Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Qi Family Restaurant
No one paid attention to Xiao Shiyi’s situation.
This made Liu Meiniang feel both warm and guilty.
Everyone must not want her to feel too upset, so they didn’t mention it!
The Qi Family also didn’t know Liu Meiniang’s thoughts, and everyone’s attention returned once more to the topic of opening the restaurant.
The store has three floors, and although it’s not necessary to have someone on every floor, at least two servers are definitely needed.
The family originally planned for the boys to take turns serving, which not only allowed them to gain some worldly experience but also saved a hiring expense for the family.
But now with the second and third floors, according to Yi Meng’s plan, private rooms are to be opened on these floors.
As long as there’s a guest in one of the private rooms, then a server is needed on that floor.
In this way, at least three waitstaff are required.
But when there are no guests on the second and third floors, this many people aren’t needed.
Therefore, the extra person needs to also handle tasks in the backyard.
Women can’t serve, let alone the valuable daughters of the Qi Family.
Qi Dafu’s generation obviously can’t serve either, so they could only select from Dalang’s generation.
Qi Dalang and Qi Erlang are just the right age, and actually, Qi Sanlang is also suitable.
But currently Qi Sanlang is taking care of the two doctors, and if he leaves, someone new would need to be chosen for that side.
Most importantly, Yi Meng raised another issue.
That’s the kids serving, which is only a temporary solution and can’t be considered a career.
So after some discussion, they finally decided to hire people as servers.
For the tasks in the front, they can hire people, but not for the backyard.
Mu Yunniang followed Yi Meng to learn how to cook.
The remaining sisters-in-law take turns responsible for the cleaning tasks in the backyard.
Among them, picking and washing vegetables is considered easier, while washing dishes is the hard work.
If business isn’t good, everyone can take it easy.
To make money, business needs to be good.
But when business is good, it means the workload is heavy.
However, someone still has to stay at home to look after things.
After some calculations, they finally settled on shift rotations.
Households one and four in one shift, households two and five in another.
The third household, because of Mu Yunniang’s involvement, is a permanent guest.
At the grand opening, Yi Meng definitely needs to stay, and that means Xiao Shiyi has to follow.
Xiao Shiyi still needs someone to watch them, so Liu Meiniang went to the city too.
Luckily, there’s a secondary courtyard in the city; otherwise, so many people wouldn’t fit.
Each shift works for seven days.
Switch every seven days.
Those who switch out can return to the village, not staying away from the kids at home for too long.
As for the men at home, except for Dalang, who follows Qi Ercai to learn accounting and management, the others stay in the village to study with the two gentlemen.
Although Erlang isn’t young, he prefers village life, so upon hearing he doesn’t have to go to the city, he had no objections.
With the tasks divided, naturally, pay needs to be figured out clearly.
Since everyone’s roles are different, the pay can’t be the same.
For the first time, Yi Meng felt running a family business like this is quite troublesome.
But since they haven’t split the family, and she doesn’t want to, she couldn’t just have their family run the business and let the others off the hook.
After some deliberation, they decided on profit-sharing.
Six sons’ families, each gets ten percent.
The remaining forty percent goes entirely to the old man and lady.
Qi Zheng originally said he and the wife would take ten percent, leaving the sons with fifteen percent each, but was refused.
After finalizing these matters, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Liu Meiniang returned to the room she shared with her parents, and since it shared a kitchen, there was no need to knock on another door.
"Dad, Mom, I’m back."
Liu Meiniang greeted.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Liu Sr. quickly ushered her daughter inside, "Have your godmother’s family all retired for the night?"
"Everyone’s gone back to their rooms."
Liu Meiniang sat beside her mother, who held her hand, recounting the arrangements she had just settled.
Mrs. Liu Sr., upon hearing this, immediately asked, "So the old knot isn’t going to the city?"
"Brother Six? No, he said he wants to stay in the village; he doesn’t like the city."
Liu Meiniang replied honestly.
This made Mrs. Liu Sr. frown, "That’s not right! All his brothers are going to the city, and he’s not? That’s not good."
"What’s wrong with that? Brother Six said he likes the village; he feels stifled in the city."
Liu Meiniang said lightheartedly, "And the village can’t be left without people. Fourth brother is the village head now; he needs one or two reliable people around him, and family is always better than outsiders."
This reasoning left Mrs. Liu Sr. without a retort, though her expression was still not pleased.
Mr. Liu Sr. then said, "Let them arrange things as they see fit. Meiniang is going to help with Shiyi, and once Shiyi is weaned, she’ll come back to the village."
Mr. Liu Sr. understood his wife’s discontent.
It was simply that with their daughter in the city and the Qi Family’s old knot in the village, they wouldn’t be together, and who knew how long it would take for them to think of marriage.
After thinking it over, Mrs. Liu Sr. nodded, "That’s true."
She then held her daughter’s hand and said, "Meiniang, remember, you’re going to the city to help with Shiyi. If your sisters-in-law ask you to work, don’t agree. Just say it was my order for you to take good care of Shiyi, understand?"
Mrs. Liu Sr. knew her daughters-in-law well.
If they knew Meiniang was going to the city, they would definitely want her to help out.
Even if not to live there, sending the child to Qi Family’s secondary courtyard was also quite forward.
With these thoughts, Mrs. Liu Sr. couldn’t help but add more instructions.
Though Liu Meiniang is simple-minded, she isn’t foolish and understood her mother’s intentions, agreeing to everything.
The Liu Family chatted for quite some time until Liu Qinghe completed his patrol and saw light from his parents’ room, so he stopped by to ask what’s going on.
This extended their conversation late into the night, dispersing only near midnight.
Soon came the restaurant’s opening day.
The sign was already hung, draped in red silk.
Beneath the red silk, the plaque displayed the four big characters "Qi Family Restaurant."
These words were personally written by the County Magistrate, and though not as grand as an imperial golden plaque, it’s rare prestige in Concord City.
Amidst lively fireworks, the red silk fell.
Many onlookers entered the restaurant to eat.
The restaurant had been newly renovated.
The walls were bright white, and the wooden columns painted with fresh lacquer.
The tables and chairs were also newly painted, with doors and windows left open day and night to dissipate odors, leaving no strange scent.
On the walls, spaced apart, hung paintings.
Unlike typical calligraphy and paintings, these featured various gourmet dishes, with characters unlike everyday brush script.
They were chubby, curvy, and surprisingly adorable.
