The next day, Ye Tian moved three times before she finally finished moving most of her things. She thought about how she had come here with nothing, and how she had slowly accumulated some belongings, including new clothes, skin care products, and especially a new phone and iPad.

My cousin has always wanted a pad, but my aunt refused to buy him one because it would interfere with his studies. Ye Tian thought, after all, Ye Fei was the brother who had given her warmth. If she could earn enough money working during the winter break, she would buy him one!

It was almost noon, and she was too tired from moving things. The kitchen utensils in the rental house had not yet arrived, so she decided to have lunch nearby.

There happened to be a noodle shop not far away, which was very popular among the students in her school. Ye Tian thought of Master Yun’s Laba garlic braised pork intestines and felt a little nostalgic, so she ordered the most expensive pork intestine noodles.

A few minutes later, the noodles arrived in a large bowl, topped with more than ten slices of greasy pig intestines. The red oil floated on top, and the bright red color made people's appetites grow. Ye Tian pulled a pair of chopsticks from the chopstick holder on the table and picked up a piece of pig intestines first.

"Hmm, delicious." She chewed slowly and felt that the pig intestines were braised just right, very tasty, soft and glutinous with a little chewiness. She then ate another piece before starting to eat the noodles.

The noodles were thin, but not overcooked, rather chewy. After a mouthful of noodles, a bite of pork intestines, and a swig of the free lemonade, Ye Tian felt completely satisfied.

The bill was 16 yuan, which was definitely more expensive than eating in the cafeteria. She planned to cook for herself in the future to save more money.

There weren't many people eating noodles in the noodle shop anymore. Unlike the usual long queues, the boss sat behind the counter, looking bored. Ye Tian suddenly became nosy and, after paying the bill, took the initiative to say to the boss, "Boss, your braised food is really good. Would you consider making some and selling it separately?"

"Selling braised food? Hahaha... In the past, some residents nearby really wanted to buy it, but I was too busy. However, now that the students have gone home for the winter vacation, I have time to do more, so I don't have to worry about closing down due to lack of business during the winter vacation! Thank you, little girl, you really reminded me!" The boss was confused at first, but soon he laughed heartily.

Ye Tian had only casually mentioned it, but she hadn't expected the boss to actually sell the braised food. She decided to lend a hand. "Boss, I have a small suggestion. Your braised food is already very good, but I think there's a bit too much star anise, which masks the original flavor. Would you like to try using a little less?"

The boss pondered for a moment, as if recalling the family's traditional sauce ratio. He nodded mechanically, then seemed to come to his senses. "You're right! I've always felt something was wrong, but this is a family recipe, so I didn't dare change it. I'll try using less star anise tomorrow. No... I'll try it tonight."

It seems that this boss is also an impatient person who pays attention to details!

Ye Tian returned to her newly rented apartment and began to pack up. There's a popular saying these days: "You rent your house, but you don't rent your life." There are plenty of renovation guides for rented apartments, but considering her financial situation and the fact she'd only be living there for a little over a month, Ye Tian decided not to renovate anything.

She bought a 39-yuan horizontal floor-standing clothes hanger online and also brought the clothes hangers from her dorm room, so she could hang all her clothes without having to buy a wardrobe. As for smaller items like underwear and socks, she put them in small storage boxes made from shoe boxes and placed them under the clothes hangers.

She also bought a PVC tablecloth and covered the only table in the room. She also moved the table away from the bed and put the kitchen utensils on it when they arrived. This way, when she cooked later, she would not easily damage the landlord's table and it would be easier to clean.

Ye Tian did not bring the small electric cooker that Lu Xinyi bought for her in the dormitory. Instead, she bought an electric frying pan and a small rice cooker, as well as a small chopping board, a kitchen knife, etc. They were not expensive, and she had basically all the necessary things for cooking.

Looking at the balance on her phone, she saw only 1,200 yuan left. Ye Tian sighed: "I can't just sit back and wait for the money to run out. I need to start looking for a job."

There aren't many large restaurants near the school, so it's mostly snack bars. These shops are generally closed during the student holidays, and usually reopen after the Lunar New Year. Ye Tian wants to find a job, but it's difficult to find one nearby, so she might have to go further afield.

…

Chen Chi also returned home. Winter vacation should have been a happy thing, but when he thought about not being able to eat the food of the chef in the third canteen and having to help out in his own restaurant during the vacation, he was no longer happy.

Although he loves delicious food, he really doesn't like managing a restaurant. Although he studied business administration, he is not interested in it. But his father said that he is waiting for him to take over in the future. If he doesn't study, who will?

Chen Chi had a job he didn't want, while Ye Tian was still worried about finding one. She had thought that with her cooking skills, it would be easy to find a job in a restaurant. Unexpectedly, after visiting several restaurants, everyone thought she was applying for a waitress position.

She wanted to show off her cooking skills, but she wasn't even given a chance to try. She was just a little girl, and she didn't look like she was meant to work in the kitchen.

