Reborn in the 80s: Divorced and Spoiled by the Military Man - Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Captain Shen, Passing By Again?

“Sis, don’t stay up too late studying tonight.”

Xie Mingcheng interrupted her thoughts and shoved the book in his hand into hers. “This is a sophomore-year workbook I borrowed from a classmate. Make me a copy tomorrow and give it back to me.”

Xie Yunshu had already taught herself everything from freshman year. These days, aside from books on architecture, she also found time to study the sophomore curriculum. Other than English, which she truly had no grasp of at all, she could understand the other subjects.

“Okay. Thank your classmate for me.”

Xie Yunshu came back to her senses, put the drawing away, and placed it in the drawer. She felt she must have been overthinking things. Xiaowei was Zhou Xinyue’s child. How could he possibly have anything to do with Ji Siyuan? Besides, Ji Siyuan was only twenty-one this year. No matter how she looked at it, the ages did not match.

Was it a coincidence? But wasn’t it a little too much of a coincidence?

Two days later, Professor Li handed the notebook and blueprints back to Xie Yunshu. “Not a single detail is off.”

In other words, all the information Xie Yunshu had extracted from the blueprints was correct. If the construction crew followed the data and directions she had provided, there would be no problems.

This was the first time she had truly received recognition. Xie Yunshu was a little excited and said thank you several times in a row.

Professor Li smiled. “Strictly speaking, you should be taking sophomore courses now, but there’s nothing wrong with building a solid foundation first. If you have any questions in the future, come to me anytime.”

Xie Yunshu tightened her fingers around the blueprint and pressed her lips together in a faint smile. “Professor Li, then I may be troubling you quite often.”

There were far too few girls who could go far in the field of architecture. Professor Li waved his hand. “I’m a teacher, and you’re a student. That isn’t trouble.”

When she was selling lunch at noon, Xie Yunshu handed the blueprints and notebook to Li Shengli. “Brother Li, there are no problems this time. You can take on that job without worrying!”

Li Shengli had originally already given up. Qiangzi, on the other hand, had always firmly believed that Xie Yunshu would definitely find a way. Li Shengli had no idea why that kid had so much confidence in Yunshu Little Sister. So when Xie Yunshu finished speaking, his eyes widened, and it took him a long while to react. “Yunshu Little Sister, you really helped find a technician?”

Xie Yunshu pointed at herself. “I handled the data and everything myself, but I had a professor from night school look it over. There are no problems.”

The good news had come too quickly. Li Shengli had already been planning to go to another Construction Site to haul cement. Now that the technical problem had suddenly been solved, none of the brothers under him would have to go back to their hometowns!

“Yunshu Little Sister, from today on, you’re the technician for our crew!” Li Shengli burst into hearty laughter, in an excellent mood. “I’ll pay you the market rate for technical fees. I guarantee I won’t let you lose out!”

Xie Yunshu did want to make money, but she shook her head. “Brother Li, this doesn’t count as helping. I was interested in the blueprints myself, so I was willing to organize the data.”

From the first day she started selling meals, Li Shengli had supported her without hesitation. He called himself a regular customer, but in truth, the way they got along was more like friends.

Li Shengli pondered for a moment, then said frankly, “Let’s not talk about that now. We’ll discuss it after I take on the job. But if there’s anything I don’t understand along the way, I’ll definitely have to trouble you again.”

Xie Yunshu raised an eyebrow. “I consider Brother Li a friend. Friends don’t talk about trouble.”

Li Shengli put away the blueprints and did not say any more polite words. He only nodded. “All right. Friends don’t talk about trouble.”

There were still a few days before the canteen officially opened, and Tian Hao told Xie Yunshu to start moving things over in advance. “It’s empty inside. Aside from the tables and chairs for eating, you’ll have to prepare everything else needed for cooking yourself.”

A canteen that could accommodate more than three hundred people was quite large, and it required a lot of supplies. Just buying everything would cost a considerable sum. This time, Xie Yunshu did not pinch pennies. She went to the market and spent several hundred yuan in one go, buying several more large woks, chopping boards, kitchen utensils, and all kinds of seasonings needed for stir-frying.

