Chapter 17: The Conference — The Women's Corps

During a recess, Xiao Zishan stepped outside and found his "Women's Corps" gathered in the lounge, chatting amongst themselves. Most had slipped away shortly after the meeting began—there wasn't much entertainment to be had here beyond conversation. The younger women spotted him and came running over, calling out "Team Leader!" with barely concealed amusement at the title.

Xiao Zishan gathered them together. "There's a break inside. Let's hold a quick meeting for General Affairs."

"All right." "Go ahead, Team Leader!" More giggles erupted.

He sat down and waited. When giddiness met silence from a man, it tended to subside on its own—and so it did.

"Our General Affairs Group handles logistics, plain and simple." He surveyed them: eight people in all. Apart from one woman in her fifties, they ranged from their early twenties to about thirty. He had reviewed their registration forms beforehand. The older woman had written "housewife"; the remaining six had all held jobs—Li Yuanyuan as a secretary, the others in similar clerical roles. Women with technical skills had been assigned elsewhere. Those in General Affairs were, to put it bluntly, women without particular specializations. No wonder the General Affairs leadership had attracted so little interest—this was essentially the remedial class. To put it charitably, one might call it the "General Affairs Section."

"Since we're handling logistics, we'll be doing a lot of tedious chores. Let's start with the most fundamental issue: food. General Affairs will be responsible for the food supply."

"I've never cooked in my life. I hate cooking more than anything." The declaration landed like a brick to the skull—the kind that might have knocked out any inexperienced man.

"Neither have I," said another woman timidly, "but I can learn."

"I don't mind cooking, as long as you dare eat it!" A third struck a theatrical pose: if you're not afraid to die, be my guest.

"I can cook for everyone—rice, flatbread, hand-pulled noodles, all of it." Auntie Cao wrung her hands. "But for this many people, we'd need industrial-sized pots. I've never worked in a cafeteria. I don't know if I could manage."

Xiao Zishan knew her full name was Cao Shunhua. She had graduated middle school and been sent to the countryside during that era, returning to the city only years later. Apart from a brief stint at a neighborhood collective enterprise, she had essentially been a housewife all her life. Her husband had died young, and her daughter worked in construction after a recent divorce. Life had dealt her a hard hand, but she was resilient and down-to-earth—a woman who embodied the traditional virtues of Chinese working women.

"Let's just order boxed lunches," an older woman suggested. "There are so many people now, and there'll be even more later. Even if we all cooked together, it wouldn't be enough."

"Boxed lunches are notoriously low quality—everyone knows that." Xiao Zishan shook his head. "For a quick lunch here and there, sure. But we'll be here for half a year, maybe a full year. Boxed lunches every day?" He paused, allowing an insinuating smile to creep across his face. "Don't you all want your boyfriends and families to eat well?"

In any other context, such reasoning would have fallen on deaf ears. But this was different. These women had chosen to cross into another timespace for love—their devotion ran far deeper than average. As for why he insisted on running a cafeteria, the real reason was to accumulate experience for their post-crossing food supply. Seventeenth-century Hainan had no fast-food companies.

The women exchanged glances but said nothing.

"Zhao Xiaoqin, you worked in procurement for a restaurant business, correct?"

"Yes, five years of procurement experience." The woman approaching thirty let out a long sigh.

"Then you'll be in charge of purchasing," Xiao Zishan proposed. "You're certainly qualified."

She hesitated. "But I'm not familiar with suppliers here."

"That's not a problem. Since it's your field, adapting to a new location should be straightforward for someone of your caliber." Xiao Zishan understood that beyond financial incentives, the most effective way to motivate someone was to affirm their professional value.

"All right, I'll try. But I have one request."

"Go ahead."

"I need an office. I have my own computer, but I'll need a phone line and a fax machine. Internet access too, if possible."

Xiao Zishan noted her requirements. "Internet is a bit of a problem—we haven't set it up yet. Phone and office space, though, are no problem. I'll get you sorted."

"I'll need a menu from you—a meal plan—so I can estimate quantities." She seemed to be thinking out loud: "Vegetables, meat, poultry, eggs..."

Good. Now they had a working atmosphere.

