Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

Although they made a lot of money, with a net profit of nearly twenty-five silver dollars this week alone, the three of them were exhausted.

"Sister-in-law," Li Chunsheng poured two glasses of warm water, handing one to Yunniang, "have a drink, let's discuss something."

Yunniang took the water glass and forced herself to cheer up: "What's wrong? Should we prepare more meat tomorrow? I see the braised pork is selling out too quickly; several guests didn't get any tonight."

"We should buy more meat, but that's not what I want to talk about."

"What's that?" Yunniang took a sip of water and calmed down a bit.

Li Chunsheng pulled up a stool and sat down: "Sister-in-law, we need to hire more people."

"Hiring people?" Yunniang was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to her senses and started doing the math. "Hiring people costs money, Chunsheng. We've only been open for a week. Although business is good, isn't it a bit too early to hire people now? Yaya and I can manage. I can just move faster if necessary."

This is the mindset of most working women in this era: thrifty and frugal, they would never spend money to hire others if they could do it themselves, even if it meant working themselves to the bone, as long as they saw their wallets full, they felt at ease.

"Sister-in-law, that's not how you do it."

Li Chunsheng patiently explained, "Look at this lunchtime, two groups of customers left because the food was served slowly, right? And because no one was clearing the tables, several customers who wanted to come in didn't want to come in because it was messy, right? The money lost from these two groups combined, isn't it enough to pay a waiter's wages for a day?"

Yunniang thought for a moment, then nodded hesitantly: "It seems like that's enough."

"Also," Li Chunsheng said, glancing at Ya Ya who was sleeping beside him, "Sister-in-law, Ya Ya is already seven years old. We can't keep making her do chores all the time. She's at the age where she's growing, and if she stays up like this every day, she won't grow tall. After the New Year, I'm thinking of sending Ya Ya to school."

"Study?!" Yunniang was a little excited. Before this, she had never thought that Yaya could study. At that time, she was still influenced by traditional ideas. Many families believed that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent. But in Yunniang's opinion, it was naturally a great thing that Yaya could go to school.

"Yes, she still needs to study. Education can change her destiny. Now that you have your own salary, supporting Yaya's education shouldn't be a big problem."

"So, according to you, how many should we recruit?" Yunniang asked.

Li Chunsheng held up two fingers.

"two."

"A waiter is responsible for serving dishes, clearing tables, and greeting customers, so you can be freed up from the dining area and focus on accounting and overall management."

"The other one," Li Chunsheng paused, "we need to hire an accountant."

"Accounting?" Yunniang asked anxiously. "I know how to do accounting! I can do the calculations! Chunsheng, do you think your sister-in-law is stupid or slow at calculating?"

"It's not that I think you're stupid," Li Chunsheng smiled. "Sister-in-law, this shop is going to grow big in the future. Right now, the daily turnover is only a few dozen silver dollars, which you can manage. But when the shop expands, we'll even have to settle accounts with suppliers and deal with officials. How can you manage all by yourself?"

Li Chunsheng knew very well that although Yunniang was literate and could do accounting, she was only good at managing a small stall. If they wanted to run the business properly, they would need a professional.

"This," Yunniang was still a little distressed about the money, but she trusted Li Chunsheng. Since Li Chunsheng said he would confess, he must have his reasons.

"Alright, you're the boss, you call the shots." Yunniang sighed. "Then how much should the wages be?"

Li Chunsheng thought for a moment.

"A waiter earns two silver dollars a month, with food provided but no lodging. In Beijing, that's considered a mid-to-high-end price, so there's no worry about finding good ones."

"As for the accountant," Li Chunsheng thought for a long time, "it costs four silver dollars a month, including food but not lodging. That price is enough to hire a truly skilled old gentleman."

"Four pieces?!" Yunniang felt a pang of regret. "Isn't that too much? After all, we're providing food."

"Sister-in-law, we're running a legitimate business now. You get what you pay for. Cheap things aren't good, and good things aren't cheap."

"All right."

noon the next day.

Li Chunsheng got up early, spread out red paper, and ground the ink.

Although his calligraphy is not as good as those of the great calligraphers, it is still neat and powerful. After all, he had studied calligraphy for several years when he was a child in his previous life in order to write beautifully.

Li's Restaurant is recruiting!

Due to our busy and prosperous business, we are now sincerely recruiting the following talented individuals:

[One waiter/waitress: Must be quick, articulate, and hardworking. Age 18-30, those with a clean record preferred. Salary: 2 RMB per month, meals included!]

[One accountant is needed: Proficient in arithmetic, neat handwriting, honest, and with no bad habits. Must be skilled in using the abacus; experience preferred. Salary: Four silver dollars per month, meals included!]

Those interested, please come to the store to discuss.

It was written clearly in black ink on red paper.

Li Chunsheng blew the ink dry, found some paste, and carefully pasted the red paper onto the most conspicuous pillar at the entrance of the restaurant.

These days, although there aren't many literate people, the moment this red paper was posted, it immediately attracted a lot of onlookers.

"Wow! Li's Restaurant is hiring!"

"Wow! Two silver dollars a month for a waiter? And meals included? That's much better pay than being an apprentice at Dongxing Restaurant!"

"Look at that accountant! Four silver dollars! Wow, Manager Li is really generous! Four silver dollars is enough to support a whole family and have some left over!"

"Of course! You can see how booming their business has been these past few days! The braised pork is selling like hotcakes!"

"Oh dear, I have to hurry back and tell my nephew that he's having a hard time finding work, and this is a lucrative job!"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.

Li Chunsheng stood at the door, listening to the crowd's discussion; this was the effect he wanted.

High salaries encourage integrity and diligence. In this chaotic world, as long as you are willing to pay, you will not have to worry about not having people willing to risk their lives for you.

As Zhou Zhengnan, carrying his briefcase, reached the entrance of the alley, he saw a crowd gathered in front of the restaurant.

Excuse me, excuse me.

Zhou Zhengnan squeezed through the crowd, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and looked at the red paper.

The accountant's monthly salary was four silver dollars, including meals.

The waiter's monthly salary is two silver dollars, including meals.

Four silver dollars? And meals included?

In those days, although middle school teachers in Beiping (Beijing) were nominally well-paid, their salaries were often delayed, and the silver dollars they received were not always paid in a timely manner.

With the current food standards at Li's Restaurant, having meat at every meal is like living in paradise for ordinary people.

"This Boss Li certainly has a lot of guts," Zhou Zhengnan thought to himself, nodding in approval.

He pushed open the door and walked into the store, and a rich aroma of meat immediately wafted towards him.

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was packed.