Huanhuan | Best Partner Xiaobin

I met Xiaobin while running the Moon. In early April 2019, I traveled to the United States and only returned to Dali at the end of May. By then, he had already joined as a kitchen newcomer. While working together, I found that he learned things really quickly, and within about a month he had basically mastered the kitchen helper work.

About a month later, he proactively approached the then-manager Zhaizhai to ask if he could transfer to the front-of-house. He thought serving would be interesting. Xiaopan from the kitchen was the first to express regret, secretly telling me, 'You must keep him in the kitchen! He's a capable right-hand man!' Zhaizhai and I also advised him that front-of-house service isn't as wonderful as imagined and that he would face more pressure. But he had made up his mind and said with a smile, 'I'm going to strive to be the Service Star at the end of the year!'

Xiaobin previously only had guesthouse service experience; when he came to the Moon, he had to learn almost everything from scratch, but he truly had talent. Coffee making was taught by Zhaizhai, but as the saying goes, 'The master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to the individual.' His subsequent practice and improvement were entirely self-driven.

In June 2020, I had differences with my then-business partner about management and decided to leave. Several front-of-house partners left with me, including Xiaobin. On the morning of July 1st, Zhaizhai and I finished the final handover at the store, my heart mixed with relief and loss, when I received a long article from Xiaobin. He always said he wasn't good at writing, but that article recalled the moments we worked together and expressed his love for me (the love between friends). So in the end, I cried on the second floor of the Moon, not because I was leaving the small shop I had run for six years, but because of Xiaobin's article.

In September 2021, I opened Huanque. At that time, Xiaobin was working at Big Bowl Island (a famous coffee shop in the ancient city). I would occasionally go there to hang out and tease him. He had become a very mature barista able to handle things independently. After working at Big Bowl Island for three years, probably wanting a change of environment, he left and traveled to western Sichuan, enjoying himself immensely running and jumping at high altitudes while watching snow mountains and lakes. After he returned, during his gap period, I seized the opportunity and pulled him back to work together again, haha.

This year, October 1st happened to be his first anniversary at Huanque. That day, while I was in the bakery, he ran in excitedly and said, 'It's my one-year anniversary at Huanque!' Among Huanque's current staff, four are former colleagues who worked together at the Moon for a long time. So daily work doesn't need much worry, and we spend the day laughing. But this year, Dali's overall business climate hasn't been great, so everyone has more idle time.

Recently, Xiaobin shared his latest hobby of rope weaving, and he quickly bought raw materials and made his first finished piece. Girls all like this kind of fancy thing, especially since it's really useful, so he made his first video, and we all encouraged him to make more. Once, Wangwang (the hiking team leader of Cangshan Hiking Home) and his girlfriend Laohu came to the shop with Senbei (their cat) for a meal. Xiaobin was off that day but brought his rope-woven works to the shop and asked Shanshan to help take photos. I asked Xiaobin to bring one up to show Wangwang and Laohu. As we chatted, it suddenly occurred to me that it might be more interesting to turn this into a handicraft class.

Because Xiaobin is a passionate person, he has natural affinity and is willing to communicate with strangers. I raised my hand and offered the second-floor space of the store for his class. That way, everything is perfect.

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