Xu An kembali ke restorannya pukul satu. Setelah sibuk mondar-mandir di ketiga kedainya selama sejam, hari sudah pukul dua. Dia mencari meja kosong, mengeluarkan buku catatan dan pulpen, lalu mulai merancang apa saja yang dibutuhkannya untuk membuka toko makanan rebus.
Meski proses perebusan membantu mengawetkan makanan lebih lama, efeknya terbatas di cuaca yang terik ini. Kulkas adalah barang wajib.
Pikirannya tidak perlu terlalu rumit untuk bagian ini. Dia tinggal meniru penataan peralatan dari toko-toko seperti Zhou Baiya.
Etalase berpendingin untuk produk rebusan dan lemari pembeku dada untuk penyimpanan. Dengan begitu, fasilitas dasarnya sudah beres.
Xu An juga tidak berniat mengubah hal-hal seperti kemasan; dia akan terus menggunakan kemasan yang sama seperti Restoran Cepat Saji Xu. Dia hanya perlu menambahkan tulisan "Toko Makanan Rebus" pada papan namanya.
Infrastruktur dasar untuk gerai itu sudah diputuskan, tetapi masih ada satu masalah: makanan rebusnya itu sendiri!
Ya, makanan rebusnya.
Resep yang digunakan saat ini untuk makanan rebus sepenuhnya adalah resep rahasia keluarga Zhang Dezhen sendiri. Terus terang saja, jika Zhang Dezhen memutuskan untuk kabur, toko makanan rebus itu akan tamat.
Kekayaan bisa menggoda siapa saja. Saat ini, penjualan makanan rebus di Restoran Cepat Saji Xu volumenya sekitar seratus jin sehari. Ada keuntungan, tapi tidak terlalu besar; paling-paling hanya menutupi biaya seperti tenaga kerja dan utilitas.
Namun, itu baru situasi saat ini. Bagaimana jika penjualan meroket setelah toko makanan rebus itu buka?
Sulit dipastikan apakah Zhang Dezhen pada akhirnya akan pergi dan membuka tokonya sendiri, mengingat dialah yang memegang kunci resepnya.
'Apakah sebaiknya aku membayar untuk membeli resep rahasia ini dari Zhang Dezhen? Berapa harga yang wajar?'
'Tiga ribu? Sepuluh ribu? Tiga puluh ribu?'
'Membeli resep tidak akan menghapusnya dari ingatan Zhang Dezhen. Begitu bisnis makanan rebus melesat, dia bisa saja membuka toko saingan di tempat lain.'
'Solusi terbaik tetaplah mempertahankan Zhang Dezhen di Restoran Cepat Saji Xu.'
'Tapi bagaimana caranya agar dia mau bertahan?'
'Bagaimana kalau komisi berdasarkan volume penjualan?'
'Misalnya, untuk setiap keuntungan seribu yuan, Zhang Dezhen mendapat komisi lima puluh yuan berdasarkan keahlian teknisnya?'
'Semakin tinggi penjualan, semakin besar komisi yang didapat Zhang Dezhen.'
'Saat ini, menu rebusan nabati harganya lima yuan per jin, dengan keuntungan bersih tiga yuan per jin. Menu daging harganya tiga puluh yuan per jin, dengan keuntungan bersih delapan belas yuan per jin.'
'Keuntungan seribu yuan berarti penjualan harian sebanyak 333 jin untuk menu nabati, atau 55 jin untuk menu daging.'
'Berdasarkan penjualan harian saat ini yang mencapai seratus jin di Restoran Cepat Saji Xu, keuntungannya adalah 300-400 yuan. Jika diambil nilai tengahnya 350 yuan, dia akan mendapat komisi 50 yuan setiap tiga hari.'
'Dalam sebulan yang terdiri dari tiga puluh hari, itu berarti komisi lima ratus yuan hanya dari Restoran Cepat Saji Xu.'
