Chapter 60: Employee Management

Chapter 60: Employee Management

As the golden crow descended behind the Zhou Bridge, the oppressive heat began to fade, and Bianjing bustled with activity everywhere.

Orchids by the riverbank grew lush and green along the Bian River, and the river was nearly filled with floating lanterns. Most of the lanterns were shaped like blooming lotus petals, covered with colorful paper and lit with candles. Their soft glow twinkled as they drifted downstream, resembling a field of stars from afar.

It felt like the entire city had poured out to enjoy the day. Shen Miao's shop was packed to the brim with customers, and not a single table remained empty for more than half an hour. The dozen or so ducks that had just been roasted in the backyard were sold out in the blink of an eye. Almost every table of customers, upon seeing the fresh offerings, would order one or even half a duck.

Tang Er's hands were nearly cramping from slicing so many ducks, but he stubbornly refused to give up.

The shop had been renovated, doubling in width while maintaining its original depth, transforming from a vertical rectangle to a horizontal one. A Tao wore the thick cotton gloves Shen Miao had sewn for her, carrying dishes high in both hands, calling out crisply, "Make way! Make way!"

Then she nimbly weaved through the crowd like a snake.

The newly built jujube mud stove was placed in the backyard. Fu Xing, wearing an open short jacket, was sweating profusely as he continued to hang ducks, but only five or six remained for the day.

Early in the morning, Shen Miao had led Fu Xing and Tang Er, working from dawn till dusk, and they had only managed to prepare about twenty ducks.

Roasting ducks was a complicated and labor-intensive process. First, the right ducks had to be selected—not too large, as overly large ducks tended to have tough or overly fatty meat. A small white duck weighing around five to six pounds was ideal.

The live ducks were purchased, and Tang Er helped Shen Miao slaughter them. The slaughtering had to be done carefully, with a cut made near the trachea in the duck's neck to drain the blood. The internal organs were then carefully removed through this opening. After plucking and cleaning the ducks, they had to be scalded—poured with boiling water to tighten the skin, ensuring a crispier roast.

The scalded ducks were dried, and then a thicker reed tube was used to blow air into the duck's body, inflating it so that the skin separated from the fat underneath, which also helped achieve a crispy skin. After that, a secret mixture of malt sugar, cooking wine, and other seasonings was evenly applied to the duck's body, and the ducks were hung in a ventilated area to dry for two hours.

Only after drying could the ducks be placed in the roasting oven. The type of wood used for roasting was also important. For the best results, only jujube and pear wood were used, as they burned with a fragrant aroma that slowly permeated the duck meat, giving it a unique flavor. Shen Miao chose jujube wood, and after roasting, she couldn't help but inhale the aroma repeatedly.

After all, most modern duck roasting shops had switched to electric ovens, making it rare to experience the aroma of fruitwood-roasted ducks.

Once the ducks were in the oven, they couldn't just be left unattended. Modern electric ovens rotate automatically, but Shen Miao's setup required manual labor. During roasting, someone had to keep a close eye on the fire while slowly rotating the duck's hanging rod, turning it at regular intervals to ensure even heating. Roasting a single batch required standing and focusing for over half an hour.

Fortunately, before the ducks were roasted, Shen Miao's three new employees had already arrived. Fu Xing, who had years of experience as a chef, was skilled at controlling the heat. Despite his tendency to boast, he was reliable in his work.

Shen Miao assigned him the task of roasting ducks, as it required both physical strength and patience, making him the perfect fit.

He had previously worked as a chef for a minor official's household and had a few signature dishes, particularly excelling at making rich broths. When Shen Miao finished renovating, he arrived at the Shen household with a couple of worn-out clothes and eagerly showed off his skills. Upon entering Shen Miao's kitchen, he was amazed, touching and examining everything. When he saw the broth pot, he sniffed it and immediately suggested to Shen Miao, "Madam Shen, you might want to try adding half a chicken frame to the pork bone broth—it makes it even more flavorful."

Shen Miao tried it, and indeed, even Dr. Yao, who came to eat the Yangchun noodles that day, noticed the difference. He praised the broth, saying, "Madam Shen, did you change the broth base? It tastes even more fragrant now," and couldn't stop complimenting it.

