428: Extend an olive branch

Knock, knock, knock—

About ten minutes after Ye Su finished packing up, he heard someone knocking on the door.

As soon as the door opened, the visitor was, unsurprisingly, Meng Feiyu.

"Hello," Meng Feiyu greeted with a smile.

"You came so quickly; I hope it didn't interfere with your important matters?"

"What important matters could I possibly have to interfere with right now?"

"Haha," Ye Su chuckled in agreement before stepping aside to make way at the door. "Come on in first."

"Mm."

After inviting Meng Feiyu inside, Ye Su pointed to two large storage boxes in the living room. "Just these two boxes left."

"Only these two boxes? If I'd known, I would've waited for you to finish packing last time and moved everything in one go."

"I didn't think of it last time, which is why I'm troubling you to make another trip."

After exchanging a few polite words, the two of them lifted the boxes onto the small cart Meng Feiyu had brought, then pulled it to the truck in the underground parking garage.

Just like last time, Meng Feiyu drove the truck over alone, while Ye Su arrived first at the entrance of the Apartment Complex to guide Meng Feiyu into the residential area.

Once inside, Ye Su asked Meng Feiyu to help again, stacking both boxes in the storage room.

Even though it was his second time in this luxurious mansion, Meng Feiyu couldn't help but marvel at the extravagant, almost inhuman wealth of these mansion owners.

Not to mention anything else, based on the price per square meter, the storage room where Ye Su kept his odds and ends could buy a house outright in Yangcheng!

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. Just give me a call next time you need help."

Meng Feiyu didn't mention the cost of the truck ride, making as if to leave Ye Su's house.

If he stayed any longer, he was afraid his worldview might not be able to take it.

Seeing Meng Feiyu about to leave, Ye Su quickly got to the point:

"If you're not in a hurry, why not sit for a bit? I remember you mentioned last time that you planned to open a restaurant here. How are the preparations going?"

Hearing this, Meng Feiyu stopped in his tracks, smiling with a slightly reserved expression:

"Still looking into it; probably won't be finalized anytime soon."

To open a restaurant in Yangcheng, the initial investment—renting a shop, simple renovations, and purchasing equipment—would cost at least tens of thousands.

If it were a franchise, you'd probably have to sink in over a hundred thousand upfront.

For Ye Su, who lived in the Apartment Complex, a hundred thousand might just be a month's rent for this luxurious mansion.

But for him, a hundred thousand was a huge sum that would take two years to save up, so Meng Feiyu naturally had to be extremely cautious.

Once again, Meng Feiyu realized that because of driving the truck, his mindset was starting to trend toward going with the flow.

Now, his daily routine was driving the truck during the day and playing games in his rented room at night; he seemed to have grown accustomed to this lifestyle.

The idea of opening a shop to start a business was also becoming less and less of a priority as he gradually got used to his current life.

If things continued like this, Meng Feiyu suspected he might get used to being idle, just muddling along day by day relying on that small truck.

Seeing that Meng Feiyu didn't seem too willing to discuss this further, Ye Su had to cut straight to the chase:

"By the way, with you driving the truck around every day like this, roughly how much can you earn in a month?"

"Hmm..." Meng Feiyu looked embarrassed. "Not much, really. After deducting charging fees and platform commissions, it's probably not much different from working in a factory."

The vast wealth gap between them made Meng Feiyu reluctant to directly state his income, trying to brush it off with a vague statement.

Ye Su saw through Meng Feiyu's thoughts and said bluntly:

"I know asking about your income is somewhat sensitive, but what I want to discuss with you is related to your earnings."

"Huh?"

Meng Feiyu looked at Ye Su, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Here's the thing: I had someone develop a shacha sauce recipe. After having a few people try it, they all said the flavor is much better than what you'd find at a typical Beef Hot Pot Restaurant."

"So, I plan to use this shacha sauce as a specialty and first open a Beef Hot Pot Restaurant, then slowly build it into a chain brand."

"But I don't have any experience running a shop, so I want to find someone to be the store manager and help manage the first location."

"Coincidentally, I heard you mention a few days ago that you planned to open a restaurant in Yangcheng. I figured it's better to work with someone familiar, so I thought of having you come help run the shop."

"We've known each other since we were kids, so entrusting the store to you would definitely make me feel more at ease than handing it over to someone else."

"Asking about your current income is because I want to set a base salary based on what you earn now, to at least ensure your income won't be lower than what you make driving the truck."

"In addition to the base salary, I'll give you a one percent commission on the store's revenue."

"I've already secured the store location—it's on the seventh floor of Joyful Gathering, over two hundred square meters, with more than twenty tables combined for large and small groups."

"With the secret shacha sauce as a unique specialty and the location in a core commercial area, the prices I set will definitely be higher than other Hot Pot Restaurants."

"With proper promotion and if everything goes smoothly, monthly revenue of several hundred thousand shouldn't be a problem; with good luck, it could even reach a million."

"Based on this calculation, your total monthly salary should be no less than ten thousand yuan. Also, I'll fully cover your social insurance and housing fund. What do you think?"

Ye Su believed the terms he offered were definitely on the high side for Yangcheng.

Fortunately, he had triggered a [hidden task] from Meng Feiyu, with a cash reward of 500,000 yuan alone.

This meant that Meng Feiyu coming to work for him had essentially prepaid his salary for several years.

With 500,000 as a safety net, Ye Su didn't mind offering him slightly better terms.

"Monthly income no less than ten thousand yuan, plus social insurance and housing fund!"

It had to be said, after hearing the terms Ye Su offered, Meng Feiyu was seriously tempted.

Right now, driving the truck and hustling on the roads all day, after deducting various expenses, his monthly income was only around six or seven thousand yuan.

But for these few thousand yuan, he drove until his back was nearly broken, often having to sleep with pain relief patches at night.

If he kept this up for a few more years, Meng Feiyu doubted whether the money he earned now would even be enough for medical bills when he got old.

They say you trade your health for money when you're young, then trade money for health when you're old.

But at least others earned tens of thousands a month, so they could actually save up for retirement.

He bustled around for a month, earning just these few thousand yuan. After deducting rent, utilities, and daily expenses, he couldn't save much each month.

He didn't even have the right to say, 'You trade your health for money when you're young, then trade money for health when you're old.'

If he kept living like this, by the time he got old, he'd just be old—nothing else to speak of!

If it could really be as Ye Su said—monthly income over ten thousand, with social insurance and housing fund, and not having to spend all day cooped up in that small truck, sitting until his lumbar disc was about to herniate—

Not to mention being the store manager; even being a waiter in his shop, Meng Feiyu would be happy to do it!

"Are you serious? You're really going to pay me such a high salary?"

After calming down, Meng Feiyu looked at Ye Su somewhat uncertainly, carefully confirming it once more.