'Ditambah dengan gaji pokoknya sebesar 2.300 yuan, totalnya menjadi 2.800 yuan. Bagi Zhang Dezhen, ini semua adalah pendapatan murni.'
'Dia tidak perlu mencari bahan sendiri, mengurus pemasaran, atau menyewa tempat serta membayar sewa dan utilitas. Dan seiring dengan meningkat pendapatannya dari penjualan makanan rebus di Restoran Cepat Saji Xu, pendapatannya pun akan ikut naik.'
'Namun, dibandingkan pilihan pertama yang menerima pembayaran sekaligus lalu pergi, pilihan kedua ini memiliki banyak ketidakpastian.'
'Jika penjualan toko makanan rebus bagus, dia tentu akan meraup banyak uang. Tapi jika penjualannya buruk, rasanya bagaikan melihat bebek panggang terbang.'
'Dia mungkin akan terbangun di tengah malam, menangis karena menyesal. Dulu, ada tumpukan uang tepat di depan mataku, tapi aku melepaskannya...'
Namun keputusan akhir tetap berada di tangan Zhang Dezhen sendiri. Pilihan mana pun yang dia ambil, Xu An bisa menerimanya.
Bahkan jika Zhang Dezhen memilih pergi dan membuka toko makanan rebusnya sendiri, Xu An juga bisa menerimanya.
'Paling buruk, aku tinggal pergi ke kampung halaman Zhang Dezhen dan membeli resep makanan rebus lain di sana.'
'Selama aku menawarkan cukup uang, pasti ada yang tergiur. Aku tidak khawatir tidak bisa membeli resep.'
Saat Xu An selesai merapikan pikirannya dan mengambil keputusan, waktu sudah menunjukkan pukul 14.30, saatnya Restoran Cepat Saji Xu tutup untuk hari itu.
Setelah melepas telenan dan menggantungnya di dinding, Zhang Dezhen keluar untuk pamit kepada Xu An hendak pulang, tetapi Xu An memanggilnya. "Guru Zhang, ada yang ingin kubicarakan denganmu."
'Bisnis makanan rebus akhir-akhir ini sangat stabil, jadi seharusnya bukan soal itu. Jualan di lapak jalanan juga berjalan lancar. Meski ada saingan, aku pada dasarnya selalu ludes terjual. Aku sudah bekerja keras di restoran, tidak ada masalah di sana...'
Setelah memikirkan semua itu dan memastikan dia tidak membuat kesalahan di dalam pekerjaannya, Zhang Dezhen dengan hati-hati duduk di hadapan Xu An, menatapnya dengan sedikit gugup.
"Aku sudah memikirkan hal ini selama beberapa hari terakhir, dan aku berencana menyewa sebuah ruko di dekat Gedung Perkantoran Silver Star untuk khusus berjualan makanan rebus..."
"Bos, apakah Anda berencana menyuruh saya pergi ke sana?" tanya Zhang Dezhen, wajahnya berseri-seri gembira bahkan sebelum Xu An selesai bicara.
"...Bukan itu."
Xu An tidak berniat bertele-tele. Dia langsung menceritakan rencananya kepada Zhang Dezhen dan memaparkan kedua opsi tersebut, membiarkannya mempertimbangkan sendiri apakah dia menginginkan pembayaran beli putus satu kali atau sistem bagi hasil.
Jumlah informasi yang begitu banyak membuat otak Zhang Dezhen mengalami korsleting sejenak. Butuh waktu beberapa saat untuk melakukan booting ulang dan mengembalikan kemampuan berpikirnya.
"Jika saya mengambil opsi beli putus satu kali, berapa jumlahnya? Dan setelah dibeli putus, apakah saya masih bisa terus bekerja di restoran ini?" tanya Zhang Dezhen dengan hati-hati.
Dalam kehidupan masa lalunya, Xu An pernah mengobrol santai dengan seorang rekan kerja yang menceritakan bahwa keluarganya dulu berbisnis malatang. Kuah dasar mereka sangat disukai pelanggan dan tempat itu selalu sesak setiap hari.
