On the first day Zhao Jianguo’s barbecue stall opened, Cheng You did not accompany him. She had to stay and conduct assessments.
Ten people were selected after the assessments, and they could sign contracts with the pharmaceutical factory.
With thirty candidates for ten spots, the twenty who were eliminated were naturally dissatisfied.
However, Cheng You returned what they had given her in another form, so they were even.
No matter how unwilling they were, they dared not cause trouble for Cheng You.
But it was different for those who had given gifts to Cheng Tianhua.
“I gave gifts, and you’re just rejecting us like this?”
“Yeah, I gave fifty eggs!”
“That’s nothing, I gave a big piece of meat. Meat my son hasn’t even eaten, all given away!”
“…”
Before Cheng You could speak, she heard voices from outside the door: “Director Yang, is this what you meant by capable? Capable of accepting gifts!”
Looking out, she indeed saw two figures.
She recognized Yang Yunian, but the other person, who carried an air of authority, must have held a position above Yang Yunian.
“Director Ying, there must be some misunderstanding.”
Although he was disappointed that Cheng You refused to hand over the formula,
after spending this time with her, he absolutely believed in Cheng You’s character.
Yang Yunian hurriedly said, “Cheng You, explain quickly!”
Ying Tianyun waved his hand and said with a grim face, “No need to explain. Those who have already been hired are fine. I will personally screen the remaining candidates; she doesn’t need to be involved.”
As soon as he said this, the villagers in the yard dared not speak further, knowing they had messed things up.
Yang Yunian was a bit anxious and hinted at Cheng You several times.
But Cheng You remained unmoved and showed no intention of explaining.
Cheng You glanced at the people who had been complaining earlier and asked, “Who did you give gifts to?”
Those people exchanged glances and remained silent.
Cheng You touched the wristwatch on her hand and said, “It was Cheng Tianhua who accepted your gifts, wasn't it?”
Someone sheepishly said, “You’re all family, does it matter who we gave it to?”
Cheng You snorted, “If you really wanted to please me, you would know my relationship with my dad. I’ve already separated from him. Whatever you gave him, go and get it back from him yourself. It has nothing to do with me. Don’t blame me for today’s matter; go settle it with him yourself.”
The pharmaceutical factory matter was not something she had the final say on, and this Director Ying was clearly a person of great importance.
Since he had spoken, the matter of the recruitment spots was likely doomed.
She didn't explain because there was no need to.
If he were truly willing to listen to an explanation, he wouldn’t have already judged her character before even entering the house.
Cheng You’s small face was tense, and her dislike for Cheng Tianhua reached its peak.
“Everyone, disperse.”
With Ying Tianyun and Yang Yunian present, the villagers dared not say another word, not even to ask. They all began to leave.
Cheng You glanced at the medicinal herbs in the yard and collected them one by one.
Well, it seemed all her work for this period was in vain.
Yang Yunian explained in a gentle tone, “Director Ying, didn’t I tell you? It must be a misunderstanding.”
Ying Tianyun felt his face lose some color. What annoyed him was that this young girl wouldn’t say a word; she was too stubborn.
She gave him no way to save face.
He cleared his throat, “Even if it wasn’t her, it was still her father; aren’t they the same!”
Cheng You looked up at him, still not speaking, letting him say whatever he wanted.
“Director Yang, I’m going home. You two do as you please.”
“Hey! Such temper! I haven’t even spoken yet.” Ying Tianyun was incredulous.
Yang Yunian rubbed his nose. Ying Tianyun didn’t understand that they were the ones actively seeking her out.
They had originally come to discuss the pregnancy preservation pills, but he had ruined it with a single sentence.
Cheng You walked away without looking back, her retreating figure exuding a sense of indifference.
“Director Ying, look at this…”
Ying Tianyun glared at him, “Do I need to say it? Go chase after her! How else will we handle the matter of the pregnancy preservation pills!”
Yang Yunian disliked his cowardly yet pretentious demeanor.
But there was nothing he could do; the man was his superior.
“She’s probably gone home. Why don’t we follow her and have a chat?”
Ying Tianyun said, “Let’s go, let’s go, together!”
Meanwhile, as soon as Cheng You arrived home, she saw Zhao Jianguo returning, pushing his cart.
His face was flushed, suggesting business had been good.
“Brother Zhao, how long have you been gone to return so soon?”
This was his first day, and Cheng You thought he would at least be back by afternoon.
Zhao Jianguo wiped his sweat and said excitedly, “It’s all sold out!”
Since it was a trial run, he hadn’t prepared too many skewers.
One hundred skewers of leeks, thirty eggplants, and one hundred skewers of pork belly—these were the main items.
There were also other miscellaneous vegetables, like green peppers, of which he only prepared ten skewers each.
He used a total of 13 jin of pork belly, selling it at two mao per skewer.
He originally thought this wouldn’t sell well, as two mao was not cheap.
But unexpectedly, the pork belly sold out the fastest!
Some people couldn’t afford too much but reluctantly spent two mao to try it.
Once they tasted it, they couldn’t stop.
The other vegetables were the same, uniformly priced at five fen.
His hands weren’t fast enough, and customers started queuing up.
He rushed and hurried, finally selling the last skewer of vegetables.
Zhao Jianguo couldn’t help but take out the money, “Look, thirty yuan in one morning!”
His eyes sparkled, as if he were dreaming.
Cheng You chuckled, “Brother Zhao, this is nothing. You only have a barbecue cart now. In the future, we can set up a stall in a fixed location, with tables and chairs. Keep working hard, and perhaps you can even open a barbecue restaurant.”
Zhao Jianguo nodded repeatedly, his eyes welling up with tears of excitement, as if he could already see his nascent barbecue restaurant.
“Cheng You, thank you! You are my benefactor!”
His excitement was not without reason.
Villagers had been saying he was living off others, relying on the Zhou family to survive.
No matter how much he pretended not to care, as a man with pride, he was bound to feel uncomfortable.
Now, he could stand tall and retort to them.
“Regarding today’s earnings, as we discussed before…”
“No, let’s discuss profit sharing after you've recovered the costs,” Cheng You pushed the money back.
Zhao Jianguo and his team also needed money for their initial investment.
“Oh, by the way, Cheng You, the people buying barbecue said it would be great if we could also sell drinks.”
Barbecue is salty and spicy. If there were drinks to accompany it, it would be more comfortable to eat.
Cheng You slapped her forehead. She really hadn’t thought of this.
“What would be good to pair with it?”
Zhao Jianguo suggested, “How about alcohol? I think this pork belly goes well with drinks.”
“We can’t just drink white wine on the street, can we?” Cheng You thought for a moment and felt it wasn’t suitable.
Zhao Jianguo clapped his hands, an idea dawning on him.
“White wine won’t work, but beer should be fine, right?”
It wasn’t high in alcohol content, and everyone could drink it.
However, men were more likely to drink alcohol. They still needed to consider what women would like to drink.
Cheng You pondered for a moment and felt it wasn’t impossible, but controlling costs became an issue.
Buying canned beer from a store to sell would obviously not be cost-effective. If they could sell draft beer like in state-run restaurants, charging by the cup would be acceptable.