I'll wait for you amidst the romance of nature.

After I stated the two options, everyone's attention focused on Peach, waiting for her choice. At this moment, Coach Ma, who was usually quiet, spoke first, saying, "Is there even a need to consider this? Of course, it should be counted as shares."

After saying that, he turned to Bai Lu and said, "Let's sign a new agreement tomorrow, including the one Taozi submitted. Once it's done, you can have it notarized."

Bai Lu nodded and replied, "Okay, when I get back later, I'll ask my lawyer friend to help us draft a contract... Also, everyone who has contributed manpower to the inn will receive a salary."

"How do we calculate it?"

Bai Lu thought for a moment and asked me, "Michael, how much was your salary when you were in Shanghai?"

"Around seven thousand yuan."

"Well, you've worked the hardest at this inn, managing everything, so I'll still pay you seven thousand yuan a month."

"No need for so much, just enough for living expenses will do."

"I'll decide this, and none of you should object." After saying this forcefully, Bai Lu continued, "Xiao Ma's (Coach Ma's) salary will be based on his rate for singing two shows at the bar, five thousand yuan a month, and Tie Nan four thousand. You two have no objections, right?"

Coach Ma and Tie Nan both shook their heads, indicating that they had no objections.

Bai Lu nodded, then turned to Taozi and asked, "Girl, what was your income like when you were in Shanghai?"

Peach paused for a moment before replying vaguely, "I'm not sure. We get performance-based bonuses, so in total, it's probably about the same as Michael's."

Bai Lu tapped the table with her fingers, and after a moment's thought, said, "If the bar is doing well, you'll definitely be the one working the hardest... I've been thinking about it, and I've decided not to use your income in Shanghai as a benchmark. How about you take a basic salary of three thousand yuan here, and then take 10% of the daily revenue as commission? Is that okay?"

Before Peach could respond, Tie Nan asked with concern, "Does her commission from the bar's revenue count towards her final profit share?"

"Of course not, this is her performance bonus, it's part of her salary."

Tie Nan nodded in satisfaction, but Tao Zi said, "I won't take any commission from the bar's revenue. Just give me a monthly salary of three thousand yuan."

Yang Sisi pouted and continued, "You're all so noble, has anyone considered my feelings... You all get bonuses, and your salaries are all higher than mine, I'm not happy about it!"

I coldly replied, "This is the going rate for front desk staff. We even provide you with food and lodging. What more could you want?"

"Hmph, you bunch of rich people are dividing up the meat here, and I'm not even allowed to pick up a few bones to eat?"

"Who's as rich as you..." I retorted to her, then said to Peach, "We're running a legitimate business together. Bailu's way of distributing the profits is to avoid future conflicts and hurt feelings... These days, even a slightly better bartender earns over ten thousand yuan a month in Dali. It's really unreasonable for you to only take three thousand yuan and not take a share of the revenue. Besides, you have a heavy family burden; if you fight for more, it'll lighten your load."

Tie Nan chimed in, "Yes, Michael is right... How about we forget about commissions and just give us a salary of ten thousand yuan?"

Yang Sisi glanced at Tie Nan with disdain and replied, "You little idiot, among your group, Sister Bailu treats Sister Taozi the best... Let me tell you, my aunt's company's annual meeting will definitely be held at our inn. I heard that every year when they hold their annual meeting, their budget for drinks alone is at least 100,000 yuan. If that money is spent on our bar, how much commission do you think Sister Taozi can get?... Let's not talk about a lot, just two group deals like this a month, and Sister Taozi will have 20,000 yuan in commission income, and that doesn't even include her daily income!"

Upon hearing Yang Sisi's words, Tie Nan immediately slapped himself, then pointed at Yang Sisi and said to Bai Lu, "Listen to her, we'll still get a commission."

Bai Lu smiled and replied, "Alright, since everything's been agreed upon, I'll have my lawyer friend write the salary and benefits details into the contract tomorrow... Once it's done, I'll show it to everyone, and you can add anything you have..."

I interrupted, "We've already discussed this, why didn't you mention your own salary?"

"I only come to the inn a few times a week, so there's really no need to pay me any wages... Besides, I only do some errands. I'm busy in the early stages, but once the inn is running smoothly, there's not much for me to do."

Coach Ma added, building on those words, "Don't give Bai Lu this one... She has her own job and a bar in the ancient city, she won't miss out on this little bit."

Bai Lu patted Instructor Ma on the shoulder and laughed, "That's right, that's what I meant too... Once the inn reopens, everyone should work hard to maximize the profit sharing. Salaries are just for living expenses; those who need them can take one, and those who don't can leave it alone... Hehe, after all, profit sharing is the real big part, and I won't let that go."

Since Bai Lu had already said so much, I didn't stand on ceremony anymore, but I remembered her kindness in my heart... To be honest, the worst thing about relationships between people is when interests are involved, so having an older sister like Bai Lu with a spirit of self-sacrifice is a blessing for our team.

……

After we finished discussing this matter, we had all drunk quite a bit. Before leaving, Bai Lu called me aside and said, "I went to talk to Sun Jiwei about the investment today."

"What did you tell him?"

"I certainly wouldn't say that everyone was unwilling to let him invest... I just told him that there are only a few inns that have resumed operations, and the competition is definitely watching very closely. Since he works for the Environmental Protection Bureau, someone might use this as an excuse to make trouble, and if the inn gets dragged into it, it would be a loss... I suggested that he wait until this storm passes before considering investing. Besides, our inn will definitely expand, so it's not too late to invest then."

I couldn't help but admire Bai Lu; this was true art of speaking. If either of us, Coach Ma or I, were to say those words, we would never have been able to.

I then asked Bailu, "Is he unhappy?"

On the surface, no; but what they really think is another matter...

I sighed softly, then felt exhausted. I knew this was my weakness, because I'm really not good at handling complicated interpersonal relationships. Although I also knew in my heart that, from a self-interested perspective, Sun Jiwei was indeed someone worth befriending.

……

Before we knew it, it was early November, and thanks to everyone's hard work, the guesthouse was finally ready to reopen. To ensure efficient check-in for our guests, we even hired three cleaning ladies to clean the rooms, even though we only have ten rooms.

In addition, we rented a farmhouse near the guesthouse, did some simple renovations, and then Ma, Tie Nan, Tao Zi, and I moved there to make room for business purposes. So, only Yang Sisi, who works at the front desk, stayed at the guesthouse.

……

Midnight was the time the government would announce the first batch of hotels and guesthouses to reopen on its official website. A few of us sat in front of our computers early to wait...

Although I had been notified beforehand, I still felt a little uneasy until the list was officially released.

Among us, Yang Sisi was the most impatient. Just after 11 o'clock, she kept refreshing the official website page and complained that the government was not humane enough. She felt that the result should have been announced earlier, or even during the day.

Little did we know that no matter when it comes out, we would have to endure the torment of waiting.

After 11:30, the men in us never stopped smoking. We were all very tense, our attention completely focused…

I believe that this night was sleepless and complicated for the owners of the seaside inns in Dali, because it not only determined the fate of an inn, but also whether the livelihoods of many people in the industry could be guaranteed... Not to mention, during the period when all the seaside inns were closed, many cleaning ladies also lost their jobs, and many factories that originally specialized in cleaning bedding for hotels and inns went out of business...

Midnight marks the beginning of the industry's recovery in Dali, but also the beginning of disappointment and despair for most guesthouse owners, as only a handful of guesthouses and hotels are able to resume operations.

In the deep darkness of the night, I seemed to see hands holding cigarettes, trembling again and again, filled with anxiety, yet burning with hope...