Namun kemudian, kesehatan orang tuanya menurun, dan dia butuh uang untuk biaya kuliahnya, jadi mereka menjual resep kuah malatang itu. Resep itu laku delapan ribu yuan, kembali pada tahun 2006.
Sekarang tahun 2012, dan harga-harga sudah naik lumayan tinggi. Berdasarkan harga yang didapat keluarga rekannya dulu, menawarkan sekitar dua puluh ribu sekarang tampaknya sudah pas.
"Harga beli putus satu kalinya adalah dua puluh ribu yuan. Dan selama kamu mau, Restoran Cepat Saji Xu akan dengan senang hati menyambutmu untuk tetap tinggal."
'Dua puluh ribu yuan! Gaji bulanan saya hanya 2.300. Itu setara dengan gaji sembilan bulan!'
'Tapi kemudian dia memikirkan rencana bagi hasil yang disebutkan Xu An. Jika makanan rebus itu laku keras, sepertinya dia bisa mendapat penghasilan lebih banyak lagi, dan itu akan menjadi pendapatan yang berkelanjutan...'
Zhang Dezhen sangat tergoda oleh kedua opsi tersebut dan, untuk sesaat, tidak tahu mana yang lebih baik. Setelah bergulat dengan keputusannya untuk waktu yang lama, dia bertanya dengan hati-hati, "Bos, bolehkah saya pulang dan memikirkannya dulu? Saya akan memberi tahu jawabannya besok, boleh?"
Xu An mengangguk setuju. Ruko itu belum disewa, dan bahkan setelah disewa, butuh waktu seminggu untuk mengurus semua dokumen dan membuka tokonya. Selisih sehari atau dua hari tidak akan menjadi masalah.
Pada pukul 14.35, tim Liu Daxi keluar dari dapur belakang. Mereka melepas celemek, topi koki, dan masker, lalu duduk di bawah kipas angin gantung sambil mengobrol untuk mendinginkan badan.
Sambil mengobrol, seseorang tiba-tiba berkata, "Kita sekarang sudah punya pekerjaan tetap. Bagaimana kalau kita kembali dan menjenguk semuanya?"
Mereka berenam menoleh untuk memandang Liu Daxi, menanyakan pendapatnya tanpa suara.
Liu Daxi perlahan mengangguk di bawah tatapan penuh harap mereka. Keenam orang itu langsung bersorak gembira, wajah mereka berseri-seri penuh suka cita saat mulai membahas hadiah apa yang harus dibawa pulang.
Melihat perayaan gembira mereka, pikiran Liu Daxi mulai melayang, ingatannya kembali ke awal mula segalanya.
Liu Daxi pernah menjadi kepala koki di Hotel Imperial di kota tetangga. Sederhananya, di dapur itu, jika dia bilang satu, tidak ada yang berani bilang dua.
Kembali pada tahun 2007, kebijakan ketenagakerjaan pertama untuk penyandang disabilitas diperkenalkan. Kota Hai secara aktif menanggapi kebijakan ini, menyelenggarakan program pelatihan dan penempatan kerja bagi penyandang disabilitas.
Liu Daxi adalah salah satu master yang diundang untuk melatih mereka, dan keenam orang yang menjadi tanggung jawabnya adalah enam orang yang kini berada di bawah naungannya.
Karena berbagai sumber daya dan fasilitas yang dijanjikan oleh Kota Hai, banyak hotel menanggapinya dengan antusias. Semua peserta pelatihan yang keterampilan profesionalnya memenuhi syarat setelah program langsung dipekerjakan.
Enam orang yang belajar di bawah didikan Liu Daxi juga dipekerjakan oleh empat hotel dan restoran yang berbeda.
Program itu bisa dianggap sukses besar, berakhir dengan catatan bahagia bagi semua pihak yang terlibat.