In addition, Fu Xing was also skilled at making shepherd's purse dumplings, a southern dish that was rare in Bianjing. It was said that his former employer's family, whose matriarch was from Huating County in Liangzhe (modern-day Shanghai), had a tradition of eating shepherd's purse in early spring: "On the third day of the third month, shepherd's purse is as precious as peonies."

Aside from these two specialties, he also knew how to make a few southern dishes like "white-cut chicken" and "scallion oil chicken." Shen Miao began to suspect that his former employer might have been a fox spirit, given their love for chicken.

However, Fu Xing's knife skills were not as good as Tang Er's, and he was also mediocre at kneading dough and making noodles, so there was still room for improvement.

As for Tang Er, Shen Miao had initially misjudged him. At the employment agency, he had been quiet, and she thought he was naturally shy. But after he arrived at her home, he only stayed quiet for two days. Shen Miao, worried that he might feel out of place, thought that someone his age being sold by his stepmother must have been due to his overly honest nature, making him an easy target for bullies. She felt sorry for him and reassured him, "It's okay, from now on, treat this place as your own home."

The next day, it was as if he had received an imperial decree—he completely transformed into a different person, chattering nonstop and engaging in conversations with every living being in the house, his speech thick with a rustic accent.

"Hey, ma'am, what's your dog doing? I was wondering why these chicken butts were losing their feathers—turns out it's because you've been licking them! Stop eating that stuff! Learn something better!"

He grabbed Wind's snout and dragged the dog off to wash its mouth. Turning around, he saw Xiang Jieer, who had just finished eating and had even had two sesame candies, now sitting excitedly on the porch sharing peaches with A Tao. He couldn't resist teasing, "Little sister, you should eat less. Look at you, your face is almost as round as a pancake."

Xiang Jieer pouted in anger, and A Tao grabbed a peach pit and threw it at his head, rolling her eyes, "Mind your own business when it comes to girls!"

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything. A round face is good—it means you're blessed," he said, laughing foolishly after being scolded. He bent down to pick up the pit, pocketing it, and added, "Don't throw it away—there's still a kernel inside. Later, I'll crack it open and make you two some peach kernel porridge."

He spoke sweetly, but after observing him for a couple of days, Shen Miao quickly realized that he wasn't particularly skilled at cooking. All his expertise lay in his knife skills.

He was incredibly efficient at slaughtering chickens and ducks, butchering pigs and sheep, and chopping meat and bones.

He could do it almost without looking, precisely slicing into the bone joints. His meat-cutting skills were a great help to Shen Miao. Especially since he had practiced since childhood, he had a clear understanding of animal skeletal structures, able to separate meat from bones cleanly. After a whole day, his knife remained undamaged, and there was no need to sharpen it.

Although he couldn't cook other dishes, with such a strength, Shen Miao was already quite satisfied. A skilled knife master is hard to find even in later generations.

A Tao, however, was a straightforward young girl, bold and sharp-tongued.

On the day she arrived, just after putting on her apron, two troublemakers in the shop started making a scene, insisting on sitting at seats that other customers had reserved with Shen Miao in advance. A Tao tried to talk sense into them, but they resorted to crude tactics, spreading their legs wide in front of her, deliberately exposing themselves, and refusing to get up from the bench, bullying A Tao, a young girl, thinking she couldn't stand up to them.

Shen Miao noticed this from the kitchen and immediately called Tang Er and Fu Xing to chase them out. However, A Tao wasn't frightened at all. She rolled up her sleeves, glared with her phoenix eyes, put her hands on her hips, and began to scold: "Oh, you two spread so wide, is it because of a needle between your legs or hemorrhoids acting up? Do you need a doctor? Maybe not only is there something wrong down there, but your head might also be shaking out two liters of water!"

Before she could finish, the whole place burst into laughter, and some customers even cheered for A Tao.

These two troublemakers were bullies who picked on the weak. Seeing that A Tao was not to be messed with, and with Tang Er and Fu Xing chasing them out with rolling pins in hand, they quickly closed their legs and fled. They thought their crude tactics would intimidate a young girl like A Tao, but they didn't expect her to fight back with the same tactics.

