Chapter 612 - 437: Remembering the Summer of 2013! Kuai Pao Cafeteria, Over the Tier 1 Line, 10,000 a Year

"Boss, Mr. Wang from Laoxiang Chicken is here. He’s in the waiting area."

Tian Tian smiled faintly and reminded him in a low voice.

Chen Yansen nodded and glanced over. Sure enough, Wang Xueting was talking with a middle-aged man in his early forties.

He then walked over slowly.

When Wang Zhe saw the young man at the door, he quickly stood up, walked over to greet him, and said with a broad smile, "President Chen, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

Although he was the vice general manager of Laoxiang Chicken, at the end of the day, he was just a high-level white-collar worker. His status was worlds apart from Chen Yansen’s.

Even if the founder of Laoxiang Chicken came in person, he would still have to respectfully address him as "President Chen."

Of course, with Su Congxuan’s status, it would be difficult for him to even get a meeting with Pei Yi, let alone Chen Yansen.

After all, Kuai Pao was the nation’s largest delivery and Group Buy platform, wielding immense influence and control over restaurant chains like Laoxiang Chicken.

"Please, have a seat," Chen Yansen said in a neutral tone.

With that, he pulled over a chair and sat down opposite Wang Zhe.

"I’ve reviewed your resume, and I have confidence in your abilities," Chen Yansen began. "But the Kuai Pao Cafeteria’s business model is different from Laoxiang Chicken’s. I’m positioning it as a cafeteria for both employees and the community, with employees as the top priority. Do you understand?"

During his last trip to Yanjing, he noticed that Cloud Speed Couriers and Kuai Pao Deliverymen had a hard time finding convenient places to eat, which led him to propose the Kuai Pao Cafeteria concept.

For one, it would provide a place for employees at various branch offices to eat and rest, sheltering them from the rain and heat. For another, it would create more jobs and open up a new channel for acquiring Human Dao Fire.

A single Kuai Pao Cafeteria would require a store manager, servers, a cashier, food servers, prep cooks, and chefs—about 20 people in total.

If they opened 1,000 locations nationwide, that would create another 20,000 jobs.

"President Chen, I worked at Laoxiang Chicken for four years and at Nancheng Fragrance for six before that. I’m highly skilled in supply chain and team management. I’m familiar with the costs of ingredients and labor in various regions, and I have my own practical experience in boosting profitability."

Wang Zhe replied immediately.

Although the Kuai Pao Cafeteria was essentially just a dining area for Senlian Capital employees, Chen Yansen was already talking about a plan for 1,000 locations. That scale was far larger than Laoxiang Chicken’s.

After all, in 2013, Laoxiang Chicken only had 280 locations.

The position he was interviewing for was, on the surface, General Manager of the Kuai Pao Cafeteria business. In reality, however, he would be the head of cafeterias for Senlian Capital.

The title might not sound impressive, but the future prospects and financial rewards were both excellent.

Wang Zhe didn’t hesitate for a second. He took two days off and rushed to Xucheng.

Chen Yansen casually asked a few professional questions, such as the approximate percentages of ingredients, labor, and utilities in a store’s cost structure, and how to balance "standardized service" with "personalized needs."

Wang Zhe’s answers were all solid. His logic was clear, and his proposed solutions were very down-to-earth.

It was clear that his methods were honed and summarized through real-world experience. He was a man who got things done.

Both of his previous work experiences were in the chain restaurant industry.

"Have you settled on a start date?" Chen Yansen asked.

"The first of next month," Wang Xueting added from the side.

"Welcome to Senlian." Chen Yansen extended his right hand in a welcoming gesture.

"Thank you, Boss." Wang Zhe smiled, understanding he had been hired.

In fact, he had already gone through two rounds of interviews. Both Pei Yi and Wang Xueting had spoken with him in-depth and highly approved of his work abilities and project experience.

Only after confirming he was a good fit did they pass Wang Zhe’s resume on to Chen Yansen.

Chen Yansen personally handled this final interview. With the strength of his Spiritual Power, it was easy for him to see the candidate’s true current thoughts and decide whether to hire them.

Of course, people’s hearts can change. A candidate’s current state didn’t necessarily represent what they would be like in three or five years.

Chen Yansen gave a few instructions, then entered the elevator and went to his office.

He took a canister of tea from the tea cabinet. In the corner, a pair of light gray gloves lay there, looking lonely.

President Chen glanced at them and was suddenly reminded that the college entrance exam scores would be released in two days.

He mulled it over for a few seconds, then opened his computer and quickly created a group chat.