Namun kenyataan tidaklah semulus itu. Dari enam orang yang belajar bersama Liu Daxi, dua orang dipecat oleh hotel mereka setelah tiga bulan dengan alasan seperti "bentrokan kepribadian", "ketidakmampuan berkomunikasi", dan "menghambat alur kerja"...
Kebetulan sekali, dua orang dari tim Liu Daxi sendiri baru saja berhenti. Didorong oleh rasa tanggung jawab dari hubungan guru-murid di masa lalu, Liu Daxi menerima keduanya masuk ke dalam timnya.
Empat orang sisanya bergabung dengan tim Liu Daxi melalui berbagai kebetulan pada bulan keenam, kedelapan, satu tahun, dan satu setengah tahun kemudian. Setelah itu, mereka bertujuh bekerja bersama selama tiga setengah tahun.
Kehidupan seharusnya terus berjalan, stabil dan damai, tetapi hotel tersebut mendapatkan pemilik baru.
Pemilik baru itu pernah kuliah di luar negeri dan sangat antusias dengan masakan Barat. Dia mengganti semua hidangan khas restoran itu dengan hidangan Barat dan bahkan merekrut tim koki baru yang berspesialisasi dalam makanan Barat.
Begitu tim masakan Barat itu berhasil menancapkan pijakan yang kokoh, Liu Daxi, seorang karyawan veteran sepuluh atau dua puluh tahun yang telah bekerja keras dan memberikan kontribusi besar,
Xu An returned to his restaurant at one o’clock. After an hour of bustling around his three shops, it was already two. He found an empty table, took out a notebook and pen, and began to map out what he would need to open a braised food shop.
Although the braising process helped preserve the food for longer, the effect was limited in this sweltering heat. A refrigerator was an absolute must.
He didn’t need to think too much about this part. He could just copy the equipment setup from stores like Zhou Baiya.
A refrigerated display case for the braised items and a chest freezer for storage. With those, the basic facilities would be all set.
Xu An didn’t plan on changing things like the packaging, either; he would continue to use the same packaging as Xu’s Fast Food. He would just need to add the words "Braised Food Shop" to the sign.
The basic infrastructure for the storefront was all decided, but there was still one problem: the braised food itself!
Yes, the braised food.
The recipe currently used for the braised food was entirely Zhang Dezhen’s own secret family recipe. To be blunt, if Zhang Dezhen decided to bolt, the braised food shop would be finished.
Wealth can tempt anyone. Right now, selling the braised food at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, the daily volume was around a hundred pounds. There was profit, but not a huge amount; at most, it just covered expenses like labor and utilities.
But that was just the current situation. What if sales skyrocketed after the braised food shop opened?
It was hard to say whether Zhang Dezhen would eventually go off and open his own shop, since he was the one who held the key to the recipe.
’Should I just pay to buy this secret recipe from Zhang Dezhen? How much would be a fair price?’
’Three thousand? Ten thousand? Thirty thousand?’
’Buying the recipe wouldn’t erase it from Zhang Dezhen’s memory. Once the braised food business takes off, he could just open up a competing shop somewhere else.’
’The best solution is still to keep Zhang Dezhen at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant.’
’But how can I get him to stay?’
’What about a commission based on sales volume?’
’For example, for every thousand yuan of profit, Zhang Dezhen could get a fifty-yuan commission based on his technical expertise?’
’The higher the sales, the more commission Zhang Dezhen would earn.’
’Currently, the vegetarian braised items are five yuan per *jin*, with a net profit of three yuan per *jin*. The meat items are thirty yuan per *jin*, with a net profit of eighteen yuan per *jin*.’
’A thousand yuan in profit would mean daily sales of 333 *jin* of vegetarian items, or 55 *jin* of meat items.’
’Based on the current daily sales of a hundred *jin* at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, the profit is 300-400 yuan. Taking the median of 350 yuan, he would get a 50-yuan commission every three days.’
