Chapter 218: I’ll Save It for You

Gu Fei looked at her with a half-smile. "Tie Niu is strong, he can drive a cart, chop firewood, and even guard the shop at night. Aunt Liu is an excellent worker. Who do you think Xing’er can compare to?"

Ms. Qian was still not ready to give up. "But... if it’s one hundred cents less, that’s over a tael of silver a year."

Gu Fei smiled. "Then why don’t you go into the city and find Xing’er another job that pays five hundred cents a month?"

Hearing this, Gu Zhong shot Ms. Qian a fierce glare. "Little Fei, don’t listen to her. You’re so capable, I’ll feel at ease with Xing’er working in your shop. She can learn some skills from you, too. And the wages add up to almost five taels of silver a year. That’s not a small amount."

Back in their hometown, the entire family could barely earn five taels of silver in a whole year.

Gu Fei nodded. "Alright. Since Uncle has put it that way, I agree. We’ll get her trained in a bit, and then she can start work."

Gu Zhong didn’t know what "training" meant, but he didn’t dare ask. He just nodded repeatedly. "Well, Little Fei, you get some rest. Bao’er is still at home, and your grandma can’t really handle him on her own, so we’ll head back now."

Xing’er kept her head down. "Dad, you two go on ahead. I have a few things I need to ask Little Fei."

Ms. Qian looked like she wanted to say something more, but Gu Zhong pulled her away.

Once the two of them were gone, Gu Fei looked at Xing’er and raised an eyebrow. "So, how did you convince your mom?"

Xing’er gave a bitter smile. "I told her I’d kill myself if she didn’t let me work. And then there was the silver."

"I’ll give her all the silver I earn. As long as I’m unmarried, I have to earn silver for the family."

"My mom probably figured this was a better deal."

Gu Fei found it amusing. ’That’s probably exactly what Ms. Qian was thinking.’

She said softly, "Your wages will still be five hundred cents."

"When you get paid, give four hundred cents to your mom and keep the rest for yourself. If you don’t have a place to keep it, I can hold onto it for you and keep a record."

For a moment, Xing’er looked like she was about to cry. "Little Fei, you—"

"I... I—"

Xing’er wanted to say more but couldn’t get the words out. In the past, she’d felt little else for her younger cousin, Gu Fei, besides jealousy.

’She’d truly never expected Gu Fei to help her like this.’

’Thinking back on her own petty schemes now, it all felt so ridiculous.’

Gu Fei smiled. "Alright, stop crying. When the time comes and the shop gets busy, you’ll be worked to the bone. Just don’t go cursing me under your breath then, and we’ll be fine."

With tears in her eyes, Xing’er shook her head. Gu Fei gave her a gentle push. "Go on home. It’s getting dark, so be careful on the road."

Wiping her tears, Xing’er left.

「Some time later」 With the shop’s renovations nearly complete, Gu Fei gathered all her employees and began her somewhat unorthodox staff training.

She had no experience in this area, so she simply drew on her memories of hotel service from her past life and came up with a few general guidelines.

The training took place in the courtyard behind the shop.

Gu Fei looked at the group of people of all shapes and sizes standing in a row before her, her expression serious. "Since all of you were willing to come work in my shop and have signed contracts, you will follow my rules."

"It doesn’t matter if you’re a chef, a kitchen hand, or a waiter—from now on, everyone will wear a uniform."

"When you put on that uniform, you are representing the shop’s image."

She swept her gaze across the group. "Our shop’s decor can’t compare to some of the fancier inns. So, how do we compete with them?"

"The only thing we can do is surpass them with our service!"

"Service, when you boil it down, comes down to three words: putting people first!"

"Simply put, it means making our guests feel comfortable in every possible way."