1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

"Auntie knows you're a good kid, but you don't earn money easily, so we can't just pay you a salary arbitrarily."

The aunties nodded in agreement; they talked about it privately and always felt uneasy about receiving such money.

The tasks Lu Yuan assigned them seemed a bit too simple to them.

It's simply about bringing plates from the kitchen when it's mealtime and people are coming.

After the guests finish eating, quickly clean the table.

The slightly more troublesome part is that everyone has to wash the dishes and clean up the mess after the meal.

These tasks may seem like a lot, but compared to taking care of a large family at home, they are actually much easier.

But what about Lu Yuan?

Not only do they pay a monthly salary of 600 yuan, but they also provide two meals a day.

Everyone here is an auntie who has watched Lu Yuan grow from a naked toddler into a handsome young man, and lately they've been feeling like they're taking advantage of the younger generation.

Today, Lu Yuan taught them how to make liangpi (cold skin noodles) and mala tang (spicy hot pot), which actually made him quite happy.

They feel more at ease receiving their money if they can do more work.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yuan not only didn't make them do more work, but also gave them a raise. How could they stand that?

Looking at the looks in the women's eyes, Lu Yuan knew they were upset again, so he quickly explained:

"Don't worry, aunties, I'll only give you a raise if I can actually make money. I'm not stupid!"

"Besides, the work at the mala tang shop is not like here. First of all, you have to work all day there, and secondly, the work there is complicated and tiring. I'm afraid you guys won't be able to handle it."

After Lu Yuan's repeated persuasion, the aunties finally agreed to a monthly salary of 1000 yuan.

Even this was only because Lu Yuan was forced to lower it from 1500.

The afternoon staff meal turned into a practical training session for the aunties.

From cold noodles to spicy hot pot, the three aunties quickly mastered the skills, adjusting the spiciness and portion sizes perfectly.

The old lady was indeed a reliable elder; she adapted to the role of the head of the kitchen and directed her second aunt and Aunt Li with great ease.

After watching for a while, Lu Yuan prepared to go to the eaves by the door to cool off.

As soon as Lu Yuan lifted the curtain, he realized there was someone under his feet. In his haste to dodge, he almost tripped and fell.

After Lu Yuan finally regained his balance, he realized that it was Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter.

The person he almost stepped on was Sha Xiaojuan's daughter, Dandan, who was wearing an old red short-sleeved shirt and whose face and little hands were covered in black dirt.

Lu Yuan had read some popular science articles before, which said that children with heart problems would have their hands and faces turn purple or black due to insufficient blood oxygen.

"What are you doing sitting at the door? Why don't you go in?" Lu Yuan asked.

"I'm afraid of disturbing your business..." Sha Xiaojuan said weakly, hugging Dandan.

Lu Yuan glared at her, annoyed. "What a waste of your big eyes! Do you even see if there are any guests inside?"

Dandan's big eyes are definitely inherited from Sha Xiaojuan, who is also very thin, making her big eyes appear even bigger.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

Sha Xiaojuan immediately replied, "I've already eaten!"

Goooo!

But the mother and daughter's stomachs started growling uncontrollably.

"Sha Xiaojuan, from now on you're not allowed to lie to me! If you ate, you ate; if you didn't eat, you didn't eat!"

Lu Yuan was a little angry when he saw the woman's awkward manner.

"Come in!"

Lu Yuan lifted the curtain and forcefully let them in, then went straight to the kitchen:

"Auntie, I'll have two bowls of mala tang, one spicy and one non-spicy, and a mildly spicy liangpi (cold skin noodles) too."

"Sit down!" Lu Yuan pulled out a chair and gestured for Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter to sit opposite him.

"I called you here today to settle the bill for your surgery."

Upon hearing Lu Yuan mention the surgery fee, Sha Xiaojuan instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes.

"I'm not giving you the 4 yuan surgery fee for nothing. You'll have to come work for me to pay it off!" Lu Yuan said coldly, leaning back in his chair.

Sha Xiaojuan nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice: "Of course, of course!"

Lu Yuandao said, "Waitress, your normal monthly salary is 600 yuan, but I'm going to deduct half of that to cover the bill!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Xiaojuan's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had misheard.

Lu Yuan repeated himself and asked, "Did you understand?"

"I understand, I understand!" Sha Xiaojuan replied immediately.

Just then, Lu Fa placed a tray on the table, giving the spicy bowl of mala tang to Sha Xiaojuan and the non-spicy bowl to Dandan.

"Please get two more bowls of rice," Lu Yuan added.

"Okay!"

The steam from the hot pot, carrying an enticing aroma, wafted over, and Lu Yuan clearly saw Sha Xiaojuan's throat move slightly.

"Eat up! What are you looking at me for?"

"Okay, sure!"

She instinctively wanted to decline Lu Yuan's offer, but remembering how fierce he had been to her earlier, she silently swallowed her words.

Soon, the rice was served. Sha Xiaojuan first helped Dandan put the vegetables on the rice before picking up her own chopsticks.

Facing Lu Yuan, they ate very cautiously, trying their best not to make a sound.

But the aroma was so enticing that I couldn't help but keep eating it, one bite after another.

"I'm going to open a new mala tang (spicy hot pot) shop, right where Wang Faqiang used to have it. You guys can stay in that courtyard too, and watch over the shop for me at night."

Lu Yuan found it somewhat amusing, so he decided to finish what he needed to say and let them eat to their heart's content.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Sha Xiaojuan pulled out a chair, stepped forward, knelt down with a thud, and began to sob.

"Boss Lu, you are my benefactor! I will repay you by working like a slave from now on!"

Sha Xiaojuan wasn't stupid at all; she realized from the salary Lu Yuan paid her that he was helping her.

Wang Facai's family only offered her a little over 200 yuan to hire a waitress. She had begged them several times before, but they refused to hire her.

Lu Yuan deducted half of it and still gave her 300 yuan.

This means that not only will she not have to pay for the surgery, but she will also receive living expenses.

Overwhelmed by these conflicting emotions, she finally succumbed to her guilt for causing trouble that day and burst into tears.

In fact, Lu Yuan had asked his uncle to find out about Sha Xiaojuan's background during this period, and she was indeed a woman with a tragic fate.

Her husband ran away, and she couldn't stay at her husband's family home. On top of that, her brother's wife was constantly bullying her.

If it weren't for Dandan, she would have left to work elsewhere long ago.

Lu Yuan letting her stay here was like pulling her out of the mire completely, which is why her emotions collapsed so completely.

Some congenital diseases, if treated properly in childhood, will not have any impact on adulthood.

For example, some children have congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate, six fingers, etc., but in this era, many people will abandon such children, causing a life that should have been brilliant to disappear in vain.

There are many unfortunate people in the countryside these days, and Lu Yuan can't possibly take care of them all; that's not his mission.

But having experienced the influence of his later worldview, Lu Yuan asked himself honestly, if such a thing happened before him, he couldn't just ignore it.

Moreover, Sha Xiaojuan was someone who held leverage over the Wang family, and keeping her around made it easier to use this card later.

Lu Yuan helped Sha Xiaojuan up and helped her back to her chair, then said sternly:

"Sha Xiaojuan, from now on you'd better work hard to pay off my debts. If you kneel down again, I won't even pay for your surgery!"

At that moment, Lu Wen's voice rang out from outside the courtyard:

"Xiao Yuan, are you there?"