The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 53
On the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Lao Tan's mother's birthday.

Five daughters, five sons-in-law, four nephews, two nieces-in-law, one niece, one niece-in-law, two great-grandchildren, one son, one grandson, plus some immediate relatives, neighbors, all came to the old man. Happy birthday to my wife.

A total of six tables were seated, and from noon to three o'clock in the afternoon, the relatives left one after another.

The old lady is quite prestigious in the Tan family, so many nephews and nieces came, and a few nephews from her natal family also came.How should I put it, people respect some dogs that bite ugly ones. 20 years ago, Lao Tan's family was poor and poor. They didn't have a meal, and few relatives came to the door, and they even walked around the door for fear of getting their bags.Now that the days are getting better and the family is doing well, I know that there are relatives in this family again, so I started to move around.

It is true that no one asks you if you are poor on the street, but you have distant relatives in the mountains if you are rich.

After celebrating his mother's birthday, Lao Tan stayed at home for another two days. When Shisi was about to leave, his son didn't have enough fun and was reluctant to part with him.The old lady was also reluctant to let her grandson go, so she had no choice but to keep her son. The fifth brother-in-law promised to send him back before the Chinese New Year. By the way, he also went to the provincial capital to see the new building that Lao Tan bought.

The son didn't go back with him, and Lao Tan didn't go back to the provincial capital, but went straight back to Gan Qika.

Every restaurant is very busy during the Spring Festival, and it is also the time when most employees leave their jobs, which is one of the reasons for the high turnover rate of employees in the catering industry.

During the Chinese New Year, small restaurants are on holiday, and restaurants above mid-range are open, and they have been busy since the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month.Most of them are unit dinners, get-togethers, and the annual meeting is postponed to this time.

Needless to say, at thirty, every family is very popular, and the New Year's Eve dinner is fully booked. It can be busy from eleven o'clock in the noon to eight o'clock in the evening, and there is no meal at noon.

It is also busy from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, without stopping.

During the Spring Festival, the turnover is almost twice that of the usual time, which is the most profitable time for restaurants.

The Spring Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as it is sung in a song, if you have money or not, go home to celebrate the New Year.The plot of ordinary people going home for the New Year is deeply ingrained. On the day of family reunion, children who work outside are homesick and miss their parents.Especially the children who came out in the first year, shed tears when they were homesick.At this time, it is not enough to give double salary, and I have to go home for the New Year.

The restaurant does not have a holiday, it is not called resignation, so let’s quit the head office, leave the salary and go home for the New Year.Every year during the Spring Festival, there are not a few people who go home directly to celebrate the New Year without salary, and the total number of people in the whole country exceeds one million.

Every year at this time of year, there will be a shortage of employees in the restaurant. Usually, there are [-] employees, and it is not bad to have [-] left by the [-]th of the year, and some even have less than half of them.

The Spring Festival is the most profitable time, and it is also the most troublesome time for bosses and managers.At this time, we can see the ability of the managers and how well the boss treats the employees, as well as the corporate culture of a restaurant.

If the turnover of employees is small, the corporate culture will be good, the boss will be kind and righteous, and the management personnel will have high ability, otherwise it will be poor.

People in Kanto are now facing a wave of resignations before the Spring Festival.

The front desk is better. Zhang Li, Li Shuang, and Zhou Xiaomei have experience. They give some old employees a holiday in advance and ask them to go home and have a look. Come back before the 28th of the twelfth lunar month.Some employees have their holidays after the tenth day of the first lunar month. They cannot go home to celebrate the New Year, but they can go back to spend the Lantern Festival with their families.The remaining ones who came out in the first year, and those who have to go home for the New Year, have a holiday on the [-]th of the twelfth lunar month, and come back after the third day of the Lunar New Year.

In this way, all employees are taken care of, and no one leaves.

The kitchen is a bit messy, except for the stove master who didn't ask to go home for the New Year, the younger brothers all want to go home.At this time, Wang Gang began to feel the troubles of his relatives and apprentices. Almost all the people who asked him to ask for leave were these people.

And he had to go to Zhou Xiaomei's house, not only to celebrate the New Year, but also to meet his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, so he had to go.

No one said anything about him and Zhou Xiaomei going home for the New Year, and it was understandable.

It's just that there is no holiday for the Spring Festival, and everyone sticks to their posts. The head chef goes to the old man's house to celebrate the New Year. What should the employees do?
During the Chinese New Year, the head chef is not around, so we have to arrange the work in advance, which is a bit difficult.

Zhou Xiaomei saw Wang Gang's difficulties, and told him that he could not go until after the Chinese New Year.For the two of them, it makes a lot of sense not to go back to celebrate the New Year without seeing their parents. They are both older people, and the family cares more about their marriage. As long as they get out of the singles, it is better than anything else.

Wang Gang also felt that it would be bad not to stay at the restaurant during the Chinese New Year, so the two agreed not to go back during the Chinese New Year, and to go to Zhou Xiaomei's house on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.

This is also the helplessness of the workers in the restaurant. There is no way, who told me to choose this line of work.The catering business is like this. The busier it gets as the New Year comes. Others have holidays and the whole family will go to the restaurant to have a reunion dinner. Look, and the tears of homesickness can only slip down quietly after turning around.