"Xiaoqin-jie, we don't need to buy raw ingredients, do we? We can order pre-processed vegetables."

Pre-processed vegetables. Xiao Zishan thought: That's exactly what I had in mind. Someone bringing it up showed they were thinking. The advantage was minimal preparation—just cook and serve, skipping the tedious sorting, washing, and chopping. Perfect for modern people unaccustomed to such labor. If they purchased piles of raw chicken, duck, fish, meat, and vegetables like a traditional company cafeteria, the prep work alone would spark enormous conflict.

"Oh, right—that's much more convenient." Zhao Xiaoqin smiled, the dejection vanishing from her face. "Otherwise, washing vegetables alone would be a nightmare. In that case, I'll head into the city over the next few days, collect some catalogs, check market prices, and when I'm back we can calculate per-person budgets."

"Good." Xiao Zishan was secretly pleased.

"I'll also need an assistant. Is that acceptable?" She hesitated. "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to handle purchasing alone."

A seasoned professional who knew the rules. Since she was being sensible, Xiao Zishan showed her full respect. "You choose someone."

"I'll help you." The young woman who had suggested pre-processed vegetables volunteered. "I can speak Cantonese."

"Good. But Team Leader—what's our budget and reimbursement process?"

Xiao Zishan explained the procedure. During the year-long preparation period, establishing a simple but complete administrative and financial system was essential—and would serve as an important reference for the future.

"Got it. Everything is cash on delivery, correct?"

"Correct." This was to minimize contact with suppliers—they would simply unload at the door and leave.

"Auntie Cao, you'll be leading our kitchen corps." Xiao Zishan spoke with sincerity. "Frankly, we young people lack cooking skills. Running a cafeteria means keeping everyone satisfied, and your cooking is excellent. I'm entrusting this to you."

"Oh, you're too kind, Team Leader..."

"Just call me Zishan."

"Then I'll call you Zishan." Auntie Cao laughed happily. "Cooking isn't that difficult—watch a few times and you'll learn. It's just that my cooking is Northern-style. I don't know if the Southern comrades will be accustomed to it—I hear you're supposed to add sugar to dishes?"

"I don't think that will be a problem," Xiao Zishan smiled. "People's tastes aren't so particular anymore. We're getting pre-processed vegetables with mainstream flavors—easy to cook. You can mix things up and focus on making staples."

"Perfect! That's my specialty."

"Zhao Xiaoqin, you'll also need to acquire some kitchen equipment. You know a bit about that—have a look around."

She made a note. "What's the maximum number we'll need to feed?"

"Five to six hundred." Xiao Zishan seemed troubled. "Try to economize on equipment. Many things, like rice cookers, might not be usable on the other side."

"Oh, no problem," she said. "Kitchen equipment can be rented. For now, let's just rent everything."

Xiao Zishan nodded. Indeed, matching profession to task was most effective. You had to use everyone according to their abilities.

He finished arranging the cafeteria-related matters. Besides their main duties, General Affairs would assist in the cafeteria daily, while other transmigrators would take turns helping in groups of four. In recognition of General Affairs' contributions, they would enjoy a weekly group dinner—boyfriends or family could attend—at a standard of twenty yuan per person. This small perk satisfied everyone.

"Li Yuanyuan."

"Present! Team Leader." The girl struck an attention pose.

"You'll handle all clerical work—personnel files, meeting minutes, reports and applications from each group, financial statements—all to be compiled and archived. Understood?"

"Understood! Team Leader."

"Fang Yijing, you'll handle distributing daily necessities, dormitory management, and assigning cleaning duties."

"Me?" The woman seemed startled.

"Weren't you a nursery teacher?"

"Those were children. Here there are many men—"

"It'll be fine. With women around, people tend to pay more attention to their image. They won't be too sloppy."

In the brief thirty-minute recess, Xiao Zishan had roughly established the General Affairs structure. Procurement: Zhao Xiaoqin. Cafeteria: Cao Shunhua. Dormitory: Fang Yijing. Clerical: Li Yuanyuan. Each position with one assistant. After the crossing, organizing logistics would now have a model to follow.

(End of Chapter)