Chapter 6 — After Taking Mother Away, We Changed Our Lives

You can cook a large pot of soy sauce at once. Our output immediately increased several times. And I started thinking about new ways of consumption. Only sold at night markets, consumption is too limited and unstable. I turned my eyes to the small restaurants and noodle shops around the area. Dung Thanh's taste is quite strong, many restaurants need to use chili sauce. I took my most beautiful glass jar and packed more than ten sample jars. Then take it to each shop to offer.

"Boss, hello, I'm with 'Mother and Son That Ly Huong'. This is my homemade chili sauce, can you try it?"

At first, I got rejected a lot. Most restaurant owners use cheap canned industrial chili sauce, completely disregarding the products from my small factory.

“Little girl, your sauce is too expensive.”

“Business people like us have to calculate costs.”

I'm not discouraged. If you get rejected, go to the next shop. Finally, there was a pork sausage rice restaurant in Long Giang that was willing to try it. The owner is a middle-aged man who also came from another place to start a business. He used his chopsticks to dip a little bit into his mouth and seriously taste it. Then his eyes lit up.

“This taste… is perfect.”

“Very fragrant.”

“It's not just the spicy taste of industrial products.”

Right on the spot, he ordered 10 bottles. He also said that if customers give good feedback, they will buy products from me for a long time in the future. This order earns more than one night selling at the night market. More importantly… It opened a whole new door for me. There is a first customer, then there will be a second and third customer. The reputation of "Mother and Son That Ly Huong" began to spread gradually in the circle of small restaurants around the area. Orders are increasing day by day. Very quickly, new problems appeared. We, mother and daughter... can't handle it anymore. Every day, my mother stood and cooked soy sauce from morning to night, and was so tired that her back could not be straightened. As for me, in addition to delivery, I also have to worry about buying chili, spices, washing jars, labeling, packaging... Many days I'm busy until late at night, and I don't even have time to eat a proper meal. Several times I woke up in the middle of the night and saw my mother still sitting under the lamp, quietly washing the jars for tomorrow. It seems even more gray than when I first arrived at Dung Thanh. My heart suddenly ached. I took her out of that house so she could live a better life. It's not for you to come here and continue risking your life. We definitely have to hire people. I discussed it with my mother.

“Mom, let's hire more people.”

Her first reaction was still to shake her head.

“Hiring people costs money…”

“Mom, you can still earn money.”

“But what if mom ruins her health?”

“Now the money I earn is enough to hire another person.”

"Mom, you don't want to see me busy like a dog running on the street every day, do you?"

I said half joking and half serious. Mom looked at the dark circles under my eyes and finally softened.

“So… who should I hire?”

The first person I thought of was Aunt Tran - my old neighbor in the village in the city. Aunt Tran also took her children to Dung Thanh alone to make a living. Normally, she lived by doing odd jobs, a very miserable life. But she is an honest person and works quickly. My mother has a pretty good relationship with her aunt. I found Aunt Tran and made my intentions clear.

“Aunt Tran, I want to invite you to the workshop to help.”

“Mainly supporting my mother, washing clothes, packing miscellaneous things.”

“Every month I pay you 2,000 yuan, is that okay?”

Much more stable than my aunt's odd job more, the money is also higher. Aunt Tran almost didn't hesitate and immediately agreed on the spot. Auntie excitedly held my hand tightly, repeatedly saying thank you.

“Nguyet Nguyet, you are such a good child.”

“I will definitely work hard!”

The first day Aunt Tran arrived, our workshop was immediately different. She works very diligently and endures hardships. All the odd jobs like washing jars and packaging are proactively taken care of. Mom was finally freed from the heavy physical work and could focus entirely on the most important step — cooking soy sauce. I also have more time and energy to expand the market and find new customers. That day, I gave Aunt Tran my first salary. I placed 2,000 yuan in cash neatly in an envelope and gave it to my aunt.

“Aunt Tran, it's been hard for you.”

Aunt received the money, her eyes were red. At that moment, an extremely strange feeling suddenly appeared in my heart. I am no longer just a hired girl working hard to earn a living. I became a “boss”. I used my own efforts to not only change the destiny of me and my mother... But also give someone who was also struggling at the bottom of society a stable job. That feeling of accomplishment... Satisfies me even more than how much money I earn.

“Mother and Son That Ly Huong” is no longer just the two of us anymore.

We had our first employee. Our team… is finally growing.