Chapter 54 The Greedy Girl

When Lin Xiangnan arrived, Wu Cuicui was already waiting at the entrance of the restaurant. When she saw Lin Xiangnan, she instructed him, "Park the bicycle in the backyard. Come with me to meet Manager Zhao and Chef Zhang first."

"Okay." Lin Xiangnan said with a serious attitude.

I haven't even joined this unit yet, so of course I have to perform well.

It’s not too late to reveal your true self once you’re employed.

Because they were relatives, Wu Cuicui gave instructions very carefully. Before meeting them, she reminded them, "There are five people in our West District restaurant, the manager Zhao Youliang, the chef Zhang Dapang, the apprentice Zhang Yong, and a helper like me, Ye Feiyan. The restaurant is small and there are many people, so it's not tiring on weekdays."

A helper is someone who helps with odd jobs, such as cutting vegetables and washing dishes. During meal times, he or she acts as a waiter and helps with ordering food.

If Wu Cuicui, a pregnant woman, can do it, then Lin Xiangnan naturally has no problem doing it either.

"Zhang Yong is a down-to-earth kid. He is always willing to do any work. Sister Ye is also very skillful, though a little careless. She is easy to get along with."

"Although the store manager is Zhao Youliang, the one who really makes the decision is Chef Zhang Dapang. He decides what dishes to order and what meals to serve. Sometimes the store manager has to coax Chef Zhang to do things. The person you can't offend the most in this store is Chef Zhang Dapang."

"That Fatty Zhang must be a pretty good cook." Lin Xiangnan licked his lips, feeling greedy. "I've never eaten at this state-owned restaurant in the West District. I must try it today."

"Of course, Chef Zhang is the signature of our restaurant."

Lin Xiangnan was glad that she was not taking the job of a chef, otherwise she would not even dare to come.

The potatoes she carefully stewed last night were so delicious that even Lin Xiangxi, the least picky eater in her family, could only flatter her by saying, "Such a strong potato flavor. Really authentic!"

Lin Xiangxi couldn't say anything else to praise him.

But the chef Zhang in this restaurant is descended from an imperial chef.

Before liberation, this restaurant was opened by Zhang Dapang himself. He sold some cold dishes in the summer and mutton soup in the winter. Business was good. Later, when the public and private sectors were merged, the organization assigned a store manager and two assistants, and Zhang Dapang just worked as a cook in the kitchen.

The city is so big that it is impossible for there to be only one restaurant. However, Zhang Dapang's cooking skills are among the best in the city, especially the soups he stews, which are never sold out every winter.

Zhang Dapang is in his fifties. He is tall and fat, with a round face and head, and no hair. He looks like a glowing fat boiled egg.

A cook will never starve to death in a famine, and Zhang Dapang's family's living standard has always been among the best, so it is difficult for him to lose weight.

Seeing Wu Cuicui bringing a new person, Zhang Dapang said cheerfully, "Your belly is so big, you should take good care of it at home. It's just that I don't have the conditions now. When my wife was pregnant, I stewed chicken for her every few days. My daughter was born white and plump, so cute."

Wu Cuicui quickly introduced, "Uncle Zhang, this is my eldest niece, Lin Xiangnan. I'm going back to take care of the baby, and she's here to take over my job. You have to take good care of her in the future."

Lin Xiangnan didn't want to complain about his generation, so he could only greet him with a smile: "Grandpa Zhang, you can just call me Xiaonan. If you need anything in the future, you can always order me around."

The attitude is here first, but whether you can do it well is not certain.

"Why call me grandpa? Just call me uncle. Let's talk about our own affairs." Fatty Zhang looked at Lin Xiangnan and said, "This girl is blessed. I like her. Okay, don't waste time here. Go find Zhao Youliang."

The job of a kitchen helper was not difficult, and Zhao Youliang did not ask many questions. He directly agreed to Lin Xiangnan taking over. He asked her and Wu Cuicui to fill out a form, and the matter was settled.

