Chapter 111: Eyes Only for Sister Tao
The last day of June was also payday for the employees. Early in the morning, Qian Rongrong pulled up the payroll sheet for Su Tao to review.
At the moment, Taoyang had 13 full-time employees. Except for Old Mei, everyone else needed to be paid, totaling 104,000 Federation Coins.
Although it wasn’t a small sum, Su Tao didn’t feel the pinch when spending money in areas like this. She transferred the amount without hesitation.
For Qian Rongrong, it was the first time handling such a large sum. She nervously double-checked the payroll sheet before transferring the salaries to each employee and sending out emails with detailed pay slips.
Su Tao nodded approvingly from the side and couldn’t help but praise her: “Rongrong, you’re really meticulous in your work.”
Qian Rongrong blushed and earnestly replied, “It’s what I should do.”
Su Tao had a fondness for her and started making plans in her heart. Once Panliu Mountain opened, she would entrust the payroll there to Qian Rongrong as well—and give her a raise.
Su Tao was planning to hire eight employees for Panliu Mountain: 1 manager, 2 receptionists, 2 security guards, 1 chef and 2 cleaners.
But she figured it wouldn’t be easy to find the right people.
Her plan was to officially open once she secured at least: 1 security guard, 1 cleaner and 1 receptionist.
The rest could be hired gradually.
Just as she was thinking about this, Ma Dapao called her.
“Boss Su, I have something to discuss with you. The only tough position to fill right now is the chef. I’ve been searching for over half a month and finally found a suitable one. Before the apocalypse, he was a head chef at a high-end hotel. His skills and character are top-notch—truly one in a hundred.”
“But… he has a disabled wife. She’s deaf and mute, with some cognitive impairments. He told me he wants to bring her along, or else there’s no one to take care of her. Without him, she won’t survive. I can’t decide on this, so I wanted to ask you.”
Su Tao thought for a moment and asked, “Does he have any other salary or work requirements?”
Ma Dapao sighed, “None at all. He just hopes to bring his wife along and have a place to stay. Life has been tough for them. After the apocalypse, high-end hotels ceased to exist, and no one values his skills anymore. He’s been working as a porter at a supply station, barely scraping by. He even takes his wife along to keep an eye on her while he works, getting up early and staying up late just to survive.”
Su Tao chuckled, “Sounds like a decent guy. That’s fine. They can stay in the employee dorm on the right side of the first floor—it has a double bed and a private bathroom. Also, since accommodation and meals are included, his monthly salary will be 4,000 Federation Coins. Make sure he understands that. If everything’s good, he can start as soon as possible.”
Ma Dapao was relieved and thanked her repeatedly: “He’ll definitely agree! I’ll bring him over tonight. Oh, by the way, boss—there are a lot of candidates for the other positions. We actually have too many!”
“There are four great candidates for reception, three for cleaning, and six for security.”
“I’ll rent a vehicle and bring them all over tonight so you can choose.”
Su Tao was surprised by how quickly he had found people: “Where did you find so many? The supply station doesn’t have that many workers, does it?”
Ma Dapao scratched his head and laughed, “Remember last time I took photos of the work environment and employee dorms before leaving? Then, you gave me some funds, right? Well, I used a bit of it to grease the wheels—I slipped some benefits to the communications personnel at nearby small bases and refugee shelters, so they helped spread the photos and job postings.”
“The response was fantastic! Tons of people called me, and some even risked recent zombie attacks to bring their families and search for work at the supply station. Now, even the surrounding areas know that Panliu Mountain is opening a lodge and a supply station. It’s like free advertising before we even officially launch.”
Su Tao didn’t hold back her praise: “Your connections are impressive. You even have direct lines to the communications staff from other places. Honestly, having you just recruit guests before was a waste of your talents.”
Ma Dapao’s ambition burned even brighter after being praised, but he didn’t dare to fully accept the compliment. He quickly said:
“The main reason is that our work environment and living conditions are really good. The recent large-scale zombie attacks have devastated many small bases and settlements. People don’t even have a place to stay, let alone enough food and water. What we’re offering isn’t just a job—it’s a chance to survive.”
Su Tao said, “With that smooth talk of yours, you don’t need to bring the candidates over for me to pick. Just make the decision yourself—I trust your judgment.”
Feeling the weight of her trust, Ma Dapao was energized. “Alright! I’ll bring them over tonight, and they’ll be ready to start working tomorrow.”
Then, he brought up Wu Zhen’s situation. “Have the Leopard Path people set off yet? I heard things are getting really dangerous in Shou’an. All the zombies nearby are swarming there, like flies to rotting meat. Even the warlords are struggling to hold on.”
Su Tao was a bit worried too. “They’ve set off, but I haven’t received any updates yet. They probably haven’t reached Shou’an.”
“Once they’ve rescued the guy, let me know, alright? I’m on edge over here too.”
After hanging up, Su Tao handled some daily affairs at Taoyang and checked on Lin Fangzhi’s studies.
Sheng Yulan was proving to be an incredibly responsible teacher. After finishing lessons with Lin Fangzhi, she even stayed an extra hour to tutor Chen Xi and Chen Yang, who were sitting in on the classes.
Zhuang Wan felt bad about it. She tried to pay Sheng Yulan, but the girl refused no matter what. In the end, she could only send her home with two extra lunchboxes every day.
Zhuang Wan told Su Tao, “I’m really too busy these days to keep an eye on Chen Xi and Chen Yang. I was considering sending them to Dongyang Comprehensive School, but after listening to Sheng Yulan’s class today, I changed my mind. She’s really impressive—her knowledge is solid, she speaks clearly, and her logic is sharp. If this were before the apocalypse, she’d easily be university material.”
Su Tao agreed. “Yeah, I noticed that Chen Xi and Chen Yang really respect her too.”
The only one struggling was Lin Fangzhi. He wasn’t used to studying and treated each lesson like attending a funeral. After class, he would become even more clingy.
Today, when Su Tao went to check on his lesson, he was reciting pinyin while staring at her. Sheng Yulan called his name multiple times, but he refused to turn his head.
The last time someone was this attached to her, it was White Sesame before it was weaned.
What a headache.
Zhuang Wan sighed, “Yulan is graduating in six months. I’m thinking of hiring her as a full-time teacher instead of sending Chen Xi and Chen Yang to Dongyang. That way, I won’t have to worry about them while I’m at Taoyang—they’ll be right under my nose.”
Su Tao had been thinking the same thing. “If you have time, talk to her about it. I’ll even set up a dedicated classroom for them. And also—have Chen Xi and Chen Yang play with Fangzhi more. He needs a social circle of his own. Clinging to me all the time isn’t good for him.”
Zhuang Wan spread her hands. “I’ve already told those two troublemakers, but they said Brother Fangzhi doesn’t want to play with them. His eyes are only for Sister Tao.”
Su Tao rubbed her forehead.
Oh well… one step at a time.
Even after being weaned, White Sesame was still clingy. Besides eating and sleeping, it was always looking for her, rubbing up against her and begging for pets.
At that moment, White Sesame was crawling under the bed. When it found nothing there, it froze in confusion and let out a long, drawn-out “Meow—”
