Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 291

Ma Liansheng tried to explain, but Fan Jinyou cursed, "Aren't you a bastard? You're just trying to sabotage me."

Fan Jinyou was furious. The wine sold in this tavern was watered down; who would come here?

No wonder when they were invited to the tavern by Master Niu and Master Pian, they all shook their heads and said they didn't have time. It turns out they could taste that the drinks were watered down, and they probably thought they were the ones who added the water, but they were too embarrassed to say it directly.

Suddenly, a feeling arose in my heart: it wasn't my own business that had problems; it was all because of Ma Liansheng.

His eyes were blazing with fury, and he wanted nothing more than to beat Ma Liansheng to a pulp.

He Yuzhu said, "We run a tavern, not a restaurant. From now on, the businesses on both sides will be separate. This side is the tavern, and the side next door is the restaurant at night. Seal up the door in between."

"What? Why is it sealed off?" Fan Jinyou asked.

Chapter 214 Evil Thoughts

He Yuzhu asked, "Why do you still ask? What was Old He's tavern like before? Why didn't he sell food and drinks there? Do you think you're the only smart one? Selling stir-fries in a tavern?"

"this..."

Fan Jinyou simply wanted to make some changes and prove that he was capable of running the tavern better.

I really didn't think about whether doing this was good or bad; I just naturally assumed that adding stir-frying would generate extra income.

He Yuzhu said, "Go ask around at other big wine taverns and small bars and see if they sell hot dishes there."

The large wine vat is operated on the roadside, somewhat like a night market stall, while the small tavern has a fixed storefront. Old He's shop is a standard small tavern.

Fan Jinyou was surprised, as he hadn't been to many taverns further away than the ones in the vicinity.

"Aren't there any taverns that sell hot dishes?"

"If you sell hot dishes, then it's a restaurant."

He Yuzhu said, "This tavern is a tavern, and a restaurant is a restaurant. Restaurants are more expensive, but this tavern is for people from all walks of life. Even a poor guy with only three or five cents can come in and have a couple of drinks. If you go to a restaurant and only ask for two ounces of liquor, you'll be kicked out."

Fan Jinyou then began to understand: "So, I made a mistake by selling hot dishes?"

"Yes, after we started selling hot dishes, our regular customers felt that the place was too noisy, with too many people drinking and playing drinking games, so they stopped coming."

Now everyone understood. No wonder when Master Niu and his group came once, they preferred to travel a long way to other places to drink rather than come to the tavern the next day.

He Yuzhu said, "If we open a small restaurant, our wine will be diluted with water, and Chef Ma's cooking skills are only average. People with that kind of money might as well go to other restaurants."

"No wonder nobody comes. The food mixed with this wine is also not tasty. Who would pay to eat out?"

After Fan Jinyou finished speaking, he turned around and glared at Ma Liansheng. It turned out that all his bad luck was because of Ma Liansheng.

He Yuzhu said, "In the future, the tavern won't need so many people. One person can stand behind the counter to take charge, and another can be responsible for serving drinks and dishes. Make a shift schedule and have several people take turns on duty."

The group looked around and realized that there were already five people, not counting He Yuzhu. This was an overstaffing.

"Are they going to fire us?"

Kong Yuqin quickly asked, "Of the five people here, Ma Liansheng and I are the easiest to be dismissed. We might lose our jobs."

He Yuzhu said, "They don't open small restaurants there anymore; they turn them into large canteens."

“Our neighborhood is full of small businesses, mostly run by poor people. It’s not a good place to open a small restaurant.”

"What for?"

"Send the message out tomorrow: all the people who perform magic tricks, cricket fighting, diabolo spinning, sugar blowing, rickshaw pulling, and even those who work hard, will have their meals sold in our canteen with meal tickets. We also have fried dough sticks, fried cakes, and baked flatbreads, as well as rice, steamed buns, cornbread, and stews."

"You're also selling vegetables?"

"It's not stir-fry, but large-pot dishes, which makes it cheaper than stir-fry and affordable for ordinary people."

"People from all walks of life can afford it. When we talk about public-private partnership, we should bring a new look and let these business people have a hot meal here. It doesn't have to be delicious, just enough to eat their fill."

He Yuzhu simply moved the factory canteen into the tavern. He was too lazy to make money himself, but he had Ma Liansheng as a helper. Although Ma Liansheng wasn't good at stir-fries, he was capable of cooking large pot dishes.

"Okay." Zhao Yali led the applause, relieved.

An expert's skill is immediately apparent. With just a simple analysis, He Yuzhu immediately identified all the drawbacks of the tavern and provided corresponding solutions.

With his guidance, as long as the tavern resumes normal operations, I can secure my position as the general manager.

"The main focus there is in the morning and at noon. Master Ma is in charge of the staple food and the big pot dishes, and Fan Jinyou assists him and does his part."

Master Ma had just said he was very nervous and wanted to beg He Yuzhu not to make a big deal out of the fact that the liquor was adulterated with water.

Hearing He Yuzhu say this, it seems that the other party does not want to pursue the matter. As long as the issue of the drinks is resolved, he can keep his job.

When Fan Jinyou heard that he was to work as Ma Liansheng's assistant, he was naturally unwilling.