According to incomplete statistics, every Spring Festival, 10 million people work in restaurants to deliver delicious New Year’s Eve dinners and hot dumplings to thousands of households, but they can only kowtow to their parents in the direction of their hometown.

Catering people are not easy, understand them.

Long live understanding.

Zhang Li came out of President Xu's office with a stiff expression on her face, obviously angry.

She was discussing with Mr. Xu about working overtime during the Spring Festival.According to national regulations, the three days of Lunar New Year's Eve, the first day of junior high school, and the second day of junior high school are statutory holidays, and workers are paid three days' wages for working one day.Of course, this refers to national enterprises and institutions, as well as some well-known large enterprises, and private individuals such as restaurants and hair salons. At present, few of them can achieve all of them.

Although it can't be achieved, the Spring Festival is no different from the usual festivals, but it's the Chinese New Year.Three days of wages are not paid, two days is still possible, and almost all restaurants open during the Spring Festival give two days of wages.This employee also accepts it and has no objection.

Is there anyone who pays three times the salary according to the national regulations?Yes, but rarely.

Last year, people in Kanto only paid double wages to their employees on the 31th day, but did not pay them in the first and second grades of junior high school.At that time, Zhang Li had just been here for a month, and she thought it was unreasonable, but she didn't talk to Mr. Xu.She is afraid that this year will be the same as last year, so she will talk to Mr. Xu in advance.What she means is to give employees double wages at the [-]th, first and second grades, not just [-] days.

But Mr. Xu did not agree.

She argued with Mr. Xu for a long time, and finally Mr. Xu gave in and agreed to triple the wages of all employees who went to work on the [-]th day, and the first and second grades were normal.This made her look down on Mr. Xu's stinginess, thinking that he took money too seriously, not like a big boss.

Maybe this is the only way to save money. Otherwise, why would he be the boss and open this big restaurant?As she walked downstairs, she thought to herself mockingly, saying that she had no money, and if she had money, she would definitely not be like him, not a man.

Seeing that Zhang Li was unhappy, Zhou Xiaomei asked, "What's wrong, Miss Zhang?"

Zhang Li talked about the overtime work that she had discussed with Mr. Xu.

"Why are you angry? It's not wrong. Now I know why employees don't want to stay and work overtime." Zhou Xiaomei said.

"No one is willing to do it without paying. It's good to go home for the New Year. My parents serve delicious food and drinks. I want to stay whenever I want. I can still find work when I come out. Any family has higher wages than ours," Zhang Lifa wrote. complain.

Zhou Xiaomei smiled, but said nothing.

"You and Wang Gang have decided not to go back?" Zhang Li asked.

"I won't go back. I'll leave on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year. Sister Zhang, I'll be here during the Chinese New Year. You can go home to celebrate the New Year." Zhou Xiaomei said.

Zhang Li thought for a while and said: "There is no home anymore. When I go back, I will be a stepmother. There are four people in my family. I am an outsider. I can't stand or sit. Why don't I live with everyone here? I can still live here." Live it up."

Zhou Xiaomei didn't say anything.

Zhang Li said: "It's just right that you don't go back. Tell Sister Shuang to go back. She still has a child."

Zhou Xiaomei hummed, and then asked, "Sister Shuang's husband is back?"

Zhang Li said: "I don't know, I didn't hear what she said, so it should be because I didn't come back, and I made a noise when I came back."

"Her husband is really serious. Why are you running away? I don't want my wife and children anymore, so I go out to hide my peace of mind. Last time I heard Sister Shuang said that she sent money to her every month. Seeing that Sister Shuang doesn't hate her husband so much."

"What do you hate? One day a couple is a hundred days of kindness, and a hundred days a couple is like the depths of the sea, you know?"

After Zhang Li finished speaking, she patted Zhou Xiaomei, then turned and walked away. She saw Wang Gang coming.

Wang Gang had an unhappy expression on his face, and was still cursing.

"What are you mumbling about? Who messed with you?" Zhou Xiaomei asked with a smile.

"This bunch of bastards can't even explain it. They all want to go home for the New Year." Wang Gang said angrily.

"Who told you not to get vaccinated in advance?" Zhou Xiaomei said.

Wang Gang said: "What vaccinations? I don't even go to my father-in-law's house, and I'm still used to these bastards. Give me an angry scolding, and keep silent. Don't go home for the New Year. I won't give you a vacation!" "

Seeing Wang Gang's anger, Zhou Xiaomei smiled, and said to him: "You are not as good as my uncle. He is not angry at any time, and always laughs. You, don't hold back, come, follow me , take a deep breath, inhale—”

Wang Gang didn't follow the inhalation, but was attracted by a scene - when Zhou Xiaomei inhaled, her chest was raised high, the mountains were undulating, and the waves were magnificent.

"Where are you going to look!" Zhou Xiaomei said angrily, "Look at your eyes again and I'll dig them out for you!"

Wang Gang withdrew his gaze with a guilty conscience, and said in a low voice, "I won't even look at the things in my house."

Zhou Xiaomei blushed a little, and warned, "Wang Gang, I'm starting to think about whether I should take you back on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, or if I go home for the New Year, so you don't have to go."

Wang Gang immediately said: "Is it okay to dig out one eye, and keep one so that I can take care of you for the rest of your life."

Zhou Xiaomei's heart warmed up - such love words sounded comfortable, and she was a little moved.

(End of this chapter)