’In a thirty-day month, that’s five hundred yuan in commission just from Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant.’
’Add that to his base salary of 2,300 yuan, and his total would be 2,800 yuan. For Zhang Dezhen, this would all be pure income.’
’He wouldn’t have to source his own ingredients, handle marketing, or rent a storefront and pay for rent and utilities. And as the braised food sales at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant grow, so would his income.’
’But compared to the first option of taking a lump sum and walking away, the second choice had a great deal of uncertainty.’
’If the braised food shop’s sales are good, he would naturally rake it in. But if sales are poor, it would be like watching a cooked duck fly away.’
’He’d probably wake up in the middle of the night, weeping with regret. Once, there was a pile of money right in front of me, but I gave it up...’
But the final decision rested with Zhang Dezhen himself. Whichever option he chose, Xu An could accept it.
Even if Zhang Dezhen chose to leave and open his own braised food shop, Xu An could accept that too.
’Worst case, I’ll just have to make a trip to Zhang Dezhen’s hometown and buy another braised food recipe there.’
’As long as I offer enough money, someone will be tempted. I’m not worried about being unable to buy a recipe.’
By the time Xu An had sorted out his thoughts and made up his mind, it was already 2:30 PM, time for Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant to close for the day.
After taking off his apron and hanging it on the wall, Zhang Dezhen came out to say goodbye to Xu An, intending to leave, but Xu An called out to him. "Master Zhang, I have something to discuss with you."
’The braised food business has been very stable lately, so it shouldn’t be about that. Selling at the street stall is also going smoothly. Even with competition, I basically sell out every time. I’ve been working hard in the restaurant, no problems there...’
After running through all these thoughts and confirming he hadn’t made any mistakes at work, Zhang Dezhen cautiously sat down across from Xu An, looking at him with a hint of nervousness.
"I’ve been thinking for the past couple of days, and I’m planning to lease a storefront over by the Silver Star Office Building to specialize in selling braised food..."
"Boss, are you planning to have me go over there?" Zhang Dezhen asked, his face lit with a pleasant surprise before Xu An could even finish.
"...That’s not it."
Xu An didn’t intend to beat around the bush. He directly told Zhang Dezhen his plan and laid out the two options, letting him consider for himself whether he wanted the one-time buyout payment or the profit-sharing plan.
The sheer amount of information caused Zhang Dezhen’s brain to short-circuit for a moment. It took a while for it to reboot and for him to regain his ability to think.
"If I take the one-time buyout, how much would it be? And after the buyout, could I still keep working here at the restaurant?" Zhang Dezhen asked cautiously.
In his past life, Xu An had been idly chatting with a colleague who mentioned that his family used to be in the *malatang* business. Their soup base was incredibly popular with customers, and the place was packed every day.
But later, his parents’ health declined, and he needed money for his studies, so they sold the recipe for the *malatang* soup base. It went for eight thousand yuan, back in 2006.
Now it was 2012, and prices had gone up quite a bit. Based on the price his colleague’s family got, offering around twenty thousand now seemed appropriate.
"The one-time buyout price is twenty thousand yuan. And as long as you want to, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant would be happy for you to stay on."
’Twenty thousand yuan! My monthly salary is only 2,300. That’s equivalent to nine months of wages!’
’But then he thought about the profit-sharing plan Xu An mentioned. If the braised food sold well, it seemed like he could earn even more, and it would be a continuous income...’
Zhang Dezhen was deeply tempted by both options and, for a moment, didn’t know which was better. After wrestling with the decision for a long time, he asked cautiously, "Boss, can I go home and think it over? I’ll give you an answer tomorrow, is that okay?"
Xu An nodded in agreement. The storefront hadn’t been leased yet, and even once it was, it would take a week to get all the paperwork done and open the shop. A day or two wouldn’t make a difference.
