Yang Jing, looking pained, finished changing her dressing. She whispered a quiet "thank you," her eyes darting toward Shen Lu several times, but ultimately, she left without saying another word.
Cai Su put away the supplies. "Boss, did you and Sister Yang get into a fight?"
Shen Lu turned off her Light Brain. "No."
’With a personality like Yang Jing’s, who could she even argue with?’
Shen Lu had come to talk to Cai Su about Xin Yu making pizzas.
"Setting aside whether the pizza will be popular, Xin Yu will definitely have more to do than before. That means more work might fall on you and Deng Ying. Do you think we should hire another person?"
The initial prep work was very tedious. On top of that, Cai Su had to manage Deng Ying and Xin Yu while also serving customers at the window.
"There’s no need to rush. It’ll be the off-season until spring next year, so Deng Ying and I should be fine." Cai Su was thinking completely from Shen Lu’s perspective. "If business proves to be good, it won’t be too late to hire a couple more people then."
If business was slow, they had to control costs. Cai Su desperately hoped Little Deer Cuisine could stay open forever. She loved the restaurant, and she liked Shen Lu even more. She hoped she could work here for the rest of her life.
Shen Lu nodded. "Alright, we’ll do as you suggest."
Having finished their discussion, Shen Lu stood up. She then turned back as if remembering something. "Sister Cai, once the weather improves and everyone is back at work, I’d like to officially appoint you as the assistant manager. What do you think?"
Cai Su froze. "Me...?"
Shen Lu had said before that she was practically the assistant manager, but a formal appointment was another matter entirely.
’Can I really do this?’
The first thought that popped into Cai Su’s mind was, ’Can I really do this?’
’I don’t seem to have any particularly outstanding talents. Can I really do a good job as assistant manager?’
’And what exactly is an assistant manager responsible for, anyway?’
There were so many things she didn’t understand.
"Don’t feel too pressured. The assistant manager’s duties are pretty much what you’re already doing every day." Shen Lu rubbed her nose. "After all, our shop is small—even I have to work in the kitchen. We’re not like those big hotel kitchens where the management just sits in an office. Hmm... as for the benefits, your monthly salary will go up by 500 Star Coins."
Cai Su felt a wave of relief. An extra 500 Star Coins a month was wonderful, of course. In two years, she had to send Xiao Lang to study at Mingde.
Mingde’s tuition was on a sliding scale: lower grades had lower fees, while higher grades had higher fees. For first grade, a single semester’s tuition was 4,000 Star Coins. Including uniforms, meals, and miscellaneous expenses, the total was 6,000 Star Coins.
Right now, she didn’t have a single cent in savings. So of course, the more money, the better.
"Okay, Boss. I’ll work even harder and help you manage the restaurant well."
If there was something she didn’t know, she could learn it. Cai Su decided that from now on, she would set aside half an hour every evening to study using the television.
The television could connect to the internet, and there were videos about management online.
Cai Su had never thought about these things before. Every day after work, she would return to her dorm, play with Xiao Lang for a while, and then, when it got late, she and her son would wash up and go to sleep.
Now, she had to try even harder.
Shen Lu was very satisfied. Cai Su was truly her favorite employee: dependable, steady, and always the quickest to understand what she meant. Entrusting any task to her left no room for worry.
Although the initial investment had been a bit high, Shen Lu felt it was more than worth it.
The sandstorm continued to rage for another four or five days. Just as Shen Lu was about to die of boredom, the wind finally dropped to Level 5—a weak sandstorm that barely affected normal travel.
The day before, Shen Lu had decisively ordered triple the usual amount of ingredients. From the moment she got up, her morale was at its peak. After briefly greeting her employees, she dove into the intense and busy work.
Braised Pork Belly, Kung Pao Chicken, Fish Head with Chopped Chili, Steamed Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, marinated delicacies, Malatang, mint water... and the newly added pizza.
There was an exceptional number of dishes to make today.
Shen Lu didn’t even have time to go to the front counter for punch cards and prize redemptions. She left that task to Wang Daguo; she suspected she’d be stir-frying nonstop in the back kitchen all day.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland