Chapter 51: Performance Reviews Are My Specialty

Liang Yunqing had already injured her shoulder, and being hoisted up like that only added injury to insult; the pain was far worse than when she was first hit.

"Are you alright?" Manager Yang asked, looking at her with concern.

"I'm just fine, aside from getting hammered twice. It was definitely their doing!"

Without even pausing to tend to her wounds, Liang Yunqing immediately started filing complaints.

The few people behind her wore very grim expressions, and the man who had just been directing the thugs was quietly trying to sneak backward.

"Sneaking off, my foot! It's you!"

Liang Yunqing grabbed Xia Shi'an and pointed right at him, practically basking in the feeling of having a powerful backer.

"Manager Jin, coming to cause trouble at my Prosperity Pavilion today—have you been living too comfortably lately?"

Xia Shi'an's slightly husky voice reached everyone's ears.

"Owner Xia, what happened today was merely a misunderstanding. However, I would also like to remind you that Owner Xia will not stay in our small county forever. Making too many enemies is never a good thing."

The threat in those words was glaringly obvious.

Of course, these restaurant managers feared Xia Shi'an's background, but a mighty dragon cannot crush a local serpent. She would not remain in this county forever; one day she would leave, and when that time came, the Prosperity Pavilion would have no one to protect it.

Contrary to their expectations, Xia Shi'an wore a look of utter disdain.

"It seems the Prosperity Pavilion has been far too polite to you all."

As her words fell, a number of men of various statures stepped out from behind her and quickly dispersed in all directions.

Before long, the sounds of smashing and wrecking echoed from every single restaurant along the street. The managers and waiters residing inside stumbled out one by one, holding their heads in panic.

"You! Don't go too far!"

The middle-aged man no longer had the mood to stroke his gold ring. He frowned as he watched his Golden Restaurant get thoroughly trashed.

"Manager Jin, you brought this upon yourself. If you have the guts, try smashing my Prosperity Pavilion too?"

That retort left him completely speechless. All the merchants in this trade knew full well the influence supporting the Prosperity Pavilion. Teaching Liang Yunqing a lesson today was merely meant to establish their stance; after all, in business, nothing is less acceptable than a monopoly on customers.

Not wishing to waste any more breath, Xia Shi'an left Manager Yang and a few helpers behind before turning to leave.

As she departed, she lowered her voice and said to Liang Yunqing, "Handle the rest of them however you see fit to vent your anger, just don't take any lives."

"Many thanks, Owner Xia."

A smile bloomed across Liang Yunqing's face once more. She mimicked Manager Jin's sinister, creepy grin, even letting out a low, eerie chuckle.

"Y-You, don't come any closer! Everything just now was a misunderstanding, our Golden Restaurant will pay for your medical expenses!"

Flustered, the man tossed a money pouch toward Liang Yunqing and shoved a nearby servant forward to block himself.

Manager Yang and Liang Yunqing exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's intent.

Twenty minutes later...

Behind the crowded crowd at the barbecue stall, across the street, a few battered and stripped-down middle-aged men were being carried away by their own servants. The rest of the instigators had their faces smeared with ugly drawings and fled home in tears.

Naturally, Manager Jin walked away with a little something extra compared to the others—several distinct palm prints on his face.

"Manager Liang's slaps were crisp and powerful, I am truly impressed."

"Manager Yang's drawings of the tortoises were vivid and lifelike, I am equally impressed."

The two bantered back and forth all the way as they wrapped up their work and headed back. Upon returning to the barbecue stall, Liang Yunqing discovered that all the skewers on the tables were completely gone.

Disregarding the bruises on her hand, she wove back and forth through the fully packed seating area on the first floor. The first fifty customers had practically scrambled to order all the barbecue, while the remaining patrons sipped wine and ate spiced dried tofu.

Walking over to the counter and noticing that the wine jars stored in the back were already half empty, she let out a long sigh of relief.

It seemed this method was viable. The damned system had demanded she maintain a monthly profit of seven hundred liang for three months, but now that didn't seem like such an impossible problem after all.

"Manager Liang, why are you coming to the counter instead of getting your wounds treated?"

Manager Yang squeezed through the crowd, holding two jars of medicinal ointment in his hand.

"Manager Yang, let me ask you, what is the monthly profit of the Prosperity Pavilion?"

The sudden question caught Manager Yang off guard. His lips parted as he hesitated before speaking.

"Why is Manager Liang asking about this?"

"Well, aren't I trying to boost the Prosperity Pavilion's profits? I want to see if adding late-night snacks and a barbecue stall will double the earnings."

Hearing this, Manager Yang had no choice but to pull Liang Yunqing aside to a quieter spot.

"Manager Liang, since you are a trusted partner of our owner, I won't keep it from you. The monthly profit of the Prosperity Pavilion is roughly around this figure."

Manager Yang looked around cautiously before holding up six fingers.

"How is it only this much?"

Liang Yunqing could hardly believe the numbers fell so short of her expectations.

"You think that's little? Just how many people are there in this entire county? Besides, not everyone has the money to dine at the Prosperity Pavilion every single day."

"That's true, it's tough..."

Seeing her worried expression, Manager Yang found it rather strange. "Manager Liang, what is it that you're so worried about?"

Liang Yunqing quickly brushed it off, claiming it was nothing.

Not pressing further, Manager Yang called a maid to help apply the ointment before returning to oversee the business.

Near dawn...

Liang Yunqing's left hand was thickly slathered with medicinal ointment and bound in cloth strips, making it look at first glance as though she had fractured her wrist.

The barbecue stall had been cleaned up, the street was entirely deserted, and all the waiters and chefs had collapsed over tables and chairs in exhaustion to catch some sleep.

Liang Yunqing's eyelids drooped heavily. This wouldn't do. Being forced to bustle about through both day and night not only escalated labor costs but could also lead to high staff turnover.

"Hah..."

Yawning deeply, Liang Yunqing dragged her exhausted body up to the third floor.

Xia Shi'an hadn't slept a wink all night either, having to remain constantly vigilant against potential troublemakers and keep an eye on Manager Jin's movements.

Hearing the knock on her door, Xia Shi'an perked up.

"Owner Xia, I have a matter to discuss with you. Once we're done, I'm heading back to sleep."

"How are your injuries?"

Xia Shi'an glanced at the cloth-wrapped hand, but Liang Yunqing waved it right in front of her face.

"I'm fine. Discussing business is more important. I've realized that if we make the waiters and chefs work tirelessly through both day and night, their bodies simply won't be able to hold up."

"True."

Xia Shi'an rubbed her sore, throbbing temples; she had been pondering this very issue ever since the midnight snack trials began.

Pulling up a stool and sitting down, Liang Yunqing laid out her proposal.

"I suggest implementing a shift system. We can divide all the waiters into two shifts—day and night. One group handles the daytime, while the other takes care of the late-night snacks, alternating accordingly. During the day, about five waiters are enough to serve customers well. During the late-night hours, people will be drinking, so to prevent any alcohol-fueled disturbances, we should increase the staff by two, making it seven people per shift.

As for those extra two positions, we can let whoever wants to work overtime volunteer. Those willing to work continuously from morning till night can receive extra pay—equivalent to double wages. That way, people will compete for the shifts, and after scheduling, no one will be excessively exhausted."

Saying it all in one breath, Liang Yunqing felt as though she had lost a good number of brain cells.

Xia Shi'an pulled out paper and a brush, jotting down the main points in a notebook. However, she quickly looked up again and asked, "What about the chefs? If we use your shift system for the chefs as well, our manpower will fall completely short."

"Of course we can't use shifts for the chefs. For chefs, we should use an overtime incentive system. We can set two slots per day responsible for the night market, with double pay for that day's labor and a performance bonus at the end of the month."

"What is a performance bonus?"