Later, when the broker brought the identity documents from the government office, Shen Miao learned that A Tao had grown up in the brothels and was quite sharp-tongued! Her mother was a renowned courtesan in the capital, who secretly gave birth to her and raised her until she was three years old, but then the madam discovered her. The madam thought A Tao was attractive, so she turned a blind eye and allowed her mother to raise her until she was fifteen. But A Tao's mother knew the madam's intentions. She had fallen into the mud herself and didn't want her daughter to end up there for life. So, one day when the madam was away, she took the initiative to sell her daughter to a broker she trusted.

"I often come to the capital to buy people, and I'm familiar with the brothels, but I've never seen anything like this. People sell their daughters for money, but she sold her daughter at a loss, even giving me two taels of silver, begging me to take A Tao far away and find a decent place for her."

The broker took a cup of peach iced tea from Shen Miao, drank it heartily, and sighed, "I was afraid she was a runaway courtesan, so I secretly inquired. A Tao's mother didn't lie. After she returned, the madam beat her so badly she couldn't get out of bed, nearly losing her life, but she didn't reveal A Tao's whereabouts at all. Others might not care, but I value trust. Many poor families are willing to entrust their children to me because I keep my promises."

After that, I brought A Tao all the way to Bianjing. Madam Shen, don't laugh, but along the way, we passed through Luoyang and Zhengzhou, and there were several brothel owners who wanted to buy her at a high price. I gritted my teeth and didn't sell her, even though I had to support her for three months without any income!"

It wasn't until he met Shen Miao that he finally let A Tao go.

That's why A Tao refused to sign a lifelong contract. She calmly told Shen Miao, "My mother can only sing for another ten years at most. When she gets old and her voice fails, she will definitely be sold by the madam. I want to save money to buy her freedom."

Shen Miao patted her head and smiled, "Good, that's ambitious. Then you must work hard. Don't worry, my family isn't the kind that doesn't raise wages after three or five years. We have a 'base salary plus commission.' After the Lotus Viewing Festival is over, I'll explain it to you all in detail."

Now that she had several employees, she was ready to manage her small company.

Aunt Gu was on loan, while Yu, A Tao, Fu Xing, and Tang Er were all regular employees. She now had a total of five people under her, almost enough to form a branch. Personnel files, performance management, and salary methods had to be kept up to date.

Shen Miao's positions were already set. She herself was the head chef, Fu Xing was the assistant chef, responsible for making soup, roasting ducks, and managing cold dishes. Tang Er was in charge of cutting and preparing ingredients, helping with chopping vegetables and meat. Yu remained in her original position, responsible for tending the fire, washing dishes, chopping firewood, and carrying water. In the front, A Tao was in charge of welcoming guests, taking orders, and serving tea, while Aunt Gu helped with serving dishes, changing utensils, and cleaning tables.

With this arrangement, the three new employees just needed some time to coordinate, and everything would run smoothly, just as Shen Miao had estimated.

Shen Miao had been observing them for several days. A Tao and Tang Er adapted very quickly. Fu Xing, who had been bought by Shen Miao, was initially a bit depressed and mournful, looking like a big company programmer who had inexplicably been hired by a small e-commerce company.

But when he saw Shen Miao's uniquely arranged kitchen, he was somewhat in awe. After Shen Miao personally taught him how to handle ducks and how to roast them, Fu Xing's attitude immediately changed, and he became very respectful towards Shen Miao. His expression was like suddenly meeting a hidden master in a small e-commerce company that opened a Taobao shop.

Moreover, he was deeply grateful to Shen Miao for teaching him the secret techniques of roasting ducks, feeling highly valued and inexplicably developing a strong sense of honor. Since learning how to roast ducks, Fu Xing had no complaints even when his hands shook from turning the roasting rod, wishing he could sleep with the oven, vigilantly glaring at anyone who approached the oven, with a band on his forehead that might as well say, "Fu Xing vows to protect the roast ducks."

Shen Miao was very pleased and let him be.

Roasting ducks was troublesome, so Shen Miao didn't sell them cheaply. With cucumber, scallions, sauce, and lotus leaf pancakes, half a duck cost eighty wen, and a whole duck cost one hundred and fifty-nine wen. It had already surpassed roasted fish to become the most expensive item in her shop.

