Age: Passionate youth, starting from graduation assignment

Chapter 257 The first pot of gold in the capital
"Seventh sister, is the cafeteria busy lately?"

One afternoon in late autumn, Xu Jichang came home after finishing work and asked Lan Qimei, who had arrived home first.

Lan Qimei smiled bitterly: "There is no canteen left, only the cooking class and the warehouse are left."

Since moving to the capital, the factory has drastically streamlined its logistics department.

Apart from cooking staff and necessary warehouse guards, are there any other positions?

"But it's not bad. Now I only have to cook for the more than 1000 people in the agency, so the workload has been reduced."

Lan Qimei added with a wry smile.

"Well, have you ever taught people in the cooking class how to cook?"

Xu Jichang looked at Lan Qimei and said.

"I taught them. I feel like they learned well. They have no problem dealing with ordinary weddings and funerals on their own."

Lan Qimei replied excitedly, feeling satisfied with her teaching results.

"You wait."

Xu Jichang got up and went into the room, took out his notebook and pen from the room, and returned to Lan Qimei, "What are the names of the two apprentices you taught?"

"Tian Jiazhuang, Liu Zhiyong."

Lan Qimei replied.

Xu Jichang wrote down the names of these two people in his notebook and wrote the character C at the back.

Lan Qimei came over to take a look, curious: "What does this mean?"

"It means their cooking skills are level C. When I make orders later, I have to take their actual cooking skills into consideration."

"I wouldn't recommend them to go there if they want to do things for some particular people. But if they want to hold a banquet for ordinary urban and rural residents, I would still leave it to them."

Xu Jichang explained.

"Oh...that's it."

Lan Qimei suddenly realized, and then she became curious, "What about me, what am I waiting for?"

"You are a super first-class person."

"It's not a problem to serve a state banquet."

"Stop laughing at me."

Lan Qimei said a little embarrassedly, "I only come from a small place, how can I be so powerful."

"Heroes don't care where they come from. Where they come from has no direct relationship with their cooking skills."

Xu Jichang said seriously, "You have to believe in yourself. This is very important."

"It's just like some respectable people. If you don't show some arrogance and show some posture when you serve them, they will doubt you."

arrogant?Posture?
It was the first time Lan Qimei heard such a novel theory, and her eyes widened slightly.

After thinking for a moment, she thought what Xu Jichang said was very reasonable.

"You are right, I should have confidence in myself."

Lan Qimei nodded convincingly, her eyes filled with determination that she had never seen before.

"There is also the matter of sharing. I will get [-]%, and you will get [-]%. But in the early stages of business development, I will subsidize you, so that you can get as much as you take on outside work."

"Don't be in a hurry to thank me. When the scale grows later, I will gradually cancel the subsidies and strictly implement the share ratio."

Xu Jichang looked at Lan Qimei and said, coming up with the plan he had made, "Because there are few orders received in the early stage, if I take some away from them, it will be boring for you to do it."

"Among them there are those who are highly motivated and have a good reputation. I will consider increasing the share ratio as appropriate, but the maximum is no more than [-]-[-]."

"Do you have any ideas about this plan?"

“I think the sharing can be further refined based on the types of orders received.”

After thinking about it, Lan Qimei said nervously, "For example, if some people's banquets are high-end and their families have social status, then we can give a higher commission for such orders."

"Because the skills of chefs are spread by word of mouth. As I just said, people have wide social contacts. If we can encourage chefs to prepare their banquets well, we can build our reputation even more."

After saying that, Lan Qimei looked at Xu Jichang uneasily.This was a rare occasion for her to express her opinion in front of Xu Jichang.

Xu Jichang thought for a moment, then he held his chin with his hand and nodded slightly: "You make sense."

"I don't mind giving profits to the chefs. As long as we build a reputation and expand the scale, we won't have to worry about making money."

"Also, we will leave all the first few orders here to you, so we can get off to a good start."

"Don't worry. I will make sure they are satisfied with their food."

Lan Qimei said confidently.

……

After making a plan, Xu Jichang began to pay attention to the needs around him.

After Dongfang Fertilizer Factory came to Beijing, it recruited some local employees in the capital, and news leaked from their mouths from time to time.

For example, someone's child is getting married, and someone is going to give their grandson a full moon feast.

These are all opportunities.

As soon as Xu Jichang heard someone talking about this, he went up to inquire about it, and finally he found the most suitable one.

