Chapter 494: Chapter 32: The Bamboo Mat "Little Xi Shi
Zhuo Feng and his wife dropped Xiao Xian off at the Zeng Family, and coincidentally, Grandma Zeng had just returned from a temple where she was attending a vegetarian feast and Buddhist service.
Grandma Zeng enjoyed lively occasions, and she took an instant liking to the affectionate couple who seemed as sweet as if dipped in honey.
Mrs. Zeng couldn’t stop praising the new products from the farm that Zhuo Feng and his wife had brought. Seeing the Zeng family’s enthusiastic response, the couple felt relieved and set off for Shandong. They said it would take about ten to fifteen days.
At dinner, Grandma Zeng specially used the sweet potato flour and pickled sweet potato leaves produced by Yanqing Farm. Mrs. Zeng, who had tasted exotic delicacies from land and sea alike, could not find any faults with the farm’s by-products. Hearing that these were grown by Xiao Xian’s aunt and uncle, and notably that the by-products looked very appealing, she suggested that they should explore the high-end market.
Grandma Zeng, listening by the side, complained about why the conversation at a perfectly good meal had to turn to business matters. She mentioned that, given the chance, she would rather help out at the farm weeding and tilling the soil, which seemed much more comfortable than staying in a villa that felt like prison. Mrs. Zeng dared not bring up business anymore and just focused on eating, which made Xiao Xian and Xuerou giggle at the sight.
Xuerou, hearing that Xiao Xian was going to work for Mao Dazhu, asked curiously what exactly was sold in Mao Dazhu’s floristry business.
Xiao Xian thought about the decorations in Mao Dazhu’s office, "It should be ornamental potted plants related to bamboo, I remember seeing many potted plants in Mr. Bai’s house."
The next morning, Xiao Xian arrived promptly at 8:30 at the "Five Gentlemen Specialty Store" located in the East District as arranged by Mao Dazhu.
In the two years Xiao Xian had been in Beijing, her biggest improvement was in her shopping skills. Zhuo Feng loved shopping, especially in supermarkets, and often took Xiao Xian with him.
The supermarkets in Beijing differ from the small shops at the head of Ge Village, having organized categories and a vast array of goods.
However, Xiao Xian was not there to shop this time but to sell. Having had an experience selling sweet potatoes, she wasn’t worried about facing any difficulties in sales today. Plus, in her mind, the clientele for potted plants were elegant customers—easy to deal with a few transactions a day, and it should be quite relaxed.
Mao Dazhu mentioned that the Five Gentlemen’s specialty store was located beside the well-known "Hao Shanghao" supermarket in the East District, which was a good location. Nearby, there was a convenient street with various shops, including those selling home appliances, clothing, daily necessities, fresh and cooked food, refrigerated, and various daily goods.
Walking down the street would take roughly half an hour. The main customers were local residents, but during sales and promotions, residents from other central districts would also join the crowd.
During the summer holiday, many shops were having promotional activities, and the Five Gentlemen, in anticipation, had hired two college students as part-time promoters.
Ideally, inexperienced individuals like Xiao Xian should not have been involved in sales, but for some reason, Mao Dazhu had her work with the other two college student workers in retail sales at the store.
The temporary sales team, including Xiao Xian, was managed by a familiar face from the Wujunzi Company, a driver with a short haircut and a stern face who seemed very strict. "Listen carefully, your workday is six hours long, with shifts in the morning and evening. Morning shifts are from 9 AM to 3 PM, evening shifts from 3 PM to 9 PM, with no rest on Saturdays and Sundays. There are four of you in total, one of whom will be the team leader. The team leader’s hours are from 9 AM to 6 PM, eight hours, with weekends off. The basic daily wage is 50 yuan."
With such wages and bonuses, Xiao Xian really didn’t have much motivation to work, but since she was there for the experience, she showed great interest.
"Zhu Xiaoxian, you are the team leader," the familiar-faced driver directly called out Xiao Xian’s name.
"Why should she be the team leader? It’s not fair," the other two student sales clerks expressed their discontent. All three were new, and they wondered why the team leader role was assigned to Xiao Xian.
From the announced pay and rest times, though the team leader worked eight hours a day and only five days a week, totaling forty hours, other sales clerks had to work forty-two hours and were often scheduled for evening shifts, detailed issues that Xiao Xian didn’t seem to mind.