Chapter 358: Chapter 357: Hu Li
Art student?
Jiang Feng’s mind raced with a bold conjecture.
With an abundance of universities in Beiping, including prestigious 985 universities making 211 institutions tremble, where a first-tier university can be found at every turn and second-tier universities were scoffed at, if a signboard from a university town were to fall and hit ten people, eight would be university students, and the remaining two would be teachers.
If some art academy teacher were to eat a bowl of pure meat wontons at Taifeng Building and had their creative inspiration sparked, then casually mentioned Taifeng Building during a lesson because they didn’t want to teach, all of this would make sense.
Jiang Feng reviewed the 31 survey forms in his hands from beginning to end once more and, after counting, found that the people who liked the Sweet and Sour Yam he made were still the majority. Rounding up, he could consider himself the best chef in the Taifeng Building.
Putting the survey form down, Jiang Feng began to look for Hu Li.
Although he already had a conjecture, he still needed confirmation, and he had one last thing to ask Hu Li for help with.
Hu Li had never left at all, although she didn’t know why the young boss would suddenly conduct a survey, she felt that the young boss couldn’t possibly be conducting the survey for its own sake. If she wasn’t there after the young boss finished his busy work and wanted her to handle the next task, wouldn’t all her efforts be wasted?
As an ordinary girl from a rural family, with looks that were decent but not outstanding, from a household that favored sons over daughters, and not particularly intelligent, failing to get into a first-tier university and her parents unwilling to support her university education, Hu Li, who had come out to work in the city after high school graduation, was doing quite well compared to her peers.
The girls from her village with similar looks could only work as waitresses, do odd jobs in small restaurants, or even other more demanding work, but she was able to work as a waitress in a well-known big restaurant like Taifeng Building, with a relatively decent salary. Hu Li naturally had her own ways of survival.
She was well aware that there were ranks among the wait staff, and these ranks were directly reflected in the salaries.
She was an Area A waitress, and the waitresses in Area C earned 1000 more than her per month, with considerably higher commissions as well.
Qi Rou was a greeter, her sweet smile and approachability meant her salary was 1.5 times that of Hu Li’s.
The waitresses responsible for the private rooms on the second and third floors not only earned more, but also had lighter work than she did.
Not to mention the waitresses in charge of the VIP rooms, each one of them was a top talent with beautiful looks, pleasant voices, and strong business capabilities.
Ji Yue was the floor manager, and her salary was three times that of Hu Li’s. Fan Mei was the lobby manager, whose salary was four times and even more, and that’s not to mention other benefits and allowances.
Hu Li knew she couldn’t compete with the looks of the VIP room waitresses, her voice was not as sweet as Qi Rou’s, and her education was nowhere near that of the distinguished school graduates like Ji Yue and Fan Mei. She didn’t have Qi Rou’s approachability, Fan Mei’s overall view, Ji Yue’s work efficiency, and she wasn’t even as attractive as most of the waitresses at Taifeng Building.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to climb higher, it didn’t mean she wanted to be an Area A waitress for life until her youth faded and her once hardly-notable beauty turned aged. Waitresses like her lived off their youth; she couldn’t remain a waitress at a upscale restaurant forever, nor could she expect upscale restaurants to hire a woman in her 30s or 40s as a regular waitress, unless she had a managerial position like Fan Mei and Ji Yue.
Being hired by Taifeng Building was the best opportunity she had had since she started drifting in the city.
There was no power harassment, no arbitrary deductions from wages or bonuses, even overtime pay was paid promptly and in full; the bosses were strict but had a gentle temper. Most importantly was that here, everyone earned their meals through skill. Looks mattered, but it wasn’t all about looks.
Hu Li did not want to become a homewrecker for money like some of her fellow villagers did, nor did she want to drift in the big city rootlessly for seven or eight, maybe ten years, saving up a little money before returning to her hometown to settle down and get married, living a life in the countryside or working as a factory girl in the township’s textile mills, living a muddleheaded existence.
If she had never seen what’s out there, it might be fine, but having seen the splendor of the world with her own eyes, how could she willingly return to that?
So she drafted a plan and set for herself the best life blueprint she could imagine.
She wanted to blend with her colleagues, build good relationships with them, be cordial yet not too intimate, always carry a smile on her face, and speak in a friendly tone, even to someone as reclusive as Lin Ling, she needed to be warm.
She had to work diligently, making absolutely no mistakes, especially in front of her superiors; she learned to be as approachable as Qi Rou. On top of ensuring her own work was impeccable, she closely observed Ji Yue and Fan Mei’s work methods, learning from them to make sure that when opportunities arose, she wouldn’t let them slip away.
She was determined to take meticulous care of herself, learn makeup, and ensure her face neither gave her an advantage nor became a disadvantage.
In Hu Li’s original life plan, her goal for this year was to become a waitress in Area B or Area C.
Within three years, to become a private room waitress, and within five years, a VIP private room waitress.
Before turning thirty, to find a boyfriend with a stable job and get married to him.
Promoted to a management position before the age of thirty-three.
For now, she had only planned this much for her life; what lay beyond the age of thirty-three was beyond her imagination and clarity of planning.
But that was just the life plan she once had.
After Jiang Feng remembered her name and asked for her help, Hu Li stayed up all night to draft a new life plan.
This year, she wanted to become a private room waitress.
Lin Ling had already presented her with the chance to make an impression in front of the young boss, and if she failed to seize it, she’d only deserve a life of mediocrity.
After all, she was the only person in her class to get into a university, and although it wasn’t a top-tier university, her exam scores were high enough to rank in the top three at her town’s high school.
“Hu Li, you’re here. I have another thing I need you to keep an eye on,” Jiang Feng instantly spotted Hu Li sitting near the door.
Hu Li quickly stood up, smiling and said, “Just tell me what you need, young boss. I’ll make sure it’s done.”
“Keep an eye out for customers who order plain meat wontons in the coming days. If you see anyone who places an order two or three times, please make a note of them and let me know. I’d like to have a word with them,” Jiang Feng said.
“Of course, young boss. I remember the patrons who’ve ordered plain meat wontons these past few days, and I’ll inform you immediately,” Hu Li responded.
“Thanks a lot, you have a good memory,” Jiang Feng complimented.
“I just happen to be better at remembering people. It makes it easier to chat with regular customers and to recommend dishes,” Hu Li said.
“You really are thoughtful. I’ll leave you to your break then,” Jiang Feng nodded in approval.