At 2:35 PM, Liu Daxi’s team came out from the back kitchen. They took off their aprons, chef hats, and masks, and sat under the ceiling fan, chatting while they cooled down.
As they were chatting, someone suddenly signed, "We have stable jobs now. Should we go back and visit everyone?"
The six of them all turned to look at Liu Daxi, silently asking for his opinion.
Liu Daxi slowly nodded under their expectant gazes. The six of them immediately broke into cheers, their faces alight with joy as they began discussing what gifts to bring back with them.
Watching their jubilant celebration, Liu Daxi’s mind began to drift, his memory returning to the very beginning.
Liu Daxi had been the head chef at the Royal Hotel in the next city over. To put it simply, in that kitchen, if he said one, no one dared say two.
Back in 2007, the first employment policy for disabled people was introduced. Hai City actively responded to this policy, organizing a training and employment program for the disabled.
Liu Daxi was one of the masters invited to train them, and the six people he was responsible for were the very same six now under his charge.
Because of the various resources and benefits promised by Hai City, many hotels responded enthusiastically. All trainees whose professional skills met the requirements after the program were hired.
The six people who studied under Liu Daxi were also hired by four different hotels and restaurants.
The program could be considered a resounding success, ending on a happy note for everyone involved.
But reality wasn’t so smooth. Of the six who had studied with Liu Daxi, two were fired by their hotel after three months for reasons like "personality clashes," "inability to communicate," and "delaying workflow"...
Coincidentally, two people from Liu Daxi’s own team had just quit. Feeling a sense of responsibility from their past master-disciple relationship, Liu Daxi took the two of them into his own team.
The remaining four joined Liu Daxi’s team through various coincidences at six months, eight months, one year, and a year and a half later, respectively. Afterward, the seven of them worked together for three and a half years.
Life was supposed to continue on, stable and peaceful, but the hotel got a new owner.
The new owner had studied abroad and was very enthusiastic about Western cuisine. He replaced all of the restaurant’s signature dishes with Western ones and even hired a new team of chefs specializing in Western food.
Once the Western cuisine team had established a firm foothold, Liu Daxi, a veteran employee of ten or twenty years who had worked hard and contributed greatly, was "asked to leave."
Although only a short three years had passed, the job market had changed dramatically.
Many hotels were willing to hire Liu Daxi, but they weren’t willing to take on his entire team.
After much searching, Liu Daxi finally ended up at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant through an introduction from a recruitment agency.
Just as Liu Daxi was reminiscing about the past, the taxi drew closer and finally stopped in front of an old, weathered building.
The paint on the building’s walls had peeled away in many places, revealing the plaster beneath and a network of hairline cracks. The doors and windows were small and aged; the wooden frames had begun to rot, soft enough to leave a deep indent if you pressed them with a finger. The courtyard gate was mottled with rust, overgrown with lush green vines. A thin, gaunt security guard with sparse, graying hair sat dozing behind the gate...
"Uncle Bao, we’re back to see everyone!" Liu Daxi’s voice, though hoarse with age, was still as resonant as ever.
Uncle Bao, who had been dozing, was startled awake by Liu Daxi’s shout. He looked toward Liu Daxi and his six companions with sleepy eyes.
Upon seeing the seven of them, his eyes flew wide open in a flash, filled with pleasant surprise.
He didn’t even bother wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. He reached for a homemade crutch leaning against the wall, pushed himself up with an effort, and stood. As he moved, his left pant leg swung back and forth a few times, completely empty inside...
Liu Daxi and his group seemed accustomed to this and didn’t find it strange. Once Uncle Bao opened the gate, they filed in one after another.
A crowd of people was gathered in the open space behind the gate. Seeing Liu Daxi and his group, they all came forward enthusiastically, asking one another how they’d been.
Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Liu Daxi’s phone suddenly rang.
He took the phone out of his pocket and squinted at the caller ID.
Well, what do you know. It was an "old acquaintance"—the head of the Black Swan Hotel.
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