must be quite addicted to cigarettes.

"That was the previous notice. I forgot to take it down, sorry." Zhou Wen said, pointing to Shi Ying beside him.

This indicates that the store has already hired employees.

Seeing this, the long-haired man didn't say anything more and turned to leave the restaurant.

……

During the period from the afternoon opening to the evening closing time, three or four people came to apply for the job, but Zhou Wen was not very satisfied with any of them.

The only person I was relatively satisfied with ended up falling out with me because of some salary and benefits issues.

Several days passed in this way, and finally, another customer who satisfied Zhou Wen came to the restaurant was a boy.

Overall, she was dressed fairly neatly, but Zhou Wen always got the impression that she was playful and couldn't sit still.

After some conversation, I learned his name was Shan Wei, which is not a very common surname.

"Do you have any prior experience in this field?" Zhou Wen asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Shan Wei nodded.

Zhou Wen gave Shan Wei a deep look. There was really nothing to hesitate about in this matter. It was very likely that he had never worked in this industry before, and he was probably thinking that this would increase his chances of passing.

That was normal, so Zhou Wen didn't pay much attention to it.

Is your place close to a restaurant?

This time, Shan Wei answered without hesitation, "It only takes twenty minutes to get to the restaurant."

Zhou Wen nodded, and then asked some related questions.

Finally, there's the most crucial issue: salary.

"A monthly salary of 650, including lunch and dinner per day. Is that acceptable?"

Shan Wei nodded and said, "Boss, I can accept it."

There is a difference between restaurant helpers and waiters like Shi Ying. Restaurant front-of-house waiters generally earn between 800 and 1,000 yuan, while helpers earn between 450 and 800 yuan.

Shi Ying's salary last month, plus her onboarding bonus and other rewards, totaled 1300, which is considered quite a lot for a waitress.

Zhou Wen had witnessed firsthand what Shi Ying's work was like. It wasn't just Zhou Wen who praised her; even the diners at the restaurant said Shi Ying's service was excellent.

Zhou Wen even sometimes thought that the price of 1300 was a bit low.

There is a three-day trial period.

Dan Wei hesitated for a moment and said, "Boss, what if in the end..."

Zhou Wen knew what Shan Wei was worried about, so before he could finish speaking, he said, "You will be paid for these three days as usual, so don't worry about that."

Shan Wei nodded, but still had some doubts about what Zhou Wen said.

Zhou Wen continued, "You need to be at the store before 10:30 in the morning and before 4:30 in the afternoon every day."

"No problem."

"Let's add each other's contact information, so it'll be easier to contact each other if there are any problems." After saying that, Zhou Wen took out his Nokia from his pocket.

As for Shan Wei, he awkwardly took out a knock-off phone that looked very much like a Nokia, perhaps because there was a girl next to him.

Back in 07, mobile phones weren't yet a necessity for everyone, but they weren't considered a luxury either, especially since young people always liked to pursue these trendy things.

Because Shi Ying started working relatively early, she already had some savings and naturally owned a mobile phone.

It uses a Nokia 1 series phone that only costs three or four hundred yuan.

After Zhou Wen finished speaking, he turned to Shi Ying and said, "Shi Ying, this afternoon you can help Shan Wei get used to the work in the store."

"OK."

When Shan Wei left, Zhou Wen specifically went outside to remind him, "Remember not to be late this afternoon."

Around 4:30 in the afternoon, Shan Wei arrived at the restaurant.

She wasn't late, but compared to Shi Ying, the difference was immediately apparent; without comparison, there's no harm done.

Of course, Zhou Wen didn't care too much, as long as he wasn't late.

Shi Ying naturally remembered what Zhou Wen had told her.

As a long-time employee of the store, Shi Ying greeted him naturally: "My name is Shi Ying. If I remember correctly, your name is Shan Wei, right?"

Dan Wei nodded blankly, somewhat shy.

Although Shi Ying wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, she was certainly attractive and the kind of person whose looks grew on you, in addition to her outgoing and cheerful personality.

She does give off a bit of the feeling of a kind older sister next door.

Although I was a bit tired during the month or so at Zhouji Restaurant, my mental state was much better than when I first arrived. My complexion was rosy and my cheeks were much fuller than before.

With Shi Ying taking the initiative, the two quickly became acquainted.

Because Shi Ying was older, Shan Wei naturally addressed her as "Sister Shi Ying, what should we do now?"

"It's just about cleaning the store."

Looking at the clean shop, Shan Wei asked, somewhat puzzled, "Does it need cleaning even when it's already this clean?"

As fellow employees, and not much older than each other, they became quite familiar with each other after spending some time together, so Shan Wei would ask more questions.

"Yes, there might still be some dust in some places."

After giving a brief reply, Shi Ying stopped talking and focused on her work.

Seeing this, Shan Wei didn't say anything more and picked up a rag to clean as well.

However, cleaning is indeed very boring, and because it sometimes requires bending over, Shan Wei, who has never cleaned like this before, will start to feel sore in her back after a while.

Dan Wei thought he should take a break and chat with Shi Ying to relieve his boredom.

Shi Ying, who had been chatting and laughing earlier, was now silent. She only responded with a few "uh-huhs" to Shan Wei's words, and then said, "Go and check that corner over there. See if there's any dust. If there is, clean it thoroughly."

Dan Wei opened his mouth, originally intending to chat and relieve his boredom, but who would have thought that Shi Ying would order him to clean a corner.

Of course, Shan Wei was a million times unwilling, but today was only the first day of adaptation, and besides, Shi Ying was considered a senior.

In the end, I could only reluctantly go to the corner to clean. To call it cleaning was just a casual sweep, then I wiped it haphazardly with a rag and left the corner.

Dan Wei wanted to take out his phone to relax for a bit, and subconsciously glanced into the kitchen, only to find that the boss was busy with other things.

However, I held back in the end. If I got caught, it would leave a bad impression on the boss, and he might not let me come tomorrow.

That would be a losing proposition.