However, not many ducks could be made in a day. It was difficult to make, and Shen Miao had originally planned to make it a limited item, roasting as many as she could sell. Currently, with Fu Xing's speed in handling ducks, she could only make twenty servings a day, and once they were sold, that was it. She couldn't increase the quantity.

After expanding the shop, Shen Miao had originally planned to introduce two new dishes. The spicy crayfish, which was supposed to be launched first, was halted due to the lack of crayfish farming, and could only occasionally be introduced.

Shen Miao visited several fish shops, where green shrimp and river shrimp were farmed, but no one farmed crayfish. They all said it was very difficult to farm. Some fishmongers had tried, but as soon as it rained and the water turned muddy, a large number of shrimp would die.

Now, they could only rely on catching them. Shen Miao had made an agreement with the owner of the Cat's Choice Fish Shop, who regularly delivered fish to her, to help her catch crayfish in the outer city every day, and she would buy all they caught. Therefore, her summer crayfish and beer street food had unfortunately become a hidden menu item, only available if you were lucky.

These days, the shop had just been renovated, and it coincided with the Lotus Viewing Festival, so the customer flow was very high. Shen Miao's main focus was still on roasted fish and the various noodles already available in the shop. The new dish was only the roasted duck, which could sell forty servings of half a duck per person, meeting the demand better than the crayfish, which might only have one or two servings available a day.

"Bang—"

Fireworks suddenly erupted on the Golden Beam Bridge, like meteors streaking across the sky, quickly blooming in the heavens. The flowing light and shadow were like the Milky Way pouring down. Many people in the shop, holding their bowls and chopsticks, went out to watch. The dazzling light illuminated the faces of all those who stopped to watch.

The fireworks were quite expensive at this time, and only the wealthy could afford to set them off on such a grand scale. It was unclear which wealthy family was behind this spectacle.

A Tao leaned against the counter and whispered to Aunt Gu, "Luckily, most of the fish orders were prepaid, and those who ordered roast duck paid in advance. Otherwise, if they tried to skip out in the chaos, we wouldn't be able to catch them."

Aunt Gu nodded in agreement, "We should keep doing this in the future."

However, there were also people in the shop who were too engrossed in the food to care about the commotion. The couple, dressed in plain cotton clothes, sat inconspicuously at a corner table. Having wandered and fled famine in their youth, they looked more at home in these common clothes than in fancy attire, exuding a simple, honest vibe that went unnoticed.

Who would’ve guessed the Prefect of Kaifeng would be sitting in a humble street-side eatery, gnawing on duck bones?

The wife confidently ordered a whole roast duck and threw in three extra coins to have the duck bones salted and deep-fried. She also ordered two glasses of peach iced tea to go with it.

Wang Yong, while eyeing the roast duck illustration on the wall, gently unfolded a warm, paper-thin lotus leaf wrapper in his palm. He then used chopsticks to pick up a piece of skin-on roast duck, dipped it in the thick sauce, added cucumber strips and scallion shreds, rolled it up, and popped it into his mouth.

The duck was freshly roasted and still warm, giving off the scent of duck meat and the smoky aroma of fruitwood. The skin was so crispy it crackled when bitten, and the fat oozed out as you bit into it, flowing into the tender duck meat.

The duck meat, dipped in the signature sweet bean sauce, was juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. Roast duck is often dry, but Shen's duck was an exception. Wang Yong couldn’t help but grin with delight, savoring the salty-sweet richness that lingered.

"What a duck, what a duck!" Wang Yong stroked his greasy beard and carefully lifted the edge of the pancake—it was so thin and soft that if not handled carefully, two layers would come off at once.

Although dressed in casual clothes, Wang Yong still carried the demeanor of the Prefect of Kaifeng, eating slowly and elegantly. His wife, however, was different. She ate with gusto, almost finishing half the duck in no time. After a brief pause to catch her breath, she picked up the bamboo cup beside her and took a big sip of the tea through a reed straw. The cool, refreshing peach tea rolled down her throat, instantly washing away the greasiness of the duck and the summer heat from top to bottom, inside and out.

"So refreshing!" the wife exclaimed in delight, taking another sip and thoroughly enjoying it.