According to news from a local employee at the dealership, he found out that his child successfully joined the army and he wanted to celebrate with a drink at home.

Moreover, the other party's family is the director of a state-owned factory in Chaoyang District, and they belong to a family with a wide range of contacts.

Xu Jichang cheered up when he heard this, and immediately handed the other party a large Qianmen cigarette: "Have they found a cook?"

The employee was flattered and quickly took the cigarette and lit it himself: "Not yet. It's hard to find cooks now. They all work in state-owned units and restaurants. Many people don't dare to take private jobs."

"I know a chef here who is very good at his craftsmanship. Go and ask about your intention to make a small family."

Xu Jichang said.

"Yeah, I'll ask it for you when I get back at noon today."

The local employees nodded repeatedly.

In the afternoon, he brought back good news to Xu Jichang: "Boss, I asked my son, and he said that the leader of our factory was willing to recommend a cook to him."

"They said they were willing to give it a try. There are 12 tables in total, and the reward is 15 yuan."

"Okay, you will lead me and the chef there tomorrow morning."

Xu Jichang patted the other party's shoulder and said, "Let's meet at the work at six o'clock."

After returning home from get off work in the evening, Xu Jichang told Lan Qimei the good news.

"Don't worry, I will definitely make this first deal a success."

Lan Qimei said confidently.

Early the next morning, the two came to the unit before going to work and met with the local employee who introduced the job.

When the other party saw that the person coming was the squad leader of the cooking class of his unit, he couldn't help but be startled.

"Don't be stupid, take us there quickly."

"It's done, I'll give you a dollar."

Xu Jichang urged.

Only then did the other party come to his senses and led him and Lan Qimei to Fa Xiao's home.

After arriving at the customer's home, the customer didn't say much. After a few words of greeting, he offered to let Lan Qimei cook a dish to try.

Lan Qimei agreed immediately.

"What are you good at cooking?"

The other party asked Lan Qimei.

"Whatever. Sichuan, Shandong, and Huaiyang cuisine are all fine, and noodles from the northwest can also be made."

Lan Qimei said confidently.

She has been studying cooking skills at Dongfang Fertilizer Factory over the years, and her skills have become more and more sophisticated.Except for Cantonese cuisine in southern China, which requires fresh seafood and cannot find the ingredients, I have basically studied all other major cuisines.

Xu Jichang was even more confident in her.

His tongue knows best how Lan Qimei tastes.

……

After the sound of pots and pans, a dish of fried shredded pork with green pepper was freshly cooked.

The patrons picked up their chopsticks and tasted them one by one, and they were all full of praise. "It tastes great. Come over if you have time the day after tomorrow. There will be two banquets for lunch and dinner, 12 tables for lunch and 5 tables for dinner. The reward is 15 yuan. Is that okay?"

The male host asked Xu Jichang and Lan Qimei.

The two exchanged fake looks, then nodded.

"The kitchen utensils are provided by you. In addition, we are only responsible for cooking, and you must prepare two knives and people to help cook."

Xu Jichang did not forget to make it clear.

"Well, that's it."

The other party readily agreed.

When she left their home and headed to her work, Lan Qimei was so happy.

As expected of a capital city, making money is easy.

In the original small county town, how many families were willing to spend 15 yuan to hire a chef?

Even many members of the production team do not earn that much in a year.

Of course she was happy, but Lan Qimei suppressed her emotions and tried not to be so excited, considering that there was an employee of the factory present.

After Xu Jichang walked away, he dug into his pocket, took out a note and handed it to the other party: "This is the introduction fee."

"You keep it."

The other party was so frightened that he didn't dare to answer: "No need. I'll just give you some news. How can I get your money?"

One dollar may not seem like much, but it is also a day’s salary for ordinary workers.

Most people in this era have not yet realized the value of information, and subconsciously feel that they are receiving salary for nothing.

"Take it. As promised in advance, I will regret it if I don't give it to you."

Xu Jichang put the money into the employee's hands, patted him on the shoulder and said, "If you have similar news in the future, please tell me."

"And just don't tell anyone about it."

The other party then hesitantly handed over the money, and then nodded firmly: "Don't worry. I'm very tight-lipped."

Xu Jichang wasn't worried about him telling anyone.

It's just organizing people to take care of weddings and funerals, it's not a big deal.

Besides, the other party also benefited from it and received money. As long as he is not a fool, he will not make any noise.

I just added that sentence just to be on the safe side.

When I returned to the factory, there were still ten minutes left before work.