I owe my current situation, from being a street-level cadre to an ordinary employee, all thanks to Ma Liansheng.

He suddenly became his subordinate, and he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

"We usually supply large radishes, small radishes, and pickled vegetables. Even if you just buy two cornbreads to eat with the pickled vegetables, we can still provide them. We can't complain about customers or look down on them."

After the meeting, He Yuzhu asked Fan Jinyou to write a notice about resuming the operation of the tavern and post it outside.

There was also a notice announcing the opening of a cafeteria, which listed the food offered.

It attracted many passersby, who discussed it amongst themselves.

The door in the middle couldn't be built in a short time, so they found a shelf and used it to block the door, restoring the layout of the tavern.

Ma Liansheng borrowed a tricycle, hauled away all the old liquor, and then paid to replace it. He Yuzhu delivered all the liquor that was stored in the old tavern and registered it in the books.

Around 2 p.m., people started walking into the tavern, ordering a couple of ounces of liquor and a small dish to eat and drink for a while before going to work.

When evening came, Niu Ye, Cheng Lao Er, Pian Ye, and other neighbors all came over.

After entering, they took a look around to make sure it had truly been restored to its former glory as a tavern, and only then did they reveal satisfied smiles.

He Yumei said to Zhao Yali, "Brother He is really resourceful. Just by making this change, we have business."

"Yes, I'm relieved now. I'll get my wages next month."

I haven't received any wages this month, and my children are crying incessantly, so our quality of life has clearly declined.

Seeing this scene, Fan Jinyou felt a mix of emotions. He secretly regretted that he had thought about making changes back then. If things had remained unchanged, wouldn't he still be the general manager?

The occupancy rate recovered to 50-60% in the evening, and the small canteen was also very successful the next day, with a constant stream of customers in the morning and at noon.

For several days in a row, the tavern became increasingly crowded, gradually returning to its former level.

He Yuzhu only stayed for the first two days. After seeing that things were on track, he went to work at the braised meat shop and the cannery during the day, and he also had his own things to do. He couldn't put all his energy into the tavern.

"Manager He, you haven't been to work these past two days, have you?" Fan Jinyou asked.

Zhao Yali said, "Yes, he also works at a braised meat shop and a cannery. That's how I found out his business was so big."

Those two businesses are the real big business; compared to them, the tavern is just small-time operations.

The money I earn in a month is less than what I earn in two days over there.

Fan Jinyou said, "You say we all go to work on time and can't be late or leave early, but He Yuzhu keeps not coming, doesn't that count as absenteeism?"

“This…” Zhao Yali hesitated.

Fan Jinyou got a little anxious and said, "Cousin, you are the general manager. Look at yourself now, do you have any managerial demeanor at all? You can't just do whatever He Yuzhu says. You have to stand up for yourself."

"This..." Zhao Yali was a little dumbfounded. Thinking about it, she was in this small bar, and she was no different from an ordinary employee. She didn't seem like a company manager at all.

"Isn't He Yuzhu just handing you a handle right now? There's no reason for him to skip work every day. Just record him as absent without leave."

"Will this work?" Zhao Yali asked.

"Why not? We have an attendance policy, so how can he be in the wrong if he doesn't come? If he's absent, it should be recorded as absenteeism and his wages should be deducted."

Zhao Yali felt that Fan Jinyou's words made sense, so she listened to him in a daze and recorded He Yuzhu's absences and truancy.

He also had some ideas in mind. Right now, He Yuzhu didn't go to work every day, and under his personal leadership, the tavern was thriving and making a fortune every day.

At this point, we should kick He Yuzhu out of the way. As long as we continue to run the business, the tavern can still complete its operating tasks.

In this way, he would become the general manager and have complete control over the operation of the tavern.

The first step is to register He Yuzhu's absences. If he is absent too often, his dividends will be deducted to let him know that he also has some ability.

He Yuzhu was unaware that Fan Jinyou was behind it all, having Zhao Yali record his absence from work in the attendance book.

He Yuzhu goes about his own business during the day and only comes to the tavern for a while in the evening, returning home around ten o'clock.

That day, he returned to the tavern and his usual spot, ordered four ounces of grain liquor and some peanuts and garlic sausage as snacks, and chatted with Uncle Niu about antiques.

At the next table, Cheng Lao Er was talking to Pian Ye, and then said, "Pian Ye, you're saying He Yongqiang went home to farm?"

"Yeah, I don't know what he was thinking. He didn't run his nice little tavern, but went to the countryside to farm."

Cheng Lao Er was somewhat envious of He Yongqiang's good fortune; such a large little tavern, just like that, he gave it up.

"That's really stupid. Even if life in the city is tough, it's still better than farming."

"Life in the countryside will be tough from now on; it's nothing like living in the city."

"You guys are really just worrying about the ancients after reading books. Do you really think that He Yongqiang is going to live a hard life in the countryside?" Xu Hesheng laughed.

"Isn't it true? Farming is the hardest job."

"Have you all forgotten? This tavern was sold to Boss He by He Yongqiang. He Yongqiang got a lot of money from it. How could he possibly live a hard life in the countryside?"

"Oh right, I forgot about that."