A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Lin Xiaochen came down from the second floor, holding a stack of resumes in her hand.

"The people have arrived and are all waiting upstairs."

"How many people?"

"Three. Driver, male assistant, and nanny."

Fu Yan followed Lin Xiaochen upstairs to the second floor, where Qiu Kai's small office had been temporarily requisitioned as an interview room.

The three people were sitting on chairs outside in line, and they all stood up when they saw Fu Yan come up.

Fu Yan glanced at it—

The driver was a burly man in his early thirties, with a buzz cut and an upright posture, clearly a former soldier. He wore a faded military green jacket and old-fashioned military boots, had scars on the back of his hands, and a steady gaze.

The male assistant was a tall, thin young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a white shirt, carrying a laptop in his hand; he looked quite clever.

The nanny was a woman in her early forties, with a round face and slightly plump figure. She was wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket and a floral scarf, and looked like the kind of older woman from Northeast China or Qi province. She had a friendly smile on her face.

"One at a time." Fu Yan sat down behind Qiu Kai's desk, while Lin Xiaochen stood beside him taking notes.

The first one is the driver.

"What's your name?"

"Zhao Gang".

"Where are you from?"

"A local from Yanjing, from Daxing."

"You served in the military?"

"I served as a member of the People's Armed Police for eight years, and I was discharged the year before last."

What kind of cars have you driven?

"I drove Mengshi and Iveco vans in the army. After retiring, I worked at Shouqi for a year, driving commercial vehicles."

Fu Yan nodded. He was a retired armed police officer who had driven for eight years and had also worked at Shouqi Automobile—his resume was clean, and his skills were not a problem.

"Zhao Gang, I have two cars, a Land Rover Defender and an Audi A8L. I use the A8 most of the time, and the Land Rover occasionally. I plan to add more vehicles later. Your job is to drive, maintain the vehicles, and be available whenever needed. Any questions?"

"no problem."

"The salary is 8,000 yuan a month, with five social insurances and one housing fund, and lunch is provided."

Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment—after he was discharged from the army, he only earned a little over four thousand a month at Shouqi, and this price had doubled.

"No problem!" His voice rose two octaves. "Don't worry, boss, I'll be there whenever you call!"

"Alright, stop calling him 'boss,' call him Brother Fu. Next."

The second one is a male assistant.

"What's your name?"

"He Wei is 26 years old this year. He graduated from Yenching University with a major in public administration. He previously worked as a consultant at a headhunting company for two years."

Fu Yan glanced at Lin Xiaochen, who nodded slightly—this was the person she had selected.

"Your job is to assist Lin Xiaochen, who is my personal assistant. You'll do whatever she assigns: running errands, coordinating, liaising, and processing documents. There will be a lot of miscellaneous tasks and little freedom, but the pay is good. Any questions?"

"No problem."

"The salary is 6,000 yuan a month, plus five social insurances and one housing fund, and a three-month probation period."

He Wei nodded without haggling.

Third, a nanny.

"Excuse me, ma'am, what's your name?"

"My name is Zhou Shufen, I am forty-three years old, and I am from Weixian County, Qi Province." She spoke with a thick Qi Province accent, which sounded very friendly.

"Have you ever worked as a nanny in Beijing?"

"I've done it! I did it for almost ten years! I used to work for a family in Chaoyang for six years. Last month, the old lady went abroad to live with her son, and that's when I left."

What dishes can you cook?

"I can cook both Shandong cuisine and Northeastern cuisine! Jianbing (Chinese crepes), mackerel dumplings, braised pork intestines, sweet and sour carp, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, and 'Big Harvest'... You name it, I can make it!"

When Fu Yan heard "mackerel dumplings", the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up.

"Is staying at home okay?"

"No problem! I live alone in Beijing, my son is in college, and my husband is back in our hometown. I can stay anywhere!"

"The salary is 4,500 yuan a month, including room and board, and one day off."

