The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 386 - 385 Jia Yuemei’s Dissatisfaction

Chapter 386: Chapter 385 Jia Yuemei’s Dissatisfaction

Shen Xiangnan looked at the amount on the account book and was equally astonished.

My goodness, just the cost of the dishes approaches five hundred yuan, and all this for offering meals for free without charging a dime. Isn’t this a surefire way to play the fool?

Jia Yuemei continued to complain, "I’m telling you, your little sister isn’t sincerely helping you run a restaurant. Just look at this desolate place, where it’s hard to spot even a single person. Who would travel this far just to eat?"

"If we had known earlier, we might as well have opened a small noodle shop in the city. At least that could earn a couple hundred yuan a month."

"How about we talk to your little sister and decide to return to the city to open a noodle shop?"

This time, however, Shen Xiangnan was unusually clear-headed and didn’t follow Jia Yuemei’s instigation.

"My little sister has her reasons for setting up the restaurant here. Besides, she has said that regardless of whether the restaurant makes money or loses it, I will still get paid."

"Sure, running a noodle shop would be profitable, but we are without influence or power. What if we run into hooligans like Cao Haigang causing trouble again?"

That was a valid point.

It wasn’t easy for country folk to go to the city and make money doing business.

Jia Yuemei had no choice but to set aside the idea and began to miss her daughter instead.

She and Shen Xiangnan had gone into the city, and Qin Jinlian had returned to the countryside to help them take care of their daughter.

But Qin Jinlian wasn’t idle either. She set up a snack stall in town on market days and could make thirty to fifty yuan a month.

...

After the tasting event concluded, Shen Mingzhu didn’t rush to open the restaurant for business.

She made improvements and upgrades to the dishes based on the customers’ feedback, and through the tasting event, she also identified many issues with the service.

For example, the service staff had a poor sense of customer service, lacking initiative—in simple terms, they were oblivious to the work around them.

If chopsticks were dropped, they wouldn’t immediately help to replace them with clean ones, and when teacups were empty, they wouldn’t refill them in time. They would hurry to do so only after the customer called for it.

Additionally, the waitstaff’s knowledge of the dishes was also insufficient; when customers asked questions, the staff would stutter and struggle to answer.

Considering all of this, Shen Mingzhu decided to postpone the opening date to half a month later.

To save on expenses, Shen Mingzhu had initially hired only four employees.

Two for the kitchen, one assistant to Shen Xiangnan and one responsible for kitchen chores and washing dishes and utensils.

The other two employees were women. Including Jia Yuemei, they had three people working as waitstaff.

Her initial thought was that for a newly opened restaurant, having three or four tables of customers a day would be quite good, and six employees would be sufficient to run the place.

However, the shortcomings and problems revealed during the tasting event made her realize that even a small restaurant like hers needed to establish a comprehensive personnel system and a system of rewards and punishments to ensure the staff’s enthusiasm and passion for their work.

...

Shen Mingzhu called the three waitstaff together and pointed out the errors they each had made during the tasting event.

The mistakes made by Peng Ling and Ma Xiaoping were similar—they were both unenthusiastic and passive in their service.

However, there were also merits to be found in both individuals, such as their efficiency and diligence without laziness.

In short, where criticism was due, it had to be given, and where praise was warranted, it had to be delivered emphatically.

"Jia Yuemei."

Jia Yuemei was startled when Shen Mingzhu called her name.

Ever since she married into the Shen Family, Shen Mingzhu had always addressed her as "second sister-in-law." This was the first time she called her by her full name, which carried a seriousness as if conducting official business.

"Do you know what issues you have?"

Jia Yuemei glanced at Peng Ling and Ma Xiaoping beside her, her face showing embarrassment, "What problem do I have?"

"You have the most problems, and they’re more serious too."

Jia Yuemei’s face instantly flushed red, she muttered somewhat defiantly, "I don’t think I have any problems."