She thought helplessly that if it really didn't work out, she would just work as a waitress for a month. A waitress could earn at least 2,000 yuan a month, and after deducting expenses, she would still have a little left.

The next afternoon, she went to a high-end restaurant 10 kilometers away from the school. The restaurant had four floors. The lobby was spacious, with marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and large leather sofas in the lounge area, which fully demonstrated the restaurant's high-end and grand style.

A lobby manager met her and asked if she wanted to eat. Ye Tian quickly said that she had seen the job posting and was applying for the position of kitchen helper.

"Kitchen helper? Miss, we are recruiting a lobby receptionist. You have a good appearance and temperament. Would you like to consider it?" The lobby manager looked Ye Tian up and down.

Ye Tian knew that a lobby receptionist was supposed to greet guests outside and then lead them to private rooms or seats. It was indeed better than being a waiter, but she didn't like it!

When she opened her own restaurant, she hired a talkative manager to help with the reception and seeing off. She would only toast to distinguished guests when they came.

"Are you the person in charge of recruitment? I have studied cooking for many years and am very skilled in picking, washing and cutting. I can make most dishes. I can demonstrate it on the spot." Ye Tian continued to work hard.

"I'm the lobby manager. This is not an ordinary restaurant. The chefs are all professionally trained and we don't just hire people casually. If you don't want to be a receptionist, then I can't do anything about it." His tone was quite polite.

Ye Tian knew that this place was also failing, so she had no choice but to ask, "Are you hiring waiters here?"

The lobby manager, Yuan Jiang, was truly puzzled: Is this girl stupid? She'd quit her comfortable and clean job as a receptionist and become a waitress?

Anyway, it’s almost the New Year and the bigger restaurants are short of waiters, so just hire them!

"We are also recruiting waiters. Please wait a moment, I will contact the human resources department. They still need to conduct an interview." Manager Yuan picked up the intercom and prepared to make a call.

At this time, the glass revolving door of the lobby turned and someone else walked in.

"Ye Tian, why are you here?" a voice came.

Ye Tian turned around and saw Chen Chi. He was accompanied by a middle-aged man in a suit and tie.

"Hello, Mr. Chen! Hello, young boss!" Manager Yuan immediately put down the intercom and walked forward to greet them with a smile on his face.

"Xiao Chi, who is this lady...?" asked the middle-aged man.

"Uncle, this is my schoolmate, Ye Tian." Chen Chi walked to Ye Tian and introduced her to his uncle.

"Uncle, hello." When Ye Tian heard Chen Chi calling him Second Uncle, she knew that he was the elder of his family and greeted him politely.

"Are you coming to eat? Why didn't you tell me? I'll make the arrangements. This is my restaurant." Chen Chi whispered to Ye Tian.

"I'm not here to eat, I'm here to find a part-time job." Ye Tian replied.

"Why don't you go home during the winter vacation?" Chen Chi asked again.

Seeing that he was asking more and more questions, and there were two people watching nearby, Ye Tian said, "Let's talk about it later!"

"No, then what job are you applying for?" After saying that, he looked at Manager Yuan again.

"Young boss, your friend is here to apply for the position of kitchen helper, but our restaurant doesn't recruit just any chef, so she said she wants to be a waiter." Manager Yuan was a little nervous when he spoke, and his voice dropped to the bottom.

Chen Chi watched Ye Tian apply for a waiter position at his restaurant without any hesitation or embarrassment. He realized Ye Tian didn't go home for the winter break, so her family must be struggling. A kitchen helper would definitely pay better than a waiter, so he pleaded with his uncle, "Uncle, my friend used to help in the school cafeteria. She'd definitely be no problem doing this. Just hire her! She'll only be working for the winter break, and she'll have to go back to school when school starts."

Uncle Chen looked at Ye Tian. She was a pretty girl, not the type to be a chef. But since his nephew had said so, and since it was just a part-time job during the winter vacation, and she was dressed casually, she must be working to earn her living expenses, he decided to do her a good deed and help her.

"Xiao Yuan, talk to the HR department and tell them that I agree to let this young lady be the kitchen helper!" Uncle Chen said.

"Okay, Mr. Chen, I'll do it." Manager Yuan agreed immediately.

Chen Chi winked at Ye Tian, smiled, and went upstairs with his second uncle.

Manager Yuan looked at Ye Tian again and said, "Okay, little girl. You're a classmate of our young boss. I'll need you to take care of me in the future! By the way, I'll take you to the HR department to handle the paperwork. You'll need to get a health certificate later. It's a must."

Manager Yuan took Ye Tian directly to the HR department and explained the situation to the HR manager. The HR department processed the paperwork for Ye Tian and told her that she could come to work at any time after obtaining her health certificate.

Ye Tian thanked him and said goodbye. After leaving the restaurant, she looked back at the building. There were four big characters on the sign above her head: Xiyuan Restaurant.

She turned and strode out. Even though this was Chen Chi's restaurant, she didn't feel ashamed to rely on knowing him to work. Because her ability was more than enough to match the standard!