Wu Cuicui took the remaining 500 yuan and went home to rest, while Lin Xiangnan picked up the kitchen knife and prepared to cut vegetables.

"You go and peel the garlic. I'll cut the vegetables." Zhang Yong took the meat from Lin Xiangnan's hand and did not allow it to be refused.

Lin Xiangnan was happy when she heard this, but since it was her first day at work, she was still a little polite and said, "No, I can cut it well."

Sister Ye, who was peeling potatoes, said with a smile: "Just give it to Xiaonan. He is practicing his knife skills."

No wonder Wu Cuicui praised Jiayong for being so honest. Lin Xiangnan now saw that he had a handsome face, so he happily gave him the meat and took a pot of garlic to peel.

There are only three dishes in the restaurant today: shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and cold chicken.

When preparing vegetables, Zhang Yong took care of all the knife skills required. Lin Xiangnan and the others only needed to cut tomatoes into pieces and onions into sections. There was no need for any skills involved.

While working, Ye Feiyan chatted with Lin Xiangnan, "How old are you this year... Where do you live... Are you married... What's your relationship with Wu Cuicui..."

"Sister Ye, I'm working and can't be distracted, otherwise I'm afraid I'll cut my hand."

"You're too slow. It's obvious that you don't do enough work at home. It's just cutting a tomato. Why do you have to cut it so neatly? It can only take two or three cuts." Ye Feiyan wanted to assign some work to Lin Xiangnan, but seeing how fast she worked, she couldn't help but curl her lips.

At this time, Zhang Yong interrupted and said, "Xiao Nan, you'd better not learn from Sister Ye. You didn't even cut the stem of the tomato. The master will say something if he sees it."

"Just say it. It's not like you're losing a piece of meat. Fatty Zhang is just being picky."

Ye Feiyan worked quickly but her technique was rough. When peeling potatoes, she simply skipped the areas with buds, and when washing vegetables, she only rinsed them once.

When Zhang Dapang came to see the garlic Lin Xiangnan was peeling today, he could tell the difference at a glance.

"You don't need to ask me to know that this was peeled by a new employee. It's clean."

Ye Feiyan was dissatisfied: "It is clean, but the work is a bit slow."

The work that usually takes me half an hour to finish took me forty minutes today.

"What's wrong with going slower? We're not in a hurry." Fatty Zhang glared at her.

Ye Feiyan was used to being criticized, so she looked indifferent. After sniffing, she asked, "Master Zhang, are you stewing something again today? Give me some of the stewed soup, I'll take it back to cook and eat with the meat."

Zhang Dapang rolled his eyes. "Is it easy for me to put together a pot of marinade? You just want to take it for free."

"It's so hot, and your stew won't keep. What's wrong with giving me two bowls?" Ye Feiyan asked, slurping her saliva, "Are you stewing pork today? Do you need a ticket for today's meat? If not, I can buy it with my own money, okay?"

A person's monthly allowance is half a pound of meat and three ounces of oil. Even though she works in a restaurant, Ye Feiyan can only eat meat twice a month.

In today's social environment, if you try to take advantage of public resources, you will be criticized.

If they want to eat in the restaurant at noon, they have to pay money and tickets, but they can definitely get some bargains in terms of portion size. One person's meal can be eaten by two or three people when they take it home. All in all, the cost is about the same as cooking it themselves.

Fatty Zhang glanced at Ye Feiyan with disdain and said, "You're lucky. You don't need a ticket for today's meat, just money. I'll give you half a pound later."

Some of the restaurant's ingredients are planned, and you need a ticket when you buy them. A small amount is unplanned, and you just need to pay for it.

For example, the two pigs raised by my second uncle in the countryside. One pig is purchased by the supply and marketing cooperative, which is the planned meat. The other pig is his own, and when it is sold to the supply and marketing cooperative, it becomes unplanned meat.

Lin Xiangnan had no shortage of meat, but he was craving for the braised pork made by Zhang Dapang, so he also raised his hand and said loudly, "I want some too."

Fatty Zhang looked at her, shook his head, and sighed, "Another greedy girl has come to the store."