Originally, she thought twelve coins for a cup of tea in the shop was a bit expensive, but after tasting it, she felt that such a delicious drink was actually worth only twelve coins? She took another small sip, savoring the flavor, and thought, "So, fruit and fragrant tea brewed together can taste this good?"

The bamboo cup holding the tea was also quite ingenious. The outside of the bamboo cup was covered with a hemp rope net, allowing one to carry it if not finished. The cup was also adorned with red paper cutouts of different shapes, inscribed with auspicious phrases. Her cup read "Joy," and she noticed other cups with phrases like "Ten Thousand Blessings," "Good Festival," "Longevity," "Safe and Sound," "Prosperity," and "Sudden Wealth."

A merchant who happened to get the "Prosperity" cup couldn't stop smiling, saying he was borrowing Shen's good fortune! After finishing the tea, he couldn't bear to throw away the bamboo cup with its auspicious message and carried it home.

Drinking through the reed straw was also quite fun.

The wife still had some tea left and planned to carry it with her to watch the fireworks on the bridge. She could sip it whenever she got thirsty—how convenient! The twelve coins were well spent—delicious, auspicious, and practical.

Shen Miao was unaware that a big shot had visited her shop. The peak customer flow had passed, and many people, having eaten and drunk their fill, went to the riverside to release lanterns or go boating. Only four or five tables remained in the shop, occasionally asking for drinks, but the kitchen was already quiet.

A Tao was helping Aunt Gu collect dishes and utensils, taking them to Yu You to wash.

Shen Miao went to the backyard to check on things. With new employees, Chen Chuan and Xiang Jieer no longer had to work as laborers. The two were now in Chen Chuan's room learning characters, with flashcards spread all over the bed. Shen Miao had previously cut out the large characters that Ji Geer had practiced, making it easier for them to learn one by one rather than from a large sheet.

The two children lay on the bed, heads together, asking each other about the characters, their innocence melting one's heart.

On the small table in the room were washed and cut sweet melons and pitted pickled peaches, carefully skewered with bamboo sticks. Xiang Jieer said Tang Er had taken the time to cut and bring them over for the two to eat while studying.

Shen Miao took note of all this, smiled, and told them to sleep soon and not stay up late. The two were playful and reluctant to sleep. Once, Xiang Jieer even brought Thunder into the room to play dress-up, putting her shoes and childhood dresses on it, and using Shen Miao's rouge and kohl to paint Thunder's majestic dog face pink and white, with thick eyebrows, red cheeks, and bright red lips.

Chen Chuan was buried under a mountain of small clothes, handing them over—all for Xiang Jieer to dress up Thunder.

Thunder, being gentle, obediently sat there, letting Xiang Jieer do as she pleased. The next day, when it turned around, Shen Miao was so startled she almost fell on her backside.

So today, Shen Miao specifically instructed, "Don't mess with Thunder and Wind anymore. Go to sleep properly."

She adjusted the wick to make the light brighter and returned to the shop.

Aunt Gu and A Tao had just finished cleaning a few tables when Shen Miao picked up a broom to sweep the floor. Just then, a couple who had finished their duck let out a satisfied burp, looking ready to leave.

A Tao, quick on the uptake, immediately offered a hot towel. The honest-looking middle-aged man wiped his face and even carefully combed his beard before pulling out ten coins from his pocket as a tip for A Tao, saying, "How many roast ducks are left? Wrap them all up for me. I'll take them away."

How generous! A Tao grinned from ear to ear, pocketed the coins, and hurried to the backyard to ask Fu Xing. Fu Xing, focused on turning the spit, glanced at the fire and replied, "It'll be ready in about fifteen minutes."

Regretfully, she came out to respond: "Sir, the duck still needs to be roasted for a while, about a quarter of an hour. Would you like to take a walk and return later to pick it up, or would you prefer to wait in the shop?"

The couple was in no hurry and sat down again: "We’ll just wait a little longer."

As he spoke, the gentleman's gaze fell on the roasted duck painting again. He stood up with his hands behind his back and admired it for a moment, then turned to Shen Miao and praised: "This painting of the roasted duck is so vivid and lifelike, very much in the style of the late Mr. Fan Li. It’s a shame the old gentleman passed away a few years ago—I never thought..." I’d see such a painting in a shop like this.