Zhou Shufen beamed from ear to ear: "Okay! Thank you... Brother Fu!"

Fu Yan stood up and looked at the three new employees—a sturdy veteran, a refined young consultant, and a smiling older sister from Qi Province.

"Welcome. Starting today, Zhao Gang will be in charge of the vehicles, He Wei will be working with Lin Xiaochen, and Sister Zhou will live in the east wing of the courtyard house, where she will be responsible for cooking and daily chores. If you have any questions, ask Lin Xiaochen, don't come to me."

The three of them said in unison, "Okay!"

……

After the interview, Fu Yan called Lin Xiaochen aside.

"There's one more thing, can you help me find an office?"

"office?"

"The second floor of the bar can be used for Qiu Kai's operations. The logistics, finance, and administration staff can't stay here for long periods of time, as it will affect the bar's atmosphere. Find a place not too far from the bar, an office building or a mixed-use commercial/residential building will do. The area doesn't need to be too big, just enough to seat a dozen or so people."

"Understood." Lin Xiaochen made a note in her notebook. "What about the budget?"

"No more than 100 square meters, monthly rent under 15,000 yuan. Location is a priority, within a 10-minute walk of Yinding Bridge."

"I'll go see it today."

"Also, the bar's back-office staff have been moved to the office area—the finance, purchasing, and administration departments have all been moved out. Only Qiu Kai and his service team remain at the bar, keeping things clean and efficient."

"it is good."

Lin Xiaochen closed the notebook and glanced at Fu Yan.

"Is there anything else?"

Fu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Yes. I'll ask Sister Zhou to make some mackerel dumplings tonight."

Lin Xiaochen raised her eyebrows slightly—this was the first time she had seen an emotion unrelated to work on Fu Yan's face.

"it is good."

……

In the evening, Fu Yan rode his electric bike back to the courtyard house.

Zhou Shufen had already arrived and was unpacking her luggage in the east wing. Seeing Fu Yan return, she greeted him with a smile, "Brother Fu is back! I've already prepared the dumpling filling; I'll make them whenever you want!"

"No rush, please settle in first."

Fu Yan walked into the main room and found that the living room had been tidied up—the cups on the coffee table had been washed, the cushions on the sofa had been fluffed up, and even the two used candles had been put away in the drawer.

He stood in the living room and looked around, and suddenly felt that this room was not quite the same.

It's not that the decor has changed, it's that it's become more popular.

When he lived alone before, the living room was the living room, the sofa was the sofa, and the coffee table was the coffee table. Now, traces of Xu Wenshu sitting on the sofa remain, two half-finished cups of tea sit on the coffee table, and the aroma of Zhou Shufen cooking wafts from the kitchen—

The room came to life.

Fu Yan took out his phone and sent Xu Wenshu a text message: "What did you eat tonight?"

A while later, a reply came: "Instant noodles."

Fu Yan laughed and typed back to her: "No more instant noodles from now on."

"What's it to you?"

"I don't care about you."

There was a silence of about ten seconds on the other end, then a single word was replied: "Oh."

Fu Yan looked at the word "oh" and felt that it was the sweetest thing he had seen all day.

He put his phone in his pocket, went into the kitchen, and said to Zhou Shufen, "Sister Zhou, make mackerel dumplings tonight, make a lot."

"Okay!"

Fu Yan stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Zhou Shufen skillfully knead the dough, roll out the wrappers, and fill them with filling; her movements were both quick and graceful.

Mackerel dumplings.

He thought of his hometown, Bincheng, and the loud clanging sounds of Liu Meilan chopping filling in the kitchen, and the embarrassed look on Fu Xiao's face when she was being criticized for rolling out dough.

Now, people are making mackerel dumplings for him in the courtyard houses on Yandai Xiejie.

Fu Yan walked into the courtyard, stood under the old locust tree, and looked up at the sky.

In winter, it gets dark early in Yanjing, but the stars are brighter than in the city.

The bar will open tomorrow.

Everything is slowly getting in place.