Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Assistant Manager

Yang Jing, looking pained, finished changing her dressing. She whispered a quiet "thank you," her eyes darting toward Shen Lu several times, but ultimately, she left without saying another word.

Cai Su put away the supplies. "Boss, did you and Sister Yang get into a fight?"

Shen Lu turned off her Light Brain. "No."

’With a personality like Yang Jing’s, who could she even argue with?’

Shen Lu had come to talk to Cai Su about Xin Yu making pizzas.

"Setting aside whether the pizza will be popular, Xin Yu will definitely have more to do than before. That means more work might fall on you and Deng Ying. Do you think we should hire another person?"

The initial prep work was very tedious. On top of that, Cai Su had to manage Deng Ying and Xin Yu while also serving customers at the window.

"There’s no need to rush. It’ll be the off-season until spring next year, so Deng Ying and I should be fine." Cai Su was thinking completely from Shen Lu’s perspective. "If business proves to be good, it won’t be too late to hire a couple more people then."

If business was slow, they had to control costs. Cai Su desperately hoped Little Deer Cuisine could stay open forever. She loved the restaurant, and she liked Shen Lu even more. She hoped she could work here for the rest of her life.

Shen Lu nodded. "Alright, we’ll do as you suggest."

Having finished their discussion, Shen Lu stood up. She then turned back as if remembering something. "Sister Cai, once the weather improves and everyone is back at work, I’d like to officially appoint you as the assistant manager. What do you think?"

Cai Su froze. "Me...?"

Shen Lu had said before that she was practically the assistant manager, but a formal appointment was another matter entirely.

’Can I really do this?’

The first thought that popped into Cai Su’s mind was, ’Can I really do this?’

’I don’t seem to have any particularly outstanding talents. Can I really do a good job as assistant manager?’

’And what exactly is an assistant manager responsible for, anyway?’

There were so many things she didn’t understand.

"Don’t feel too pressured. The assistant manager’s duties are pretty much what you’re already doing every day." Shen Lu rubbed her nose. "After all, our shop is small—even I have to work in the kitchen. We’re not like those big hotel kitchens where the management just sits in an office. Hmm... as for the benefits, your monthly salary will go up by 500 Star Coins."

Cai Su felt a wave of relief. An extra 500 Star Coins a month was wonderful, of course. In two years, she had to send Xiao Lang to study at Mingde.

Mingde’s tuition was on a sliding scale: lower grades had lower fees, while higher grades had higher fees. For first grade, a single semester’s tuition was 4,000 Star Coins. Including uniforms, meals, and miscellaneous expenses, the total was 6,000 Star Coins.

Right now, she didn’t have a single cent in savings. So of course, the more money, the better.

"Okay, Boss. I’ll work even harder and help you manage the restaurant well."

If there was something she didn’t know, she could learn it. Cai Su decided that from now on, she would set aside half an hour every evening to study using the television.

The television could connect to the internet, and there were videos about management online.

Cai Su had never thought about these things before. Every day after work, she would return to her dorm, play with Xiao Lang for a while, and then, when it got late, she and her son would wash up and go to sleep.

Now, she had to try even harder.

Shen Lu was very satisfied. Cai Su was truly her favorite employee: dependable, steady, and always the quickest to understand what she meant. Entrusting any task to her left no room for worry.

Although the initial investment had been a bit high, Shen Lu felt it was more than worth it.

The sandstorm continued to rage for another four or five days. Just as Shen Lu was about to die of boredom, the wind finally dropped to Level 5—a weak sandstorm that barely affected normal travel.

The day before, Shen Lu had decisively ordered triple the usual amount of ingredients. From the moment she got up, her morale was at its peak. After briefly greeting her employees, she dove into the intense and busy work.

Braised Pork Belly, Kung Pao Chicken, Fish Head with Chopped Chili, Steamed Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, marinated delicacies, Malatang, mint water... and the newly added pizza.

There was an exceptional number of dishes to make today.

Shen Lu didn’t even have time to go to the front counter for punch cards and prize redemptions. She left that task to Wang Daguo; she suspected she’d be stir-frying nonstop in the back kitchen all day.

Based on her past experience, after being cooped up at home for so many days, the customers would definitely indulge in some revenge spending today.

Xin Yu had been extremely nervous from the moment he started kneading the dough.

When Shen Lu told him yesterday that they were launching the pizza today, he couldn’t have been happier. He had rolled up his sleeves and pounded his chest, making a bold promise.

But as the time drew closer and closer to eleven-thirty, his heart pounded faster and his breathing grew ragged.

Xin Yu rubbed his face and took a few deep breaths.

A towel was suddenly offered to him from the side. Xin Yu turned his head and saw it was Deng Ying.

"You’ve got flour on your face. Wipe it off."

"Thanks." Xin Yu took the towel and wiped his face haphazardly.

"Nervous?"

"No!" Xin Yu’s reaction was a bit strong. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "I’m not nervous."

’Being nervous was useless now. The boss had already filmed a promotional video for the pizza and had been hyping it on DouDou for the past two or three days. If he didn’t launch it today, the customers would be disappointed.’

Xin Yu didn’t want to disappoint the customers, and he especially didn’t want to disappoint Shen Lu.

Deng Ying pressed her lips together. "You can do it."

"I will."

Deng Ying returned to Cai Su’s side and got ready for the start of business.

When she came to work today, she heard that Xin Yu had learned how to make pizza and was going to be solely responsible for preparing it.

In that moment, she felt a pang of envy.

She and Xin Yu had started as interns together. Her natural talent was greater than his, and she had thought she would be the first one to have a dish she made sold at the window.

Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Xin Yu had surpassed her.

’If only I’d known... I would have come to the restaurant that day, no matter what.’

Deng Ying bit her lip, holding it for a long moment before letting go.

But that was just a thought. In reality, she couldn’t have come that day at all.

Her younger sister was sick, and her parents were arguing about whether to buy medicine for her. Her older brother, with a cold look on his face, had heartlessly said, "If we spend money on medicine to treat her, when will I ever save up enough to get married?"

She, who had always been the invisible one in the family, finally snapped after hearing her brother’s words and gave him a vicious scolding.

Her brother, made short-sighted by poverty yet possessing a terrible temper, couldn’t stand being berated by the little sister he’d always looked down on. He rushed over to hit her.

Deng Ying stood her ground, jutting her chin out as if she wasn’t afraid to die.

"If you’ve got the guts, then go ahead and kill me! Without me working to earn money, you won’t save up enough for your bride price in ten years!"

Her words hit her brother’s weak spot. The hand that was about to strike her face froze in mid-air.

"Fine. If you can’t earn enough for my bride price in two years, then you’ll just have to get married and bring in a bride price yourself." Her brother spat, went into his room, and slammed the door.

Her parents stopped arguing. Deng Ying went out alone, braving the risk of being blown away by the wind, and bought the medicine for her sister.

Sometimes, Deng Ying really envied Xin Yu.

He was all alone, free and untethered, with no one to worry about. He could give his all to everything he did.

Unlike her, who had too many restraints and too many attachments.

It was as if an invisible rope were tied around her neck. Whenever the person holding the other end gave it the slightest tug, she had no choice but to stop in her tracks and turn back.

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