Shen Mingzhu picked up her tea, took a sip, and then spoke, "Now that the restaurant is open, and second brother has his own business, if you have other plans, you can bring them up now. If you don’t want to stay and work in the restaurant, then I won’t say anything more."

Jia Yuemei was taken aback and quickly said, "Little sister, what do you mean? What plans could I possibly have? Of course I’m going to work with your second brother, wherever he is, that’s where I’ll be!"

Shen Mingzhu nodded, "Alright, since you choose to stay at the restaurant, then I’ll speak plainly. Your job is the same as Peng Ling and Ma Xiaoping’s, you’re all waitstaff for the restaurant. Your job responsibilities are the same as theirs; you are not special compared to them, nor are you their leader. The tasks that you should be doing, I hope you’ll take them to heart and do them well, and not push them onto others anymore."

Peng Ling and Ma Xiaoping were unhappy about being ordered around by Jia Yuemei.

All being waitstaff, who was nobler than whom?

It was simply because of Jia Yuemei’s relation to the boss that they had to suppress their frustrations and endure in silence.

Now that Shen Mingzhu had spoken up for them, their gratitude and appreciation for her as their boss filled their hearts.

Yet, Jia Yuemei’s reaction was completely the opposite.

Her complexion alternated between shades of pale and flushed, her lips trembling as she tried to say something but couldn’t, shame and annoyance causing her to bite her lip.

"The city isn’t like the countryside, where people like to gather and chat, whether they know each other or not. City people value privacy, and if you aggressively try to get chummy with strangers, it’s offensive."

"The guests who came to the restaurant for the trial tasting are basically influential figures with reputations; they need quiet and don’t like to be disturbed."

"There are plenty of restaurants with good food in the city. They chose to come here for the peace and comfort. If they can’t even have that peace, no matter how delicious our dishes are, they won’t come back."

Having said this, Shen Mingzhu paused for several seconds, to give the three some time to digest the information.

She then pointed out Jia Yuemei’s issues, "Your biggest problem is that you don’t know how to read the room, you don’t know when to stay out of the way. The guests eat and chat about personal and private matters; as a waiter, do you think it’s appropriate to stand there like a post and listen in?"

Jia Yuemei’s face turned red, then pale, and then green.

"Of course, if you’re not performing well, as the boss, I can’t shirk responsibility. I provided you with jobs but failed to offer the necessary training beforehand."

This statement served as a way for them both to save face.

"Starting the day after tomorrow, I will take some time out every afternoon to train you all, a total of seven days of training."

"At the end of the training, I will conduct a uniform assessment. Only those who meet the standards will be able to stay."

"Furthermore, based on everyone’s performance in the assessment, I will select the best candidate for the position of supervisor."

"In short, everyone has a fair and just opportunity. Whether you are content with the status quo or desire a promotion and a raise, it all depends on your own performance."

...

When the sun was about to set, Shen Xiangnan finally returned to the employee dormitory located behind the restaurant.

As soon as he entered, he got hit squarely by a shoe sole that Jia Yuemei was stitching up.

Shen Xiangnan was bewildered, "What’s the matter? Who’s upset you again?"

Jia Yuemei rattled on like a machine gun, detailing how Shen Mingzhu had harshly criticized her that afternoon.

"...Even if I was wrong, she could’ve spoken to me in private. It didn’t have to be in public, making me lose face. I’ve been completely humiliated."

Shen Xiangnan was indifferent, "What’s the big deal? Little sister has always been like that, she even scolds me and big brother. If she said a few words to you, so what? Does it cost you any flesh or what?"

Jia Yuemei’s anger wasn’t just about this, "Shen Xiangnan, as a man, are you a man of your word or not!?"

"We had an agreement before, once the restaurant opened, you would be the boss and I would be the boss’s wife."

"But today your little sister says, if I want to stay at the restaurant, I can only be a waitress, just like Peng Ling and Ma Xiaoping!"