After admiring the painting, he spotted the signature in the corner.

The signature simply read “Xie Jiu,” but the corner seal was in small seal script with the characters “Guan Shan,” and he suddenly understood.

There are many people with the surname Xie, but the one who is ranked ninth, with the courtesy name Guan Shan, and a disciple of Mr. Fan Li, is only from one family.

So it’s someone from the Xie family—no wonder. I heard Mr. Fan Li’s last disciple was a young master from the Xie family, but it’s said that the young man was not interested in painting and calligraphy, and hardly any of his works have been circulated over the years.

Shen Miao followed his gaze. Ninth Geer’s duck painting was so lifelike it seemed like it could jump off the paper and onto the plate. She smiled and said, "Yes, this painter is very skilled. You see, all the paintings in our shop are his creations."

The gentleman stroked his beard with a smile, saying little, but then strolled over to look at the noodle illustration.

When Shen Miao first set up the shop and saw the empty walls, she thought simply: since all the paintings in the shop are Ninth Geer’s works, why not unify the style? Just before the official opening after the renovation, she roasted a batch of ducks and sent Tang Er with ten coins and two ducks to the academy to request a painting from Ninth Geer.

Later that evening, Qiu Hao brought the roasted duck painting and a short letter from Ninth Geer, which made Shen Miao laugh:

"Received the ten coins for the painting fee. Hope Madam Shen will commission me again next time."

Next to it was a greasy cat paw print from Kylin—it seems the roasted duck was also enjoyed by the cat.

After the couple took the duck and left, Shen Miao waited a bit longer. The guests gradually left, and with no new customers coming in, she decided to close up early and take a rest.

The Lotus Viewing Festival runs for three days. Shen Miao plans to stay open longer tomorrow, and the day after, Ji Geer will be back on leave, so she also plans to close the shop for a night, give A Tao and the others some holiday bonuses, and let everyone take a break and go out for a stroll.

Though she’s a workaholic herself, she doesn’t push her staff.

As good socialist successors, how could we adopt the exploitative ways of capitalists? In fact, even when it comes to profits, she had practiced in her previous life in her small catering company: no attendance checks, as long as the work was completed with quality and quantity, it didn’t matter what time they went home, and the work efficiency was quite high! This just shows that allowing employees to live well and work happily can actually create more value than exploiting them.

She closed up and sent everyone off to bed. Now all six rooms in the Shen household are fully occupied. Tang Er and Fu Xing share a room. Shen Miao had Old Man Yang make three sets of desk beds with cabinets like those in university dormitories, using hard, good wood. Although the price was not cheap, they are sturdy and comfortable. She hung a curtain in the middle, giving each their own space without disturbance.

A Tao has the smallest and most secluded of the three rooms to herself. Shen Miao specially replaced her lock with a good one, and the desk cabinet bed is for her, with curtains embroidered with little peaches hung for her.

After a long day’s work, everyone was exhausted, and the lights in the Shen family courtyard soon dimmed. But outside remained lively, with the occasional burst of fireworks, and the roads and bridges were crowded with people. Gu Tusu traveled all the way to the outer city to deliver wine to the East Tower, and it was particularly difficult to return to the inner city, with so many people coming and going, almost tipping his cart over.

Fortunately, there was no more wine on the cart, and he wiped his sweat and straightened the cart.

Amid the chaos, he suddenly spotted a face in the crowd he’d never forget.

With greasy hair, a powdered face, a flower in his hair, and a large-sleeved robe, he fanned himself.

Gu Tusu looked again and again in the crowd, sure that he was not mistaken.

Rong Dalang? How could he be here?

He saw him hurriedly get off the bridge, as if he had lost something, and plunged into the dense reeds by the river.

Gu Tusu narrowed his eyes, twisted his wrist, picked up the tattered sack used to pad the wine vats on the cart, and quietly followed.

Da Jieer was divorced and returned to the capital alone, suffering three years of humiliation in their house, not to mention having to sleep between this beast and his old hag of a mother! There must be a limit to bullying! Although Gu Tusu had never mentioned it, he had already dreamed of trampling his descendant root several times!

How dare he show up in Bianjing?

Since he’s come knocking, he’s asking for a beating!