"@Pei Yi @Liao Wei @Cao Dahua For all couriers, deliverymen, and front-line factory workers below the supervisor level, if their child’s college entrance exam score surpasses the Tier 1 university threshold, they will receive a bonus of 10,000 yuan per year for up to four years. If it surpasses the Tier 2 threshold, the bonus will be 3,000 yuan per year."

Chen Yansen ordered.

"Boss, are deliverymen who have just joined and haven’t completed their probation period eligible for this benefit?" Pei Yi asked.

"They must have been with the company for at least three months," Chen Yansen added.

"Yes, Boss!" Pei Yi, Liao Wei, and Cao Dahua replied in unison.

The new policy quickly spread throughout the country via the company’s intranet.

As for employees at the supervisor level and above, their salaries were already quite high, so there was no need to give them a bonus.

...

...

"Brother Zhou, how did your kid do?"

On Yishan Road, in an open area in front of Guangqi City, several Kuai Pao Deliverymen were gathered together, chatting idly after finishing the lunch rush.

"I’m not holding my breath for that ten-thousand-yuan bonus. He ranked 27th out of 46 in his class. When he brought his report card home yesterday, his mom immediately rewarded him with a ’pork stir-fried with belt’."

Li Zhou waved his hand and said with a sigh.

"He’s a boy. They usually start putting in the effort in middle school. He’s only in elementary school, no need to rush it."

"You can’t say that. If the foundation isn’t solid, what’s he going to use to put in the effort in middle school? You should spend money where it’s needed. Sign your nephew up for a tutoring class."

His colleagues nearby discussed it with cheerful laughter.

"Brother Cheng, isn’t your daughter taking the college entrance exam this year?" Li Zhou asked, turning to another rider.

"I... don’t know... the score yet. Nannan said we have to wait until... the day after tomorrow at noon... to check," Xu Jiacheng said, tilting his head.

As he spoke, his hands swayed uncontrollably. The movement was slight, but one could see at a glance that his body was different from an ordinary person’s.

He was in his forties, his face sunburned red. Though he couldn’t hide his exhaustion, his eyes were full of a smiling warmth.

"If she can hit the Tier 1 score threshold, you’ll get an extra ten thousand yuan a year. That would make things a lot easier for you, Brother Cheng," Li Zhou replied.

He paused, then said, "Brother Cheng, I’ve got 200 yuan here. It’s not much, just a small token."

"Brother Zhou, I... I can’t take it," Xu Jiacheng said, shaking his head.

He had mild cerebral palsy. Aside from his uncoordinated limbs and stutter, he wasn’t slow-witted. When he was younger, he even bore a slight resemblance to Yu Chengqing.

This was the main reason he was able to get married and have children just like a normal person.

Xu Jiacheng used to work at a shoe factory. After the factory went bankrupt last year, he heard that you could make good money as a delivery rider and joined Kuai Pao.

He didn’t know how to use a smartphone, couldn’t read the electronic navigation, and had trouble speaking clearly.

The station manager originally wanted to fire him, but thanks to Li Zhou’s strong recommendation, he was given a three-month probation period.

Li Zhou taught Xu Jiacheng everything, step-by-step. Li Zhou called him "Brother Cheng," and Xu Jiacheng called him "Brother Zhou."

Even though he worked himself to the bone, Xu Jiacheng could only manage about 40 deliveries a day. Still, his monthly income was around six thousand yuan, which was much better than what he earned at the factory.

"If Nannan passes the Tier 1 threshold, are you going to take the boss’s bonus?" Li Zhou asked, his face stern.

"I’m... not an idiot," Xu Jiacheng said with a laugh.

"Then that settles it! You’ll take it if the boss gives it, but you won’t take it from me? Are you looking down on me?" Li Zhou demanded.

"Brother... Brother Zhou, I... I just want to be self-reliant," Xu Jiacheng said, waving his hands.

"Alright, this is for Nannan, not for you. Take it." Li Zhou forcibly stuffed the two-hundred-yuan red envelope into Xu Jiacheng’s hand.

Helpless, Xu Jiacheng could only thank him repeatedly.

"Brother Cheng, you took Brother Zhou’s red envelope. If you don’t take mine, you’re not giving me any face."

"Yeah, Brother Cheng!"

Without another word, the remaining Kuai Pao Riders took out their own red envelopes and forced them into Xu Jiacheng’s pockets.

They had planned this in advance.

Under Chen Yansen’s control, the monthly income of a full-time Kuai Pao Rider could basically reach eight or nine thousand yuan. A "delivery king" like Li Zhou made over ten thousand a month.

With high incomes and a secure livelihood, Li Zhou and the others didn’t hesitate to show kindness to people around them.

"Th-thank you, Brother Zhou. Thank you, every... one." Xu Jiacheng’s lips turned down as his eyes instantly reddened.