Xu Jichang did not go to the dealership, but went to the factory Women's Federation to find Du Xiaojing.

The security office was left in the county to maintain production order and workshop safety in the factory.Du Xiaojing came to the capital as a section chief in the department, so he naturally had to rearrange his duties.

She is currently the deputy section chief of the archives section of the Factory Women's Federation, retaining her original section chief salary. Her daily task is to organize various archives and documents in case of emergencies.

"Xiao Jing, are you busy?"

Xu Jichang entered the Women's Federation and asked where Du Xiaojing was.

Du Xiaojing was reading a book when he heard Xu Jichang's words and put down his textbook: "You're not busy."

While she was talking, she got up and walked towards Xu Jichang.

Xu Jichang glanced at her, and she followed Xu Jichang out of the factory Women's Federation office.

"Is it a habit for you to do things here?"

After going out, Xu Jichang asked Du Xiaojing.

"It's quite comfortable, much easier than the security department."

Du Xiaojing ruffled her hair in the autumn wind and said, "It's so early in the morning. Is there something wrong?"

"It's something."

"You are so young. If there is something to do at your friend's house and a banquet needs to be held, you can tell me. I will ask Lan Qimei to be the chef."

Xu Jichang truthfully stated his needs.

"Huh? Do you want to..."

Du Xiaojing said in deep thought.

"That's right. I want to make this a business."

Xu Jichang glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping and then said slowly, "Food is the most important thing for the people. I believe that everyone's living standards will gradually improve, and the demand for banquets will become more and more strong."

"This business will definitely make a lot of money in the future."

After listening to Xu Jichang's analysis, Du Xiaojing recalled everything he had done when he was doing mountain goods trading in the past, and there was a hint of admiration in his beautiful eyes: "What you said makes sense. This business is indeed very promising."

"I will definitely tell you if I have relevant news later."

"Okay, I'll make money from you."

Xu Jichang showed a satisfied smile and said, "Are you okay with me eating soft rice?"

"Eat soft rice?"

Du Xiaojing looked puzzled. She had never heard of this word before.

Xu Jichang didn't explain to her, turned around and left.

……

Two days later, Lan Qimei returned home happily in the evening.

"After the work was done, the other party paid me 15 yuan as agreed."

She said with excitement in her eyes, "How come this money comes so easily?"

"One minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage. This money is only easy for you, but others may not be able to earn it."

Xu Jichang leaned on the sofa, resting his arms behind his head comfortably and said, "I have taken two more orders here and will hand them over to your two apprentices tomorrow."

"Hmm...it's just different here. The banquets held in one day are as good as those in my hometown in a year."

Lan Qimei said with emotion, "That's right, here you go."

After saying that, she took out several bills from her pocket and put them in Xu Jichang's hand.

Xu Jichang retracted his hand: "What are you doing?"

"As agreed, I won't take any commission in the early stage, and all the money will be given to you."

"No, you have to hold it."

Lan Qimei couldn't make any sense, she just insisted stubbornly.

"stubborn."

Xu Ji saw that she was extremely determined and had no choice but to take the money.

But that night, when he passed Lan Qimei's room, he quietly entered and placed a larger red envelope on her bedside.

Early the next morning, Lan Qimei got up and felt something in her ear.

I touched it with my hand and found a heavy red envelope.

Lan Qimei sighed and said nothing. She just stood up and put the red envelope in her bedside table.

The weather in Beijing is not as cold as that in Northeast China, but as the seasons change, the temperature gradually drops below zero.

The first snow also fell, and pedestrians on the street all wrapped up in cotton-padded clothes overnight.

……

Xu Jichang's new home does not have a fireplace, but it has heating, which makes it more comfortable than before.

At the table in the living room, Xu Jichang, Du Xiaojing and Lan Qimei tallied up the income in recent days.

After the first few orders, Xu Jichang's team of chefs quickly became famous, and orders surged at an exponential rate.The chef team also naturally expanded to five people.

Just a few days ago, Xu Jichang decided to take a commission from it, and the proportion of the commission was just as agreed between Zheng Zhi and Lan Qimei.

"The total turnover in these two months is 2000 yuan, and I will not participate in the initial part."

"Currently, 1650 yuan belongs to the chef and 350 yuan belongs to me."

Xu Jichang said while calculating, "Everything is difficult at the beginning, but now we have passed the first hurdle."

"By the spring of next year, I will have to continue to expand and change the way we do business."

(End of this chapter)