If they were really going to start selling meals, the people they had now definitely wouldn’t be enough. Hiring more help had become urgent.

Li Fenlan hesitated several times before finally testing the waters. “Yunshu, what do you think about asking Shanchuan’s Mother to come help? She’s always waiting outside for Shanchuan to get off work, and she seems honest and decent. She can’t speak, but I’m sure she’s quick with her hands. Besides, it’s not easy for a woman like her…”

Song Shanchuan and his mother were both mute. There was no man in the family, and they didn’t have many relatives either. They did seem pitiful. But at least Song Shanchuan had real skills. He was excellent at cooking, whether it was home-style dishes or stir-fries, and after learning from Master Zhang, even his big-pot dishes came out looking, smelling, and tasting good.

But what could his mother do? At most, she could help with odd jobs. Since she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t even be used to sell meals. For the same wages, Xie Yunshu could easily hire someone without that limitation.

Xie Yunshu actually didn’t really want to take her on, but Song Shanchuan was indeed a very good chef, so she relented. “Mom, she can help in the back kitchen, but her pay definitely can’t compare to Auntie Zhao’s.”

Auntie Zhao knew how to make all kinds of noodles and pastries. She was strong, efficient, fast and steady when serving food, and most importantly, her character could be trusted. She never slacked off on the job. As for Song Shanchuan’s mother, she was thin and small and couldn’t speak. Aside from doing miscellaneous work in the back kitchen, there wasn’t much else she could do.

Li Fenlan brightened at once and continued, “And your Auntie Liu and Auntie Zhang…”

Xie Yunshu pinched the bridge of her nose. “Mom, they can’t all be neighbors.”

Li Fenlan pressed her lips together. “I was just thinking that since we’re all neighbors, everyone could help each other out.”

This time, Xie Yunshu didn’t go along with her. “Mom, no. That won’t work.”

Li Fenlan might have been a little too kindhearted, but she listened to her daughter. She nodded and said, “Then tomorrow afternoon, Auntie Zhao and I will go to the labor market and see if there are any suitable people.”

People weren’t made of steel. They had to get up at five in the morning and work straight through until seven or eight at night. No one could endure that for long. Xie Yunshu calculated that aside from Song Shanchuan’s mother, they would need to hire at least another four or five helpers.

And she couldn’t keep running to the market every day to buy vegetables either. Otherwise, one motorized tricycle wouldn’t be able to haul back that many vegetables. She had to find a long-term supplier with good quality and fair prices.

Because she had all these things to deal with, even the energetic Xie Yunshu was starting to feel worn out. That evening, when she came out of night school, she actually yawned for once.

Ji Siyuan bumped her from behind. “Tomorrow, have your chef make potato stewed chicken, okay? I’m sick to death of eating pork and cabbage every day.”

Xie Yunshu rolled her eyes at him. “Young Master Ji, ordering dishes at the Construction Site canteen? What exactly is going on in that head of yours?”

During this period, Ji Siyuan had been running over to the canteen every noon, grandly claiming he was supporting her business.

After spending time with him lately, she had discovered that Ji Siyuan was practically an overgrown child. Although the two of them were the same age, she felt that Ji Siyuan was about as childish as Lin Cuiping’s younger brother…

Ji Siyuan stuck both hands in his pockets, his delicate face putting on a thoughtful expression. “I was thinking sweet-and-sour pork ribs would be pretty good too…”

Xie Yunshu got on her bicycle. “Go home and dream about it. Dreams have everything.”

Ji Siyuan also got on his bike and followed her. “Hey, I haven’t even said what vegetable dish I want yet!”

When they reached the school gate, Xie Yunshu stopped her bicycle, a little surprised. “Captain Shen?”

Behind her, Ji Siyuan’s smile faded slightly. Then he clicked his tongue. “Captain Shen, passing by again?”