Siheyuan: A Cook in the 60s

Tears slid down my cheeks.

The iron box is still the same iron box, but the money inside it is gone.

Just like happiness, it disappeared with a "pop".

Looking at Qin Jingru who seemed to have lost all hope in life, Cao Wei couldn't help but laugh.

"You're still laughing!" Qin Jingru slapped Cao Wei twice, but it didn't hurt.

"You, a money-grubber." Cao Wei scratched Qin Jingru's nose. "Don't worry, you can earn it back."

"really?"

"Take out the word 'ma'. When have I ever made an account that I was not sure of? If you really can't make it, you can ask your daughter and son for it. They have money too."

"Yes!"

The brother and sister who were playing with Cao Leyao shuddered at the same time.

The two looked at each other.

I said something in sync: "Nian Nian, let's not go home for lunch. Brother and sister will take you to eat something better."

Cao Nian blinked his eyes: "Okay, okay!"

----

July 1980.

Cicadas are singing in the trees, looking quite leisurely.

In the kitchen of the steel mill, the atmosphere at this moment was a little solemn.

Cao Wei is back.

After a while, all of Cao Wei's disciples came over, with some excitement on their faces.

After entering the 80s, the economy was gradually liberalized, which meant that the basic prices rose slightly. The increase was not large, after all, the upper level was still in control, but for ordinary people, they also smelled something. This did not mean that they could not survive. For example, the Jia family lost a lot of their wealth during the three-year famine.

We can't have a deficit every year.

The emergence of Cao Wei undoubtedly gave them a reassurance.

To be honest, the chefs in the steel mill still have a good life. It's not that the steel mill pays more, but the price of banquets outside has slightly increased. Nowadays, banquets are no longer like the 6070s and s, where people just stewed a pot of food. Most people are willing to cook a few dishes. Even if there are not many people, as long as they put together a table, the host will have face. This has led to certain requirements for the quality of the dishes.

It's no longer like before, where you just muddle through and put in the right ingredients.

This requirement dealt a devastating blow to the previous chef.

For example, ordinary chefs would not teach their apprentices how to cook. They would just watch and figure it out step by step. But normal people would not have the opportunity to figure it out. No, the chefs in this area all knew to find Zhao Boxue. Zhao Boxue's junior brothers or even the apprentices at the next level could cook a table of decent dishes. So their lives were not bad.

But then again, if there is an opportunity to go further, who would want to just muddle along like this?

Zhao Boxue skillfully offered Cao Wei a cigarette.

Cao Wei took it, took a look at it, and said jokingly: "Okay, erudite, life is good now, you can even smoke this kind of cigarette."

"Luck, luck, hehe." Zhao Boxue helped Cao Wei light it.

Yu Zhuangzhuang looked at his senior brother with some envy. He would not talk like that. To please the master, he would just work honestly.

"Okay." Cao Wei took a puff, exhaled the smoke, and said, "I've almost finished the work. Those of you who live on XX Street should know that there is a piece of land that we are working on. Now it's ready, and our restaurant will be located there."

"Master! Are you talking about the three-story restaurant on XX Street?!"

"Yes, did you see it?"

"Of course not. When I passed by, I was surprised. Why are there so many houses? They are lined up in rows along the entire street. It looks pretty nice. At the end, there is a three-story restaurant. What's its name...what..."

"Samadhi Tower."

"It's called Samadhi Tower, so it belongs to us?"

"Hey, how big is that building and what does it look like?"

Now, everyone in the cafeteria became excited.

"Alright, alright, quiet down." Cao Wei pressed his hand down, and the scene immediately quieted down: "It's just like this. What we talked about before the New Year has been settled. The business license has also been issued. It's the first in the country, and it's handwritten."

"Is this true?!" Zhao Boxue asked in disbelief.

"When have I ever lied to you? Okay. Now let's talk about our business."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent, waiting for Cao Wei to speak.

"I know that some people may have concerns about not getting paid or having other problems. So, I'm giving you two choices. One is to quit your job. After all, you probably won't be able to work in this cafeteria for much longer."

The others nodded involuntarily. Indeed, it was becoming increasingly difficult to run the canteen. I heard from the higher-ups that it would be contracted out.

"Once you get there, the salary and benefits will be easy to negotiate. You won't be at a disadvantage. You will be paid according to your skills. I'll tell you the basics. The lowest monthly salary is 300 yuan, and it's still the same as cooking in a big pot, but it's more technical than cooking in a big pot. The price will go up, and when any of you can reach my level... forget it, if you can reach Zhao Boxue's level, you can get yuan a month at least."

"Master! I'll fight you!!!"

Needless to say, the base salary is 50 yuan a month. You can’t even dream of reaching Cao Wei’s level, but you can still hope to reach Zhao Boxue’s level. 80 yuan a month, wow, this price makes you laugh even in your dreams. (In the original novel, Sha Zhu’s monthly salary is yuan, which is a bit outrageous. That was probably in the late s. In the early s, there was no such salary level.)

"Alright, alright, don't just shout nonsense when you are excited." Cao Wei waved his hand and said, "Let me be frank. The work I do there is not as easy as working in a steel mill. It will be very tiring. If you really want to work there, you have to be mentally prepared."

"Master, three hundred dollars a month is worth it even if I die working for it!"

"That's not it!"

Someone shouted.

Someone followed immediately.

"Go, go, go." Cao Wei waved his hand and said, "Then let's talk about the second option. The second option is also more tiring, but it is safer. Our restaurant now will probably have more customers at night. After work, you can come directly to my place to work, and I will also pay you. The advantage is that you can adapt to the intensity of work and see what the working environment of the restaurant is like. At the steel mill, you still have a job, so you have a safety net."

This was said with all my heart for these disciples.

After all, new things are not so easy to accept.